Centre agrees to clear FY21 pending GST compensation of Rs 11,400 cr in instalments: Karnataka CM
New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said the Centre has agreed to give last year's pending GST compensation of Rs 11,400 crore at the earliest in instalments.
His statement came after meeting Union Finance Minister Nirmal Sitharaman in the national capital on Friday.
He said the funds are required urgently to meet the Covid-19 and other expenses in the state.
"I have requested for payment of last year dues in GST compensation of Rs 11,400 crore. The FM has agreed to give it in instalments. She will start releasing it immediately," Bommai told reporters after the meeting.
Bommai, who is also a member of the GST Council, said the state had received a GST compensation of Rs 12,000 crore for the 2020-21 fiscal. However, the pending amount was Rs 11,400 crore, he said.
The chief minister also sought early release of GST compensation of about Rs 18,000 crore for the current fiscal and funds for the centrally sponsored schemes.
"She (FM) has promised a lot of help for the agriculture sector through NABARD," he said.
This was his first visit to Delhi after becoming the chief minister.
On the second day of his visit, the chief minister also called on Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
He also visited Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He also paid tribute to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his memorial Sadaiv Atal here.
On Friday, Bommai had called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also met Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
He had also met MPs from the state at Hotel Ashoka here.
Bommai, who was elected as the new leader of the BJP legislature party on Tuesday, following B S Yediyurappa's resignation, took oath as the chief minister on Wednesday.
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.
ISRO launches Mission MITRA for safety of human spaceflight mission crew
Bengaluru (PTI): ISRO on Friday said it has undertaken mission MITRA in Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh, from April 2 to 9, a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study for the benefit of human spaceflight missions such as Gaganyaan.
The mission, inaugurated by the ISRO chairman V Narayanan, was mainly for the crew safety and performance.
"Mission MITRA is a first-of-its-kind team behavioural study designed by ISRO and IAF-Institute of Aerospace Medicine to examine the physiological, psychological, and operational dynamics of Crew and ground teams functioning in a high-altitude environment," ISRO said in a statement.
This study is targeted to generate vital understanding on the team interoperability between crew (Gaganyatris) and ground control teams and the effectiveness of decision making under environmental & operational stress, the space agency said.
Noting that the crew safety and performance are the most critical elements of all Human Spaceflight Missions, ISRO said the ability of the crew to communicate effectively, adapt to stress, maintain psychological resilience and support one another determines the success and safety of any mission.
Analogue missions conducted under controlled yet realistic conditions are utilised to understand how crews perform under challenging conditions, it added.
The space agency said the high altitude of approximately 3,500 meters at Leh having the environmental conditions of hypoxia, low temperature, and isolation, is a natural analogue for spaceflight operations.
