K’taka Additional Chief Secretary LK Atheeq responds to Mohandas Pai’s doubt on GST growth rate
Bengaluru: In a recent statement made by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday, May 1, it was announced that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collection for April 2024 has reached an unprecedented high, soaring to Rs 2.10 lakh crore. The GST collections breach the landmark figure of ₹2 lakh crore for the first time. The data revealed a 12.4% year-on-year growth in gross revenue, with net revenue (after refunds) standing impressively at ₹1.92 lakh crore, showcasing a notable 17.1% year-on-year growth.
The news sparked a conversation on social media platforms, with Indian businessman TV Mohandas Pai expressing concern over the apparent slowdown in the growth rate of GST in Karnataka. In a tweet directed at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other key figures, Pai highlighted the worrisome trend and called for a review by the Government of Karnataka (GOK).
Responding to Pai's apprehension, the additional Chief Secretary to the Karnataka government, LK Atheeq, offered a clarifying perspective. Atheeq contested Pai's assertion, emphasizing that the figures cited by Pai pertain solely to the month of April 2024 compared to April 2023. He further provided data, presenting a comparative analysis of Karnataka's GST collection growth rate in the fiscal year 2023-24. According to Atheeq, Karnataka has witnessed an 18% growth rate in GST collection, outperforming the national average of 12%. He also juxtaposed Karnataka's growth with other states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, both recording growth rates of 18% and 10% respectively.
Atheeq stated that when viewed in the context of the preceding fiscal year, the growth rates appear lower for all states due to the exceptionally high growth witnessed during the COVID-affected year of 2021-22.
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— ಎಲ್ ಕೆ ಅತೀಕ್ L K Atheeq (@lkatheeq) May 2, 2024
So, the GST collection in Karnataka is not slowing down.
When compared to 2022-23 the growth rates are lower for everyone because 2022-23 growth is over the COVID year of 2021-22 & hence it is very high. @TVMohandasPai
👉 #GST revenue collection for April 2024 highest ever at Rs 2.10 lakh crore
— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) May 1, 2024
👉 #GST collections breach landmark milestone of ₹2 lakh crore
👉 Gross Revenue Records 12.4% y-o-y growth
👉 Net Revenue (after refunds) stood at ₹1.92 lakh crore; 17.1% y-o-y growth
Read more… pic.twitter.com/Ci7CE7h35o
@CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar @lkatheeq Worrisome sign, after long time Growth rate of GST slowing down in Karnatak. GOK needs to review https://t.co/AMktMCeHhk
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) May 1, 2024
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
