coimbatore l friday l december 02, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION November GST mop-up grows 11% year-on-year to `1.46 L cr This is the ninth month in a row that the indirect tax revenues have remained above the `1.4 lakh crore mark Collections 4% lower than October figure Manufacturing PMI AT THREE-MONTH HIGH However, this was 4% lower than October’s festival-driven GST mop-up of `1.52 lakh crore. The gross GST revenue collected in November 2022 is `1,45,867 cr, of which Central GST is `25,681 cr, State GST `32,651 cr, Integrated GST `77,103 cr (including `38,635 cr collected on import of goods) and Cess is `10,433 cr (including `817 cr on import of goods) | P12 ■ ■ Meanwhile, manufacturing activities in India touched a threemonth high in November as new orders and exports expanded, another set of data released on Thursday showed The S&P Global India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index stood at 55.7 in November, up from 55.3 in October `1.68 lakh cr The highest ever gst collection, recorded in April 2022 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Show your face, catch your flight DigiYatra facial recognition system launched at Delhi, B’luru, Varanasi as part of Phase 1 A M IT M U K H E R J E E @ New Delhi Remember Ethane Hunt in the Mission Impossible series? He simply shows his face to get access to his high security office. You could soon have a similar feeling in select airports in India for your domestic flight. From now, three airports in the country will offer the Digi Yatra service that allows domestic fliers enter the departure zones by just looking into a lens. “A static stare into a digitally wired lens is required to pass the security check,” a ministry official said. The service was launched by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 on Thursday . Mega Modi road show Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign roadshow in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Spanning over 30 km, it covered 13 constituencies in Ahmedabad city and Gandhinagar-South | pti District Narmada Navsari Porbandar Rajkot Surat Surendranagar Tapi Valsad Junagadh Kachchh Morbi Navsari Amreli Bharuch Bhavnagar Botad Dang Dwarka Gir Somnath Janmnagar Vote 73.02% 65.91% 53.84% 57.68% 59.55% 60.71% 72.32% 65.29% 56.95% 55.54% 67.65% 65.91% 57.06% 63.08% 57.81% 57.15% 64.84% 59.11% 60.46% 56.09% 61% turnout in Gujarat first phase The first phase of Gujarat polls on Thursday witnessed 61% turnout, 7% less than in 2017 Average voter turnout 2002 2007 2012 2017 2022 Phase 1 seats 60.91% 60.62% 70.73% 66.95% 61% EVM snag in a few places Polling was largely peaceful across all 89 seats that went to polls in the first phase. Voting was halted in a few places due to malfunctioning of EVMs as well as control units and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) but the faulty units were replaced and the process resumed Digi Yatra is an app-based service that has been designed to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports, based on facial recognition technology (FRT). The system set-up allows travellers to pass through various checkpoints through a paperless and contactless process using facial features, captured in the form of digital contours and structure, to establish the identity which is linked to the , boarding pass. To use this facility, a one-time registration on the Digi Yatra app is required, using Aadhaar-based validation and a self-image capture. The data, Scindia said, is saved in an encrypted format at the airport using blockchain t e c h n o l o g y. I n f o r m a t i o n How to go about it l Download Digi Yatra and Digi Locker Apps from Playstore l Register on Digi Yatra App using phone number and OTP l Link passenger Aadhaar using Digi locker l Take selfie for validation Before every flight l Scan boarding pass (prerequisite for check-in) l Share boarding pass data with the boarding airport FRT at Dubai Airport saves 40% of passenger time up; and 9 mins per aircraft time at Atlanta Airport FRT pilot project launched at IGI Airport in August. Many passengers already registered with Digi Yatra ever since Ration card holders may get Pongal cash gift in bank accounts this year B A N B U S E LVA N @ Chennai In line with the practice of crediting subsidies in the form of cash through direct benefit transfer, ration cardholders, for the first time, may receive cash assistance for Pongal festival through bank transfers in January to stop possible pilferage and address logistical and security challenges in handling thousands of crore in cash. As per latest data, the state has 2.20 crore ration card holders. “Except 14.6 lakh beneficaries, all others have bank accounts,” an official said. “Ration shop staff had distributed `5,600 crore in cash each year to 2.10 crore cardholders over the past two years without much trouble. But if the cardholders leave the money in banks for a few days, the corpus will generate a few more crores in interest,” an official said. Though the state government has not officially declared the decision to transfer Pongal cash through bank transfers, sources said works are on to implement the plan this year. The department of civil supplies and consumer protection, which is the nodal agency for distributing pongal gifts and cash assistance, re- TN farmers file PIL over Pongal hamper goods The Madras HC has issued notice to TN on a PIL filed by a farmers’ body that wanted the HC to direct the state govt to purchase farm products for Pongal gift only from Tamil Nadu farmers | P4 cently scrutinised the records of ration cardholders to ascertain whether bank accounts were linked to the Aadhaar details of all family cardholders. As per the exercise, carried out with the support of the Tamil Nadu e-Gover nance Agency (TNeGA), it has been found that 14.6 lakh ration cards have not yet linked their bank accounts. During a meeting conducted by the department of cooperation on Tuesday regional , joint registrars of cooperative societies were told to facilitate opening of savings accounts for 14.6 lakh ration cardholders in cooperative banks. “The decision on distributing cash gift for Pongal will be announced by the CM,” officers said. Continued on: P4 Speed stunt kills Chennai teens, video goes viral Sa h aya N ov i n sto n Lo b o @ Chennai Two bike-borne teenagers, aged 17 and 19, died on Tuesday after they lost control of the bike, speeding at 114 km per hour, and rammed the road median at Taramani in Chennai to avoid dashing against a minivan. The video of the accident, which was being recorded by the youth to be posted on social media with a camera attached to the helmet, went viral on Thursday . The deceased were identified as Praveen (19) and Hari (17) of Taramani. On Tuesday evening, they had gone for a ride on 100feet road in Taramani. They had planned to drive through OMR and record their driving on the small camera. In the 2:22-minute-long video, it can be seen that just after 20 seconds, they met with the fatal accident. The rest of the video s h ow s p e o p l e g a t h e r i n g around and calling an ambulance, and the arrival of police personnel. Praveen was in his college first year while Hari completed his Class 12 and was awaiting admission to college. They were driving a sports motorbike that could go up to 130 kmph, police said.  pocso accused forced to serve Jain: probe Panel main profession was to provide mare services for marAT least five Tihar inmates, riage functions. two of them accused in POCAfter the video of Jain getSO cases, were pressured by ting a massage in jail was the Tihar administration to circulated on social media, provide “special servthe AAP claimed he ices” to jailed AAP was actually receivminister Satyendra ing physiotherapy as Jain, said an inquiry part of treatment. panel that is looking “This massage into allegations of was not voluntarily VVIP treatment givor out of love & affecen to Jain in jail. tion, as claimed by The committee unthe then SuperinSatyendra Jain derlined that a retitendent Jail but was nue of jail officials was in- in the nature of leisure for volved in the service of Jain. enjoying lavish lifestyle in Tihar inmate Rinku, ac- jail by Satyendra Jain,” the cused of raping a minor, al- committee noted. legedly gave a massage to Meanwhile, another POCJain whose videos created a SO accused, Manish, was political storm a few days found to be involved in proago. “I have provided the viding fruits and outside massage to him (Jain) at the food to Jain. “Jail warden instructions of jail officials. used to deposit money in my Now I am being threatened. jail account card. By using I have not even taken a drop my card, I used to purchase of water from the cell of fruits from jail canteen for Satyendra Jain for giving Satyendra Jain. He depositthe massage,” the report ed money in my jail account said quoting his recorded card 3-4 times and each time confession. Rinku also clari- he deposited `6,900... I did fied that he never got any not provide services to Jain training in massaging or willingly the report quoted ,” physiotherapy and that his Manish as saying. TRS MLC K Kavitha, whose name figured in a remand report by the ED in the Delhi liquor scam case. “We will face any kind of inquiry. If the agencies come and ask us questions we will certainly answer. But tarnishing leaders’ images by giving selective leaks to the media, people will refute it,” she told reporters Vijayabaskar involved in `206cr tax evasion: I-T Chennai: The I-T department on Thursday told the Madras HC that it has to attach some properties and bank accounts of former health minister and AIADMK leader C Vijayabaskar only to prevent him from transferring the properties to others as he had failed to pay 20% of outstanding demand for tax evasion of nearly `206 crore | P4 Tangedco tender for smart meters by Dec 15 Chennai: The Tangedco will soon issue a tender for installation of smart meters across Tamil Nadu by December 15, electricity minister V Senthil Balaji said. The terms of the tender, including project cost, are being prepared, he said, adding that Tangedco would fund the meters on its own and wouldn’t charge power consumers for them | P4 Ye s h i Sel i @ New Delhi A s h i s h S r i va stava @ New Delhi Ready to face ed probe, says Kavitha e x press rea d Livestreaming Korean YouTuber molested, 2 held E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Mumbai THE Mumbai Police on Thursday arrested two men for allegedly molesting a South Korean woman YouTuber while she was live-streaming from Khar area of Mumbai. Police swung into action after a Twitter user shared the video of the disturbing incident. The two accused, Mobeen Shaikh (19) and Naqeeb Ansari (21), were produced before a court, which sent them to one-day police custody . The video shows a man trying to forcefully kiss the woman, who protests and walks away Later, the man along with . his friend on a bike can be seen approaching her again. The Twitter user who shared the video tweeted, “A streamer from Korea was harassed by these boys while she was livestreaming in front of a 1000+ people. This is disgusting and some action needs to be taken against them.” Responding to the tweet, the YouTuber said, “Last night on stream, there was a guy who harassed me. I tried my best not to escalate the situation and leave because he was with his friend. And some people said that it was initiated by me being too friendly and engaging the conversation. Makes me think again about streaming.” G20 presidency begins, to be consultative & decisive VVIP SERVICE IN JAIL Praveen and Hari sourced from passengers’ phones and stored the airport will be purged 24 hours after the journey he added. , Allaying data security concerns, the ministry said, “There is no central storage of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Passenger’s ID and travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet in the passenger’s smartphone itself.” The service is at present being rolled out for domestic flights. In the first phase, it will be launched at seven airports, including the three where it began in Thursday — Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi. The other four are Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Vijayawada where the launch is expected by March next year. Argentina go over Pole Argentina keep alive their hopes of claiming a third World Cup while Belgium’s Golden Generation are ousted Morocco players toss head coach Walid Regragui into the air to celebrate their win against Canada on Thursday. The team qualified for the last 16 for first time since 1986 | AP | P13 Next generation come alive Forward Julian Alvarez, part of La Albicelete’s next generation, scored on a night Messi missed his penalty. Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister had scored the opener Poland go through on night of drama Poland may have lost but they still went through on account of a better goal difference compared to Mexico, who beat Saudi Arabia Belgium eliminated The Red Lions, who reached the semifinals in 2018, were ousted by Croatia. They needed a win to give their ageing golden generation another chance but only drew Today’s 8.30pm: South Korea vs Portugal, Ghana vs Uruguay matches 12.30 am (Sat): Serbia vs Switzerland, Cameroon vs Brazil India on Thursday assumed the G20 presidency with Exter, nal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar saying “it will be consultative, it will be collaborative and it will be decisive.” At a G20 University Connect event that drew students of 75 universities in an interactive session, he said, “Our G20 Presidency is taking place at a very critical moment in international affairs. It is particularly vital that the world leaders focus on the right issues, especially those that effect the more vulnerable sections of the world.” As many as 100 monuments, including UNESCO world heritage sites, were lit up with the G20 logo to mark the start of India’s year-long presidency . The White House said the US is looking forward to support- ing India’s G20 presidency on a range of issues, including addressing the current food and energy security challenges. Jaishankar said G20 is not just the collective weight of the participants. “The world will get to know India better and our citizens will develop a sharper appreciation of it,” he added. The minister highlighted eight points saying India’s example is of increasing relevance to others. They include the country’s experience in last mile delivery using digital platforms, its way of responding to the Covid and indeed the transformation in clean energy he added. , Right through the year, India intends to host over 200 meetings in 50-plus cities across 32 different workstreams that would give G20 delegates and guests a glimpse of India’s rich cultural heritage. Law min meets guv to clear doubts on gambling bill E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Chennai Tamil Nadu law minister S Regupathy met Governor RN Ravi on Thursday with officials over getting assent for the bill to ban online gambling. Speaking to reporters outside the Raj Bhavan after the meeting, the minister said the governor told him that he has some more doubts about the bill and he will give his as- sent after clarifying the doubts. The minister exuded hope that the governor would assent to the bill at the earliest. “I discussed the bill with the governor and gave clarifications relating to the bill for half an hour. Online gambling should be banned since we have lost 25 lives to it in the state. There is a lot of difference between online and offline gambling. In on- 26-yr-old driver loses money and ends life A 26-year-old autorickshaw driver of Manali in Chennai allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday after losing money playing online rummy. M Parthiban was the sole breadwinner of his family. He got married four years ago and was living with his wife Durga and two daughters P2 line gambling, certain changes are made to the system to enable only the organisers win the game. The state government has also referred to the report of the experts committee, constituted to study the impact of online gambling, in the preamble to the bill,” the minister said. The minister also explained the reason for not issuing a G.O. to ban online gambling after the promulgation of the ordinance. P2