Movie buffs enjoy first day of Nitte International Film Festival - NICO
Hundreds of cine lovers from Mangaluru and outskirts turned up for the maiden International Film festival (NIFF) organised by Nitte University on Monday, April 24. The Nitte International Film Festival was inaugurated at Bharath Cinemas here in Mangaluru by the National award winning Marathi Director Mr Sunil Sukhtankar. Dr M Shantharam Shetty, Pro Chancellor of Nitte University presided over the function. The film festival was declared open by the eminent guests by flipping the ‘clapboard’ which is an important property in every film production. Addressing the delegates and the guests Mr Sunil Sukhtankar expressed that the film festivals are the platforms for the film makers as well as the artists to bring out their efforts on screen before the audience and the critics. “Usually the audience hunt for the good movie and the film makers wait for an opportunity to show their work to the public. Film Festivals like this serve both the purpose thus satisfying the film maker and viewer. It was through my short films I ventured into the craft of film making and today I am able to speak about the society or convey my ideas and thoughts through this effective medium” he opined. He also congratulated the Nitte Institute of Communication (NICO) and Nitte University in successfully uniting the viewer and film maker under one roof. Taking a pride over being a resident of Mangaluru which has given birth to prominent personalities, Dr M Shantharam Shetty said that Nitte University is proud in organising its maiden International Film festival here in Mangaluru. “Films have always been a part of our memories from making us laugh to shedding tears. Not just limiting itself as a medium of entertainment, cinema has also been an effective medium to spread awareness and be a voice of the society. We are happy to screen award winning and critically acclaimed movies from all over the world at this film festival” he expressed. Renowned Marathi film ‘Kaasav’ directed by Ms. Sumitra Bhave and Mr. Sunil Sukthankar was screened as the opening film. First day saw the screening of Unto the Dusk (Malayalam), The Violin Player (Bengali), Visaranai (Tamil), Amdavad ma Famous (Gujurati), Haal-e-Kangal and Masaan (Hindi), Quissa (Punjabi) and Kannada films including Zero Made in India, Kendasampige, Harikatha Prasanga and Harivu. It also saw the screening of international films such as Soegija (Indonesia) and Red Butter Fly (Sri Lanka). Various national award winning directors and producers including Mr PN Ramachandra, Ms Bijaya Jena, Mr Manu Chakravarthy, Mr Anand Varadaraj, Mr Sajin Babu, Mr Giridev Hassan and actor Mr Shrunga were present at the venue and interacted with audience. In all, a total of 55 films from five different countries and many national award-winning films from Indian languages including Reservation, Amaraavati, Railway Children, Jatta (Kannada), Madipu and Suddha (Tulu), Kammatipaadam, Kaliyachan, Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam), Ventilator and Lathe Joshi (Marathi), Raman Raghav 2.0, Island City, Ugly (Hindi), Sanctuary, 24-Weeks and Destiny (international films) - all free of cost will be screened in the
upcoming days. Prof Raviraj Kini, Head of the Department welcomed the gathering. Student Coordinator Mr Maithrey Deshpande delivered vote of thanks. Ms Wilma Serrao, Asst Professor hosted the inaugural ceremony.
Health Camp / Outreach Program - KSHEMA
The Department of Community Medicine organized a Health Camp / Outreach Program on 09-042017 at Kumaraswamy Vidyalaya, Subrahmanya. The health camp mainly focused on children who were previously suspected to have refractive errors and cardiac murmurs. General health checkup for students and teaching staff. A total of 83 patients were examined and treated. Around 13 patients(orthopaedic- 1, ophthal- 10, cardiac- 1, ENT- 1) were referred to K S Hegde Hospital for further management .Dr Rashmi Kundapur, Dr Kavya R, Dr Shiny, & Mr. Ravi. Dr. Pooja, Dr Rahul, (PG) and Dr Prakruthi, intern, Department of Ophthalmology, Dr Arun, postgraduate, Department of Paediatrics and Dr Nazneen, postgraduate, Department of General Medicine and Mr Surender Karkera (ECHO technician) participated.
Plymouth-Nitte MoU exchange
The University of Plymouth and Nitte University in India have entered a formal partnership to further research into the impact of climate change on the marine environment and public health. The two institutions are already collaborating on a number of initiatives, and were jointly awarded funding in December 2016 to investigate the effects of South Asia’s first outbreak of ciguatera fish poisoning. Now they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will see academics and students from Plymouth’s School of Biological and Marine Sciences working more closely with Nitte’s University Centre for Science Education and Research, part of the UNESCO Microbial Resources Centre for Medical and Marine Biotechnology. This will include exploring continued joint research opportunities, as well as teaching and postgraduate study experiences that could benefit students and academics at both institutions. Dr Mairi Knight, Head of the School of Biological and Marine Sciences at the University of Plymouth, said: “Climate change is one of the major challenges facing our planet, and developing collaborations of this nature is crucial to enhancing our understanding of its causes and effects. We hope this partnership will enable us to share knowledge and experience, creating outstanding opportunities for students and staff at both institutions. It is also an exciting time for us to join up with a respected institution in one of the world’s fastest-growing higher education nations.” Professor S. Ramananda Shetty, Vice-Chancellor of Nitte University, added: “Plymouth has an outstanding reputation in the field of marine biology and it is exciting for us to be able to partner with it in this way. We believe this will be a mutually beneficial collaboration, so that Plymouth’s expertise will enhance our existing work across the healthcare and science sectors, but we also can make a positive contribution and create opportunities for researchers and students in the UK as well.” The Memorandum of Understanding states the collaboration will aim to promote research leading to a better scientific understanding of the impacts of global change on natural resources specifically, but not limited to, marine and aquatic environments. It will also explore the potential for staff and student exchanges, with a view to broadening the experience of faculties and students at each university and providing them with increased cultural understanding. And there will be potential for postdoctoral, PhD and Masters students from both institutions to undertake periods of study and research at either university. Dr Lucy Turner, Lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth, has been instrumental in forging the partnership and has been collaborating with Prof Indrani Karunasagar at the UNESCO Microbial Resources Centre for Medical and Marine Biotechnology for several years. She said: “Our work with Nitte already has growing global relevance as these climate-induced changes to the ocean foodweb have the potential to impact areas outside of India. Similarly, understanding the barriers to more sustainable small-scale aquaculture practices – including to those countries that depend on seafood as a significant protein and revenue source – are of growing importance.”
CEREALS, HAIR OIL, SOAPS TO COST LESS IN GST; CESS ON CARS
Foodgrains and common-use products like hair oil, soaps and toothpaste as also electricity will cost less from July 1 when the GST is scheduled to be rolled out as the all-powerful GST Council finalised tax rates for bulk of the items. While the Council fitted all but six items in 5, 12, 18 or 28 per cent tax brackets, cars will attract the top rate as also a cess in the range of 1 to 15 per cent on top of it. Small cars will be charged 1 per cent cess on top of 28 per cent tax, mid-sized and luxury cars will attract cess of 15 per cent on top of the peak rate. Aerated drinks too have been put in the 28 per cent bracket along with a cess of 12 per cent, but the rates for bidis along with gold, footwear, bidi, biscuits and agriculture equipments would be decided later. While meat, fresh vegetables, honey, jaggery, prasadam, kumkum, bindi, pappad and contraceptives have been exempt from GST levy, items like pizza bread, sevaiya, condensed milk, frozen vegetables will attract 5 per cent levy, as per the items list put on CBEC website. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) on coal has been brought down to 5 per cent from the current tax incidence of 11.69 per cent, thereby making electricity generation cheaper. Common use products like hair oil, soaps and toothpaste will be charged with a single national sales tax or GST of 18 per cent instead of present 22-24 per cent tax incidence through a combination of central and state government levies. ACs and refrigerators will fall in the 28 per cent tax slab while life-saving drugs have been kept at 5 per cent rate. All capital goods and all industrial intermediaries would attract 18 per cent tax instead of 28 per cent. Milk and curd will continue to be exempt from taxation when the GST replaced current indirect taxes. 'Mithai' or sweets will attract 5 per cent levy. Daily-use items like sugar, tea, coffee (barring instant coffee) and edible oil will attract the lowest tax rate of 5 per cent, almost the same as current incidence. While frozen meat will attract a GST of 12 per cent, Ayurvedic or homeopathy medicines, agarbatti, umbrella, electric vehicles and mobile phone manufacturing will be taxed at 12 per cent. Pastries and cakes, pasta, ice cream and soups, instant food mixes, betel nut, vinegar and sharbat will attract a 18 percent tax, while the highest tax of 28 per cent will be levied on chewing gum, chocolates, custard powder and waffles containing chocolate. The GST Council, which also finalised 7 set of rules for the new indirect tax regime in today's meeting, will meet tomorrow to finalise tax rates on service. Two set of rules on transition provision and returns have been referred to legal committee. The GST rates for all but six items were finalised at the first day of the two-day meeting here of the GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state representatives. Prices of foodgrains, especially wheat and rice, will come down as they will be exempt from the GST. Currently, some states levy Value Added Tax (VAT) on them. "We have finalised tax rates for a majority of items as well as the exempt list (at today's meeting)," Jaitley told reporters here. Out of the 1,211 items, the GST rate for all but six was decided on the first day, he said. "Rates have been finalised for the rest," he said, adding GST for packaged food items is to be finalised later. "(With) the standard rate items of 12.5 per cent and 15 per cent, plus the cascading effect of local taxes, the tax rate was going up to 30-31 per cent. These 30-31 per cent taxes... have all been brought down to 28 per cent. "Of these, some are items to be used by common man soap, oil -- that has been brought down to 18 per cent. So there will be a substantial reduction as far as those items are concerned. We have kept one criteria in mind that the overall impact is not inflation, in fact it brings down the costs," Jaitley added. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said 7 per cent of the items fall under the exempt list while 14 per cent have been put in the lowest tax bracket of 5 per cent. Another 17 per cent items are in 12 per cent tax bracket, 43 per cent in 18 per cent tax slab and only 19 per cent of goods fall in the top tax bracket of 28 per cent. As many as 81 per cent of the items will attract 18 per cent or less GST. On gold, states demanded a 4 per cent tax even though the rate is not among the 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent approved bands. Jaitley said there will be no inflationary impact as most of the rates which are at 31 per cent have been brought down to 28 per cent. Coal will attract the GST of 5 per cent as against the current tax incidence of 11.69 per cent. "Cereals will be in exempt list. But what is to be done with packaged and branded food that has to be separately decided. We are yet to make a decision on that," he said. Jaitley said the key feature of today's rate decision has been that "tax rate under GST will not go up for any of the commodities. There is no increase. On many commodities, there is a reduction particularly because the cascading effect of tax is gone." "Of several commodities, we have consciously brought down the tax. In the overall basket there would be a reduction, but we are banking on the hope that because of a more efficient system, evasion would be checked and tax buoyancy would go up. That despite reduction the revenue neutrality and tax buoyancy thereafter would be maintained," he added.
GST: TELECOM, INSURANCE, BANKING, BIZ-CLASS AIRFARE COSTLIER
Telephone bills, insurance and banking services, business-class air travel and sale of newspaper space for advertisements will become costlier in the upcoming GST regime but education and healthcare will continue to be exempt from tax. The all-powerful GST Council today finalised tax rates for services under the new regime set to kick in from July 1,
earmarking an 18 per cent rate for telecom and financial services, which include banking and insurance, up from current 15 per cent. Though the government insisted that tax incidence will be same as the current if telecom companies claim input tax credit, industry associations said adding that tax as a principal is billed in actuals to consumers and any increase in incidence will result in rise in cost to them. Briefing reporters after the two-day meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said transport services will be taxed at 5 percent leading to a small drop in the economy class air travel which currently attracts 6 per cent service tax. Non-AC train travel, including on local trains and metro, as well as religious travel, including Haj yatra, will remain exempted from GST. Five per cent rate will also apply on rides from cab aggregators like Ola and Uber, which currently pay 6 per cent tax. AC train travel will attract 5 per cent service tax, same as freight levy. The GST Council finalised four tax rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent for services, including telecom, insurance, hotels and restaurants, under the biggest tax reform since the Independence. The rates are in line with those finalised for goods. With this, rates of all items except a handful, including gold, have been decided ahead of the roll out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime from July 1. Space selling for advertisement in newspapers will attract 5 per cent levy under the GST. It is exempted from tax currently. Jaitley said telecom and financial services will be taxed at a standard rate of 18 per cent. Revenue Secretary Hashmukh Adhia insisted that the tax incidence on telecom services will be unchanged at 15 percent after the input credit is taken on equipment. But Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Rajan Mathews said: "You have to differentiate between impact of GST on companies and consumers. Companies may or may not structure their tariff as per provision of refund but customers will have to pay 18 per cent tax everytime bill is generated so consumers will be hit under the GST." While the economy class air travel will attract 5 per cent GST, the business class will be charged at 12 per cent. Jaitley said non-AC restaurants will charge 12 per cent GST on food bill. The tax rate for AC restaurants and those with liquor licence will be 18 per cent, while 5-star hotels will charge 28 per cent GST. Restaurants with Rs 50 lakh or below turnover will go under the 5 per cent composition, he said. Work contracts like white washing will be liable for a 12 per cent GST. Entertainment tax will be merged with service tax under the GST and a composite 28 per cent levy charged on cinema services as well as gambling and betting at race course. While the rate proposed for cinema halls is lower than 40 to 55 per cent currently, it may not result in a reduction in tariffs on cinema tickets as states continue to hold right to levy local charges on them. Hotels and lodges charging per day tariff of Rs 1,000 will be exempt from the GST. The rates for hotels with tariff of Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per day would be 12 per cent, while those with Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 would be 18 per cent. The GST for hotels with tariff above Rs 5,000 will be 28 per cent. Jaitley said tax on gold and precious metals will be taken up at the next meeting of the Council on June 3. The rate on services was the main thing discussed at the GST meet today, he said, adding that most service tax exemptions will be grandfathered and will continue. The net effect of the GST will not be inflationary, he said, adding that healthcare and education services will continue to be exempted from tax under the GST. E-commerce players like Flipkart, Snapdeal will have to deduct 1 per cent TCS (tax collected at source) while making payments to suppliers, Adhia said. No decision was taken on tax rate on lottery. Jaitley said July 1 will be the rollout date for the GST. "We are in state of readiness." Adhia warned the industry of changing rates before the GST rollout saying that under the anti-profiteering law, any entity can be called in to question for their actions after today. "My advice to all the big industry players would be that please don't do this. Let's be honest, let us try to pass down the actual tax rate to the consumer and let's not try to increase tariff only because of tax rate going up," he said. The machinery for anti-profiteering will be operationalised soon, he said. He said once the anti profiteering machinery is set up, balance sheet of companies can be checked if any undue profit has been taken or any tax benefit has not been passed on. "We will look only at big companies. The departments can suo motu take action," he said. Jaitley said, "As I said, we made sure that consumers don't have to pay more. The net effect of goods and services is not going to be inflationary because, once the system of input credits starts the actual incidence is going to be positively impacted." He said transport, covering goods, road, air and AC rail, has been kept at 5 per cent category because its main input is petroleum products and since petroleum is outside the GST, that paying service tax will not be able to take the benefit of input tax credit. "The services have been split into 12 and 18 per cent and some 5 services into 28 per cent category," he said. Jaitley said most of the work relating to GST rollout has been completed and only a few things remain. The two-day meeting of the all powerful GST Council, its 14th so far, has decided on tax rates to be levied on various services under the GST regime. The GST has been billed as the biggest tax reform since the Independence and seeks to have uniform taxation for various goods and services across the country, uniting it as a single market by subsuming a plethora of state and central levies.