New Delhi, Jan 1 () Following are the top business stories at 1830 hours:
 
DCM22 BIZ-LD AUTO SALES
Maruti Suzuki, M&amp;M beat year-end blues, post rise in domestic sales figures
New Delhi: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India and Mahindra &amp; Mahindra on Wednesday reported rise in their domestic sales in December, even as Hyundai and Totoya posted negative growth.
 
DEL55 BIZ-LD STOCKS
Stocks advance on New Year Day on positive macro data, govt infra push 
Mumbai: Stock markets started the New Year on a positive note with benchmark index Sensex gaining 52.28 points or 0.13 per cent to close at 41,306.02 on Wednesday as financials, IT, FMCG and power stocks advanced.
 
DEL49 AVI-FAA-MAX PLANES
Boeing 737 MAX plane: FAA says no timeframe set for completion of work
New Delhi: As many airlines worldwide await the final word on Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the US aviation watchdog FAA has said a "thorough process" is being followed for testing the plane but no timeframe has been set for completion of the work.
 
DEL43 BIZ-GST
GST revenue mop-up rises to Rs 1.03 lakh cr in Dec
New Delhi: GST revenue collection remained above the Rs 1 lakh crore mark for the second month in a row with December mop-up rising to Rs 1.03 lakh crore as compared to the year-ago period.
 
DEL20 BIZ-ATF-LPG-PRICE
ATF cost up 2.6%; non-subsidised LPG price hiked by Rs 19
New Delhi: Jet fuel or ATF price was on Wednesday hiked by 2.6 per cent and that of non-subsidised cooking gas LPG by Rs 19 per cylinder on the back of a rise in international rates.
 
DEL18 BIZ-INDIA-GROWTH-HANKE
India will struggle to achieve 5 pc GDP growth in 2020: Steve Hanke
New Delhi: India will "struggle" to achieve 5 per cent GDP growth in 2020 as the significant deceleration in past few quarters was largely owing to credit squeeze which is a cyclical problem, said noted American economist Steve Hanke.
 
DEL51 BIZ-RUPEE-CLOSE
Rupee kick starts New Year on positive note, settles 14 paise higher at 71.22 against US dollar
Mumbai: The rupee kick started 2020 on a positive note with gains of 14 paise against the US currency on the first trading day of the New Year on Wednesday. 
 
DCM9 YEAR-TAX
All eyes on Sitharaman's second Budget for tax relief
New Delhi: The common man has his eyes set on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's second Budget next month for relief in income tax, but an economic slowdown and a sharp reduction in corporate tax rates hint that she has very little flexibility to dole out a big largesse. 
 
DCM27 BIZ-DUTY-PALM OIL
Govt cuts import duty on crude, refined palm oils under ASEAN, IMCECA pacts
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday slashed import duty on refined palmolein from 50 per cent to 45 per cent, while that on crude palm oil (CPO) from 40 per cent to 37.5 per cent with immediate effect, a move that the industry opposed saying it will hurt domestic refiners. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Business highlights

India's biggest tax reform, the <keyword id="6359833" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="goods-and-services-tax" source="Orion">Goods and Services Tax</keyword> (<keyword id="6354679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gst" source="Orion">GST</keyword>), completes its half-a-decade journey on June 30, with many hits and some misses, and also brought about a paradigm shift in use of technology to bring about tax compliance and making over Rs 1 lakh crore revenue collection every month 'a new normal'. A nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST), which subsumed 17 local levies like excise duty, <keyword id="6355686" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="service-tax" source="Orion">service tax</keyword> and <keyword id="6370857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vat" source="Orion">VAT</keyword> and 13 cesses, was rolled out at the stroke of midnight on July 1, 2017. Under GST, a four-rate structure that exempts or imposes a low rate of tax of 5 per cent on essential items and top rate of 28 per cent on cars is levied. The other slabs of tax are 12 and 18 per cent. In the pre-GST era, the total of VAT, excise, CST and their cascading effect led to 31 per cent as tax payable, on an average, for a consumer. Besides, there is a special 3 per cent rate for gold, jewellery and precious stones and 1.5 per cent on cut and polished diamonds. Besides, a cess is levied on the highest tax slab of 28 per cent on luxury, sin and demerit goods. The collection from the cess goes to a separate corpus — Compensation fund — which is used to make up for revenue loss suffered by the state due to GST rollout. GST also represents an unprecedented exercise in fiscal federalism as the Centre and states come together in the GST Council to thrash out modalities for smooth functioning of the relatively new tax regime. The Council has met 47 times so far and have taken measures which made Rs 1 lakh crore <keyword id="4943720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gst-collection" source="Orion">GST collection</keyword> per month 'a new normal' and on course to take the figure to Rs 1.4 lakh crore every month. As the government releases the June GST collection numbers on July 1, it is widely expected that the collections will follow the past four months' trend and be around Rs 1.4 lakh crore. The collections had touched a record Rs 1.68 lakh crore in April 2022, it had for the first time crossed Rs 1 lakh crore mark in collections in April, 2018. On the 5th anniversary of GST, <keyword id="4336899" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Board-of-Indirect-Taxes-and-Customs" source="Orion">Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs</keyword> (CBIC) tweeted "GST subsumed multiple levies and cesses, reduced compliance burden, removed regional imbalances and inter-state barriers, and significantly increased the transparency and overall Revenue collection". Over the past years the Government has been proactively issuing circulars and clarifications to clear doubts regarding taxation under GST and ensure ease of doing business. More recently, the GST Council, in its 47th meeting in Chandigarh, has decided to ease compliance for small taxpayers who supply through the e-commerce platform. Such suppliers, who make only intra-state supplies, need not seek GST registration if their annual turnover is less than Rs 40 lakh in case of goods and Rs 20 lakh in case of supplies. To help tax officers in administration, GST Network, which provides the technological backbone for the indirect tax regime, has been using artificial intelligence and machine learning to dish out newer data and plug revenue leakages. Tax experts, however, seek a simpler structure for Goods and Services Tax, a structure which would ensure seamless flow of input tax credit through the entire supply chain without losses. BDO India Partner and Leader - Indirect Tax Gunjan Prabhakaran said “over the past five years, the GST law has evolved and mitigated several issues faced by the taxpayers through timely clarifications and amendments. "However, the GST Council and the Government should quickly address few other hardships faced by taxpayers in relation to unwarranted and excessive issuance of show cause notices (for reconciliations of financial numbers, grant of registration, etc) and introduce a robust, technology driven single assessment process, which would achieve the twin objective of ease of doing business and remove the cascading effect of taxes". AMRG &amp; Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said in the last five years, GST law has matured at a fast pace. First, the focus was on compliance and technology; sooner than later, it moved gears, and taxpayers were posed to self-regulate the annual filings. "Now it seems the law has entered the next phase whereby litigation needs to be reduced by either replacing ambiguous tax laws or clarifying the practical application of technical issues. Businesses expect the government to resolve all sectoral issues like would BPO/KPO qualify as an intermediary, tax credit for capital expenditure on building, levy of GST on Extra Neutral alcohol (ENA) etc," Mohan said. While the GST administration has moved forward with alacrity, it is still a long way to go to achieve the full potential of GST and make it a true 'good and simple tax'. With petrol, diesel, ATF outside GST, a large part of the economy is still not covered by the indirect tax regime. Inclusion of petroleum products under the GST net, could reduce cost for companies, tax experts say. With emerging technology, there is emergence of newer asset classes like the virtual digital assets (VDA) or cryptocurrency. There is a need for clarity on whether they would be classified as supply of 'goods' or 'services' and what would be the tax rate on them. Tax rate rationalisation is something which would happen sooner or later. Current inflationary concerns may have derailed the plans to tweak rates and GST slabs, but it would eventually be a reality as both the Centre and states need revenues and lesser slabs would mean a simplified tax regime. Besides, the decision makers in the Council too have to work out a solution as state governments, from July 1, 2022, stare at a stoppage of compensation for revenue loss due to GST implementation. When GST was rolled out on July 1, 2017, states were promised a compensation, from the cess fund, for five years if their GST collection falls short of the 14 per cent compounded revenue growth. Most states have sought an extension to the compensation mechanism and a final decision is likely to be taken at the next GST Council meeting in Madurai in the first week of August. Abhishek Jain, Partner Indirect Tax, KPMG in India, said going forward, the Government can consider setting up of Central authority to resolve conflicting AAR judgements across states and consider doing away with anti-profiteering provisions freeing businesses to set prices. "Further, bringing petroleum and electricity under GST ambit will help prevent cascading and ensure further uniformity. Lastly, some checks can also be incorporated on system generated GST notices, so as to avoid any unnecessary harassment of taxpayers," Jain said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/startups-like-unacademy-vedantu-blue-stone-caratlane-go-physical-from-digital-as-pandemic-boom-ends/articleshow/92564319.cms">Startups go physical from digital as pandemic boom ends</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/indian-credit-card-users-spend-40x-more-than-debit-card-users-online/articleshow/92543305.cms">Indian credit card users spend 40x more than debit card users online</a>

GST had its hits and misses but made ₹1.3 lakh crore monthly tax, the new normal

New Delhi, Mar 29 () He lost his father on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a 21-day nationwide lockdown but Sanjiv Singh, Chairman of India's largest oil firm, Indian Oil Corp (IOC), was back at managing uninterrupted fuel supplies within 24 hours.Singh, who has been overseeing refinery operations and distribution chain since the time states declared restrictions to check spread of coronavirus in mid-March, lost his 89-year-old father on March 24.Within 24-hours he was back in action, converting his parental home at Lucknow into a war room, monitoring operations and supplies to see no part of the country went dry at anytime."My father lived in Lucknow and on March 24 we received a call about his being unwell. I along with my wife decided to drive down to Lucknow but one hour into the drive, we received a call of he being no more," Singh told ."It was a great personal loss," an emotional Singh said.But he set aside his personal loss for the call of duty."What I am doing is just my job. There are hundreds and thousands of oilmen across the country who are risking their well-being in ensuring we continue to fuel the country," he said.Singh keeps a minute eye on all operations through daily reviews done through video conferencing and hundreds of phone calls."We have a duty towards this country and we are just doing that," he said. "We have taken precautions in running refineries, depots and marketing infrastructure. Consumer facing part of our business - petrol pumps and LPG distributorships - have been handed over personal protection gears."IOC is providing free food packets to truckers transporting fuel from depots to petrol pumps and LPG distributor agencies. "There are no roadside dhabas open."The company is also finalising a Rs 5 lakh personal insurance for petrol pump and LPG distributor agency staff in case of any facility. Also, a medical insurance scheme is in works, he said.Singh said IOC's terminals, depots, LPG distributorship and petrol pumps are well-stocked with petrol, diesel and LPG to meet any supply requirement during and after the lockdown.All 119 Aviation Fuel Stations of IndianOil across the country are operating with optimum strength and full safety precautions to meet the aviation fuel (ATF) needs of Defence aircraft, cargo flights and medical ambulances.Modi had on March 24 ordered all 1.3 billion people in the country to stay inside their homes for three weeks starting March 25 - the biggest and most severe action undertaken anywhere to stop the spread of the coronavirus. ANZ BAL

Personal loss not withstanding, IOC Chairman continues to manage fuel supplies during lockdown

The Civil Aviation Ministry, for the first time, got its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=budget+2017&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Budget 2017 </a>wishlist vetted by professionals and has sent its recommendations to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=arun+jaitley&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Arun </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=arun+jaitley&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Jaitley</a>-led <keyword id="47209" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Finance-Ministry">Finance Ministry</keyword>. 
 
As a part of its wishlist, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=aviation&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">aviation ministry</a> has sought reduction in excise duty on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ATF&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Aviation Turbine Fuel</a> (ATF), or jet fuel, from 14% to 8%. 
 
"Excise duty was raised when crude prices were low. Now they are inching up and the government can easily cut excise duty, which will also help shield airlines from a hike in jet fuel prices,” a government official, who did not want to be named, told ET. 
 
Rising fuel cost has been a major concern for the aviation sector. 
 
“Any rise in price of fuel, which constitutes a large part of our cost, is a concern but we may not be impacted that much because the government was raising taxes when crude was falling. So, the full benefit of crude decline was never transferred to airlines, which can act as a shield for us,” SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh had said. 
 
Other requests include keeping ATF in the GST ambit.

Aviation ministry has sent its Budget 2017 wishlist to Arun Jaitely. Here’s what they expect

New Delhi, Jan 12 () The International Energy Agency (IEA) has slammed India's natural gas pricing policy, saying linking domestic production to very low global reference prices has reduced incentives for producers to raise supplies.
 In its first in-depth review of India's energy policies, IEA said for the share of environment-friendly fuel to rise, the government needs to ensure gas is treated on a level playing field with other fuels for taxation and is included under the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
 However, one challenge to raising share of natural gas in the energy basket to 15 per cent by 2030 from current 6 per cent is gas pricing, it said. "Linking domestic gas prices to a basket of (very low) international reference prices has reduced incentives for domestic producers to increase supply."
 The Narendra Modi government, after storming to power in 2014, had approved a formula to price domestically produced gas at the average rate prevailing in gas exporting countries such as the US, UK, Canada, and Russia.
 Price according to this formula currently is USD 3.23 per million British thermal unit, half of what India's pays for import of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
 With stagnant domestic output, India meets half of its gas needs through imports. "India's latest 2014 gas price mechanism focuses very much on reducing the price level rather than the creation of a market-based system to reflect the domestic supply-demand structure in India," it said.
 IEA said there is no trading hub yet in India, although its creation has been suggested for 2019.
 "The creation of a gas hub would allow transparent price discovery on the basis of buyers and sellers interacting in an open market, and has the potential to remove the multiple price regimes in India," it said.
 Stating that the government should go ahead and implement the creation of a gas hub, it said international experience suggests that a virtual trading hub with an entry-exit regime based on transmission capacity is highly suited for market areas with limited transmission capacity and limited domestic production but rising LNG imports.
 The experience in the European Union can be very instructive for India. It has taken more than a decade to create a liquid natural gas market across 28 EU states, it said, adding a liquid and well-functioning domestic gas market would be a strong pillar for India's security of gas supply.
 "The reforms that allow marketing freedom to new supplies might help. However, there is still very low interest from new upstream companies to bid for acreage, given the competition from incumbent producers that sell gas at below its cost of production," IEA said.
 "The price of domestic gas is lower than that of (imported) LNG and is defined by indexation to international markets. Since India sources around 50 oer cent of its LNG imports via long-term contracts and the other half from spot markets, the price difference between oil-linked and spot gas is very important for Indian buyers."
 IEA said the government should "Foster the creation of a liquid market for natural gas in India, gradually moving from gas allocation and multiple pricing regimes to the creation of a gas hub, so that domestic gas and LNG imports can be used in the most efficient way and competition can flourish."
 Also, there is a need to strengthen and clarify the roles and responsibilities with regard to the regulatory supervision of natural gas market activities (upstream, midstream and downstream) to ensure a non-discriminatory access regime to pipeline capacity so that both LNG imports and new gas discoveries can find their way to markets and investment in gas transport and storage is encouraged, it said.
 The government, it said, must "ensure gas is treated on a level playing field with other fuels for taxation and is included under the GST, as the country strives to increase the share of gas in total energy supply."
 In 2017, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced with the aim of further rationalising taxation and reducing overlapping taxes between state and central governments. As many as 17 central and state levies such as excise duty and VAT were amalgamated in GST.
 But not all energy sectors are covered and not at the same rate. Crude oil, petrol, diesel, jet fuel (ATF) and natural gas do not fall under GST and they continue to incur central excise duty and state value-added tax (VAT).
 Other fuels such as coal, naphtha, furnace oil, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) have been brought under GST.
 "For natural gas to compete in India, costs have to come down, including through rationalisation of subsidies for coal and LPG and adjustment of the GST. Since natural gas does not fall under the GST, gas consumption is taxed at several state and central government levels, in addition to the gas transport tariffs.
 "Bringing natural gas under the GST and introducing a postage stamp gas transport tariff would reduce these costs and create a level playing field with other fuels," IEA said.
 IEA also said access to LNG facilities currently needs to be negotiated with the owner. But the government is considering establishing an open access regime for these facilities.
 "Whether these facilities will be fully utilised, or end up as stranded assets, very much depends on the pricing regime for gas," it said. ANZ ABM
ABM

IEA slams India's gas pricing policy, says it reduces incentives for producers to raise supply

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Some US military personnel and government employees are closely linked to notoriously violent biker gangs, according to a <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2085684-omgs-july-2014-redacted.html">leaked DOJ report</a> obtained by <a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/22/atf-report-warned-military-government-membership-outlaw-motorcycle-gangs/">the Intercept</a>.The relationship between the biker gangs and law enforcement officials was examined more closely following the revelation that police officers responding to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/biker-gang-shootout-leaves-several-dead-at-texas-restaurant-2015-5">a gang shootout that killed 9</a> outside a Waco, Texas restaurant.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) discovered in 2007 that support clubs of "outlaw motorcycle gangs" (OMGs) such as Hell's Angels, Vagols and Mongel were "utilizing active-duty military personnel and U.S. Department of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> (DOD) contractors and employees to spread their tentacles across the United States."Moreover, the ATF reported that OMG support clubs recruit courted "active-duty military personnel and government workers, both civilians and contractors, for their knowledge, reliable income, tactical skills and dedication to a cause."The reports notes that "as the data is analyzed, it has been revealed that numerous OMG members, prospects, and associates are also employed with state and local government agencies."It is worth noting that a biker gang is only considered an "outlaw" group by the ATF if its members engage in a "pattern of criminal activity."In an interview with the Intercept, a former member of the Bandidos denied that any of the most violent clubs generally integrated current-duty military or law enforcement officials. Many notoriously violent OMGs have made it abundantly clear, however, that they have members currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2010, the OMG Mongols sold t-shirts depicting various Mongols members fighting overseas, while the Hells Angels and the Highwaymen MC created a set of colors meant to show their support for members at war, according to the ATF report. The report also notes specific individuals actively serving in the military who have documented ties to OMGs. One example is a staff sergeant instructor in the United States Air Force who is also the president of a support club for the Bandidos, the most dominant and violent of the motorcycle gangs in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, according to the ATF.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>One Mongols member from Pennsylvania, Gregory "Chewy" Foster, is an E-7 in the Army National Guard. Donald "Seasonal" Staller, another Mongols member, is also a member of the Army National Guard, as well as a a civilian employee of the Department of Defense.Perhaps most unnerving is the fact that numerous OMG members hold sensitive military and government clearance. The ATF report notes that Anthony Kozina and Colin Marks, two members of the Kings of Mayhem - a main support club for the Maryland Hells Angels - are employed as government contractors for the FBI. Five of the seven members of another Hells Angels support club, Midgard Serpents, are employed at a local nuclear power plant as radiological technicians, according to the report. Other OMG members holding top secret security clearance include Wheels of Souls member Roderick Johnson, a major in the US Air Force reserves, and Jermaine Williams, a senior chief petty officer in the US Navy. "This was supposed to be solely a law enforcement tool to help fight violent crime. It was not supposed to be out there in the ether for general consumption," an ATF spokesperson told The Intercept. The shootout occurred between the Bandidos and a rival club who are backed by Bandidos' arch rivals, the Hell's Angels - dominant OMGs that the ATF predicts will only continue to expand in the coming months and years. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wwii-anniversary-parade-russian-military-vehicles-moscow-2015-5">Russia reveals new high-tech weapon vehicles in a rehearsal for the country's biggest military parade</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="djczR5dDoi0DhmfKLYP7atE3i0uxhlzC" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

There's a strange link between violent motorcycle gangs and the US military

<ul><li>The country’s airlines are set to lose nearly $2 billion in 2018-19, according to CAPA, a consultancy, owing to rising costs and low fares. </li><li>The Ministry of Civil <keyword id="31907" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aviation">Aviation</keyword> is working on a relief package to ease the cost pressures on the country’s struggling carriers. This could involve a reduction in <keyword id="4869" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fuel">fuel</keyword> taxes by bringing aviation turbine fuel under the GST regime. </li><li>The government also wants to build 100 new airports within the next 15 years. </li></ul>A relief package has been a long time coming for the world’s third largest aviation market. While India’s airlines have expanded their business rapidly over the past decade, as indicated by surging passenger traffic, much of this has come with high capital costs and minimal profits. And now? Airlines are recovering from one of the worst years so far in recent memory. The rupee’s depreciation is expected to raise costs for airlines, most of which are denominated in dollars like leasing expenses and ground handling charges overseas, by a third. Fuel costs, which comprise 40% of overall costs, have risen dramatically amid a rebound in oil markets and heavy domestic duties. Fares have stayed low in the face of a intense competition in order to keep passenger volumes robust. The losses are mounting. For the first quarter of the current financial year, <keyword id="6358200" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="jet-airways">Jet Airways</keyword> and <keyword id="6358032" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpiceJet">Spicejet</keyword> and reported net losses of ₹13.2 billion and ₹380 million, respectively, while <keyword id="6354706" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IndiGo">Indigo</keyword>, which has usually been the country’s most profitable airline, saw a 97% drop in its net profit to ₹280 million. The country’s airlines are set to lose <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/indian-airline-losses-could-reach-1-9-billion-this-year-capa-india/articleshow/65666776.cms">nearly $2 billion </a>in 2018-19, according to CAPA, a consultancy, and will need a $3 billion capital injection to clean up their balance sheets. A lifeline from the government The government has taken notice of the problems faced by the sector. According to the civil aviation secretary, RN Choubey, the Ministry of Aviation is working on a rescue programme for the country’s struggling carriers. While the details of the package have not been announced, the aviation ministry has been working with the finance ministry to ease some of the cost pressures on airlines. The package will likely focus on two things- high fuel prices and the problem of the rising rupee, especially in relation to leasing costs. For the former, the aviation ministry plans to bring aviation turbine fuel (ATF) under the GST regime as opposed to the current system, whereby states impose different taxes on top of a national excise duty of 14%. No discussion of the industry’s problems is complete without mentioning the travails of Air India. The loss-making, indebted state carrier is also slated to receive a minor reprieve from the government in order to stay afloat in the short-term. The Indian government has extended a credit facility <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/aviation/govt-to-infuse-rs-2100-crore-into-air-india/story/281976.html">of ₹21 billion</a> to Air India for working capital purposes, following an equity infusion of ₹8.6 billion. The government is also planning to invest heavily in airports infrastructure. Earlier this week, the Minister of Aviation, <keyword id="6356597" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="suresh-prabhu">Suresh Prabhu</keyword>, announced that the government would finance the construction of 100 airports in the country over the next decade and a half, to add to India’s 130 existing airports. The programme is expected to cost around $60 billion.

The Indian government is planning a rescue package for the aviation sector as the losses pile up

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing for the state to become a <keyword id="11086543" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="second-amendment-sanctuary">Second Amendment sanctuary</keyword>.</li><li><keyword id="295766" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Second-Amendment">Second Amendment</keyword> sanctuaries ignore federal or state gun laws they consider restrictive.</li><li>In recent years they've become a tactic among <keyword id="2391523" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Gun-rights">gun rights</keyword> advocates to push back against federal restrictions.</li></ul>On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1380200140439498754">tweeted in support of gun rights</a> just hours before a deadly mass shooting in Bryan, Texas. The shooting - the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/texas-gov-abbott-tweets-gun-rights-support-before-mass-shooting-2021-4">state's 14th</a> so far this year - left <a href="https://www.insider.com/police-responded-to-shooting-bryan-texas-2021-4">one dead and five injured</a> and came at a particularly inopportune moment. Abbott is in the midst of a campaign to turn Texas into a Second Amendment sanctuary state - a state where federal gun restrictions would be ignored in favor of local laws more favorable to gun rights. The <a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB02622I.pdf#navpanes=0">legislation</a> to make Texas a sanctuary state was introduced in February by Texas State Rep. Justin Holland. If passed, Texas will join Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Wyoming, and <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/blog/gun-control-advocates-urge-ducey-to-veto-gun-sanctuary-bill/">Arizona,</a> along with around 400 counties in 20 states, that have also designated themselves as gun rights sanctuaries.The push to make Texas a Second Amendment sanctuary comes amid <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/07/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-initial-actions-to-address-the-gun-violence-public-health-epidemic/#:~:text=Red%20flag%20laws%20allow%20family,danger%20to%20themselves%20or%20others.">several executive orders</a> from President Joe Biden calling for increased gun control measures, including a push for "red flag" legislation modeling, an investment in evidence-based community interventions, and measures to stop the proliferation of "ghost <keyword id="6371465" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="guns">guns</keyword>" - guns made out of purchased parts that are untraceable by authorities. "Basically, we're freezing Texas state law and federal laws in place that have to do with guns," Holland told The <a href="https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2021/04/09/what-would-happen-if-texas-became-second-amendment-sanctuary-state/7146515002/">El Paso Times</a>. "And (we're) not recognizing, at the state level, any federal changes."<h2>What are Second Amendment sanctuaries?</h2>Second Amendment sanctuaries are meant to combat the perceived infringement of gun rights in a variety of forms. Cities, counties, and states alike can and have declared themselves second amendment sanctuaries in the US.Those infringements might include laws requiring universal background checks prior to gun purchase, or bans on particular weaponry, including assault and automatic weapons, or red flag laws that allow law enforcement or family members to "flag" that a person with a gun may be a danger to themselves or others.<div type="image" title="Worker inspects AR-15 gun in Utah" height="3449" width="4598" msid="82029791" hostid="261"></div>The trend of Second Amendment sanctuary cities and states began in earnest in 2018, when Effingham County, Illinois, passed a <a href="https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/local_news/effingham-countys-gun-sanctuary-resolution/article_8e910fe6-3c89-5517-8427-7349129f8402.html">series of resolutions</a> opposing bump stock bans and a mandatory 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases, along with a litany of other gun control measures. Since then, more than 70 counties in Illinois have passed some kind of Second Amendment sanctuary legislation, <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2020/01/second-amendment-sanctuary-movement/">The Trace</a> reported. In 2019, more than <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/2020/01/second-amendment-sanctuary-movement/">120 cities and counties in Virginia</a> declared themselves gun rights sanctuaries, in backlash to a Democrat sweep in state elections. Last week, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/ars/13/03108.htm">signed a bill</a> that bans local and state governments and agencies from enforcing federal gun laws that are "inconsistent with or more restrictive than state law."Ducey told reporters the law was meant to be "a proactive law for what is possible to come out of the Biden administration."<div type="image" title="black gun club" height="1000" width="1333" msid="82029792" hostid="261"></div><h2>'Renegade' sheriffs opt out of enforcing federal law</h2>Second Amendment sanctuaries often emerge from a refusal to enforce existing federal law. Often, that decision comes from so-called <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/the-renegade-sheriffs">"renegade"</a> sheriffs and police who simply choose not to recognize laws they feel step on gun owners' rights.They consider themselves "constitutional sheriffs" and believe, according to the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, that "the vertical separation of powers in the Constitution makes it clear that the power of the sheriff even supersedes the powers of the President."In Culpeper, Virginia, Sheriff Scott Jenkins went so far as to write on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/culpepersheriff/posts/3077554315592750">Facebook</a> that "if necessary," he would "properly screen and deputize thousands of our law-abiding citizens to protect their constitutional right to own firearms."Voters in Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Virginia, and Illinois, among others, have all <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-sanctuary-idUSKCN1QL0ZC">passed resolutions</a> in support of local sheriffs who believe federal gun laws are unconstitutional. <div type="image" title="church gun" height="3750" width="5000" msid="82029795" hostid="261"></div>Even where Second Amendment sanctuary isn't officially declared, some sheriffs have taken it upon themselves to buck federal gun laws.Bob Norris, the sheriff of Kootenai County, Idaho, told reporters last month he wouldn't enforce federal gun laws, regardless of whether the county voted to become a Second Amendment sanctuary or not. "I would just like to tell you that regardless of what you decide here today, and regardless of what they decide in Washington, DC, there will be no gun confiscation here in Kootenai County," Norris said at a <a href="https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/kootenai-county-second-amendment-sanctuary-commissioner-sheriff-support/293-23ad3795-a469-42ce-a45a-ea2ae38bdf41?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&amp;fbclid=IwAR1xiNlSDAlaG8omuSnKI20oQ4Kc0_0mkVlpOoEf6lLzHQjR6FQrmGWVPVkVPVk">local press conference</a>. "Period."Three days after Norris' press conference, the <a href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/mar/19/proposal-to-make-kootenai-county-a-second-amendmen/">proposal</a> to establish the county as a Second Amendment sanctuary fell flat after the Board of County Commissioners declined to support it by a vote of two to one. <h2>Second Amendment sanctuary declarations are largely symbolic</h2>But can these sanctuary declarations be enforced? "A state, like Texas, declaring itself a "sanctuary" doesn't invalidate federal law from operating in Texas," Darrell Miller, co-faculty director of the Center for Firearms Law and a faculty member at Duke Law School, told Insider. If local law enforcement opts not to enforce gun laws, then "the FBI, ATF, and Department of Justice can still enforce federal law there."Miller cited the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artVI-C2-1-1-3/ALDE_00001028/">Supremacy Clause,</a> which says that the Constitution "shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."<div type="image" title="gun control" height="3467" width="4623" msid="82029797" hostid="261"></div>Second Amendment sanctuary declarations "don't have force of law," Dana Schrad, executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, told <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/11/2nd-amendment-sanctuary-virginia-counties-not-enforce-gun-laws/2610411001/">USA Today</a> after local jurisdictions began passing gun sanctuary bills in the state. "They are policy statements. They don't empower localities to turn a blind eye to what is state law."Sanford V. Levinson, a constitutional law scholar at the University of Texas Law School, told Insider sanctuary declarations don't nullify existing federal laws, but they can make it difficult to enforce them - which is the point. "The laws are not invalid; it's simply that the national government will be left on its own re the mechanisms of enforcement," he said - which, given limited resources and budgets, means the federal government will often turn a blind eye. Should the government want to compel local authorities to enforce federal law, they'd likely run into problems because the Supreme Court has already ruled that the federal government can't <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/505/144/">"commandeer" state officials to enforce federal law</a>, Levinson said, citing <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/505/144/">New York vs. United States 505 US 144</a>. "It simply comes down to whether the federal government wants to make it a case. But if the national government is willing to pay the price, then it will prevail," he continued. "It's one thing for the sheriffs to say, 'We're not going to lift a finger to help you take guns away from our people,'" Tung Yin, a law professor at Lewis &amp; Clark Law School in Portland, told <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2013/01/oregon_sheriffs_sending_a_mess.html">Oregon Live</a>. "That's OK. It's another thing for the sheriffs to say, 'Not only are we not going to lift a finger to help you, we're going to do everything we can to stop you.'"But that's exactly what's happened in Newton County, Missouri, where local lawmakers passed a <a href="https://www.newtoncountymo.com/notices/newton-county-second-amendment-preservation-act">Second Amendment Act</a> that allows local law enforcement to arrest any federal agents attempting to enforce federal gun laws - though Miller says the statute isn't actually enforceable. <div type="image" title="Lindsey Graham shooting" height="2000" width="2666" msid="82029798" hostid="261"></div>"The general proposition is that federal officers cannot be prosecuted by state or local authorities for acts done in furtherance of their official duties," Miller told Insider, citing In re: Neagle, an 1890 Supreme Court case ruling that said federal agents are immune from local prosecution if operating in the furtherance of federal law. Newton County, Missouri, Sheriff Chris Jennings did not respond to Insider's request for comment. <h2 style="font-weight: 400;">Texas governor says shooting victim's family wants Second Amendment sanctuary </h2>The passage of ag Second Amendment sanctuary resolution is all but a foregone conclusion in Texas, a state where nearly half of all adult residents - 45.7% - live with a gun in the house, according to a <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TL354.html">2020 Rand research project</a>. Gun control advocates say they're gearing up for a court battle either way. "The outcome for a bill like this would almost inevitably be a challenge in court," Jim Henson, the executive director of The Texas <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">Politics</keyword> Project, <a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/abbott-vows-to-make-texas-a-2nd-amendment-sanctuary-state-in-response-to-biden-gun-plan/">told KXAN</a>. "It's hard not to see this as part of an effort to test the boundaries at how much states can push back against federal and constitutional provisions."During an appearance on "Fox <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> Sunday," Gov. Abbott told host Chris Wallace he spoke with the family of the victims of the Bryan, Texas, shooting, who told him they supported the sanctuary state plan. "I went to the hospital where the victims' families were on the night of the shooting. And we hugged, and we cried, and we talked to them about it. As I was talking to family members of one of the victims, they said: 'Governor, please, do not allow this shooting to strip us of our Second Amendment rights,'" he said.<div type="image" title="bryan texas shooting" height="3611" width="5416" msid="82029805" hostid="261"></div>While Second Amendment sanctuary status may be largely symbolic, it speaks to a growing divide in the US over gun violence and how to quell it, especially after a year in which <a href="https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/">firearm-related incidents took the lives of more than 19,000 people</a> - the highest number of gun-related deaths in 20 years, according to the Gun Violence Archive."The nation has experienced a historic increase in violent crime in the past year. People want and need to protect themselves," Joyce Malcolm, the Patrick Henry Professor of Constitutional Law and the Second Amendment at George Mason University School of Law, told Insider. "The number of FBI background checks for gun purchases continues to hit new records. January and March 2021 are the only time in the history of the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System gun checks have broken four million."According to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/03/gun-sales-january-background-checks/">Washington Post</a>, more than two million guns were sold in the US in January alone - an 80% increase over the same month in 2020."Americans are buying guns at a blistering pace," Malcolm added. "They will NOT give them up."

Gun rights advocates are pushing to create Second Amendment sanctuaries in a bid to flout federal gun laws

India’s top airline authorities will meet <keyword id="13124" type="POSITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Civil-Aviation-Minister">Civil Aviation Minister</keyword> <keyword id="1809891" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Pusapati-Ashok-Gajapathi-Raju">Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju</keyword> tomorrow to discuss scrapping restrictive rules for flying abroad and high taxes charged on the aviation turbine fuel (ATF). 
 Senior officials from <keyword id="6358200" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jet-Airways">Jet Airways</keyword>, <keyword id="6358032" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="SpiceJet">SpiceJet</keyword>, <keyword id="6354706" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indigo">IndiGo</keyword>, <keyword id="2573" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Air-India">Air India</keyword>, <keyword id="1583080" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="AirAsia-India">AirAsia India</keyword>, GoAir and Vistara (Tata-SIA joint venture which is to be launched soon) will attend the meeting. 
 
The airlines are likely to demand reduction in taxes on ATF, which constitutes about 40-45% of the total cost of operating an airline. They may also demand exemption from customs duty for aircraft engines. The exemption was withdrawn in 2012. 
 
India’s aviation sector has suffered heavy losses due to competitive pricing, soaring fuel costs and airport taxes. 
 
The airlines may also request to withdraw the 5/20 rule. Under this rule, airlines must have a fleet of 20 aircraft and five-year experience of domestic operations to become eligible to fly abroad. 
 
They may also raise the issue of government’s draft policy on air connectivity to regional and far-off areas. All the major airlines have aired their views to the Civil Aviation Ministry, opposing various provisions of the draft policy.

India’s Aviation Rules To Be Overhauled?

Ahead of the 2014 Budget, the aviation industry has asked the government to slash taxes on jet fuel and exempt aircraft engines from custom duty. 
 
Senior officials presented their views on these and other issues at a pre-budget meeting with Civil Aviation Secretary, Ashok Lavasa, in Delhi. A similar meeting was convened by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief, Prabhat Kumar. 
 The meeting assumes significance as the <keyword id="58151" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="civil-aviation-ministry">Civil Aviation Ministry</keyword> is likely to brief Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> in the next few days. 
 The major demands were including the <keyword id="59621" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aviation-Turbine-Fuel">aviation turbine fuel</keyword> (ATF) in the 'declared goods' category, so that sales tax on it comes down to about 4% from the present rates ranging between 28% and 35% in different states across the country. 
 
Airline officials present at the meeting said while the ATF was supplied to small aircraft like Bombardier's Q-400s or turboprop ATRs as 'declared goods' and charged around 5% tax, larger aircraft, weighing more than 40,000 kg, were levied up to 35% tax. 
 
Jet fuel constitutes about 40-45% of the total cost of an airline.

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