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 ■ ■ DHARMAPURI l thursday l september 04, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Rained-out north pleads for mercy Jammu and Kashmir PUNJAB DELHI HIMACHAL PRADESH Heavy rain led to the deaths of a woman and her daughter, while 40 people were left trapped in a flooded village in Akhnoor. Major rivers, including the Chenab and the Jhelum, are flowing above the danger level. Thousands of people have been evacuated Punjab was officially declared a disaster-affected state on Wednesday, with 37 deaths reported and 3,55,000 people affected across 1,655 villages. Approximately 4,32,000 acres of farmland have been submerged, causing severe losses to crops and livestock | P8 A man gingerly trying to use a makeshift bridge in a low-lying area at the Yamuna floodplain in Delhi on Wednesday. Delhi was lashed by intermittent showers for the third consecutive day. The city is predicted to receive more showers in the next few days | Photo: Parveen Negi In Kullu, two persons including a National Disaster Response Force jawan are feared dead after two houses collapsed 5% & 18%: Just two GST Peace talks with Kuki-Zo inconclusive slabs from September 22 outcome” and that a fresh round of talks would take Ahead of Prime Minister place, with the date and venue Narendra Modi’s expected vis- to be decided later. Sources said it to the ethnic violence-hit the ministry’s Northeast advisstate of Manipur later this er, A K Mishra and Intellimonth, the Union home gence Bureau officials PM’s ministry held a meeting held discussions with Manipur representatives of on Wednesday with representatives of the Kukithe Kuki-Zo insurvisit Zo insurgent groups and gent groups. the Manipur government It is worth noting to finalise terms for renewing that the SoO pact, origithe Suspension of Operation nally signed in August (SoO) pact, sources said. 2008, has been a corHowever, they maintained nerstone in rethat there was “no concrete ducing hostiliM U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi 5% tax for daily use items; no GST for health, individual life insurance P U S H P I TA D E Y & D I PA K M O N D A L Not just GST rate rationalisation, this is structural reform, easing compliance — Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman @ New Delhi THE 56th GST Council meeting held here on Wednesday cleared all the proposed changes in the Goods and Services Taxes (GST), including the two-rate tax structure. Taxes on most daily use items, which were earlier in the 18% and 12% slabs, have been cut to 5%. Many goods in the 28% slabs were also brought down to 18%. All these rates will come into effect from September 22. Addressing the media after the GST Council meeting that went past 9 PM, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said efforts have been made to not just reduce the rates on items for the common man but also ease the compliance burden for businesses. “We have corrected inverted duty structure problems, resolved classification-related issues, and ensured stability and predictability in GST. There has been a rationalisation of rates—slabs have been reduced to just two. We are also addressing issues of compensation cess, simplifying registration, return filing, and refunds,” the finance minister said. Goods which have moved to the 5% slab from 18% or 12% rates include hair oil, toilet soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bicycles, tableware, kitchenware, and other household articles. Many food items including namkeen, bhujia, sauces, pasta, instant noodles, chocolates, coffee, preserved meat, cor n flakes, butter, ghee, etc have kidney donation Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, and others at the 56th GST Council meeting | pti What gets cheaper Basic food items have been exempted from GST: paneer, ultra-high temperature milk, and all Indian breads—roti, chapati, and paratha—will attract a nil rate. Life-saving drugs too will remain exempt from tax, the FM said Chennai: AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Wednesday announced his party’s exit from the NDA headed by the BJP nationally and AIADMK in TN, alleging rampant betrayal in the alliance. ENS 10K revenue staff on strike over workload Chennai: About 10,000 revenue staff struck work across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, saying that the ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ camp work is causing them undue hardship and they are being asked to upload thousands of petitions online every day | P4 Premium on individual health and life insurance have been cut to zero from 18%. Rates on 33 life-saving drugs and medicines have also been cut to zero; several others medicines have been reduced from 12% or 5% to zero. There will be a special rate of 40% for sin and super-luxury goods, including caffeinated or flavoured carbonated beverages with added sugar, fruit drinks, and other specified beverages. The overall revenue loss to the government is calculated to be around `47,700 crore. Starlink `820cr deals inked on 1st day of CM’s UK visit AMMK gen secy TTV quits NDA alliance Before the Council meeting, opposition-ruled Himachal, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, TN, Telangana and Bengal had their own meeting to formalise their strategy to demand revenue protection also been put under 5% slab from the existing 12% or 18%. The rates on middle-class aspirational goods such as washing machines, TVs (all sizes now at 18%), small cars, motorcycles up to 350cc have been reduced from 28% to 18%. The FM said the labour-intensive industries have received strong support. “Farmers will benefit.” Taxes on agriculture goods such as tractors, horticultural and forestry machines, harvesting/threshing machines, composting machines, etc have been cut from 12% to 5%. e x p r e ss r e a d Chennai: TN secured several high-profile investment commitments from UK-based firms on the first day of CM Stalin’s visit to the country, including `520 crore deal with Britannia Garment Packaging and `300 crore agreement with Wilson Power & Distribution Technologies | P4 oppn states wary of revenue loss gets provisional spectrum The Elon Musk-led company has received provisional spectrum to begin trial satellite broadband services in India, ahead of a full-scale commercial launch | P10 Can’t deny organ transplant nod for want of friendship proof, rules HC to cut road fatalities TN to train first responders near hotspots S induja J ane @ Chennai With the aim to strengthen the response mechanism to road traffic accidents (RTA) and reduce mortality particularly on , highways, the Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP) has started training 50 persons residing within a one-km radius of 50 accident hotspots across TN to act as first responders. The programme will be implemented in collaboration with EMRI Green Health Services and GVK Enterprise, which operates the 108 ambulance service. Apart from handling trauma care cases, the first responders to be selected will also be trained in managing medical emergencies caused by poisoning, snake bites, drown- ing, and other exigencies, sources said. The training programme for the first responders, conducted as part of the TN Accident and Emergency Care Initiative — which is designed to improve trauma care by integrating prehospital, in-hospital, and rehabilitation services for accident victims — has been completed in Vellore, Tir uchy, and Madurai. Speaking to TNIE, M Selvakumar, state head of operations, EMRI Green Health Services, said the training will soon be extended to other districts. Any person who is willing to be trained and act as a first responder will be included under the initiative, he said. Once the training is completed in all districts, the mobile numbers of the responders will be integrated with the 108 database. When a call is received requesting 108 ambulance service, the emergency response officers (ERO) at the 108 call centre will assign an ambulance to the accident spot. Simultaneously an SMS alert will be sent , to the phone numbers of the first responders at the particular site.  P5 Training completed in three districts. It will soon be extended across TN. Any person willing to get trained as a first responder will be trained under the initiative Selvakumar, EMRI Green Health Services Manipur in the second or third week of this month, the renewal of the SoO pact could signal a significant outreach to the tribal Kuki-Zo community and is viewed as a step towards restoring normality . The ministry resumed talks with the Kuki-Zo SoO groups on June 9 this year after a twoyear hiatus to renegotiate the SoO pact under stricter ground rules. One of the conditions includes reducing the number of SoO camps from 14 to seven, relocating them away from Meitei-dominated areas. Fadnavis, Rupala lead race for BJP national president’s post B ala C hauhan @ Bengaluru R S I V A K U M A R @ Chennai Wondering how family friends could be expected to establish their relationship through documents, the Madras High Court has quashed an order issued by the Tamil Nadu Health Department’s Authorisation Committee for organ transplantation denying permission for a Thanjavur man to undergo a renal transplant. The committee, in its order dated June 27, 2025, had rejected the application of V Periyasamy of Thanjavur district, who has been undergoing dialysis since October 31, 2022, on the ground that his donor, Ganesan of Erode, had not proved his friendship through documents. The decision was based on a report submitted by the Erode collector. Referring to the report, Justice N Anand Venkatesh, in a recent order, said, “It is incomprehensible as to how family friends can establish their relationship through documents. Emotion plays a part in a relationship involving friends, and it is not determined through documentation. Hence, the very basis on which the report has been given by the third respondent lacks sound reasoning.” The judge held that the Authorisation Committee’s decision, taken solely on the basis of the collector’s report, failed to meet the mandatory requirements under Rule 23 of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014.  P5 ties between Kuki-Zo armed groups and security forces. However, its renewal was halted after ethnic violence erupted between the Kuki and Meitei communities in May 2023, leaving Manipur deeply fractured. Many in the corridors of power believe that extending the SoO pact could be one of the most important confidence-building measures in the troubled state. Sources indicated that if the prime minister visits Fadnavis (top) and Parshottam Rupala Nadda on extended tenure The BJP chief’s election has been delayed beyond a year, with incumbent J P Nadda on an extended tenure since June 2024 As the BJP prepares to elect its new president, names of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former Union minister from Gujarat, Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala, emerged as top contenders for the hot seat along with that of Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan. According to informed sources, who didn’t wish to be named, Fadnavis has been given a headsup that he may be asked to step down as CM after the Bihar elections. “The message has been conveyed but there is no discussion yet on his future role. He is likely to be considered for the BJP chief post. He is young, has the support of the RSS and the confidence of the party leadership,” said sources. Though Rupala is a new entrant into the list, his candidature gained traction as he too is backed by the RSS and is said to be trusted by the party top brass. His proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was Gujarat chief minister, is well known. Rupala’s anti-Kshatriya comments during Parliament elections in 2024 did cast a cloud on his political career but he is a “loyalist, and a trusted conduit between the Sangh and the party leadership”, said sources. The name of Dharmendra Pradhan continues to be among the contenders. His late father Dr Debendra Pradhan was a life member of the RSS and had joined the BJP in 1980. The party needs to undergo an organisational overhaul in at least 50% of its 37 organisational state units to constitute the electoral college before it can begin the process of electing its national president. Since its inception, the BJP has always chosen a consensus candidate as its president in ‘coordination’ with the RSS.