Petroleum products can be included in GST framework once states agree, says FM
New Delhi, Feb 15: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that petroleum products can be included in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework once an agreement in this regard is reached among states.
Sitharaman also said that the effort of the government over the years has been to increase public expenditure with a view to promote growth.
"The provision is already available for petroleum products to be brought into the GST. My predecessor had already made the window kept open," she said while speaking at the Post-Budget interactive session with the members of the industry chamber PHDCCI.
Five petroleum products viz. petroleum crude, motor spirit (petrol), high speed diesel, natural gas and aviation turbine fuel have temporarily been kept out and the GST Council shall decide the date from which they shall be included in GST.
"Once the states agree, we will have the petroleum products also be covered under the GST. So, that's not so much of us not wanting it," she said.
The 49th meeting of the GST Council is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on February 18, 2023.
"It is the entire (GST) council saying yes, and saying yes, not just yes, because it's already in there.
"What they have to do is to determine a rate and once they tell me the rate, we get it into the GST," the finance minister said.
The minister said that the government in the 2023-24 budget increased the capital expenditure by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore.
"Consistently for the last three-four years, the emphasis has been given on public capital expenditure. We have kept that up in this budget...capital expenditure, clearly can be said as a real focus of this budget," she said.
"This is the first time in many years that the capital expenditure has reached a double-digit amount, making it the clear focus of this budget," Sitharaman added.
She further said that the states were being nudged to carry forward reforms in various sectors including power and also implement the 'one nation, one ration card' scheme.
Sitharaman said that she was advised by the prime minister that momentum on growth should not be relaxed or diluted.
According to the minister, the 2023-24 budget is fiscally responsible, while ensuring public expenditure at a higher level to have a desired multiplier effect on all the sectors.
She also noted that the central government is collaborating with the states, as well as the tier III administrations, such as the Panchayats or ward-level administrations, to ensure that MSME priorities remain at the top of the agenda.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
_vb_69.jpeg)
