New Delhi: The prices of clothes and shoes are likely to go up from January next year with the revision of the tax structure. The GST on these products will go up from 5 percent to 12 percent.

The GST Council meeting on September 17 decided to revise the tariff on textiles and footwear from January. However, details of the tax rate have not been released. There are high prices for raw materials needed to make clothes and shoes. The committee recommended that the tax structure be consolidated because of inadequacies in the tax deduction (input tax credit) arrangement for the purchase of goods for trade.

Manufacturers are currently passing on the burden of tax regulation to consumers. The idea of raising the excise duty on textiles and footwear to 12 percent is being considered as it will make it easier for manufacturers to claim the full tax on raw materials if the GST is consolidated.

It is estimated that the increase in retail prices will be relatively small if manufacturers pass on the benefits of tax consolidation to consumers. A uniform tax of 12 percent will be applicable on goods. At the same time, the tax may be revised at two rates for footwear. 12 percent for those up to Rs 1000 and 18 percent for those above 10,000. At present, GST is 5 percent on garments up to Rs 1,000. And 12 percent for those above that. Similarly, footwear below Rs 1,000 is taxed at 5 percent and above at 18 percent.

New Delhi:  Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has said he will leave the Congress. In an interview with a national media, Amarinder reiterated that he would leave the Congress. Congress cannot continue with humiliation. Amarinder also clarified that he was not joining the BJP. So far he has been a Congressman. But will no longer remain in Congress. Amarinder also criticized the Congress leadership for not resolving an issue once it has been raised. Amarinder announced after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Delhi.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders came out again with a heavy blow against the High Command. Natwar Singh, a senior Congress leader, and former Union minister said the condition of the Congress was deplorable. “Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka will not allow any change in the party and they will not allow anyone else,” Natwar Singh said. The present state of Congress, one of the largest democratic parties in the world, is deplorable. He blamed the Gandhi family for the crisis in Punjab. Senior leaders like Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad had also come forward to criticize the High Command.

New Delhi: The Serum Institute of India gets approval for the enrollment of children between the ages of seven and 11 in the clinical trial of US  drugmaker Novavox’s covid-19 vaccine. Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) given the permission.

The vaccine, which is an Indian-made version of the nova vaccine shot, is being tested in people ages 12–17. The drug company has presented safety data for the first 100 people who participated in the experiment.

The Novavax vaccine has not yet been approved in India. Earlier this month, Adar Poonavalla, head of the Serum Institute, said he hoped to approve giving Novavax to people under the age of 18 in January or February next year. The Covshield vaccine, developed by the Serum Institute, is widely used in the country for the vaccination of adults.

In the case of children, only the DNA Covid-19 vaccine of Zydus Cadillac was approved. The vaccine is approved for immediate use in people aged 12–18 years.

New Delhi: The government has extended the ban on scheduled international flights in the country till October 31 following the expansion of covid. This was announced in a circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Meanwhile, international cargo aircraft and DGCA approved aircraft will continue to operate. The DGCA said flights would be allowed on selected routes depending on the situation.

Earlier, the ban was extended to September 30. Commercial international flights have been suspended in the country since March 23, 2020, to control the spread of the covid-19 epidemic. Since May 2020, international flights have been operated as part of the Vande Bharat mission to bring expatriates to India.

New Delhi: Plastic will be banned across the country from tomorrow. Plastic carrier bags less than 75 microns and non-woven bags less than 60 gsm (grams per square meter) will be banned from tomorrow. All these are currently banned in Kerala.

Non-woven carry bags, which can be mistaken for cloth bags, are made of polypropylene and calcium carbonate. These do not dissolve completely in the soil and therefore cannot be reused.

A complete ban on single-use plastic products will come into effect across the country from July 1 next year. In Kerala, the complete ban on plastics came into effect on January 1, 2020.