Nitin Gadkari seeks 10 pc additional GST on diesel vehicles as pollution tax
New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said he will seek a "pollution tax" in the form of additional GST of 10 per cent on diesel vehicles and gensets in order to cut down on air pollution.
Speaking at the 63rd Annual SIAM convention here, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister said the rising level of pollution is a health hazard for citizens.
"I am going to handover a letter to the Finance Minister this evening stating that an additional 10 per cent GST be put on diesel-powered vehicles," Gadkari said.
Most of the commercial vehicles in the country currently run on diesel.
In the passenger vehicle segment, various carmakers including Maruti Suzuki India and Honda have already stopped manufacturing diesel cars.
Gadkari said the contribution of diesel cars has already come down drastically in the country and the manufacturers need to stop selling them in the market.
Terming diesel as a hazardous fuel, he noted that the country has to import the fuel to meet the demand.
"Say goodbye to diesel... Please stop making them, otherwise we will just increase the tax so much that it would become difficult to sell diesel cars" Gadkari said.
He said he will propose additional GST on diesel-powered generators as well.
Automobiles are currently taxed at 28 per cent GST, with additional cess ranging from 1 per cent to 22 per cent depending on the type of vehicle.
SUVs attract the highest GST at the rate of 28 per cent along with a compensation cess at 22 per cent.
Gadkari also asked the industry to focus on environment-friendly alternative fuels like ethanol.
He also asked the industry to focus on green hydrogen.
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Chhattisgarh: Couple, two grandchildren killed over 'property' dispute; two relatives held
Janjgir (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): An elderly couple and their two grandchildren were allegedly murdered by two close relatives to grab family property in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, police said on Thursday.
The couple’s one son, who had earlier spent 15 years in jail for killing his own brother, and his son have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, an official said.
The bodies were found inside their under-construction house in Bhanvtara village under the jurisdiction of the Shivrinarayan police station after labourers reached the site for work in the morning, a senior police official said.
The deceased were identified as Medani Prasad Kashyap (70), his wife Kanti Bai (65), their grandchildren Pitambar Kashyap (17) and Mogra (25).
The deceased couple’s son, Sonsai, and his son Dakeshwar have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, the official said.
According to the preliminary investigation, Medani Prasad had three sons, including Sonsai. Police said Sonsai had murdered one of his brothers in the past and had served a 15-year jail term in the case, while the couple’s third son had reportedly died by suicide.
Sonsai and his son Dakeshwar, alias Golu, allegedly killed his parents and the children of his two deceased brothers with an axe while they were asleep in the under-construction house, he said.
Pitambar was the only son of one deceased brother, while Mogra was the only daughter of another, the official said.
The accused allegedly wanted sole ownership of the family property and are suspected of having committed the crime to eliminate other claimants, police said.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway, the official added.
