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India Gazette
30 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Dreamliner among safest aircraft, over 1100 in use worldwide, Air India officials tell parliamentary panel
New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Members at a meeting of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday expressed concern over air safety and surge in price of air tickets from Srinagar to other cities after the Pahalgam terror attack and sought clarifications from the officials present, sources said. The sources said members mentioned the Air India crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, in which over 250 people were killed, and sought clarification on air safety. The sources stated that Air India officials conveyed that the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft, which crashed in Ahmedabad while en route to London, was one of the safest aircraft in the world. The officials are also learnt to have told the panel that over 1,100 Dreamliners are in use in different countries. The meeting was attended by officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd. (AAICLAS), and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Representatives of airport operators and airlines were also present. The agenda of the meeting was 'Levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges on public infrastructure and other public utilities'. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson was among senior airline officials present at the meeting. Some MPs said the air fares had gone up drastically after the terror attack causing inconvenience and hardship to people. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Praful Patel asserted that there is no need to panic as all airlines, including Air India, follow safety protocols. However, Patel, a former Civil Aviation Minister, highlighted that there is need of more people in the DGCA as they are facing a shortage of top-level skilled manpower. 'Safety is paramount. Anyone who flies wants to feel safe and assured that he will reach his destination... Indian aviation is safe. There is no need to be panicking about it. All airlines, including Air India, follow safety protocols. DGCA is well-equipped and does a very good job. DGCA needs to have more people because they are facing a shortage of top-level skilled manpower. A lot of retired people can be brought back for a short period so that understaffing can be addressed at the higher level to ensure that the safety standards are complied with,' Praful Patel said. BJP MP Jagdambika Pal said airlines have given assurance to address concerns over surge pricing of air tickets. 'In the meeting, we talked about the Buddhist Circuit. There are very important places that are significant in Buddhism. All countries and places significant to Buddhism will be interconnected. Airfare hikes were also discussed, especially the ones post Pahalgam terror attack and during Maha Kumbh... Air safety was the most discussed issue... The black box investigation of the Ahmedabad plane crash is currently underway, and the Dreamliner is supposed to be one of the safest aircraft,' Pal said. Congress MP and PAC Chairperson KC Venugopal mentioned that the Committee has asked the airlines to have clear-cut regulations on fares. 'Everybody is concerned about the safety... We are discussing the increase in air fares also, especially post Pahalgam and during Kumbh... The committee has asked them to have clear-cut regulations on fares... DGCA and airlines were also part of the meeting,' Venugopal said. On June 12, Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. It struck a hostel building of BJ Medical College, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted its preliminary report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other authorities. According to sources, the crash protection module (CPM) from one of the black boxes was retrieved, and the data was successfully downloaded on June 25 at the AAIB Lab in Delhi. To verify the data, an identical unit known as a 'golden chassis' was used. The investigation is being led by the AAIB Director General and includes experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is the designated investigation body from the country of the aircraft's design. Aviation medicine and air traffic control experts are also part of the team. According to officials, this is the first time India is decoding black box data domestically. On June 25, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data was downloaded at the AAIB Lab, the official said. (ANI)
India Gazette
32 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Cost of home-cooked thalis declines in June (YoY) but edges up on month-to-month basis: Report
New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): The cost of home-cooked meals eased in June as compared to the same month last year, driven by a sharp correction in vegetable prices, according to the Crisil Intelligence report. In the monthly report titled 'Roti Rice Rate', the average cost of a vegetarian thali (Plate) declined by 8 per cent year-on-year (YoY), while the cost of a non-vegetarian thali was down nearly 6 per cent. The decline in vegetarian thali prices was primarily attributed to a significant drop in key vegetable prices, which had spiked the previous year due to adverse weather and crop diseases. The report added that tomato prices dropped 24 per cent YoY to Rs 32 per kg from Rs 42 a year ago, as last year's lower yields created a high base effect. Potato and onion prices also saw steep declines of 20 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. In 2024, potato output had fallen by around 6 per cent due to blight infestations and erratic weather, while rabi onion production had shrunk by nearly 20 per cent owing to reduced acreage and yield, the report noted. However, despite the government's move to reduce basic customs duty on crude edible oils, vegetable oil prices surged 19 per cent YoY in June. Crisil Inteligence report says the benefit of reduced import prices is yet to be fully passed on to the consumers. Additionally, a 6 per cent YoY hike in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder prices tempered the overall drop in thali costs. For non-vegetarian thalis, the cost decline was aided by a 3 per cent YoY drop in broiler chicken prices, which account for nearly half the cost of a non-veg thali. However, the report observed that on a month-on-month (MoM) basis, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis became costlier, up 3 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, in June 2025. A sharp 36 per cent MoM spike in tomato prices, triggered by an 8 per cent decline in market arrivals, played a key role in driving up costs. Potato prices rose 4 per cent MoM, while onion prices remained stable. Meanwhile, broiler chicken prices increased by 5 per cent MoM, pushed by reduced poultry supply due to extreme heat, which impacted bird mortality and slowed growth rates. While the year-on-year trend offers some relief to households, the monthly uptick reflects continued volatility in food inflation, particularly in perishables and protein sources. (ANI)
India Gazette
34 minutes ago
- India Gazette
145 % rise in taxpayers since GST rollout in Gujarat; number of taxpayers crosses 12.66 lakh in 8 years
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], July 8 (ANI): Since the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017, Gujarat has witnessed a steady annual increase in the number of new taxpayers. Eight years ago, when GST was introduced, the state had over 5.15 lakh registered taxpayers. As of FY 2024-25, this number has surged by 145 per cent, surpassing 12.46 lakh, more than double the original count. According to an official release, in terms of registered taxpayers, Gujarat now ranks third in the country, reflecting its growing economic activity and exemplary tax compliance. In FY 2024-25, Gujarat recorded a taxpayer growth rate of 6.38 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 3.86 per cent and ahead of many other states. There was a time when Gujarat, like the rest of India, operated under a complex tax structure comprising VAT, CST, Octroi, Entry Tax, Service Tax, and Central Excise Duty. This fragmented system posed significant challenges for traders, making tax compliance cumbersome and time-consuming. The lack of uniformity in tax rates and regulations across states, coupled with the cascading effect of 'tax on tax', led to inflated costs of goods and created barriers to seamless trade. For a business-driven and export-oriented state like Gujarat, these complications were particularly burdensome. To address these challenges and provide a new direction for the country's economy, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented in India on July 1, 2017, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With this reform, the country adopted a single tax--GST--for the supply of goods and services, while doing away with multiple other taxes. Guided by the principle of 'One Nation, One Tax,' GST has simplified the tax system, reduced tax evasion, and paved the way for ease of doing business. With the implementation of GST, the process of tax calculation and payment has become significantly simpler for both traders and consumers. Alongside the steady rise in the number of taxpayers, Gujarat has witnessed a substantial increase in its GST revenue. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, the state registered GST collections of Rs 1,36,748 crore in FY 2024-25, marking a year-on-year increase of Rs 11,579 crore. Gujarat now ranks third among Indian states in terms of GST revenue contribution, accounting for 8.2 per cent of the country's domestic GST collections. The release emphasised that Gujarat has not only consistently maintained a leading position in GST collections but has also registered a notable increase in revenue from SGST and IGST. In FY 2024-25, the state garnered Rs 73,200 crore through SGST and IGST, marking a rise of Rs 8,752 crore compared to the previous fiscal year. While the national average growth rate for SGST and IGST revenue stood at 10.31 per cent, Gujarat surpassed it with an impressive 13.6 per cent growth. The state also leads the country in the timely filing of GST returns. Gujarat achieved 88.9 per cent compliance in GSTR-3B filing and 85.5 per cent in GSTR-1 filing within the prescribed timelines, underscoring its disciplined and robust tax administration, the release stated. (ANI)
