Pension, ration for transgenders as Andhra govt clears welfare policy
HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Saturday approved a policy for the social upliftment of the state’s transgenders by offering them pensions, ration cards, housing sites and other assistance for business activities.
Under the policy, the government will provide ~1,500 per month to each transgender above 18 years of age as social security pension.
The government will construct special toilets in public places (malls and cinema halls) and give out scholarships and subsidised bus passes to transgender students.
The scheme will benefit some 26,000 members of the third gender.
“The government will also facilitate grant of loans by banks to help them start small business activities. It will also take care of their health by providing subsidised healthcare through Arogyasri scheme,” information and public relations minister Kalwa Srinivasulu said. “The cabinet discussed the policy in detail. Suggestions will be sought from people on how to improve it and incorporate any provisions so as to fine-tune it,” he added.
The policy was mooted in September after chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched Andhra Pradesh Hijra Welfare Board in April to look into the welfare of the community and prevent its members from sexual, mental, physical harassment, and social ostracisation. NEWDELHI:REAL estate developers are likely to be the first to face investigation by the new antiprofiteering watchdog for allegedly denying consumers the benefit of reduced tax burden under the goods and services tax (GST) regime that kicked in from July 1. A standing committee of officials attached to the recently set up National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) has received several complaints of builders not passing on the benefit of lower tax under the GST regime, some of which will be taken up for investigation if there is prima facie evidence of profiteering, said a person aware of discussions in the authority on condition of anonymity.
The NAA, chaired by senior bureaucrat BN Sharma, will direct the Director General of Safeguards (DGS), an investigating body in the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), to probe the issue, the source said.
Under GST, while under-construction houses attract a 12% tax, the quantum of tax rebates available to the developer on the final product is substantial as the tax already paid on raw materials like cement and steel is substantial at 18%. I
n the earlier regime, the central government charged a 15% service tax on 30% of the value of under-construction flats, which worked out to 4.5%. This, together with the value added tax (VAT) levied by states on work contracts of 4-5%, took the total tax burden to about 9% without input tax credit.
In GST, the rate is 12% with input tax credit. The high component of tax credits means that the effective tax burden in the new regime is lower than earlier, explained the person cited above.
“Ideally builders should reduce the equated monthly instalment (EMI) to be paid by consumers. However, some developers are claiming higher input costs and change in business strategy to increase (the tax exclusive) price correspondingly. If they are increasing the price, they have to give justification, which has to pass the test of reasonableness,” the person said. Another official aware of the complaints said, “We have received complaints against builders from across India. The common tenor of the complaint is that the builders have increased the prices of the houses citing GST. The complaints will now be looked into as