Prices of cigarettes, beedis, pan masala to rise from Feb 1 with new tax, cess
New Delhi: Cigarettes, beedis, pan masala and other tobacco products will become costlier from February 1 after the Centre notified additional excise duty on tobacco products and a new Health and National Security Cess on pan masala, NDTV reported.
According to a notification issued by the government on Wednesday, the new levies will be imposed over and above the existing Goods and Services Tax (GST) and will replace the compensation cess currently charged on these products.
From February 1, pan masala, cigarettes, tobacco and similar products will attract a GST rate of 40 per cent, while biris will attract 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST), according to a government notification.
On top of this, a Health and National Security Cess will be levied on pan masala, while tobacco and related products will attract additional excise duty.
The Finance Ministry also notified the Chewing Tobacco, Jarda Scented Tobacco and Gutkha Packing Machines (Capacity Determination and Collection of Duty) Rules, 2026, which will govern the assessment and collection of excise duty on these products.
Parliament had in December approved two Bills allowing levy of the new Health and National Security Cess on pan masala manufacturing and excise duty on tobacco.
The notification issued on Wednesday formally set February 1 as the implementation date. With the rollout of the new tax structure, the existing GST compensation cess on tobacco and pan masala, which is currently levied at varying rates, will cease to exist effective February 1.
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
