Category:

Policy

Vijayan requests PM to waive tax on imported life-saving drug for child

Noting that the medicine for SMA is ‘prohibitively expensive’ and ‘unaffordable’ for the child’s family, Vijayan said it costs a whopping Rs 18 crore and is proposed to be imported from the US.

The CM, in the letter, also pointed out that the central government had recently waived tax in a similar case of a five month old child, who is suffering from SMA in Mumbai.

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Indian economy lacks fresh investment as banks find lending risky

While banks are dithering on loans on the one hand, companies are pushing back investment plans amid lack of demand on the other.

Corporate willingness for new investments is low, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Pvt., with capital expenditure declining. While companies have posted bumper profits mostly on the back of widespread cost cutting, most have used the extra funds generated to pay down bank loans.

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Covid-19: Cabinet approves Rs 23,123 crore Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package

 “India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project: Phase-II” would be implemented at a total cost of Rs 23,123 Crore, from 01″ July 2021 to 31″ March 2022 with central and state share Rs.15,000 crore and Rs.8,123 crore respectively.

 With the focus on immediate needs for the next nine months of FY 21-22, to provide support to Central government hospitals / agencies and to State/UT Governments to augment their existing response to the second wave and the evolving pandemic, including at district and sub district levels in peripheral facilities.

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Cairn wins freeze on India state assets in Paris in bid to recover tax damages

“There have been news reports that Cairn Energy has seized/ frozen State owned property of Government of India in Paris. However, Govt. of India  has not received any notice , order or communication , in this regard, from any French Court.Government has already filed an application on March 22, 2021 to set aside the December 2020 international arbitral award in The Hague Court of Appeal. Government of India will vigorously defend its case in set aside proceedings at The Hague,” said a statement by the Government of India..
A French tribunal ordered the freeze on some 20 centrally located properties belonging to the Indian government as part of a guarantee of the amount owed to Cairn, the London-listed firm said.

Cairn said it has also registered similar claims against India in courts in the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Singapore and Quebec.

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Saudis may work longer, pay more to Kingdom’s pension fund: Report

The government — faced with an estimated actuarial gap of 800 billion riyals ($213 billion) at the state-controlled pension fund — is weighing proposals to increase the retirement age, according to three people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified to discuss confidential deliberations. It could also require workers to contribute more of their salaries to the General Organization for Social Insurance, or GOSI, which manages both public and private sector pensions, the people said.

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