HYDERABAD  MONDAY  DECEMBER 02, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION GST MOP-UP INCREASES 8.5% TO `1.82 LAKH CRORE IN NOVEMBER Gross GST collections increased to `1.82 lakh crore in November on higher revenues from domestic transactions, official data showed OVER 11% INCREASE IN NET COLLECTION TAX FROM DOMESTIC TRANSACTIONS UP 9.4% The Central GST collection stood at `34,141 crore, State GST at `43,047 crore, Integrated GST at `91,828 crore, and Cess at `13,253 crore. Refunds worth `19,259 crore were issued during the month, registering a 8.9% decline over the same period last year. After adjusting for refunds, net GST collection shot up by more than 11% to `1.63 lakh crore ■ ■ GST from domestic transactions grew 9.4% to `1.40 lakh crore in November, while revenues from tax on imports rose 6% to `42,591 cr The month’s GST mop-up is 8.5% higher than the `1.68 lakh crore collected during the same month last year. On a sequential basis, it is 2.6% lower than the `1.87 lakh crore collected in October `2.1 L crore GST COLLECTION RECORDED IN APRIL 2024 IS THE HIGHEST EVER 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 Donald Trump threatens BRICS with 100% tariffs Rythu Bharosa will be implemented after Sankranti: Revanth B K A R T H E E K @ Hyderabad ASSERTING that crop loan waiver scheme was extended to all the eligible beneficiaries in the state and describing his government as ‘farmer friendly’, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday announced the implementation of Rythu Bharosa scheme after Sankranti. “We will disburse Rythu Bharosa funds after Sankranti. Soniamma’s guarantees will be fulfilled by the Indiramma government. No force can stop this,” the chief minister said, while addressing a press conference at his residence on Sunday . The chief minister’s announcement on rolling out Rythu Bharosa scheme, an initiative to increase subsidies from `10,000 to `15,000 annually, is one of the six guarantees of the Congress government. The announcement also comes amidst criticism from opposition over the discontinuation of the Rythu Bandhu scheme introduced by the previous BRS government. Revanth highlighted that his government has released `7,625 crore towards the pending arrears of crop loan waiver per- taining to Kharif 2023. He said that the Cabinet subcommittee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikram a rk a a n d m i n i s t e r s T Nageshwara Rao, D Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has finalised the terms and references for Rythu Bharosa and the proposal will be tabled in the upcoming Assembly winter session. “We promised a crop loan waiver and delivered it. Similarly, we will implement Rythu Bharosa with the same commitment,” he asserted. Stating that the crop loan waiver scheme is unprecedented, which allows waiver of up to `2 lakh, the chief minister said it was a historic achievement in independent India. Under this initiative, `17,869 crore was credited to the accounts of 22.22 lakh farmers, including `2,747 crore in the fourth phase. He noted that a total of 25.35 lakh farmers’ families had benefited from `20,616 crore financial assistance. Revanth criticised the previous BRS government for leaving behind a debt burden of `7 lakh crore but emphasized that the Congress government has prioritised farmers’ wel- US President-elect warns against trying to undercut the dollar CM A Revanth Reddy speaks during a press meet at his residence on Sunday We will disburse Rythu Bharosa funds after Sankranti. Soniamma’s guarantees will be fulfilled by the Indiramma government. No force can stop this – A Revanth Reddy, Chief minister fare, clearing `7,625 crore loan arrears for Kharif 2023. Revealing details of the crop loan waiver implemented by the BRS government, Revanth alleged that out of the `11,000 crore allocated, `8,578 crore were paid toward loan interest, while only `3,331 crore went toward the principal amount. He accused the BRS of funding its scheme by auctioning the Outer Ring Road (ORR). Responding to Union Minister and BJP state president G Kishan Reddy’s accusations through a chargesheet, the chief minister labelled him as a “Gujarat Gulam” (Gujarat Slave) and stated that Kishan Reddy has no right to speak. He challenged Kishan to debate on the implementation of Congress and BJP manifestos, add- ing that he could also expose the falsity of BJP’s claims of alcohol prohibition in Gujarat. When asked about the reduction in estimates from over `31,000 crore to `20,680 crore, Revanth said that bankers had initially provided inflated estimates by including loans under various heads. However, he assured that the government is willing to extend the scheme to farmers who were excluded for any reason. The CM also reiterated the continuity of the paddy bonus scheme and urged farmers to cultivate Telangana Sona and BPT varieties for local consumption, emphasising the government’s commitment to providing superfine rice through the public distribution system. APPOINTMENT OF NEW BRAHMOS CHIEF CHALLENGED IN TRIBUNAL Kishan slaps ‘6 lies, 66 deceptions’ charges on Cong E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad ACCUSING the ruling Congress government of failing to deliver on the six election guarantees, BJP state president and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy released a chargesheet, “6 Abaddalu - 66 Mosalu” (6 lies - 66 deceptions) on Sunday . Kishan alleged that the ruling party neglected key commitments it promised to implement within 100 days of coming to power, including loan waiver for farmers, implementation of Rythu Bharosa and lack of clarity on several other promises. Kishan questioned the status of guarantees such as Rythu Bharosa, Yuva Vikasam, Indiramma Houses, Gruha Jyothi, Mahalakshmi and free loans for unemployed youth and women groups. He accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of betraying farmers by failing to increase the MSP and demanded clarity on the promised `15,000 per acre under Rythu Bharosa. The state BJP chieft also raised questions about other unfulfilled promises, including, `2,500 monthly financial assistance for women, `1 lakh and 10 grams of gold for beneficiaries under the Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, scooters for students and women, `5 lakh loans for students setting up of schools as per international standards, `4,000 monthly unemployment allowance, `10 lakh and `25 lakh education loans for BC and SC/ST students respectively to pursue higher studies abroad, `25,000 pensions for martyrs’ families, `4,000 pensions for senior citizens, beedi workers, and CONTINUED ON P4 widows. M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi IN a rare instance, the appointment of BrahMos Aerospace chief has been challenged in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Hyderabad. The leadership dispute comes at a time the organisation is working on the country’s biggest Jaiteerth R Joshi defence supply order to the Philippines. Distinguished Scientist, is The crisis stems from the seven years senior to Joshi appointment of Jaiteerth R and has served as an OutJoshi as Chief Executive Of- standing Scientist since 2017, ficer, a decision contested by a position Joshi currently Sivasubramanyam Nambi holds. With only three years Naidu, alleging he was super- left in service compared to seded during the selection. Joshi’s six, Naidu’s plea is to The case was consider his senfiled on Novemiority and PRESS ber 29 and the CLUSIVE experience. firs t hearin g The organisatook place on tion is currently November 30. According to engaged in advanced negotiasources, the CAT has sought tions with three to four couna detailed response from tries, with the next stages of DRDO within four weeks and deliveries to the Philippines has scheduled the next hear- also coming up under a $375 ing on December 30. The peti- million contract. These negotioner has made DRDO and tiations are critical for estabJoshi as respondents. lishing India as a reliable deSources said that Naidu, a fence expor ter and the deliberations demand steady leadership to avoid delays. On the domestic front, the Army and Air Force are in the midst of more BrahMos procurements. However, leadership ambiguity raises concerns about meeting these strategic priorities. Alexander Maksichev, codirector of Brahmos Aerospace, recently said active discussions are on with countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and United Arab Emirates for potential contracts of this missile system. The dispute pits two accomplished scientists against each other. Naidu, a key figure in India’s Prithvi missile programme, is recognised for his managerial expertise at Bharat Dynamics Limited, where he oversaw large-scale missile production. His experience aligns with BrahMos’ operational and expor t ambitions. In contrast, Joshi is known for his contribution to the Long-Range and MediumRange Surface-to-Air Missiles (LRSAM and MRSAM). US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on the BRICS bloc nations, which include India, if they try to undermine the US dollar. “The idea that the BRICS countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is over. We require a commitment... that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty US Dollar or, they will face 100 percent Tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. Trump said there is “no chance” BRICS will replace the US dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen “should wave goodbye to America.” The statement comes in the backdrop of the BRICS summit held in October in the Russian city of Kazan discussing ways to boost non-dollar transactions and local currencies. India is not in favour of a common BRICS currency. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has more than once clarified that there is no plan to go for a common BRICS currency . In October, while answering a question on de-dollarisation at an event hosted by Washingtonbased think tank Carnegie Endowment, Jaishankar said India has no policy to target the dollar, adding that it only looks at alternative currencies while dealing with trade partners who do not have access to dollar. In that context, Trump’s message is seen as mainly targeted at Russia and China. The AK-47 rifle recovered from the Maoists killed during an encounter with the police in the Chalpaka forest area on Sunday U M A H E S H @ Mulugu AS many as seven Maoists were killed in an alleged encounter with police in the Chalpaka forest area on the TelanganaChhattisgarh border under Eturunagaram police station limits in Mulugu on Sunday . Acting on a tip-off about Maoist movement, Greyhounds and special party teams launched a combing operation in the area. Speaking to the media, Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr P Shabarish stated that the Advocate forges prison records, escapes from jail A 27-year-old advocate, who was imprisoned at Chanchalguda jail, allegedly tampered prison records and escaped on November 26. The accused was identified as remand prisoner (Number 6687) Mir Sujjath Ali Khan. “Khan has three cases registered against him,” a source from the Prison department told TNIE. The incident came to light when the cops arrived to produce him in court under a prisoner transit warrant, only to discover he had been released days earlier. Later they realised that he forged the prison records and managed to escape from the jail. The authorities reportedly used him in section work where he was required to deal with court-related documents as he is an advocate. Taking advantage of this, he allegedly altered records to show bail clearance in two of three cases registered against him. “He manipulated the records for two of his three cases. When the court granted him bail in one case, he presented it to the jail authorities as proof of bail for all cases. Believing this, the authorities released him.” The official stated that Khan had been arrested for cheating and forgery and added, “the authorities should have not given him document-handling responsibilities.” The official further stated that local courts should adopt the practice of sending e-authenti- AUTHORITIES USED HIM IN SECTION WORK Authorities reportedly used him in section work where he was required to deal with court-related documents. Taking advantage, he altered records to show bail clearance in two of three cases filed against him AGENCIES Donald Trump ‘Unrealistic threat’ Trump’s threat is unrealistic, think tank The Global Trade Research Initiative said on Sunday. It said tariffs of this scale would harm the US consumers only as it would push prices on imports, disrupt global trade, and risk retaliation from key partners The topic had come up during the recent summit of the BRICS, where Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US of “weaponising” the dollar to target rivals. “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin had said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.” Russia is pushing for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners. BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising nine countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. (With inputs from agencies) US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday tapped Indian American Kahyap ‘Kash’ Patel, 44, to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). If confirmed, Patel would replace Christopher Wray, who was chosen by Trump in his first term as president in 2017. FBI directors are appointed to 10-year terms to insulate the bureau from politics. A fierce Trump loyalist and a vocal critic of ‘deep state’, Patel is expected to cut down the FBI’s footprint. In a recent interview, he said he would close down the FBI’s headquar ters in Wa s h i n g t o n and “reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state”. He said he send the 7,000-odd employees working in that building across America to chase criminals. Patel served in several posts during Trump’s first term, including as Chief of Staff to Secretary of Defense. A son of Indian immigrants, Patel has commented on the developments in India. Earlier this year, he had voiced support for the Ayodhya Ram Temple. He has also alleged there is a disinformation campaign in Washington targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Seven Maoists killed in Mulugu police encounter PRISON BREAK C H I T H A L U R I R E V A N T H @ Hyderabad Trump picks Kash Patel as new FBI chief Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi cated copies of orders, similar to the Supreme Court’s Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records (FASTER) system. This system securely transmits authenticated copies of interim orders, stay orders, bail orders, and other court directives to the authorities concerned through a secure electronic communication channel, which could help prevent such escapes and the misuse of fake bail orders. Authorities have registered a fresh case against Khan for cheating and forging documents at the Dabeerpura police station. The police are currently searching for the fugitive. police encountered a group of 12 to 13 Maoists in olive green uniforms armed with weapons. Despite being warned to surrender, the Maoists opened fire, triggering a retaliatory response in which seven Maoists were killed, the police claimed. The dead were identified as members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), including JMWP DVC and State Committee member Kursam Mangu alias Bhadru, and Egolapu Mallaiah alias Madhu, a Divisional Committee member and Area Commander. Other slain Maoists included Area Committee members Mussaki Deval and Mussaki Jamuna, as well as cadres Jaisingh, Kishore and Kamesh. The police recovered two AK-47 rifles, one.303 rifle apart from one shotgun, one country-made revolver, a G3, kit bags, and literature from the encounter spot. This operation followed heightened security and intensified combing efforts in Maoist-affected areas of Mulugu after the recent killing of two tribal men in Penugolu village by Maoists, branding them as police inCONTINUED ON P5 formers. NET GAINS FOR SHUTTLERS LAKSHYA & SINDHU SEN-SATIONAL RUN Lakshya Sen won the Syed Modi International men’s singles title in Lucknow The 23-year-old, who was the No 1 seed, lived up to his billing. He won all his matches in straight games After narrowly missing out on an Olympic medal in Paris, this is a welcome result for him THREE CHEERS P V Sindhu bagged the women’s singles crown with an equally impressive run She beat China’s Wu Luo Yu to lift the trophy for the third time, having also won in 2017 & 2022 Form has evaded her in recent times and this win could spur her to rediscover her old touch