New Delhi: GST council reduced interest on delayed filing GST returns for February, March, and April to 9 percent, provided the returns are filed by September 2020.

It will be a relief to small scale industries with turn over small taxpayers with turnover up to Rs 5 crore.

The GST interest reduced to half, reports said.

Also, the deadline for filing returns for May, June, and July has been extended till September, without any interest or late fee, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after a meeting of the council.

Sitharaman said no late fee will be levied for delayed filing of GST returns by registered entities with nil liability between July 2017 – January 2020.

Briefing reporters after the GST Council meeting, she said the late fee for non-filing of monthly sales return for others has been reduced to a maximum of Rs 500 for July 2017 to January 2020 period.The GST Council – the apex decision-making body of the indirect tax regime – discussed the impact of COVID-19, she said.

Chennai: The petition demanding the implementation of a full lockdown in Chennai in the wake of the sharp rise in the number of COVID patients in the state. Lawyer, N Tamiarasu has filed a petition in the Madras High Court. The Lockdown has been implemented but it has not been effective. The petition also called for the withdrawal of the lockdown exemption, which is currently underway, in case of high mortality.

The number of COVID casualties in Chennai has reached 25,000. Moreover, the disease has spread to more areas.

The state’s COVID figures do not include the 236 deaths recorded in the death registry of the Chennai Corporation. Following the controversy, the government has appointed a nine-member committee to look into the matter. The committee is comprised of senior doctors.

The official explanation is that this is due to the delay in reporting the deaths. But the fact is that these same hospitals are handing over the information to the corporation and the death register.

In the country, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, and Rajasthan are on the rise.

Colombo: Election Commission of Sri Lanka has decided to hold the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections delayed by three months due to coronavirus. The new date was announced after the sanction of health authorities. Commission chairman Mahindra Deshapriya said a mock election will be held this weekend to test the new health measures being implemented at polling booths and counting centers.

According to official data, 11 people were killed and 2,000 were infected due to the Corona Virus. The election was postponed indefinitely. Commission member Ratnajeevan Hoole said that adequate time will be given within the election date to prepare for the health guidelines.

President Gotabaya Rajapakse hopes his party will come to power in parliament with a two-thirds majority. This majority would give him more power to overturn the Constitution. The new dates are set for April 25 and June 20, respectively.

The country is in a state of uncertainty as to the law allows it to operate without a sitting parliament for three months. Last week, the Supreme Court had dismissed petitions filed by opposition parties and citizens demanding the repeal of Rajpax’s order, which was dissolved by Parliament in March.

Jammu: Pakistan again violated the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack occurred in LOC at Mankot province in Poonch district. Pak attacked with shell and fire at Mankot sector, reports said.

According to the report, Pak violated the ceasefire without any provocation.

Mumbai: Fuel price increased again in the country. The price of petrol increased by 54 paise per liter and diesel increased to 58 paise per liter. With this, the petrol price reached in Delhi to Rs. 73 and diesel price touched to Rs. 71.17. Within three days, the price of petrol increased to 1.74.

Fuel prices in the country are changing only after eighty-three days. Fuel price change, which was stopped due to lock down the country restarted from Sunday.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is likely to hear a plea seeking review of the Aadhaar card by law. The Aadhaar was approved by the Supreme Court on several options, including the need to ensure privacy.

In November last year, another five-judge bench headed by the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi had expressed doubts over the correctness of the verdict upholding the Aadhaar Act, which had been passed by the Parliament as a money Bill.

Now, the petition, however, said that the Aadhaar money bill was passed in parliament and illegal for many concessions. The five-member Constitutional Bench headed by the Chief Justice will hear the case.