HYDERABAD  FRIDAY  APRIL 02, 2021  `7.00  PAGES 28  LATE CITY EDITION RECORD GST MOP-UP IN MARCH ’21 AS COLLECTIONS TOUCH `1.24L-CR The revenue crossed the `1-lakh-crore mark for the 6th straight month. This month’s tally is 27% above the March ’20 collection HIGHEST SINCE INTRODUCTION OF GST Of the total revenue, Central GST stood at `22,973 crore, State GST was `29,329 crore, integrated GST accounted for `62,842 crore (including `31,097 crore collected on import of goods) while cess amounted to `8,757 crore (including `935 crore on import of goods). The finance ministry said March’s figures are the highest since the introduction of GST ■ `58,852 cr MARKER OF POST PANDEMIC RECOVERY? ■ The steady increase in GST collections over the past six months could be a marker of rapid economic recovery post pandemic Closer monitoring against fake-billing, deep data analytics using data from multiple sources and effective tax administration have also contributed to the increase in GST revenue | P10 REVENUE OF CENTRE AND STATES FOR CGST; THE EARNING IS `60,559 CRORE FOR SGST CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI TRS MP’s driver, two others in CBI net for taking `1L bribe poration of Delhi (MCD) would demolish the building unless THE Central Bureau of Investi- Lamba pays an amount of `5 gation (CBI) sleuths on Thurs- lakh. He also claimed that he day arrested three persons at has contacts in the MCD and if the official residence of TRS the amount is paid, he will enMP from Mahabubabad, Maloth sure the building is not Kavitha, in New Delhi while ac- demolished. cepting a bribe of `1 lakh from Later, Bhattacharya introa person for doing some official duced Shubangi Gupta and Dufavours. The three persons rgesh Kumar as PAs of Maloth claimed to be Personal Assist- Kavita and said that they would ants of the MP . help Lamba. According to the CBI The trio had negotiaofficials, the trio identions with Lamba and tified as Rajib Bhattalater finalised the bribe charya, Shubanghi amount of `1 lakh. Gupta and Durgesh When Lamba went to Kumar were caught Kavitha’s official resired-handed while takdence at 401, Saraswati ing the bribe. Apar tments of BD The CBI arrested the MP Maloth Kavitha Marg in New Delhi, the three persons followCBI officials conducted ing a complaint lodged by Man- a raid and caught the three acmeet Singh Lamba, a resident cused and seized `1 lakh cash of the New Gupta Colony in from them. New Delhi. Later in the day MP Kavitha , In his complaint, Lamba said released a video expressing that he received a call from shock over the incident and Bhattacharya, who introduced said that she got to know about himself as the PA of Maloth the arrests from the media. Kavitha, and threatened to deShe also said that she has not molish his building in the Sard- employed any Personal Assistar Nagar area. ant in New Delhi while DuBhattacharya warned that rgesh Kumar has been working the officials of Municipal Cor- as her driver in New Delhi. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad Sporadic incidents of violence reported elsewhere in West Bengal also; voting percentage high in Assam Phase II FIGURES THAT MATTER WEST BENGAL 10,620 ballot units and an equal polling in Bengal’s number 30 Assembly of control constituencies, units and including VVPATs used Nandigram in Bengal 80.43% ASSAM 77.21% in Assam’s 39 Assembly constituencies 10,819 ballot units, 10,592 control units and as many VVPATs used in Assam EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Kolkata/Guwahati West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arriving at a polling station during the second phase of Assembly polls at Boyal in Nandigram on Thursday | PTI After SOS calls from candidates and PMO stinker, savings rate cut nixed A N U R A D H A S H U K L A @ New Delhi THE finance ministry on Thursday rescinded its controversial order slashing interest rates on small savings within 12 hours of issuing it, following social media backlash, panic calls from BJP functionaries of poll-bound states, and a sharply worded directive from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). On Wednesday evening, the ministry had issued an order cutting interest rates applicable on various small savings schemes by 50-110 basis points for April-June 2021 period. The decision, announced a day before phase-2 voting in Bengal and Assam, drew widespread criticism. Sources said some BJP candidates, too, made calls to the PMO. West Bengal contributes the most to small savings, according to National Savings Institute data. Of the total gross small savings collections of `5.96 lakh crore in FY18, collections from West Bengal were `90,000 crore. Early on Thursday morn- Vax drive on off days too, as govt aims to hike coverage WHERE ALL COVID-19 NORMS GO FOR A TOSS There are no precautionary measures like health screening of drivers and the helpers, who arrive in trucks from Maharashtra, in place at the Malakpet market. The rapid antigen tests and thermal screening are also not being conducted at the market. Those who work or turn up at the facility are completely neglecting social distancing norms. Also missing are the basic sanitiser dispensers EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Amid rising Covid-19 cases, traders and workers at Malakpet market ignore all precautions as they arrange bags of onions that arrived from the neighbouring States of Maharashtra and Karnataka on Thursday | R V K RAO ‘Maha’ Covid threat at Malakpet market MAYANK TIWARI @ Hyderabad EVEN as the State witnesses rise in Covid-19 cases, preventive measures go for a toss Hyderabad’s Malakpet onion market, which receives truckloads of stocks on a daily basis from Maharashtra. With over 3.57 lakh cases, the neighbouring State has the highest number of active Covid cases in the country . There are no measures in place at the Malakpet market like health screening of drivers and the helpers who arrive in trucks from Maharashtra. While no rapid antigen tests and thermal screening are be- ing, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took upon herself to do damage control. “The interest rates of small savings schemes will continue to be the same as in the last quarter of 2020-21. Orders issued by oversight shall be withdrawn,” she tweeted. Sources said the order was supposed to be made public next week but got out early due to “bureaucratic error”. “As it was financial year-end closing (March 31), the order went public. It has been corrected now,” said an official. ing conducted at the onion market, those who work or turn up at the facility are completely neglecting social distancing norms. Also missing are the basic sanitiser dispensers. Only a handful of persons are seen wearing masks in the market, although the State government has passed orders for everyone to wear masks in public places. While close to 200 trucks arrive from Maharashtra every week at the Malakpet market, many trucks also come from Karnataka, which is also re- porting increasing number of Covid-19 cases. The trucks arrive during the wee hours and unload the onion stocks at the Malakpet market. The driver and workers stay in the market or roam around in the city till 10 pm before returning to their native States. A majority of onion consignments arrive at the Malakpet market from Satara, Nashik, Jalg aon, Pune, Solapur and Ahmednagar districts of Maharastra where the case load is very high. Same is the case with the bordering areas of Karnataka, which has the third highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country . The situation is not much different in the Gaddiannaram fruit market where huge quantities of mangoes as well as pomegranates and oranges are brought from Maharashtra. When contacted, G Lakshmi Bai, Director of Telangana Agricultural Marketing Department, said: “It is very difficult to impose restrictions in markets like Gaddiannaram. We have issued several circulars to the traders regarding all the precautionary measures to be taken in view of the pandemic but they have failed to follow them.” ON a day the Covid-19 inoculation for all people above the age of 45 began, the Centre on Thursday said the shots would be given on all days, including gazetted holidays, throughout April at all public and private vaccination centres. The decision seeks to arrest a steep decline in the number of people getting vaccinated against the backdrop of sharp rise in number of cases amid the outbreak of the second wave. Till Thursday, over 63 million people have been vaccinated, translating into just 4.5 doses per 100 people. The fresh measure was recommended by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration and was taken after detailed deliberations with all states on Wednesday, the health ministry said. The rationale behind the decision is to optimally utilise all vaccination centres for increased coverage. Cases have been growing exponentially since March, with Thursday’s 72,330 marking the highest single-day infection tally since October. Fake G.O. on imposition of lockdown sends citizens into a tizzy EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad A fake Government Order, stating that lockdown will be imposed in the State till April 30 to prevent the spread of Covid-19 sent shockwaves among citizens on Thursday night. When this was brought to the notice of Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, he said that the GO was a fake one and no lockdown is being imposed in the State. He told Express that there was no need for lockdown in the State. Later, the Chief Secretary issued a statement, stating: “It has come to the notice of gov- ernment that an unsigned document claiming to be a GO issued on 1st April 2021 providing for closure of shops and commercial establishments etc. is circulating on social media. It is hereby clarified that the above said document is fake. No such order has been issued by government of Telangana. It is also clarified that there is no consideration for any lockdown.” It is widely believed that as Thursday was April Fools’ Day , the fake GO might be the handiwork of some mischievous persons. Netizens, however, took to Four high-risk Covid districts identified The Department of Health and Family Welfare categorised four districts, including Hyderabad, highrisk districts, the other districts being Rangareddy, Medchal and Nizamabad. Twitter and expressed their ire over some vernacular news channels for flashing the news without checking the facts. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Family Welfare categorised four districts, including Hyderabad, high-risk districts, the other districts being Rangareddy, Medchal and Nizamabad. While Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal have been categorised as high-risk districts due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases and high population density Nizamabad has , been placed in the same category because of the long border it shares with Maharashtra. “The three districts of Hyderabad, Rangreddy and Medchal comprise one-third of Tel- angana’s population, which makes them high-concern districts. In Nizamabad, we have noticed a rapid spread of infection as it shares the border with Maharashtra and there is a frequent movement of people across the border,” said Director of Public Health Dr G Srinivas Rao. The Health Department has also noted that there have been spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in other districts too, mainly due to localised outbreaks, with at least eight to 10 outbreaks being reported every day across the State. A high voter turnout of 80.43% and 77.21% was recorded in West Bengal and Assam, respectively on Thursday but the , highlight of the second phase of polling was the high drama in Nandigram, followed by Mamata Banerjee accusing the BJP of rigging the polls and the Election Commission of inaction. Sporadic violence was reported in other parts of Bengal, too, as voting took place in 30 assembly constituencies spread over East and West Midnapore, Bankura and South 24 Parganas districts. In Assam, polling for 39 seats across 13 districts was largely peaceful, barring one incident. Pitted against her aideturned-rival Suvendu Adhikari, the Bengal chief minister rushed to booth no. 7 at Boyal in Nandigram claiming she had received complaints that TMC’s polling agents were not allowed at the polling station. As she argued with senior police officers, BJP supporters as- sembled outside and raised Jai Sri Ram slogan. A group of TMC supporters, too, gathered and shouted Khela Hobe. As the two groups clashed, hurling stones and trading abuses, Mamata called up Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and alleged that bogus voting was taking place on a massive scale while central force remained mute spectators. The TMC chief wrote a complaint letter to the Election Commission, accusing it of inaction on 63 complaints lodged by her party and threatened to , move court. She accused the central forces and the EC of acting at the behest of Union home minister Amit Shah. The poll panel, however, cited its general observer’s report to state that there was no disruption in voting at polling station number 7. Despite her allegations of poll fraud, Mamata claimed victory even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took potshots at her saying “your body language is showing you have accepted your defeat in Nandigram”. CHARISMA,TALENT,EFFORT DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD FOR RAJINI E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Chennai ACTOR Rajinikanth will be awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2019, as announced by Union I&B Minister Prakash Javdekar on Thursday He said, “ . A jury consisting of Asha Bhonsle, Mohanlal, Biswajit Chatterjee, Shankar Mahadevan and Subhash Ghai unanimously decided to nominate Rajinikanth for the award, and we’ve accepted it. For the last 50-odd years, he has been the uncrowned king of cinema. Through his charisma, talent, and efforts, he has made a place for himself in the hearts of people.” The actor now joins an illustrious list of film personalities to have been conferred this award, including his mentor K Balachander, Sivaji Ganesan, Satyajit Ray, Amitabh Bachchan, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Gulzar, Lata M a n g e s h k a r, A d o o r Gopalakrishnan, and K Vishwanath. He is set to become the fourth star from South Indian cinema after Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, and Rajkumar to be awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke. Having begun his career with a cameo in K Balachander’s Apoorva Raagangal (1975), Rajinikanth went on to act in over 160 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, and English languages. Tasting success as a stylish antagonist in many films like Aadu Puli Aatam, 16 Vayathinile, and Moondru Mudichu, he made the transition to ‘hero’ roles with Bairavi (1978), which was also the first film to give him the ‘Superstar’ sobriquet that would later become so iconic. RAJINI TWEETS “My heartfelt thanks to the Central government, PM Modi, and Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and the jury for conferring upon me the prestigious award. I sincerely dedicate it to all those who have been part of my journey.” Rajinikanth evolved a unique style of his own in the film career for decades, had crores of fans in the country and all over the globe. It is befitting that he is selected for the Dada Saheb Phalke award. Congratulations to the superstar K Chandrasekhar Rao, Chief Minister BOYS BEATEN UP, FORCE-FED DUNG FOR ENTERING MANGO ORCHARD E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @Mahabubabad TWO guards of a mango orchard at Thorrur mandal in Mahabubabad district were arrested on Thursday for allegedly tying up two boys and forcing cow dung into their mouths, the video of which has gone viral on social media. According to the police, the boys, residents of Sai Baba Nagar in Thorrur, entered the orchard in search of their pet dog. One of the guards recorded a video of the incident on his mobile. The injured boys were taken to the Goverment Area Hospital in Mahabubabad. After the boys’ parents lodged a complaint with Thorrur police, the guards — Bhanthu Yakku and Bhanthu RaCONTINUED ON P4 mulu — were arrested.