Table of Contents
The Hindu Editorial Analysis
We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.
Dual-rate GST to take effect on September 22
- The GST Council, in its 56th meeting, agreed to bring a two-rate tax system of 5% and 18%, along with a special 40% rate for luxury and harmful products.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this new GST system will start from September 22 for most goods, but not for tobacco items, whose dates will be told later.
- The government said the tax rate cuts will cost about ₹48,000 crore in revenue. But the real effect will depend on how much people buy. Officials also expect that lower rates will improve compliance and increase tax collection over time.
- Sitharaman explained that the changes mainly help the common people by lowering taxes on daily use goods, supporting industries that give jobs, and giving relief to farmers, agriculture, and health-related sectors.
- Items like hair oil, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, bicycles, kitchen items, and household goods will now be taxed at 5%, instead of the earlier 18% or 12%.
- Namkeens, sauces, pasta, noodles, chocolates, coffee, butter, bio-pesticides, bio-menthol, handicrafts, marble, granite blocks, and semi-finished leather goods will also move from 12% tax to 5%.
- Cement will now be taxed at 18% instead of 28%. This will reduce construction costs, make houses and infrastructure cheaper, and help related industries.
- Ultra-high temperature milk, paneer, and all Indian breads like roti, chapati, and paratha will move from 5% GST to zero tax, reducing people’s food expenses.
- Insurance services, including individual life and health insurance, will also become tax-free, moving from 18% to 0%. This change will make insurance cheaper and easier to buy for middle-class families.
- Thirty-three life-saving medicines will now be free of tax, moving from 12% to 0%. Corrective spectacles will come down from 28% to 5%. Electric vehicles will continue at 5% GST.
- The problem of different rates in textiles has been solved. Tax on manmade fiber has been reduced from 18% to 5%, and on yarn from 12% to 5%.
- In fertilizers, GST on sulphuric acid, nitric acid, and ammonia is reduced from 18% to 5%. This will lower costs for farmers and support agriculture.
- A special 40% GST rate will apply to luxury and harmful items like pan masala, gutka, cigarettes, bidis, aerated water, caffeinated drinks, big cars, motorcycles, helicopters, and yachts.
- Right now, tobacco products such as pan masala, gutka, cigarettes, chewable tobacco, raw tobacco, and bidis remain under 28% GST plus a compensation cess.
- Once the central government finishes repaying loans taken for state compensation (expected this year), these tobacco products will also shift into the 40% special GST slab permanently.
Maratha quota row: OBC leaders threaten protests as Bhujbal plans court move
- The fight over Maratha reservation has grown stronger, as OBC leaders warned of statewide protests, while NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said he will go to court against the Maharashtra government’s caste certificate decision.
- The issue began after the government passed a resolution allowing Marathas with Kunbi documents to get OBC benefits. This decision came after activist Manoj Jarange-Patil went on a hunger strike in Mumbai.
- Bhujbal, who is an OBC leader, stayed away from Cabinet and NCP meetings. He asked if the government even has the right to change caste identities and promised to personally file a case in court.
- The government order mentioned references from the Hyderabad gazetteer. It promised that a special check will be done to confirm documents and then decide if Marathas can get Kunbi caste certificates under OBC benefits.
- OBC leaders and activists strongly opposed this. They said Marathas were wrongly given OBC status even though the Supreme Court and various commissions have rejected their quota demands many times.
- Activist Laxman Hake said the government’s move is almost like disobeying the court’s orders. He called on OBC, Vimukt Jati, and Nomadic Tribe communities to join together and start strong protests across the state.
- Hake also accused senior politicians like Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, and Ajit Pawar’s MLAs of supporting Jarange-Patil’s agitation in order to weaken the existing OBC quotas.
- Deputy CM Eknath Shinde defended the government. He said the resolution follows the law, does no injustice to anyone, and that CM Devendra Fadnavis will personally talk to Bhujbal about his concerns.
Heavy rains, floods, and landslides claim dozens of lives in northern states
- Heavy rains and flooding wreaked havoc across northern India on Wednesday, leading to major loss of life and property. In Himachal Pradesh alone, 11 people died within 24 hours after landslides struck, worsening the ongoing destruction in the hill state.
- Punjab also faced heavy damage as the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers overflowed. Official reports confirmed that 37 people have died in rain-related accidents in recent days.
- Jammu & Kashmir was hit hard as well. Two deaths were reported, and hundreds of people were rescued after continuous rainfall. The Jhelum and Chenab rivers swelled beyond the danger mark, raising the threat of fresh flooding.
- Authorities said the floods damaged nearly 100 Border Security Force (BSF) posts and about 110 kilometers of border fencing along Pakistan in Jammu and Punjab.
- Meanwhile, in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district, a dam collapse claimed four lives, injured three, and left three people missing. Odisha too experienced heavy rainfall due to a weather system over the Bay of Bengal.
- A fresh low-pressure zone has now developed in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to bring more rain to the Andaman Islands and southern parts of Bengal in the coming days.
- In Himachal Pradesh, further casualties were reported — seven in Sundernagar (Mandi), two in Kullu, and two in Bithal (Shimla). Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that the overall death toll in the state during this monsoon has reached 341.
- The state has also witnessed 45 cloudbursts, 122 landslides, and 95 flash floods this season. The total financial losses are estimated at ₹3,526 crore, underlining the scale of destruction.
- Punjab’s Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian described the current floods as among the most severe in decades. Crops spread over 1,75,216 hectares of farmland have been destroyed, pushing farmers into serious crisis.
- The districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Mansa, Ferozepur, and Fazilka have been identified as the worst-hit in Punjab, where fields, homes, and infrastructure have all suffered heavy damage.
- Haryana also struggled, with several districts experiencing severe waterlogging. Public Health Minister Banwari Lal Gangwa ordered officials to identify vulnerable areas and secure safe drinking water for residents.
- The state government directed field officers to stay on duty round-the-clock to maintain essential supplies. In Delhi, the Yamuna river overflowed after water was released from the Wazirabad and Hathnikund barrages, flooding low-lying floodplain areas.
- The Yamuna crossed the danger level, submerging houses along its banks and worsening conditions for families already living in vulnerable areas.
- In Jammu & Kashmir, schools were closed and the Srinagar–Jammu highway was shut down. Landslides and overflowing rivers damaged bridges and key roads in Reasi, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Doda, and Jammu districts.
- Roads in Kulgam and Shopian in the Kashmir valley were also damaged, disrupting connectivity as heavy rains and rising water levels continued.
- Minister Sakeena Itoo instructed doctors, nurses, and health workers to remain on constant duty to provide medical support during the flood crisis.
- In Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed deep sorrow for the victims of the Satbahini Dam collapse and assured the affected families that the government would stand firmly with them in their time of loss.
Important Questions
- What did Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman say about the start date of the new GST system?
- Which items will be taxed at the special 40% GST rate under the new rules?
- Why is NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal planning to go to court against the Maharashtra government’s caste certificate decision for Marathas?
- How did activist Laxman Hake react to the government’s decision permitting Marathas with Kunbi records to claim OBC benefits?
- How many people have died in Himachal Pradesh during this year’s monsoon season because of landslides, floods, and cloudbursts?
- Which districts in Punjab were reported as the worst affected by the recent floods and heavy rainfall?
Important Vocabulary
- Compliance – following rules or laws.
- Buoyancy – steady rise or improvement, especially in the economy.
- Infrastructure – essential facilities such as roads, bridges, and buildings.
- Anomalies – irregularities or mistakes in a system.
- Resolution – an official government decision.
- Agitation – protest or movement for a cause.
- Contempt – disobedience or disrespect towards a court’s order.
- Scrutiny – close and careful checking.
- Devastation – complete destruction or damage.
- Inundated – flooded or covered with water.
- Connectivity – the state of being connected, especially roads or communication.
- Submerged – covered completely with water.
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