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Maharashtra deficit budget cuts VAT on natural gas, amnesty for GST-Stamp Duty

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday presented the state Budget 2022-2023 with a revenue deficit of Rs 24,353 crore, with a slew of major announcements like an amnesty scheme for GST and stamp duty and reduction in VAT for natural gas.

The government estimates revenue receipts of Rs 403,427 crore against a revenue expenditure of Rs 427,780 crore, ot a shortfall of Rs 24,353 crore, in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s third annual budget.

Pawar unveiled a ‘Panchasutri’ (5-Point) development programme encompassing agriculture, health, human resource, transport, and industry, for the state with a total outlay of Rs. 115,215 crore, besides other sops and proposals.

Under this, the government proposes to spend Rs 23,888 crore for agriculture and allied sectors, Rs 5,244 crore for health, Rs 46,667 crore for human resources, Rs 28,605 crore for transport infrastructure and Rs 10,111 crore for industry and energy sectors, with plans to spend over Rs 400,000 crore in the next three years, said Pawar.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, MVA leaders of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress including Eknath Shinde, Hasan Mushrif, Nana Patole and others lauded the budget as “visionary” while the Bharatiya Janata Party Leaders of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and Pravin Darekar and Union MOS for Finance Bhagwat Karad slammed it as “direction-less”.

Pawar has introduced a first-ever Amnesty Scheme 2022 for the Goods & Sales Tax Department which will be applicable from April 1-September 30 this year.

Under this, there will be a complete waiver of the arrears of Rs 10,000 or less per year as per any statutory orders for various tax laws in the state, which would benefit around 100,000 small dealers.

Another aspect of the amnesty scheme for those having arrears of Rs 10 lakh or less till March 31, 2022, can pay a lump sum of 20 per cent of their total arrears and the remaining 80 per cent shall be waived, benefitting over 220,000 such cases of medium dealers.

The government has announced steep reduction in VAT on natural gas – from 13.5 per cent to just 3 per cent – which will hugely benefit households with piped natural gas connections and CNG power vehicles, while the state will incur a revenue shortfall of around Rs 800 crore.

Pawar also announced an Amnesty Scheme under the Stamp Act from April 1-November 30, for pending penalties dues to the government whereby there will be a shortfall of around Rs 1,500 crore.

For any land donations free to any local government bodies, Pawar has announced a complete exemption of the 3 per cent stamp duty on the gift deed or 5 per cent on sale deed, by which the state exchequer will lose around Rs 21 crore.

For gold-silver delivery order documents imported in Maharashtra which currently attract a 0.1 percent stamp duty, Pawar announced a complete waiver leading to a revenue shortfall of Rs 100 crore.

To boost water transport in the state, he announced a 3-year tax holiday from January 1, 2022 on the tax levied by Maharashtra Maritime Board on passengers, animals, vehicles, goods ferried by boats or roll on-roll off vessels in the state.

Crime

UP Shocker: Mother Of 5 Children Dies After Beaten Up By 24-Year-Old Lover Over Breakup In Noida

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A mother of five children died after her 24-year-old allegedly beaten her up following a heated argument over breakup on Monday in Noida. According to reports, the victim has been identified as Neeraj. The police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and arrested the accused boyfriend.

According to police, woman’s husband Satish, originally a resident of village Hathni Gud in Badaun district, works in a private company. He lives on rent in a house located in Mamura village with his wife Neeraj and five children. Neeraj had an extramarital affair with Arjun, a resident of village Sahpur in Shahjahanpur district who lived in the neighbourhood, for the past three years.

Arjun worked as a housekeeper in a private company located in Sector-59. Husband Satish was unaware of their affair. Neeraj went to meet Arjun in his room in the neighbourhood on Monday evening around 6 PM. Here, a fight broke out between the two about breakup. After the argument, Arjun physically assaulted Neeraj. During this, Neeraj became unconscious and fell to the ground.

Panicked Arjun rushed her to a nearby hospital, from where the woman was referred to Kailash Hospital. Seeing no improvement in her condition, the woman was referred to the district hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

After being alerted, police arrived and sent the body for the post-mortem. They also took boyfriend Arjun into custody. Family members allege that Arjun murdered Neeraj by strangulation.

According to police, the woman had married Satish about 13 years ago. The couple has five children. To educate the children, Satish brought Neeraj from his ancestral village to Noida about five years ago. While living in lane number eight, Neeraj became friends with Arjun, who lived in the neighbourhood. Gradually, the friendship between the two turned into a love affair. Arjun is 24 years old and unmarried.

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National News

Odisha Self-Immolation Case: Congress Workers Stage Protest Over Balasore Student’s Death Outside AIIMS Bhubaneswar

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Bhubaneswar (Odisha): Tensions flared outside AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Tuesday morning as Congress workers staged a protest following the death of a 20-year-old student from Balasore who had attempted self-immolation.

The protesting Congress workers were detained by police.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar Confirms The Death Of The Student

Earlier on Monday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar confirmed the death of the 20-year-old student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Odisha’s Balasore, who had attempted self-immolation.

The Department of Burn Centre, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, said in a statement that the patient was brought to the casualty on July 12 and was referred from Balasore District Headquarters Hospital to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

“She was admitted to the Burns Centre ICU. The patient was resuscitated with IV fluids, IV antibiotics, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation. Despite adequate resuscitation and all possible supportive management, including renal replacement therapy at the Burns ICU, she could not be revived and was declared clinically dead at 11:46 PM on July 14,” the statement said.

The 20-year-old student set herself on fire after allegedly facing prolonged sexual harassment by her college’s Head of Department. Despite lodging a formal complaint and seeking help from the principal, her pleas were ignored, leading to the tragic incident. The incident occurred at Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi Expresses Grief

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief and assured the family of the deceased that all those guilty in this case will face the strictest punishment as per the law.

In a post on X, CM Majhi said, “I am deeply saddened to hear the news of the demise of the female student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College. Despite the government’s fulfilment of all responsibilities and the tireless efforts of the expert medical team, the victim’s life could not be saved. I pray for the eternal peace of her departed soul and beseech Lord Jagannath to grant strength to her family to bear this irreparable loss.”

“I assure the family of the deceased student that all those guilty in this case will face the strictest punishment as per the law. For this, I have personally issued instructions to the authorities. The government stands firmly with the family,” the Odisha CM emphasised.

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UP Rains Fury: 13 Dead, Villages Cut Off Amid Lightning Strikes, Floods In Bundelkhand & Purvanchal

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Torrential rains wreaked havoc across Bundelkhand and eastern UP on Saturday, claiming 13 lives and displacing hundreds. With no immediate relief in sight, multiple districts reported house collapses, electrocutions, and flood related isolation.

According to the meteorological department, Chitrakoot saw the highest rainfall at 216 mm, followed by Kanpur (126 mm) and Banda (115 mm). Rain continued through the night in many parts of Purvanchal, flooding homes and cutting off access in rural areas.

In Banda’s Badokhar area, lightning struck a mud house, killing one child and injuring two others. Another lightning strike in Kamaisin village killed a farmer. Across the state, five deaths were reported due to lightning, including in Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Chandauli, and Bhadohi.

In Chitrakoot, a wall collapsed as flash floods claimed three lives. In Mahoba, swelling rivers and overflowing drains cut off 20 villages, forcing residents to travel an extra 30 km for basic access. Schools and homes flooded, leaving children stranded. In Unnao, a youth died while planting paddy in a field during a lightning strike. Hamirpur recorded one fatality and multiple injuries from a similar incident, with fields turning into death traps amid the downpour.

Rescue efforts continued late into the evening, including the dramatic 10-hour rescue of a farmer stranded on an island in Banda after the Ranj river’s sudden rise. With more rain forecast through the week, residents brace for further disruptions and losses.

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