Top headlines: GST hike on textiles on hold; full nod sought for Covishield

Business Standard brings you the top headlines on Friday

GST Council defers rate hike in textiles, refers issues to ministers group

Heeding to demands made by several states, the GST Council on Friday put on hold a decision to hike the tax rate on textiles to 12 per cent from 5 per cent, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The panel, the highest decision-making body for indirect taxes, met under emergency provisions after states made a request for deferring the January 1 hike in GST tax rates on textiles.

Sitharaman said a similar demand for footwear was not agreed to. Read more

Covishield: Serum Institute of India applies for full market authorisation

Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawala on Friday said the vaccines major has applied to Indian authorities for full market authorisation of Covishield, stating supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine have exceeded 125 crore doses.

SII had partnered with the developer of Covishield, AstraZeneca, for the supply of the vaccine to the Indian government, which had in January this year granted emergency use authorisation in the country. Read more

Covid: Omicron has started replacing Delta variant in India, says report

Omicron has started replacing Delta variant in the country in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases and positive international travellers are almost 80 per cent Omicron now, official sources said on Friday.

However, a third of all the detected cases were mildly symptomatic, and the rest were asymptomatic, they said. Read more

Mumbai bans people from visiting public places from 5 pm-5 am till Jan 15

Mumbai Police on Friday issued an order prohibiting people from visiting beaches, open grounds, sea faces, promenades, gardens, parks or similar public places between 5 pm and 5 am daily till January 15 in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation and the emergence of the Omicron variant.

DCP (operations) S Chaitanya issued the order under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which came into force from 1 pm on Friday and will be effective till January 15, unless withdrawn earlier. Read more