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New Delhi, Feb 2 () Farmers' body FAIFA on Sunday sought roll back of the proposal to levy additional duty on cigarettes, saying the hike in tax will have an adverse impact on the livelihood of already struggling tobacco growers.
While presenting the Union Budget for 2020-21, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to increase the National Calamity Contingency Duty (NCCD) on cigarettes, hookah, chewing tobacco, snuff and tobacco extracts and essence.
"The hike in tax is a major set-back to the FCV (Flue Cured Virginia) tobacco farmers who have been fighting torrential and unseasonal rains this year in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
"We did not expect such NCCD hike ..after you (Government) were made aware of our current situation through several representations..," Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) said in a statement.
It is unfortunate that the finance ministry has not even responded to many of FAIFA's representations which were submitted personally by the farmers, it added.
"What more can a legal tax paying FCV tobacco farmer can do? It is a death bed to all the FCV tobacco farmers when trusting and relying on Government is not yielding the required results, whereas unorganised sectors like Bidi industry was free of tax burdens," the association said.
Steep increase in taxes on cigarettes has led to increase in illegal trade, including smuggling of such items.
"Tax increases since 2012-13 have led to a 36 per cent increase in illegal cigarette trade, increasing from 19.5 billion sticks in 2011 to 26.5 billion sticks in 2018," FAIFA noted.
It said that the government has already removed export incentives on tobacco, making Indian produce less competitive in the global market.
"This lack of support from the Government is resulting in reduction in crop size and farmers voluntarily exiting the FCV tobacco cultivation. In this backdrop, the present NCCD hike is levied only on tobacco and it is against the fundamental principles of GST, hence we request Hon'ble Finance Minister to reconsider and withdraw the NCCD hike on Tobacco," FAIFA said. MSS
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Withdraw additional cess on cigarettes: FAIFA

A total of 13 states have so far decided on their borrowing options to meet their <keyword id="9933255" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gst-compensation-shortfall">GST compensation shortfall</keyword> and almost all have decided to go for the first option proposed by the Centre, source said. Out of the 13, 12 states have opted for the first option, under which the Union government has offered states that they could borrow the shortfall arising out of GST implementation, estimated at Rs 97,000 crore approximately. The amount would be borrowed through issue of debt under a special window coordinated by the Finance Ministry. The first option is to ensure steady flow of resources similar to the flow under <keyword id="2600993" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST-compensation">GST compensation</keyword> on a bi-monthly basis. Under this option, the Centre will endeavour to keep the cost at or close to the G-secs yield, and in the event of the cost being higher, will bear the margin between G-secs and average of State Development Loan yields up to 0.5 per cent through a subsidy. The states which have preferred to opt for this option are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odisha. Only Manipur has so far opted for the second borrowing option under which states can borrow the entire compensation shortfall of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, including the Covid-impact portion, through issue of market debt. Six more states -- Goa, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh -- will be giving their choice in a day or two, said people in the know. A few states have submitted their views to the Chairperson of the GST Council but are yet to decide on the options, according to sources. In the 41st GST Council meeting last month, the Centre had proposed both options, so that a mechanism could be put in place as an exception this year, as Covid-19 disruptions and lower revenue collections have made it difficult for the Centre to meet its obligation on Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to states. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-future-retail-ril-irctc-bhel-tata-motors-adani-green-vodafone-idea-godrej-properties-sunteck-realty-and-more/articleshow/78097615.cms">Top stocks to watch— Future Retail, RIL, IRCTC, BHEL, Tata Motors, Adani Green, Vodafone Idea, Godrej Properties, Sunteck Realty and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/delhi-police-arrests-umar-khalid-connection-with-northeast-delhi-riots/articleshow/78097740.cms">Delhi Police arrests Umar Khalid in connection with Northeast Delhi riots</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/tiktok-owner-bytedance-rejected-microsofts-offer-for-the-apps-us-operations/articleshow/78097018.cms">TikTok owner ByteDance rejected Microsoft's bid for the app's US operations, Oracle reportedly chosen as US 'technology partner'</a>

13 states decide on GST compensation — only Manipur opts for borrowing entire shortfall in one go

States which failed to submit their options before the <keyword id="3680839" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gst-council-meeting">GST Council meeting</keyword> in October will have to wait for at least two years to get compensation on Goods and Services Tax collection shortfall expected during the transition period, Finance Ministry sources said on Monday. The sources said that such states will have to wait till June 2022 to get compensation dues, subject to the condition that the GST Council extends the cess collection period beyond 2022. This is so because the Council is expected to adopt one of the two options given by the Centre to meet the <keyword id="2600993" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST-compensation">GST compensation</keyword> needs of the states this year. The states which decide against operationalisation of the new <keyword id="9971535" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gst-compensation-formula">GST compensation formula</keyword> will get their dues only to the extent of compensation cess collected in FY21 and distributed in proportion among all states and union territories. The balance shortfall will only be met from the collection of GST compensation cess beyond the five-year transition period that ends in June 2022. This will be subject to GST Council approval to the extension of compensation cess. The GST Council, in its 41st meeting on August 27, 2020, had decided to give its member-states two borrowing options to meet their compensation shortfall and a response time of 7 working days from the formal receipt of the detailed proposal on the options by email. Almost 15 states had submitted their options by September 15 and more have joined since. Option-1 on GST compensation brought before the Council last month allows states to borrow, under a special dispensation from the Reserve Bank of India, a sum of about Rs 97,000 crore shortfall calculated by the Centre that is directly on account of GST implementation. Option-2 allows states to borrow the entire projected GST compensation shortfall of Rs 2,35,000 crore (total shortfall of Rs 3 lakh crore minus Rs 65,000 crore collected as GST compensation cess) for FY21. So far, 21 states/UTs have expressed preference for Borrowing Option-1 proposed by the Centre. With GST Act requiring voting for any resolution regarding an option by at least 20 states, the move is expected to be adopted by the GST Council at its meeting next month. If this option is indeed adopted, all states would be able to move ahead and borrow under the scheme suggested by the Centre to meet their shortfall arising due to GST switchover. If states still opt out, they will have to wait to get full compensation. Among the 21 states/UTs which support the first option on GST compensation are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Manipur, the only state which had earlier opted for Option-2, later preferred to change it to Option-1. A few more states are, also, to give their borrowing option in a day or two. However, some of them like Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, NCT of Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal are yet to respond to the GST Council proposal to decide their options. Under the existing GST Act, compensation for shortfall in GST collections over an agreed formula is payable by the Centre for the first five years of the operation of the new tax system from July 2017 to June 2022. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/top-ten-phishing-examples-and-tricks-used-by-companies-to-test-their-employees-cybersecurity-smarts/slidelist/78228072.cms">Top ten phishing tricks that companies are using to test their employees’ cybersecurity smarts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/indian-tech-companies-hcl-tech-wipro-infosys-tcs-share-price-are-green-today/articleshow/78228700.cms">It’s not just the DWS deal, Morgan Stanley's outlook has painted HCL Tech green⁠ — along with TCS, Infosys and Wipro</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-hits-back-at-paytm-reiterates-that-repeated-policy-violations-will-lead-to-stricter-actions/articleshow/78229677.cms">Google hits back at Paytm ⁠— reiterates that ‘repeated policy violations’ will lead to stricter actions</a>

States not choosing GST compensation options by October will have wait another two years

New Delhi, July 14 (IANSlife) While about 96 per cent (42,76,124) of the total beedi workers (44,60,076) are home-based, only four per cent (1,83,952) work in factories, reveals a new study adding that about 80 per cent of home-based beedi workers live in rural areas, and 20 per cent in urban areas. The number of beedi workers decreased from 4.47 million in 1993-94 to 4.27 million in February 1997, but increased to about 4.8 million in 2018. This shows that there is an overall increase of beedi workers by 1.5-2.1 million during 1993 - 2018, it adds. These findings are brought by a recent study, undertaken by a group of researchers of AF Development Care, a New Delhi-based research consulting group. The report title "Knowledge Gap in Existing Research on India's Women Beedi Rollers &amp; Alternative Livelihood Options: A Systematic Review for Promoting Evidence-Informed Policy and Prioritizing Future Research" analysed policies, existing programmes and related initiatives by different institutions on the alternative livelihood options for women beedi rollers in India to identify knowledge and policy gaps through a critical review of the existing literature of last 20 years. It says that there are noticeable discrepancies observed in reporting of the beedi worker data by government bodies. For example, while the number of registered workers reported in July 2019 was 5.59 million, it was reported as 4.98 million in December 2019. The research study says that the top five Labour Welfare Organization (LWO) regions in terms of the women beedi workers are Kolkata (12,95, 000), followed by Jabalpur (4,22,000), Hyderabad (3,72,000), Allahabad (3,60,000) and Bangalore (2,13,000). However, the ratio of women beedi workers are the highest in the southern LWO regions -- highest in Kannur (94 percent) and Tirunelveli (93 percent), in the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, respectively. While West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of total beedi workers, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have the highest number of women beedi workers. Women comprise 84 per cent (West Bengal), 95 per cent (Andhra Pradesh), 84 per cent (Tamil Nadu) and 91 per cent (Karnataka) of the total beedi workers in these states. While the number of workers has increased in some states it has declined significantly in the others, especially in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The highest decrease is reported in Tamil Nadu (541,000) followed by Andhra Pradesh / Telangana (187,000) and Karnataka (116,500). Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council of India, while reviewing the report has written in the foreword: "As most people know, Union Labour Ministry has started an exercise of unifying all Union-level labour statutes into four codes. For instance, the first of these three statutes will be subsumed in the code on occupational safety and health, while the last two get subsumed in the code on social security and welfare. There are two reasons why I am mentioning this. First, labour legislation has segmented the labour market into the organized and the unorganized, making the first rigid, but offering scant protection to the second. Even when legislation exists, in an informal economy, it cannot be enforced. For instance, rights cannot be enforced (irrespective of whether the sector is technically defined as organized or unorganized) in the absence of contracts. One of the findings in this report reinforces the impression that often, workers don't have enforceable contracts. Second, mere enactment of legislation is no solution." The Principal Investigator of this research report, Sachi Satapathy said: "There are significant discrepancies found in data on beedi workers reported by the government of India over the period. Inconsistent and unreliable data lead to aggravated vulnerability and exploitation of the beedi workers. Reliable state-level data are not available. Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) data cover only factory-based workers (excluding 96 per cent of the beedi workers who are home-based). Secondly, cess collected as part of the Beedi Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1976 was the major (only) source for financing beedi workers' welfare programmes. After implementation of GST in 2017-18, no budget has been allocated exclusively for beedi workers. Welfare spending for beedi workers (without having any dedicated fund) is severely impacted on post-GST period." Review of data from different ministries shows that government initiatives on skill development of women beedi rollers have not been very effective. For example, in 2019, only 1,025 of the total 2,223 women beedi rollers (out of nearly five million in the country) trained under the initiative, shifted to alternative jobs. Lack of evidence on the change of conditions in their post-beedi rolling jobs could be the reason behind such low-key intervention, says Satapathy. The other researchers engaged in this research works includes Dr. Gagan Bihari Sahoo, Associate Professor, Centre for Social Studies, Surat, Gujarat, Dr. Jagannathan Mallick, Fellow, State Bank of India Institute of Leadership, Kolkata among others. (Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in) --IANS pg/tb/dpb

New study reveals the state of women beedi rollers in India

New Delhi, Jan 5 () States might be facing a consolidated revenue gap of up to Rs 1.23 lakh crore on account of withdrawal of compensation after the five-year GST transition period ends on June 30, 2022, says a report by economic think tank NIPFP.
 At the time of implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017, the Centre had promised to compensate states for loss of revenue for five years at an agreed formula.
 "If the GST compensation is withdrawn after June 30, 2022, consolidated revenue gap of states would vary between Rs 1,00,700 crore to Rs 1,23,646 crore depending on expected tax buoyancy and reliability of data sources," the report said.
 "This implies that states will need to either generate an equivalent amount of revenue from exiting sources to continue with committed expenditures and/or cut down expenditures to cope up with revenue shock in 2022-23," it added.
 Due to the ongoing shortfall in overall GST collection as well as rising revenue gap between GST compensation requirement and GST compensation cess (GSTCC) mobilisation, timely release of GST compensation has become a matter of contention between the union and state governments.
 The report said that the withdrawal of GST compensation and fall in overall State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) collection will have substantial impact on state finances of Punjab, Odisha, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, among major states.
 Among minor states, substantial revenue gap is expected for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Meghalaya.
 Given the ongoing shortfall in GST collection and uncertainty associated with revenue on account of SGST collection, many states have approached the 15th Finance Commission for possible extension of the GST compensation period by another three years, i.e. up to 2024-25.
 "Any shock to state finances due to withdrawal of GST compensation after the GST transition period may have profound impact on India's fiscal management and thereforemacroeconomic stability," the report noted.
 It pointed out that even if the GST compensation period is extended beyond June 30, 2022, the Centre may not have adequate fiscal space to provide GST compensation to states at the ongoing annual growth rate of 14 per cent, unless either tax buoyancy and/or nominal growth rate of GDP improves.
 To provide GST compensation to states, GST Compensation Cess (GSTCC) was introduced along with GST on some specific items to mobilise resources for the GST Compensation Fund.
 The union government manages the fund. BKS MKJ

States stare at over Rs 1 lakh cr revenue gap post withdrawal of GST compensation

(Eds: Adding details) New Delhi, Jul 1 () GST revenue collection in June stood at Rs 90,917 crore, up from Rs 62,009 crore mopped up in May and Rs 32,294 crore in April. The goods and Services Tax (GST) mop up was 9 per cent lower on a year-on-year basis in June, while it was 62 per cent down in May and fell 28 per cent in April. GST collections for the first quarter (April-June) of this fiscal declined 59 per cent, when compared to the same quarter last year as lockdown imposed to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted economic activity. "The revenues during the financial year has been impacted due to COVID-19, firstly due to the economic impact of the pandemic and secondly due to the relaxations given by the government in filing of returns and payment of taxes due to the pandemic. However, figures of past three months show recovery in GST revenues," the finance ministry said in a statement. States like Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka witnessed growth in collection in June over last year. North Eastern states like Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh too witnessed Increase in revenue during the month. The gross GST revenue collected in the month of June, this year stood at Rs 90,917 crore of which Central GST is Rs 18,980 crore, State GST is Rs 23,970 crore, Integrated GST is Rs 40,302 crore (including Rs 15,709 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 7,665 crore, the statement said. "The government collected gross #GST revenue of Rs 90,917 crore in June 2020, which is 91 per cent of the collections in June 2019," Office of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a tweet. During the month, the revenues from import of goods were 71 per cent and the revenues from domestic transaction were 97 per cent of the collections from these sources during the same month last year. The government has settled Rs 13,325 crore to Central GST and Rs 11,117 crore to State GST from Integrated GST as regular settlement. The total revenue earned by central government and state governments after regular settlement in June, stood at Rs 32,305 crore for Central GST and Rs 35,087 crore for the State GST. The government had allowed a relaxed time schedule for filing of GST returns and returns for the month of April, March as well as February got filed during June 2020. Some returns of May 2020, which would have otherwise got filed in June 2020, will get filed during first few days of July 2020, the Ministry added. EY Tax Partner Abhishek Jain said the GST collections while in the first quarter have obviously witnessed a substantial dip because of the current pandemic, however, the increasing trend in June inclines to a recovery being in line soon. "With this shortfall and related dip in revenue for states as well, the Centre's obligations to compensate States for any shortfall is an area of concern and this being further deepened with muted compensation cess collections," Jain added. Deloitte India Partner M S Manu said the June revenue numbers indicate that a revival is underway and collections will improve in the coming months. "In June some of larger producing states have shown an increase in collections or stable revenues compared to last year while some of the consuming states have shown a decline," Mani added. JD DRR DRR

GST collection in June at Rs 90,917 cr, Q1 mop up dips 59 pc due to COVID-19 lockdown

New Delhi, May 31 () Leading brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev group has said recent duty hikes in form of COVID-19 cess by several state governments have resulted in a significant drop in beer demand, and the firm is reevaluating its short and mid-term plans, said a company official. The world's biggest beer maker said the lockdown and subsequent developments like imposition of additional tax by several state governments have affected its growth this year, and is now reevaluating product launches and capex plan, though its long-term plans are intact for the country. The company houses brands such as Budweiser, Corona and Hoegaarden "Due to the duty hike, early industry estimates show that most states are seeing a drastic decrease in the demand for beer to the tune of 60 to 70 per cent," AB InBev President – South Asia - Kartikeya Sharma told . It is nudging consumers towards harder forms of alcohol, lower price and low quality products as well as illicit alcohol, he added. The COVID cess has made beer expensive, in some states the price has gone up by Rs 100 and have dropped sales almost up to to 70 per cent for the beer industry in the first three weeks of May, compared to the corresponding period last year, as per industry estimates. Beer sales in states like Karnataka is down 65 per cent, Telangana by 80 per cent, West Bengal (95 per cent) and Rajasthan (65 per cent), while sales of spirits has grown by 45 per cent, he added. "We were hoping that some consumption will improve or purchase levels will improve. We have not seen those purchase levels. So for us, the misery carries on because two months of lockdown... so far three weeks of data is telling us that the industry is down almost 70 to 75 per cent versus last year," Sharma said. This has a disastrous effect on the industry and has also impacted the ancillary segments. "The farmers and the entire supply chain ecosystem with barley malt suppliers and logistics partners are also feeling the brunt of this hike," he added. "This will not only lead to loss in revenue opportunities and jobs, but will impact the overall economy. Therefore, we hope the law makers will reconsider this decision in the larger interest of the community," he noted. When asked if the development would affect the company's future plans in India, Sharma said, "Short term plans, where we were probably launching five innovations, maybe this is not the right time to launch. May be we select one. Automatically, that is a reduction in investment, because the launch of innovation comes with hiring more people". The investment would be reduced by 75 per cent, because the environment is not favorable for innovation. "We could have been enhancing capacity if we see greater demand. But now, what is the point of enhancing capacity if the demand is down by 70 per cent. So, then these plans are put off a little late till the situation gets better," he added. However, AB InBev's long term plans have not been changed as the company sees India to emerge as one of its biggest markets for beer. "Medium-term investments are rejigged but the long-term agenda which is India as a country where we want to bring the best people or make the best brands available, that commitment has not changed because that commitment has not been made for one year or two years. "And commitment has been made because we see India becoming one of the world's biggest bear markets in the next 10 years," he said. These 45 days or 60 days of a lockdown has come particularly for the bear category, which does not just affect Ab InBev but other beer companies as well, Sharma said, adding that growth was also affected by high COVID taxes. "Spirits tend to see the peak season in the winter, whereas summers between between March 15 and July 15, contributes close to 55 per cent of portfolio volume," he added. KRH RKL BAL

AB InBev reevaluating short, mid-term plans; seeks reduction in high tax on beer

New Delhi, Dec 17 () A day before the GST Council meeting, farmers' body FAIFA on Tuesday asked the government to have a taxation policy that disincentivises cigarette smuggling in India. 
 The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), which claims to represent farmers of commercial crops from various states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, said there has been an increase in smuggled, illicit and contraband cigarettes due to higher taxation on the legal cigarette industry. 
 As a result, tobacco farmers have been adversely affected, the body said in a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman, and asked the government to save livelihoods of such tobacco farmers. "FCV tobacco farmer is on verge of losing his one and only livelihood due to increase in input costs and drastic decrease in income which is caused by illicit cigarette trade in India," FAIFA president Javare Gowda said in a statement.
 He further said, "We would like to appeal to government to have a taxation policy that disincentivises cigarette smuggling in India, which will help curb illicit trade and increase the demand of domestic Indian grown tobacco."
 FAIFA's demand comes a day ahead of the meeting of the GST Council, the highest decision making body of the indirect tax regime, here on Wednesday.
 The tobacco farmers' body claimed that there has been over 40 per cent reduction in FCV (Flue-Cured Virginia) tobacco cultivation, resulting in loss of more than Rs 5,000 crore to farming community in the last six years.
 Moreover, the government revenue loss is in excess of Rs 13,000 crore on account of illicit cigarette trade, it claimed.
 Due to higher taxation, smuggled, illicit and contraband cigarettes, FCV tobacco production of 325 million kgs in 2013-14 came down to 210 million kgs in 2019-20, it added.
 On the other hand, the entire legal cigarette value chain is presently reeling under penal taxation on account of continuous increases in excise duties and compensation cess on cigarettes, which have cumulatively gone up by over 200 per cent from 2011-12, FAIFA claimed.
 "As a result of high taxes and growth of illegal cigarette trade, legal cigarettes have dropped by more than 25 per cent between 2011-12 and 2018-19, while illegal cigarettes have grown by 31 per cent during the same period," it said. RKL RVK

FAIFA asks govt for tax policy that disincentivises illegal cigarette trade

The current BJP-led administration takes its <keyword id="68945" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Toilets">toilets</keyword> seriously. In its quest to eliminate public defecation by 2019, the <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> claims to have constructed <a href="http://sbm.gov.in/sbmdashboard/IHHL.aspx">70.5 million household toilets </a>- around 83% of its intended target - under the <keyword id="2312336" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swachh-Bharat-Mission">Swachh Bharat Mission</keyword> - in villages. It has also constructed <a href="http://www.swachhbharaturban.in/sbm/home/#/SBM">4.6 million toilets</a> in urban areas. The program was launched in October 2014. Earlier this month, Parameswaran Iyer, the secretary of the Water and Sanitation ministry, said that the number of rural Indians defecating in the open had fallen from 550 million when the mission was launched, <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/Fn5P83dnUwSD7T6mHXakuJ/Rural-India-will-reach-100-toilet-coverage-by-December-2018.html">to 200 million</a> by early 2018. This information was based on “government surveys”, which count on a random sample of participants to answer questions with utmost honesty. In February, a video of Janardan Mishra, a <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> member of Parliament from Madhya Pradesh, was seen <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/watch-bjp-mp-unclogs-toilet-with-bare-hands-promotes-pm-narendra-modis-swachh-bharat-mission/1070526/">unclogging a toilet with his bare hands</a> went viral online. Like most political parties do ahead of an election, the BJP seems to be raking in the grandstanding and declaring its achievements. However, yesterday, as part of its campaign in Karnataka, it chose a rather questionable statistic to boast. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 If the facts are right, over the course of the BJP-led government’s tenure, 70% more toilets were constructed but with 6 times the total funding that the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword>-led government had. The Congress responded accordingly, pointing out that it had built each toilet at a fraction of the amount it cost the BJP. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Surprisingly, the original tweet by the BJP is still up, perhaps because deleting the tweet would have been an admission that it was an error to begin with. But it seems that the government does not make mistakes. The medium is the message Social media is all about brevity and soundbites. Statistics are cherry-picked. Opinions are made to sound definitive. The more eyebrow raising the claim, the greater the reach. The truth is what an organisation can get its supporters to believe. The ruling party at the Centre has been quite effective at harnessing social media to disseminate information to the Indian public as part of a concerted effort at winning an ideological war against the Opposition parties. In anticipation of the upcoming elections in Karnataka, both the BJP and Congress have dedicated social media teams working round the clock on outreach and on highlighting the work their respective rivals have not done. Inevitably, social media platforms have turned into becoming battlegrounds where barbs and ad hominem remarks are traded at the drop of a hat . Until very recently, the world faced a legitimate threat of nuclear war as a result of a Twitter spat between the leader of a world superpower and a rogue nation. Back at home, India’s two national parties - the protectors and enforcers of the country’s democracy, our leaders in these troubling times marked by rising public debt, toxic air, farmer suicides and communal violence - are currently squabbling over toilet statistics. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 So, now the BJP is trying to reframe the tweet as evidence of its generosity and portray the Siddaramaiah government as corrupt and inefficient. However, the BJP does not finance the construction of toilets with its own funds but with the taxes each and every Indian pays as Swachh Bharat cess - which totalled <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/25-of-swachh-bharat-cess-hasnt-reached-dedicated-fund/articleshow/62259934.cms">₹164 billion</a> in 2016 and 2017. In all fairness, the president of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, is no stranger to the mathematical gaffe. In December 2017, he posted a table from his Twitter account that contained information about the rise in prices of essential items like cooking gas, tomatoes, onions and pulses from 2014 to 2017 under the BJP regime. However, he overstated each price rise by <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/rahul-gandhi-goofs-up-basic-math-in-a-tweet-corrects-it-later-2454791.html">100 percentage points</a>. The BJP fired back by referring to him as an<a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/bjp-calls-rahul-immature-shehzada-for-math-blooper-117120700171_1.html"> “immature prince”.</a> Gandhi later deleted the tweet and uploaded a revised table, but not without thanking the BJP for pointing out his mistake. Development, not division As campaigning for the state elections in Karnataka enters its final phases, the barbs and finger-pointing will likely escalate. As is usually the case, development has become the focal issue of each party’s campaign. The BJP was rather straightforward about its three aims- development, development and more development. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Soon after it posted the tweet above, the BJP’s social media team retweeted another development-related tweet from its Karnataka unit. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 It seems that the BJP is the only party comfortable with proffering development data. Oh, the irony. Maybe it would have paid for the BJP to concentrate on the mathematical process of division instead of the kind that involves polarisation.

The top two political parties in India are bickering over who’s better at building toilets

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 8 () Amid a continuing rise in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry on Friday said people should "learn to live with the virus" while the nationwide tally of confirmed infections crossed 57,000 and the death toll neared 1,900. The ministry also reeled off various datasets, including those showing a rising number of infection-free districts and an increasing recovery rate, to suggest success of the government's strategy in the COVID-19 fight, even as it sought "a behavioural change" and everyone's support in this massive challenge. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, however, admitted there has been no success yet in breaking the virus chain and said his government may seek deployment of central forces, if needed, to allow police personnel to take rest in phases. The state tops the nationwide tally for confirmed cases as well as deaths. A large number of new cases were reported during the day from various cities in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha also reported rise in their tallies. However, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh reported only one fresh positive case each. The economic cost of the COVID-19 fight and the ongoing nationwide lockdown also appeared rising manifold with Moody's Investors Service projecting India's economic growth at zero per cent for the current fiscal. It also said that a high government debt, weak social and physical infrastructure, and a fragile financial sector face further pressures due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to experts, industrial and other business establishments may also face a huge labour shortage once they resume operations after the lockdown, which has been in place since March 25 and is scheduled to continue till May 17. Lakhs of migrant workers have either left for their native places or are in the process of doing so, including by trains and buses arranged by central and state governments. There are also worries that the virus spread may grow further in newer areas following these movements, while a large number of Indians stranded abroad have also begun returning home in special flights. During a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, "As we talk of relaxations to the lockdown and of migrant workers returning back to their respective homes, there is a big challenge in front of us that we also have to learn to live with the virus." "And when we are talking about learning to live with the virus then it is very important that the guidelines that are there on saving oneself from the virus are adopted in the community as a behavioural change," he said. It is a big challenge and the government needs the community support for it, Agarwal added. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also recently said the people will have to be ready to live with the novel coronavirus and that time has come to re-open the city. Agarwal said there has been a reduction in the doubling time of COVID-19 cases in the country from 12 days till two days ago to 10 now because of the spike in cases at some places, but asserted that the peak of the disease can be avoided if the prescribed do's and don'ts are followed. According to the daily morning update from the ministry, a total of 3,390 COVID-19 cases and 103 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 AM, taking the total number of cases to 56,342 and death toll to 1,886. However, a tally of numbers reported by different states and union territories till 6.30 PM showed that nearly 57,500 have tested positive so far across the country. This marks an increase of nearly 5,000 since Thursday morning. Close to 17,000 COVID-19 patients have also recovered so far, giving a recovery rate of more than 29 per cent. The worldwide recovery rate has been hovering around 33 per cent for the past few days. Since its outbreak in China last December, more than 38.6 lakh people have been found to be infected with this virus, while over 2.7 lakh have lost their lives. Nearly 13 lakh people have recovered so far, including about 2 lakh in the US. In India, big urban centres across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have been reporting large numbers of positive cases. While rising numbers were reported from Mumbai, Nashik, Thane and Aurangabad, among other places, in Maharashtra on Friday as well, Tamil Nadu saw its tally rising by 600 to cross the 6,000-mark while its death toll also rose to 40. On the outskirts of the national capital, Noida reported its first death while its tally of confirmed cases rose to 214. Gujarat reported 390 new cases, taking its tally to 7,403, while the death toll also rose to 449 with 24 more patients dying in the last 24 hours. Giving the district-wise situation of coronavirus cases, Agarwal said there are 216 districts in which no COVID-19 case has been reported till date. On May 1, the ministry had divided 733 districts in the country into three zones -- 130 in red, 284 in orange and 319 in green. Agarwal said 42 districts have had no fresh cases in the last 28 days while 29 districts have reported no new case in the last 21 days. Also, 36 districts have not registered any fresh cases in the last 14 days and 46 districts have had no fresh cases in the last seven days, he said. In Kerala, which reported one solitary case during the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state has flattened the COVID-19 curve. He also said the state needed to be careful to avoid another wave of the deadly virus but asserted it was ready to fight it in such an event. Among other people, several paramilitary personnel have also contracted the virus and one CISF official posted in Kolkata succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday. The number of active cases of the infection in the five paramilitary is more than 530, while thousands have been placed under preventive or clinical quarantine, officials said. A total of five paramilitary personnel have died so far of COVID-19, two each from BSF and CISF and one from the CRPF. Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said Mumbai should see a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the next 15-20 days. Separately, a panel of experts, formed to suggest ways to revive Maharashtra's economy, hit by the COVID-19 crisis and the resultant lockdown, submitted its report to the government during the day. Several states have been taking steps to shore up their resources, including by levying higher taxes on fuel and liquor. After Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and several others, Himachal Pradesh government has now decided to impose a 'corona cess' on liquor sales, while Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy also said the territorial administration was mulling imposition of special COVID-19 tax on liquor to wriggle out of the current fiscal crisis. The Madras High Court, however, ordered closure of liquor shops in Tamil Nadu a day after they were reopened, but allowed sale of liquor through online and door delivery till the end of the lockdown. The Supreme Court also asked states to consider non-direct contact or online sales and home delivery of liquor during the lockdown period to prevent the spread of coronavirus on account of crowding at the shops. Liquor shops were allowed to be opened in the third phase of the lockdown, which began on May 4, subject to compliance to social distancing and other guidelines issued by the government. PLB ASK ENM UD KIS JD AA NES MR DJI MNL ABA SJK PJT PD BJBJ

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