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The Income-tax office has released partial data on direct taxes paid in 2000-2015

StatsGuru: Analysing key direct tax numbers for 2000-15

Business Standard

India has serious shortages in its police force. Despite funds being made available for police modernisation, several states are unable to utilise this money fully. The result is deepening hollowness in the police forces. Police and public order are state subjects. The cumulative shortfall in police forces across the country is a staggering 542,986 personnel.

Story in numbers: More law and order challenges, fewer cops equal growing crisis?

The noise of the Assembly elections will hit fever pitch in the following days, as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry prepare to elect their representatives to the Legislative Assembly. Leaders of all political parties are likely to make a beeline to the south, where campaigning will cease on Friday evening. The high point of the week will be the exit polls conducted by most media houses that will come out on the evening of May 16 - the day the election concludes.Since most of the top leaders - Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi - have already completed their tour of the states, it will fall on local leaders to provide the elbow grease and gear up for the final campaign push.GST caught in Agusta crosshairsThis week, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will meet the Congress brass for a second time to discuss if the rate of taxation should be part of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill or not?Last week, when in Frankfurt for a meeting of the Asian

Of elbow grease & exit polls

Business Standard analyses one family's finances and suggests a way forward

Case study

Realty check

Business Standard brings you a snapshot of average current rates and unit sizes in localities that offer property in the price range of Rs 1.5-2 crore

Health insurance premium is calculated on the basis of the age of the customer

Health insurance: Ashish Mehrotra

Govt's latest move to sort out the issue is a welcome sign

Fast-forward on retro tax

Don't go beyond making it an electoral offence

The menace of paid news

Apropos Bhupesh Bhandari's article, "Listen to Dinesh Thakur" (May 6), it is correct that the Indian pharmaceutical sector makes the finest medicines in the world

Letters: Drug safety assurance

I was not surprised to read Krishna Kant's front-page report, "IT beats manufacturing in employee productivity" (May 6)

Letters: Cash in on services

With reference to the editorial, "Flying against the wind" (May 6), the government's plan to limit airfares of hour-long flights to Rs 2,500 is ill-conceived

Letters: Sail with the wind

As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not taking steps against those allegedly involved in the AgustaWestland chopper deal

Root of the matter

Last week, the Patna High Court heard a series of petitions challenging the way prohibition had been enforced in Bihar

The pros and cons of prohibition

Appearing for Sahara, senior counsel Kapil Sibal had earlier submitted various pleas and applications for company chief Subrata Roy's parole and release

A mother never stops helping

Who created bitcoins?

A rebellion seems to have broken out in the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP, led mostly by those who failed to get tickets in the ongoing Assembly polls

Rebellion in Tamil Nadu BJP over tickets

Last week, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member from Begusarai, Bhola Singh, known for his unconventional views on a number of issues

Bhola Singh has faith in "Dharmendra" and "Pradhan"

Where is the surplus to service the railways' debt?

Ambitious capex plans

Capping short-haul air fares is retrograde

Flying against the wind

Maheish Girri, national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party and member of Parliament from the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, has shared a promotional video on Facebook for the government's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The advertisement shows a man and a woman, who seem to have decided to go their separate ways, confronting each other. The man tears up a photograph of them and shoves the pieces into his pocket. The heartbroken woman, dressed up as if she was in a television soap, says: "Why did you keep them in your pocket? You could have just thrown them away." The man replies: "I would have, but there are no dustbins here." After a pause, he delivers the punchline: "Love can become dirty, but my country can't." The advertisement has been written and directed by Kuldeep Kaushik and produced by Parul Katyal Films.

The message is clear

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been unsparing in his criticism of Rahul Gandhi of late. He has slammed the Congress Vice-President not only in the Lok Sabha but also on his blogs, repeatedly bringing up what he believes to be the Gandhi scion's proclivity to speak on issues without proper understanding. On Thursday, Jaitley gave his reply to a discussion on the Finance Bill, 2016. Members in the treasury benches were intrigued that Gandhi left the Lok Sabha just as the finance minister started speaking on his budgetary proposal to impose one per cent excise duty on jewellers. Gandhi had opposed the decision and even joined jewellers in their protests. Gandhi was back in the House as Jaitley moved to other clauses of the Bill. A senior minister later wondered whether Gandhi walked out as he was apprehensive that Jaitley might ridicule him for supporting the jewellers.

Business Standard

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