Delhi

Mumbai, Sep 16 (PTI) Total tax collection of the Centre, including advance tax collection for the second quarter, fell 22.5 per cent to Rs 2,53,532.3 crore till September 15 of the current fiscal as compared to the year-ago period, according to an income tax department source.

The source shared some details about the provisional data.

During the same period ended September 15, 2019, total tax collection stood at Rs 3,27,320.2 crore, the income tax department source from Mumbai zone told PTI over phone on Wednesday.

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which seeks to deregulate food items, including cereals, pulses and onion, a move aimed at transforming the farm sector and raising farmers' income.

Participating in the debate, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, an ally of the ruling BJP, spoke about "misgivings" and "doubts" among farmers on the bill and two other proposed legislations related to the farm sector.

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 50 lakh, just 11 days after it crossed 40 lakh with 90,123 infections being reported in a day, while recoveries surged to 39,42,360 on Wednesday pushing the recovery rate to 78.53 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 50,20,359, while the death toll climbed to 82,066 with a record 1,290 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bihar's Darbhanga, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The institute will come up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) at a total cost of Rs 1,264 crore, it said.

The new AIIMS is likely to be completed within a period of 48 months from the date of the approval by the Centre, the statement said.

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) A total of 100 paramilitary personnel have died due to the coronavirus in the country so far, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the data in respect of state police personnel who died due to COVID-19 is not maintained centrally.

Of the 100 deaths reported, as on September 10, as many as 35 were from the CRPF, 24 from CISF, 23 from BSF, seven from ITBP, six from SSB and five from Assam Rifles, he said replying to a written question.

Delhi, Sep 15, 2020: As many as 138 Kashmiris and separatists have been killed by Indian security forces between March and August this year in the Indian Administered Kashmir, the Indian Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy  informed Parliament on Tuesday.

50 Indian security force personnel too lost their lives during this period.

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) The government is using the sedition law with an iron hand to curb free speech in an overreaction to people's opinion, former Supreme Court judge Justice M B Lokur said on Monday.

Another method by which the state is curbing free speech is to crack down on critical opinions by charging them of spreading fake news, Justice (retried) Lokur said at a webinar on 'Freedom of Speech and Judiciary'.

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan said on Monday that paying of the token fine of Re 1 imposed on him by the Supreme Court in a contempt case does not mean that he has accepted the verdict and would file a review petition against the judgement.

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) The Centre on Monday told the Delhi High Court that marriage between same sex couples was "not permissible" as it is not recognised by "our laws, legal system, society and our values".

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta during hearing of a PIL seeking a declaration that same sex marriages be recognised under the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) and Special Marriage Act.

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday called for according equal respect to all languages and emphasised that no language should either be imposed or opposed.

Addressing an online event organised to mark 'Hindi Divas -2020', he said all Indian languages have rich history and people should be proud of the country's language diversity and cultural heritage.