CM Kumaraswamy seeks extension of GST compensation beyond 2022
New Delhi, Jun 15: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Saturday asked the Centre to extend GST compensation beyond five years, saying that the state will face "severe financial crunch" after the recompense period ends in 2022.
He was speaking at the first meeting of the Governing Council of Niti Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
While implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Centre had assured the states to compensate them for loss of their revenue for five years till 2022.
"While the revenue gap is being bridged by the assured compensation till 2022, the state has limited scope to mobilise additional revenue thereafter," Kumaraswamay said.
It is evident that at the end of 2022-23, there would be a steep fall in revenues of the state as compared to the protected revenue of 2021-22 which would have accrued to the state due to the constitutionally guaranteed compensation, he said.
"This would adversely impact developmental and other infrastructural projects implemented in the state as well as committed expenditure of the state government.
"Thus, in case this revenue gap is not bridged in the coming years despite all compliance efforts, adequate compensation, in the manner as envisaged in the Compensation Act, should be extended beyond 2022," he added.
Stating that Karnataka is the most arid state in the country after Rajasthan, the Chief Minister said the state "faces serious drinking water challenges. Ground water table is depleting and ground water sources are getting contaminated."
He urged the prime minister to significantly increase the allocation to rural drinking water sector.
Karnataka is investing Rs 2,800 crore during 2019-20 for rural drinking water, of which the centre's share is only Rs 400 crore, he added.
The chief minister also urged the Centre to approve Rs 2,064 crore relief from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) for damage to crops in the 2018-19 rabi season.
He also urged the prime minister to release pending Rs 1,500 crore reimbursement under the MGNREGA scheme and raise the fund allocation under the scheme to ensure MGNREGA workers are not subjected to hardship due to delays in payment of wages.
On the ranking system adopted by NITI Aayog, Kumaraswamy said it should be more participative, scientific and transparent.
"For example, giving 58th rank to Bengaluru in Ease of Living Index is unacceptable as Bengaluru is widely rated as the most preferred city for work in the country by reputed agencies," he said.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
