Indore cleanest city for 5th time in row in Centre's annual cleanliness survey
New Delhi, Nov 20: Indore was adjudged India's cleanest city for the fifth time in a row in the Central government's annual cleanliness awards while Chhattisgarh retained the first position in the state category.
The second and third positions in the 'cleanest city' category of the 'Swachh Survekshan Awards, 2021' were secured by Surat and Vijayawada, respectively.
Varanasi, represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha, has been adjudged the "cleanest Ganga town" while Bihar's Munger and Patna have been ranked second and third in the category.
Although Indore and Surat retained their positions in the 'Swachh Survekshan Awards 2021', Navi Mumbai lost its third spot to Vijaywada and was in the fourth position in the latest survey results announced by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Saturday.
President Ram Nath Kovind gave away the awards in presence of Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and others at an event here.
The ministry said in the latest nationwide cleanliness survey, 4,320 cities were covered in 28 days, adding that over 4.2 core people had given their feedback.
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, having more than 100 urban local bodies, have been adjudged the second and third cleanest state in the country. In the category of states with less than 100 urban local bodies, Jharkhand has been ranked first, followed by Haryana and Goa.
The 10 top-ranked cleanest cities, having a population of more than one lakh, are Indore, Surat, Vijaywada, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Ambikapur, Tirupati, Pune, Noida and Ujjain. Lucknow has been ranked the lowest among 25 cities in the same category.
According to the ministry, Vita city of Maharashtra has been ranked the cleanest city with less than one lakh population, followed by Lonavala and Sasvad.
New Delhi Municipal Council secured the first position in the country's cleanest small city category of 1-3 lakh population while Hoshangawad and Triputi emerged as the "Fastest Mover small city" and "Best Small City in Citizens' Feedback" categories, respectively.
Noida emerged as the country's "cleanest medium city" in the category of 3-10 lakh population. Navi Mumbai bagged the first award in the category of 'Safaimitra Suraksha Challenge'. It also got the first position as India's 'cleanest big city' in the category of 10-40 lakh population.
In the category of cantonment boards, Ahmedabad was ranked the cleanest city, followed by Meerut and Delhi.
Surat has bagged the first award in the district ranking category while Indore and New Delhi have secured second and third position, respectively.
इंदौर ने लगाया स्वच्छता का पंच
— Malini Laxmansingh Gaur (@GaurMalini) November 20, 2021
लगातार पांचवीं बार स्वच्छता में नंबर 1 आने पर सभी इंदौरवासियो को हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं व बधाई।@ChouhanShivraj @bhupendrasingho pic.twitter.com/2bJM22xfyO
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Modi govt has made GST a means of 'looting' poor, middle class: Mallikarjun Kharge
New Delhi, Jan 9: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday alleged that the Narendra Modi government has made the Goods and Services Tax (GST) a means of "looting" the hard-earned money of the poor and middle class and demanded that it end this "tax terrorism" and "loot" in the upcoming Union Budget.
Kharge further alleged that nine types of rates make GST "complex and absurd" and not a "good and simple tax".
"Call it 'Gabbar Singh Tax' or 'Household Destruction Tax' or 'Give Sitharaman Tax'! Whatever name we call BJP's GST, one thing is certain -- the Modi government has made GST a means of looting the hard-earned money of the poor and the middle class," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
The GST is a tax on public consumption, said the Congress chief, adding that the Modi government rubs salt into their wounds by celebrating record GST collections.
"Two-thirds of the total GST -- i.e. 64 per cent -- comes from the pockets of the poor and the middle class but only 3 per cent GST is collected from the billionaires. The Corporate Tax rate has been reduced from 30 per cent to 22 per cent," he said.
Kharge said GST has been imposed on 36 agricultural products of farmers for the first time. Even 18 percent GST has to be paid on the premiums of Life Insurance and Health Insurance, he said.
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha also said Income Tax collection increased by 240 per cent and GST collection increased by 177 per cent in the last five years.
"The Congress party demands that in the upcoming general budget, the Modi government should put an end to 'tax terrorism' and looting of the public," Kharge said in his post.
The Congress also highlighted the problems faced by the people and businesses due to the imposition of GST and held press conferences in 12 cities across the country.
"गब्बर सिंह टैक्स" कहें या "गृहस्थी सत्यानाश टैक्स" या फ़िर "Give Sitharaman Tax" !
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 9, 2025
भाजपा के GST को हम जिस भी नाम से बुलाए, एक बात तय है कि —
मोदी सरकार ने GST को गरीब और मध्यम वर्ग से उनकी गाढ़ी कमाई लूटने का माध्यम बना दिया है।
1⃣नौ प्रकार के GST दर इसे "Good & Simple… pic.twitter.com/OBBA0isnH1
