Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi urges people to vote in record numbers as Phase 1 polling begins

This year, the GST collection stands at about 12.4 per cent higher than last year.

In April 2023, GST collection was 1.87 lakh crore, while this April, it reached a record high of Rs 2.10 lakh crore.

Meanwhile, the social media is abuzz with a video of Nirmala Sitharaman, where she recalls Prime Minister Narendra Modi's exemplary leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and also his clear no to tax hikes during the period.

The Finance Minister, in a video shared by 'Modi Story', a popular X handle, recollected series of steps taken by PM Modi in fighting the pandemic and keeping up the morale of citizens.

She said that there were two-things which she clearly remembers, till today.

"You will not take money from people to attend to Covid needs -- was the clear instruction from Prime Minister," the Finance Minister revealed.

"When Covid was setting in, there were five mini-budgets. If you put it together, it would have been equivalent to one full budget. The readiness and alacrity, the speed with he would sit with you and work out things, because that time demanded like that. You had to come up with relief measures, reassuring words, schemes that were necessary for people," Nirmala Sitharaman said.

"PM Modi said that even if we were short of money, we will never raise taxes to meet Covid expenses. We did not have much resources to spend on so many things. We were wondering about raising the taxes but PM was clear that there shall be no hike in taxes," she said.

The Finance Minister said that the second major step was focus on giving relief to people.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, money was credited into people's accounts.

"Thirdly, PM Modi made all the ministers sit and talk to the district collectors everyday. This ensured the delivery of PPE kits, masks and oxygen generators. If hospitals did not have it, it would be up to us to get it from wherever and then pass it on to them," she said, recalling the Central government's vigorous fight against the pandemic.

(IANS)

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Consolidated profit before tax (PBT) for FY24 more than doubled to Rs 20,792 crore as compared to Rs 7,675 crore in the previous fiscal year.

For the fourth quarter (Q4), the revenue surged 29 per cent to Rs 13,787 crore (on-year), and EBITDA more than doubled to Rs 5,273 crore, the company said in a statement.

Consolidated profit before tax for the January-March period grew to nearly four times at Rs 3,558 crore as compared to Rs 898 Crore in Q4 FY23.

Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group, said that as India transitions to a more sustainable energy future, "the Adani Portfolio of companies will continue to provide innovative, reliable, and scalable solutions to support the nation’s economic growth and help realise the aspirations of its billion-plus citizens".

"Adani Power is a key component of our long-term strategy, supplying reliable base load power across a vast part of the country, executing benchmark-setting projects, creating assets of national importance, and acting as the balancing supply to enable greater integration of renewables in the grid," Gautam Adani added.

(IANS)

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For CSK, barring captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's 62, other batters struggled to get on top of PBKS bowlers on a fresh red-soil pitch having turn and bounce for spinners. After losing no wicket in power-play, CSK had a platform set for a big total.

But Brar and Chahar applied brakes to return with collective figures of 4-33 in eight overs and an economy rate of 4.25, while conceding no boundaries. The duo were nagging in their line and length, bowling on a stump to stump line and allowing the odd ball to get some turn.

Pushed into batting first, Gaikwad was stylish in punching and ramping Arshdeep Singh for a brace of fours in the second over. Though Arshdeep got a change of ends, he was hit for 14 runs in the fifth over – Rahane slammed him over point, while Gaikwad cut him twice through the same region to take three boundaries off it.

Rahane brought out the pull, cut and punch off Sam Curran on the last three deliveries of the sixth over, and take CSK to 55/0 at the end of power-play, making it the first time in this season of them not losing a wicket in the six-over phase.

But once Curran brought spinners on, PBKS were able to put in an almighty squeeze on CSK, who couldn’t get a boundary in the middle overs. Rahane holed out to deep mid-wicket off Brar, who trapped a sweeping Shivam Dube plumb lbw for a golden duck. Chahar joined in by trapping Ravindra Jadeja lbw, who was looking to play it on the leg-side.

Impact Player Sameer Rizvi’s laborious innings ended when he was caught by a sliding third man, while trying to ramp off Harshal Patel. But Gaikwad continued to stay afloat, getting his fifty in 44 balls by hammering Curran over long-on for six and pulled the left-arm pacer for another maximum to take 15 runs off the 16th over.

Moeen Ali lofted Arshdeep for six and four respectively, before the pacer bounced back by castling Gaikwad with a yorker. The call to get Chahar bowl the 19th over paid off when the leg-spinner castled Moeen. MS Dhoni powered a four and six off a wayward Arshdeep in the final over to take CSK past 160, before being run-out on the last ball, also ending his streak of seven unbeaten knocks in the competition.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 162/7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 62, Ajinkya Rahane 29; Rahul Chahar 2-16, Harpreet Brar 2-17) against Punjab Kings

(IANS)