The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the edition on Sunday HUBBALLI  SATURDAY  NOVEMBER 02, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  CITY EDITION FAMILIAR INDIAN BATTING COLLAPSE AGAINST NEW ZEALAND IN 3RD TEST After bowling out New Zealand for 235, India lost three wickets in eight balls to throw away the advantage. They ended Day One at 86/4 on Friday 14th FIVE-WICKET HAUL FOR JADEJA IN TESTS ROHIT, KOHLI’S BELOW PAR RETURNS CONTINUE Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja bowled 22 unchanged overs in energy-sapping heat and humidity of Mumbai to pick up his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests. The left-arm spinner from Saurashtra and Washington Sundar (4/81) shared nine wickets between them to bowl out visitors in the first innings of 3rd Test. Will Young (71) and Daryl Mitchell (82) hit 50s for the Kiwis ■ ■ Skipper Rohit Sharma scored 18 off 18 balls before being caught at second slip. His scores in last five innings are 2, 52, 0, 8 and 18. Virat Kohli once again got out cheaply when he fell short of the crease attempting a quick single. His wicket meant the hosts were reduced to 84/4 from 78/1 in the last two overs | MORE ON P15 314 WICKETS JADEJA HAS, 5TH MOST BY ANY INDIAN BOWLERS IN TESTS 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 Oct registers 2nd best GST revenue at L1.87 lakh crore PM: Be vigilant against Cong’s fake promises R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi Festive season-driven domestic demand, enhanced compliance push up collection M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi A surge in festival demand pushed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collected by the Union and state governments in October to `1.87 lakh crore, marking it the second-highest collection since the new indirect regime was rolled out on July 1, 2017. ROBUST The highest GST collection was recorded in REFUNDS April 2024, at `2.10 lakh crore. In October The October figure comes with annual growth 2024, refunds of 8.9%, finance ministry data released on Friday of B19,306 showed. In October 2023, the total GST revenue crore were was `1.72 lakh crore. issued, The latest growth is on account of a rise in doreflecting a mestic sales as well as enhanced compliance. The gross GST collection includes Central GST of `33,821 crore, State GST of `41,864 crore, Interise compared grated GST of `99,111 crore, and Cess collection of to the `12,550 crore for the month of October 2024. same period In the month under review, GST revenue from last year domestic transactions increased by 10.6%, reaching `1.42 lakh crore. Meanwhile, revenue from taxes on imports saw a rise of approximately 4%, totalling `45,096 crore. According to Saurabh Agarwal, tax partner at As we look EY, the recent GST collections indicate a potential ahead to the slowdown in consumer spending in India, which November surged in the previous fiscal year. The single-digit GST Council growth signals a cooling-off period. meeting, key “The collections made this month on account of discussions on festive season, particularly the performance of the streamlining automobile sector, will be crucial in determining the tax rate structure and the short-term trend. While the festive season is expected to boost collections, the overall outlook continued focus on trade for the near future remains cautious. Despite shortfacilitation term uncertainties, the long-term prospects for areas are GST collections remain promising due to India’s expected expanding consumer base and the government’s pro-growth policies,” Agarwal added. Mahesh Jaising, The net GST collections (after the refunds) durpartner and ing the month show a growth of 8% to `1.68 lakh leader, indirect tax, Deloitte India crore. Refunds recorded a growth of 18.2%. 18.2% Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj, who sculpted the Ram Lalla idol that was installed in the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, and TNIE journalist Ramakrishna Badseshi after receiving the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in Bengaluru on Friday | NAGARAJA GADEKAL Those belittling Kannada on social media will face treason charges: CM EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru CHIEF Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that his government will take stern action against those belittling Karnataka and Kannada language on social media. He was speaking at a function to mark the 69th Kannada Rajyotsava organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy at Sree Kanteerava Stadium here. Making fun of Kannada and Kannadigas on social media has become a fashion now. Such acts will be considered as treason. “My government will take NEW DELHI strict action against those found guilty of such acts,” Siddaramaiah said. Underscoring the need to popularise Kannada, he said, “You should try to teach Kannada to non-Kannadigas living in Bengaluru and other parts of the state.” ‘K’taka products should have Kannada label’ The state government will ensure that all products manufactured in Karnataka, whether by private or public enterprises, display labeling in Kannada in addition to English, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. Launching a scathing attack on the Centre, Siddaramaiah said despite collecting more than Rs 4 lakh crore as taxes, the state receives only around Rs 60,000 crore as its tax share. The Union government should stop doing injustice to Karnataka. “Our demand is for a fair tax share. But opposition parties dub it as mere politics,” he added. Around 57 lakh schoolchildren are given eggs and chickpeas for lunch for six days a week. They are also being given ragi malt along with milk. “Poor children should not suffer from malnutrition and they should receive quality education,” the CM said. P5 CONGRESS president Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent advice to party’s state units to make promises that are “financially viable” drew a sharp reaction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said on Friday that Congress leaders are now learning a difficult lesson from making unrealistic promises. The PM said it is easy to make unrealistic promises, but fulfilling them is a challenging task. He sought to caution people to remain vigilant against what he called Congress’ culture of making fake promises. Modi’s response came in a series of posts, following Kharge’s statement urging his party’s state units to be cautious about making promises. “The Congress is realising the hard way that making unrealistic promises is easy, but implementing them properly is tough or impossible,” the PM said. He said Congress leaders repeatedly made promises they knew they wouldn’t deliver. “Now they stand badly exposed in front of people,” he said, using the hashtag #FakePromsiesOfCongress to underscore his message. Referring to Karnataka, he criticised the Congress for its intra-party politics and corruption instead of delivering on development. “In Karnataka, instead of bothering to deliver on development, the Congress is going to roll back the existing schemes,” the PM said. BJP leader and former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also highlighted the financial difficulties faced by Congress-led states like Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh in delivering on their promises. In Karnataka, he mentioned a review of the promise for free bus rides for women. Prasad criticised Congress’ history of misleading voters with unrealistic promises, referencing Indira Gandhi’s ‘garibi hatao’ slogan in the 1971 elections. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE OCT 2024 `31,030 `27,309 `11,971 `9,730 `10,761 `13,081 `11,407 `11,188 `8,716 `10,045 `8,964 `9,602 2 workers fall into STP tank in B’luru, die EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru A thick sheet of smog hangs over two cities at dawn on Friday after Diwali revelry the previous day. In Delhi, water spray trucks were deployed to reduce the smog | SHEKHAR YADAV / DEBADATTA MALLICK M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi WITH the completion of disengagement of troops from the two friction points in eastern Ladakh, the Indian Army on Friday resumed regular patrolling at Demchok. Ar my sources told this newspaper that patrolling at the second stand-off point, Depsang Plains, would begin soon. The Army had on Wednesday announced completion of the agreed disengagement of troops from Demchok and Dep- sang, confirming a fresh thaw in the frosty India-China ties. And on Thursday the troops ex, changed sweets at several border points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to mark Diwali. Depsang has been one of the most complex and significant stand-off locations along the 832-km LAC in eastern Ladakh. As per the agreement between the Corps Commanders inked on October 21, the disengagement along with dismantling of temporary structures began on October 23 while the ground verification followed by modalities pertaining to patrolling was awaited. These are aimed at forces returning to their April 2020 positions. The troops have moved back from their points near Y-Junction in Depsang and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok. However, they remain in the vicinity which means there , has been no change in overall troop strength or infrastructure in the area. LAC passes through CNJ where the Chinese had built a few tents. EXPRESS READ Fashion designer Rohit Bal dies at 63 New Delhi: Renowned fashion designer Rohit Bal has passed away at the age of 63 after a prolonged illness. The news was confirmed by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in a post. Militants shoot at two non-locals in J&K SRINAGAR: In yet another attack, militants shot two persons from Uttar Pradesh in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. Both are recovering at a hospital. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the Congress has fulfilled every promise made to people, and implemented all its guarantees.P4 BOSON Whitewater, a water utility company, has launched India’s first indirect potable water reuse project in partnership with Biome Environmental Trust. This initiative in Devanahalli will convert treated water from sewage treatment plants (STPs) into high-quality drinking water by using managed aquifer recharge, a method aimed at sustainable water reuse. The project, functional for over a year, produces 6.4 lakh litres of drinking water a day, and supplies it to residents of Devanahalli. It can recover between 50 and 75% of potable water from the STP. However, the remaining water is sent back to the STP and the system does not send any water to the drain. Vikas Brahmavar, co-founder of Boson Whitewater, told TNIE that through the project, treated water from an STP is pumped into Bagalur Lake, where it is blended with rainwater. From there, water is piped to Sihineeru Kere Lake in Devana- halli for further dilution with rainwater. This mixture then seeps through the earth, recharging the local aquifer. Water is then extracted from the aquifer through a well and shallow borewells, treated again, and finally supplied to houses. The project is called “indirect potable water reuse” because it incorporates environmental buffers — like lakes for dilution and an aquifer for natural filtration — before water undergoes final treatment and distribution. The project is part of a larger mission to restore 65 lakes across Bengaluru using treated water a n d r a i n w a t e r. I n Devanahalli, the project involved reviving an old well, drilling borewells, and setting up water treatment plants in two phases, ultimately supplying around 6.4 lakh litres of water daily to 45,000 residents. The project is also energyefficient, using only 0.25 units of electricity per 1,000 litres of water, and aligns with the Union government’s Amrut 2.0 guidelines, which focus on sustainable urban water management. 25 JAN 1955-1 NOV 2024 BIBEK DEBROY LIVED MANY LIVES IN ONE SHORT LIFE SHANKKAR AIYAR Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: A Biometric History of India’s 12 Digit Revolution, and Accidental India ‘DON’T dwell on the words’. It was his mantra for writing. Basically move on. How does one not dwell on the words while reminiscing about a loss and life…and Bibek Debroy lived many lives in one life — just the bibliography of his writings and the books he authored would take up this page and more! Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM, Bibek passed away at AIIMS, Delhi on Friday He was 69. . I first met Bibek in the 1990s while researching water — over cups of tea we discussed the chemistry, geography and therefore the politics of water. It set the stage for a treasured f r i e n d s h i p, e x c h a n g e o f thoughts, information and oddities — for instance the role of Lord Linlithgow in cattle farming or Shakespeare’s thoughts on money . Bibek embodied the term genius — he could infuse Kasparov’s opening gambit to explain implications in global trade, induct the concept of dharma while debating on taxation and present economic policy as a game with many outcomes. The skill and talent to make things simple was accompanied by felicity of language from Russian to Sanskrit – on one occasion, at a function hosted by the RSS, unsure of his Hindi, Bibek spoke on the global economy in Sanskrit. His ability to traverse across a tapestry of subjects effortlessly reflected extraordinary curiosity and therefore grasp of knowledge. He could quote chapter and verse from dense texts and decode them — whether it was nuances from the Constitution, EXPRESS ILLUSTRATION TWO workers, who fell into a sewage treatment plant (STP) tank at a branded sweet manufacturing company in Dabaspet Industrial Area in Bengaluru Rural district, died on Thursday. Dabaspet police suspect that both were not wearing any safety gear and died after inhaling toxic gas inside the tank. The deceased have been identified as Naveen and his cousin Lingaraju, both aged 26. They hailed from Madhugiri and Madakashira near Pavagada in Tumakuru district. The company built a new STP on its premises at Kengal Kempohalli in Dabaspet recently and gave its maintenance contract to a private firm. Naveen and Lingaraju were employed by the private firm. Around 6.15pm, Naveen, who is said to have opened the cover of the tank, fell into it accidentally. Lingaraju, who tried to pull Naveen out of the 12ft tank, also fell into it. Both were found dead inside the tank. A case has been registered against Ramesh, owner of the private firm, and another person, who is incharge of the STP “No arrests . have been made yet. We are waiting for the postmortem report to know the reasons for the deaths,” a police officer said. THE MORNING AFTER Army begins patrolling at Demchok Siddu slams PM Making treated water from STPs potable TOP STATES BY GST REVENUE (D CRORE) OCT 2023 Narendra Modi, PM DEVANAHALLI INITIATIVE BHUBANESWAR @ Bengaluru STATE Maharashtra Karnataka Gujarat Tamil Nadu Haryana Uttar Pradesh The Congress is realising the hard way that making unreal promises is easy, but implementing them properly is tough or impossible provisions of WTO, or delineation of Kuznets Curve. Fiercely independent Bibek reserved the right to differ and disagree with- out being disagreeable and often termed his disagreements as disappointments. Bibek will be remembered as the quintessential interpreter of maladies and a repository of hopeful resolution. He brought forth deep analysis of the cause and consequences. For decades, he was the go-to person for governments at the Centre and across states on complex issues. This is manifest in the spectrum of his work - the challenge of deprivation in districts, economic freedom and competitiveness, restructuring of the railways, impact of judicial delays and corruption in governance. He was a rare raconteur of history with an uncommon sense of humour and a huge collection of anecdotes — he once recalled how while in the ministry of finance he was admonished for answering a Parliamentary question! Always willing to share, you could dial him with doubts or for a hearty chin wag on anything from the potential for an Indian version of Yes Minister to quirks of politicians to parallels of King Lear in Indian politics. India will miss his scholarship. I will miss the friendship. I wish I had met him earlier, P6 known him longer.