chennai l Monday l December 02, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l 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 | P10 `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 Nine killed as Fengal drowns Pondy, V’puram 7 trapped in Annamalaiyar Hill landslide R A J A L A K S H M I S A M PAT H @ Tiruvannamalai The National Disaster Response Force engaged in rescue operations using an earthmover in Puducherry on Sunday | sriram r e x p ress ne w s servi c e @ Chennai Slow-moving cyclonic storm ‘Fengal’ has brought unprecedented rainfall to Villupuram and Puducherry where it made , landfall shortly before Saturday midnight. Torrential rains lashed Villupuram, Puducherry and surrounding areas from Saturday night, resulting in the union territory recording 49 cm of rainfall, the highest in its history, and the automatic weather station in Mailam registering 51cm, the highest-ever recorded in Villupuram district. According to official sources, at least four people died in rainrelated incidents in Puducherry, three in Tiruvannamalai and one each in Vellore and Chennai districts. Schools in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Dharmapuri and Salem, and both school and colleges in Tiruvannamalai, Cud- 7 Maoists killed in encounter with police in Telangana U M ahesh @ Mulugu Seven Maoists were killed in an alleged encounter with the Telangana Police in the Chalpaka forest area of the state’s Mulugu district near the Chhattisgarh border on Sunday morning. Acting on a tip-off about Maoist movement, a search party comprising Greyhounds, a special force unit of the Telangana Police, launched a combing operation in the area. Speaking to the media persons on Sunday Superintendent , of Police P Shabarish said the 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 claimed to have 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. The encounter comes amid heightened security and intensified combing efforts in the Maoist-affected areas of Mulugu district after the recent killing of two tribal men in Penugolu village by Maoists, branding them as police informers. Shabarish stated that the combing operations will continue in the forest areas of Eturunagaram, Wazeedu, Peruru, and Venkatapuram. TN to ask centre to send teams to assess damage Chennai: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday said that the state government will request the centre to send a team to assess the damage caused by cyclone Fengal in TN. DyCM Udhayanidhi Stalin and five ministers have been deputed to coordinate relief efforts in Villupuram and Cuddalore | P4 dalore, Villupuram, Puducherry and Krishnagiri, will remain closed on Monday due to the rains. The record-breaking rainfall resulted in residential areas and arterial roads in Puducherry being completely flooded and the Uppanar canal overwhelmed. Parts of Villupuram district were also heavily inundated, however, no deaths related to the rain have been Man steps on live wire, killed in Ambattur Chennai: A 27-year-old man died of electrocution in Ambattur on Saturday night. According to police, Vignesh of Kallikuppam, was on his way back home from work when he accidentally stepped on a snapped electric cable. He was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival. reported there, officials said. On Saturday, between 8.30 am and 7.30 pm, Puducherry received 9.5cm of rainfall, while Mailam in Villupuram district, received 13.6cm. By night, the showers began to intensify and by Sunday morning — 24 hours ending at 8.30 am — Mailam had recorded a staggering 51cm of rainfall, followed by the union territory with 49cm.  P3, 4 & 5 At least seven persons, including five children, are feared trapped inside a house beneath a landslide near the lower slopes of the Annamalaiyar Hill in Tiruvannamalai district on Sunday . The landslide, which occurred around 4.30 pm, was triggered by incessant rainfall brought by cyclone Fengal. Rescue operations were halted by Sunday night due to rain and possibility of more landslides. The National Disaster Response Force has been asked to take over from Monday morning. According to officials, the trapped persons have been identified as Rajkumar, his wife Meena, their two children and his brother-in-law’s three children.  P5 express Appointment of NEW BrahMos chief CHALLENGED IN tribunal 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). Donald Trump threatens BRICS with 100% tariffs US President-elect warns against trying to undercut the dollar Trump picks Kash Patel as new FBI chief Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi 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. A gen c ies 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) 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 qr code-based Tech glitches, overcharging mar Tasmac pilot billing project S G U R U VA N M I K A N AT H A N @ Chennai Despite the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) piloting a QR codebased billing system to improve transparency and curb malpractice in liquor sales, according to customers, bills are still not being provided for their purchases. While Tasmac staff blame the billing equipment and technical glitches, customers allege that the issue of being charged over the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) remains prevalent. TNIE visited Tasmac outlets in Medavakkam, Tambaram and nearby areas in Chengalpattu district, and found that the new billing system is causing delays, with customers having to wait at least fiveeight minutes to buy even a single bottle of liquor during peak hours. The delay often led to arguments between customers and outlet staff, especially over the former being charged extra cash, above the MRP. Customers claimed that although bills are issued as per the MRP, the staff still demand a higher amount depending on the quantity of alcohol being purchased. “In some outlets, either bills QR codes on bottles often fail to get scanned, said outlet staff | p ravikumar are not provided altogether, or customers are made to wait unnecessarily,” said M Mathu (32), a daily wage labourer from Pallikaranai. “When Tasmac launched the QR codebased billing system, they claimed it would eliminate all malpractice and ensure all liquor brands are available to the customers. However, nothing has changed,” he added. M Veerapan of Tambaram, another customer, said, “At this one outlet, a bottle was sold to me without scanning the QR code. When I asked for a bill, the staff claimed they had already scanned the code but couldn’t provide a bill due to a shortage of paper roll. Similarly, many other customers had to leave without a bill.” He urged officials to inspect all Tasmac outlets and take ste ps to prevent such malpractice. A Tasmac outlet staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “During peak hours, network errors and other technical glitches make it difficult to handle crowds with the QR code-based billing system. Sometimes, we are unable to scan bottles properly and they have to be put back in storage.” He further called for immediate action to inspect the billing equipment and improve their functionality to reduce the inconvenience caused to both staff and customers.  P5 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. express read BJP will take CM call, will have my support: Shinde Mumbai: With suspense continuing over who would be the next Maharashtra Chief Minister, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Sunday reiterated that whatever decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Amit Shah on next the chief minister will be acceptable to him. Talking to the media in his native village, Shinde said Mahayuti allies will sit together and resolve all difference with regard to portfolio allocation | P8 B’desh stops ISKCON members going to India Dhaka: Dozens of ISKCON members who possessed travel documents were turned back on Sunday by Bangladesh’s immigration police from Benapole border crossing when they tried to cross into India. Imtiaz Ahsanul Quader Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of the Benapole Immigration Police, said, “We consulted the special branch of police and received instructions from the higher authorities not to permit them to cross the border” | P9 Bhagwat urges couples to have 3 children RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said every couple should produce at least three children. “Demographic studies suggest when a society’s total fertility rate falls below 2.1, it risks facing extinction,” he said at an event | P7