Pakora seller surrenders Rs 60 lakh as tax to I-T department
LUDHIANA: When the Congress party had mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remark that selling ‘pakodas’ too was a form of self-employment, little did it know that a ‘pakora’ seller in Ludhiana would not only prove the PM right, but far exceed his expectations.
On Friday morning, Panna Singh pakorewala surrendered Rs 60 lakh to the Income Tax department, after a day-long survey conducted on Thursday. The action was taken by the Income Tax department on two outlets of this ‘pakorewala’ — one at Gill Road, and another at Model Town — after the former got specific inputs that the shop owner was suppressing his actual income.
During the survey — conducted under instructions from principal commissioner DS Chaudhary — teams of the I-T department not only scrutinized the financial records of the enterprise, but also checked its daily sale by keeping an officer stationed at the cash counter of both the outlets for the entire day on Thursday. Based on the daily sales of the outlets, the department calculated the approximate annual tax liability of the enterprise, and verified it with its income tax returns, and the tax deposited by them.
Though department officials remained tight-lipped about the action’s outcome, TOI managed to speak to Dev Raj, the owner of the ‘pakora’ shops, who confirmed he had surrendered Rs60 lakh to the department as his undisclosed income.
Established in 1952, Late Panna Singh set up a small ‘pakora’ shop at Gill Road, which became a household name years later, not only in Punjab but other states as well, for its special Paneer Pakora and Dahi Bhalla. His admirers include people from all walks of life — politicians, bureaucrats, police officials, and renowned businessmen.
Meanwhile, according to sources, in another action taken on Thursday by the department on a store in Miller Ganj dealing in dry fruits, the store surrendered Rs1 crore as its undisclosed income.
courtesy : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Nearly 700 km of Karnataka rivers polluted; cities, towns depend on contaminated water
Shivamogga: A total of 693.75 of river stretches across Karnataka are polluted, and water from several of these rivers is being supplied to towns and cities, the State government informed the Legislative Assembly.
According to a report published by The New Indian Express on Monday, replying to an unstarred question by Thirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra during the winter session in Belagavi, Forest, Environment and Biodiversity Minister Eshwar Khandre said rivers are classified into five categories, P1 to P5, based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels, with P1 being the most polluted.
He reportedly said untreated domestic wastewater from urban and rural areas is the main reason for river pollution. Arkavati, Lakshana Teertha, Tungabhadra, Bhadra, Tunga, Cauvery, Kabini, Kagina, Krishna, Shimsha, Bheema and Netravati are the polluted rivers and so far, 112 polluted drainages along these rivers have been identified.
Khandre explained that rivers are classified into five pollution categories P1 to P5. The Arkavati River has been placed in the P1 category, while no rivers fall under P2 and P3. Tungabhadra, Bhadra and Shimsha are categorised under P4, and eight other rivers fall under P5.
Khandre allegedly said domestic wastewater from municipalities, towns and villages along riverbeds is being discharged into at least 17 rivers, identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This is the primary cause of river pollution.
According to the report, the minister said drinking water is being supplied from polluted rivers in districts such as Mandya, Ramanagara, Vijayapura and Shivamogga. In parts of Uttara Kannada, Ballari, Vijayanagara and Bagalkot, local bodies are also drawing water from polluted river sources.
In 2022-23, CPCB identified South Pinakini, Aghanashini, Sharavathi and Gangavali rivers too as polluted. But wrote to CPCB, stating that these rivers are not polluted and sought their removal from the list. An action plan is being prepared for the South Pinakini River, he said.
On remedial measures, Khandre reportedly said the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is setting up sewage treatment plants as per the directions of National Green Tribunal.
As per the report, under 12 river rejuvenation plans, the state generates 817.31 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage. While 41 STPs with a capacity of 614.1 MLD are operational, 203.21 MLD of sewage remains untreated.
Work is underway to establish 19 STPs with a capacity of 248.91 MLD, while 39 more STPs with a combined capacity of 357.92 MLD are in the planning stage. Progress is being monitored and reported regularly to the NGT and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The minister reportedly said the state government gave its approval for underground drainage works worth Rs 535.56 crore in 2021 for 24 cities/towns besides Rs 523.80 crore for nine UGD projects.
