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 ■ ■ tadepalligudem 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. It is worth noting the Manipur government to finalise terms for renewing that the SoO pact, origithe Suspension of Operation nally signed in August 2008, has been a cor(SoO) pact, sources said. However, they maintained nerstone in rethat there was “no concrete ducing hostiliM U K E S H RA N J A N @ New Delhi 5% tax for daily use items; no GST for health, individual life insurance PU S HPI TA D E Y & DIPA K M O N DA L @ 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 AP ranks 9th in road mishaps E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e Not just GST rate rationalisation, this is structural reform, easing compliance — Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman finance panel meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, J&K CM Omar Abdullah, and others at the 56th GST Council meeting | pti What gets cheaper oppn states wary of revenue loss 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 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%. 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 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 @ Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh witnessed a total of 19,949 road accidents in 2023, a decrease from 21,249 reported in 2022. According to official data, this marks a decline of 1,300 cases, reflecting a 6.1% reduction. Despite the fall in numbers, AP retained its ninth place among all States and Union Territories in terms of number of road accidents in both 2022 and 2023. Accident severity across the State in 2023 was reported at 40.8%. The fatality rate in Andhra Pradesh stood at 6.21%, higher than the national average of 5.30%. The data was presented in the report ‘Road Accidents in India 2023’ released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in July 2025. AP recorded 21,556 road accidents in 2021, 19,509 in 2020, and 21,992 in 2019.  P4 naidu directs officials to strengthen local bodies `1,200 MSP Kurnool onion farmers get much relief K M a d h u S u d h a k a r @ Kurnool The Andhra Pradesh government has begun procuring onions at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of `1,200 per quintal, providing the much needed relief to farmers of Kurnool, following a slump in market prices. The Kurnool Agricultural Market Yard, a major onion trading hub in the State, is now bustling with activity as the crop arrivals have picked up. Just a few days ago, farmers were hit hard by a market slump, with prices plummeting to `200 per quintal due to low quality of yield following heavy rainfall, weak export demand, and an oversupply . “My brother-in-law Maddil- eti dumped 75 quintals of onions on the roadside last week due to lack of remunerative price for the produce. He returned home devastated,” said Boya Ponnakallu Naidu from Guduru. “Today, I sold 35 quintals of onions at `1,200 MSP Though it . is not a profit, but the MSP for onions has saved me from debt,” the farmer added. Many farmers left crops unharvested due to unviable market prices, and mounting transport costs. Golla Ramachandra from Kadimetla village in Yemmiganur mandal shared a similar tale of recovery . After investing over `1 lakh on two acres of onion crop, he brought 90 quintals of produce to the market on Wednesday. “It’s a break-even, not a gain, but this support has shielded me from major loss. I hope the State government will continue the MSP scheme until onion prices recover,” he said. Meanwhile, G Somanna from Ulchala village, urged the government to raise the MSP to `1,300 per quintal depending on the quality of produce. P4 MSP is a breakeven, not a gain, but this support has shielded me from major loss. I hope the State will continue the MSP scheme until onion prices recover A farmer of Kurnool 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 a l a C h a u h a n @ Bengaluru E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to ensure the rapid development of local bodies by effectively utilising the funds being extended by the Centre and the State government. Local bodies lagging behind in development with low per capita income should be categorised so as to extend special support to them, he said. Chairing a meeting of the 5th State Finance Commission, along with Deputy Chief Minister (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) K Pawan Kalyan at the State Secretariat on Wednesday he , instructed the officials to take steps to make the local bodies achieve selfreliance. Mentioning that panchayats get significant funds every year, Naidu said the creation of assets in panchayats, and development of other basic infrastructure should be closely monitored. Both the panchayats and municipalities should focus on identifying new avenues of revenue generation for self-reliance, he said. Seeking the details of property tax collection from 2019 to 2024, the Deputy Chief Minister instructed the officials to make all tax records accessible online. The Finance Commission members revealed that the resource gap of Panchayat Raj bodies during 2025-29 P4 stands at `7,033 crore. 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.