Covid +ve cases surge by 13% till mid Feb in NMMC

In the first two weeks of February, a 13 percent surge in Covid-19 cases has been noticed under the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The active number of positive cases that had come down below 800 has once again crossed the 900 mark. The number of Covid positive cases being reported per day has also witnessed a slight rise.

While under the Mission Begin Again, a number of services are opening and even the common people have been allowed in the local train with time restrictions, more people are stepping out of their homes. This has resulted in a slight rise in the active cases in the city.

The number of active cases under the NMMC jurisdiction was 797 on February 1. However, by the end of two weeks in February, the number of active cases reached 907, a rise of 13.8 percent.

The Centre is likely to extend the levy of compensation cess under the goods and services tax by at least two years beyond the initial deadline of June 2022, a senior finance ministry official said.

"Depending on collections, we may extend it for a minimum of two years but, it can be more than three also," the official told Informist.

Though the GST Council had in October decided to extend the compensation cess beyond June 2022, it was not specified how long it will continue after the transition period of five years.

The payment of compensation has been a bone of contention between the Centre and the states as

GST collections slumped this year due to COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown to contain it.

Though overall GST collections have improved in the last four months, it is still down 11.7% on year at 8.99 trln rupees in AprJan. The Constitution Amendment guarantees compensation to states for the shortfall in collections in the first five years.