The Centre has released Rs 1.06 lakh crore to the states since October 2020 to meet GST compensation shortfall, the Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry has released the 19th weekly instalment of Rs 2,104 crore to 23 states and 3 Union Territories with Legislative Assembly (Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir & Puducherry), taking the total amount released so far under the special borrowing window set up in October last year to Rs 1.06 lakh crore. The remaining five states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim do not have a gap in revenue on account of Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation. So far, an amount of Rs 1,06,104 crore has been borrowed by the Central Government through the special borrowing window at an weighted average interest rate of 4.8842 per cent, the ministry said in a statement.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday dedicated a series of projects for the development of rail infrastructure in poll-bound West Bengal, which he said will not only enhance passenger experience but also help in faster movement of goods. He inaugurated a second foot over-bridge at Santragachi, Freight Terminal at Sankrail (Phase-I) and Vivekananda Meditation Centre at Howrah and an executive lounge at Sealdah station. He also dedicated to the nation, two escalators at Sealdah station, two lifts at Sealdah station and a premium lounge at Kolkata station. The Sankrail freight terminal has eight full electrified lines. It will provide the facility of quick freight movement from industrial areas around Sankrail. New elevators, escalators at busy Sealdah station will provide facilities to the passengers.
Advocate Dushyant Tiwari, appearing for petitioner Tushar Gupta, said that Rs 365 crore were donated by lawmakers from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in the PM CARES Fund, in contravention of the guidelines.
SC dismisses plea for return of MPLAD funds donated to PM CARES Fund
Tiwari referred the RTI reply to buttress his claims and said that development work was hampered due to the diversion of the funds.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Tuesday dismissed a plea seeking direction to the Centre to return Rs 365 crore donated by MPs from MPLADS fund to PM CARES Fund for tackling exigencies emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bench of Chief Justice Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said it is not inclined to entertain the petition and dismissed it.