Chennai l saturday l november 02, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late 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 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 ■ 314 Rohit, Kohli’s below par returns continue ■ 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 p13 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 New Delhi bhubaneswar Chennai 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 `19,306 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% Top states by GST revenue (D crore) State Oct 2023 Karnataka Gujarat Tamil Nadu Haryana Uttar Pradesh Oct 2024 `31,030 `27,309 Maharashtra `11,971 `9,730 `10,761 `13,081 `11,407 `11,188 `8,716 `10,045 `8,964 `9,602 ED slaps `567cr fine on TN firm in FEMA probe E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai The Enforcement Directorate, Chennai, on Friday said it has slapped a penalty of `566.5 crore and ordered confiscation of properties worth `195 crore of Chennai-based GI Retail Private Ltd for violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in a case pertaining to transfer of shares of a company owned by it to German firm Wirecard through a Mauritius-based entity . The action was taken as per the order passed by an adjudication authority of the ED on October 30 based on its investigation into the sale of Hermes I Ticket Pvt Ltd (owned by GI Retail) to Mauritius-based Emerging Markets Investment Fund (EMIF), which in turn transferred the shares to Wirecard at an exorbitantly enhanced value. According to the ED, the entire gamut of transactions was found to have been fraudulently designed in such a manner to conceal the fact that the shares of M/s Hermes I Ticket were meant to be bought by Wirecard at an already fixed price. It was found the transactions through EMIF 1A were meant to facilitate the delinquent shareholders of GI Retail to hold and conceal the exorbitant sale valued at `195 crore.  P7 The morning after A thick sheet of smog hangs over three 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 / Shiba Prasad Sahu Peak air pollution New Delhi 446 | Chennai 379 | Ahmedabad 377 | Kolkata 274 | Mumbai 257 | Bangalore 191 | Hyderabad 171 Soren in new controversy, this time over his age M U KESH RAN J AN @ Ranchi What is Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s actual age? 47? 49? Does it matter anyway ? If you were to go by the sworn affidavit he submitted to the Election Commission on December 12, 2019 while filing his nomination papers for the Jharkhand assembly polls, he should be 47 now because he had claimed he was 42 at that point in time. But in the affidavit he filed on October 24 this year for contesting from the Barhait constituency, he mentioned his age as 49. Election affidavits are filed with utmost care because false declarations could end up in the candidate’s disqualification. While the BJP predictably went for his jugular and sought legal action, the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) ally, played it safe saying it needs verification. However, the JMM was confident that the affidavit was kosher. As for Chief Electoral Of- @ Virudhunagar All documents filed for the nomination were fully verified — Jharkhand Mukti Morcha spokesperson Manoj Pandey ficer K Ravi Kumar, whose personnel scrutinised Soren’s latest affidavit, he said no complaint on the matter has reached his office yet. The electoral officer of Barhait has the right to take a decision on the matter, he said, adding that the nomination process and its scrutiny are already over. As such, if there is any complaint, it can be resolved through legal process, he added. The BJP’s former state Army begins patrolling at Demchok MAYANK SINGH @ 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 Sivakasi shines with `6K-cr cracker sale, up 7% from last year Express News Service PDF files downloaded from the Election Commission’s site show the age discrepancy 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. chief Deepak Prakash said, “appropriate legal action should be taken against Hemant Soren as law is equal to everyone in this country .” Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Congress in-charge for the state, however, said, “It is subject to verification….It would be inappropriate to comment on anything without checking the facts.” JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey dismissed the allegations as baseless. e x p r e ss r e a d Border Martyrs Day or Tamil Nadu Day? Pollution monitored between 12 pm on Oct 31 and 12 pm on Nov 1  P9 It has been a cracker of a year for fireworks manufacturers in Sivakasi and surrounding areas this Deepavali season as they have recorded a combined sale of more than `6,000 crore, which is about 5% to 7% more than last year. According to The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers Association’s (TIFMA) general secretary T Kannan, cracker sales went up gradually through the season and varieties such as aerial shots received good response from customers. Apart from Tamil Nadu, festive revellers from other states too showed keen interest in purchasing fireworks. “Though there was a slight increase in the cost of a few raw materials like potassium nitrate, the price of crackers was not hiked,” he said, adding that the crackdown on illegal cracker units also helped in improving the output in authorised units. Cracker manufacturers said if the government takes proactive steps to lift the ongoing ban on garland crackers and use of barium nitrate, the sales could increase by 25% to 35%.  P7 Erode shops rake in moolah a day after fest P S r i n i v a s a n @ Erode For people in Erode and neighbouring districts, festival shopping doesn’t seem to end on Deepavali, as is the case with most places. It in fact peaks on the next day as thousands throng the shops on RKV Road and Eswaran Kovil Street in the city to buy clothes at huge discounts of even up to 80% during the special sale held immediately after the festival. The town, popularly known as the turmeric capital of Tamil Nadu, is also a well-known hub for readymade garments and people started crowding in front of shops as early as 3 am on Friday to make the most of the one-day fiesta. According to sources, there are close to 80 shops on the two streets that form the main market area of Erode. Over 15,000 people from Erode, Salem, Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts flocked to Erode on Friday to buy clothes at discounted prices.  P7 Chennai: CM Stalin on Friday paid tributes to mark Border Martyrs Day. BJP chief K Annamalai and TVK leader Vijay, however, said the day should be celebrated as Tamil Nadu Day | P4 Vijay’s entry a boon for INDIA, says TNCC prez Chennai: TN Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai on Friday said actor Vijay’s political entry would be highly beneficial for victory of the INDIA bloc | P4 People thronging an Erode textile store early on Friday morning | Express 2 5 j a n 1 9 5 5 - 1 No v 2 0 2 4 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, 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, known him longer.  P8