Karnataka will lose revenue but welcomes GST reforms: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that Karnataka is likely to lose between Rs 15,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore annually due to the recent reforms in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system. However, he added that the state government supports the decision in the larger interest of the people.
In a statement issued on Friday, Siddaramaiah welcomed the GST Council’s move to simplify the system, saying it would reduce the burden on taxpayers and traders while cutting down on procedural hurdles. At the same time, he demanded that the Union Government release Karnataka’s rightful share from the GST compensation cess, which is still being collected.
“This is not some new invention of the Narendra Modi government. When the flawed GST was hurriedly introduced by the NDA in 2017, opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi had already called for essential corrections,” Siddaramaiah said.
He recalled how the Congress had repeatedly warned that the so-called “Gabbar Singh Tax” would ruin small traders by imposing heavy compliance costs and pushing them into financial hardship. “For the last eight years, we kept raising this issue, but the Prime Minister chose to ignore it,” he remarked.
The Chief Minister expressed concern that the GST system leaves states with little power. While the Centre holds one-third of the voting rights, the states together have two-thirds. Any reform requires a three-fourths majority, which gives the Union Government the power to block changes despite opposition from all states, he explained.
According to him, the Modi government has been using this authority to stall reforms for the last eight years. “The Centre’s support for the current reforms is not because of concern for the people, but because of mounting pressure from the states,” Siddaramaiah said.
He further added that if the reforms had been implemented earlier, citizens would not have suffered under the burden of a complicated tax regime. “It is now the responsibility of the Union Government and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to ensure that the benefits of these reforms actually reach the people,” he stated.
Siddaramaiah also urged the Centre to prevent traders and companies from misusing the new system for excess profits. He said the state government remains committed to strengthening people’s purchasing power, expanding the tax-paying base, and driving inclusive economic growth so that prosperity is shared by all.
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
