Top news on June 22: GST Council meet, NEET row, Paytm layoffs, IMD alert for heavy rains, and more

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman-led panel on Saturday approved biometric-based Aadhaar authentication to check fake invoicing, during GST Council meeting. On the 53rd GST Council Meeting, Sitharaman said, “There is going to be a rolling out of biometric-based Aadhaar authentication on an all-India basis. This will help us to combat fraudulent input tax credit claims made through fake invoices in the cases.” The GST Council meet also mentioned “It is up to the states to decide and come together and get petrol and diesel into GST. The intent of the Central Government is clear, we want the GST to include petrol and diesel”.

Here are the top news stories:

GST Council Meeting

GST Council on Saturday recommended ₹20 lakh limit for filing of appeal by Tax Authorities before Appellate Tribunal, ₹1crore for High Court, ₹2 crore for Supreme Court. Further, the council also recommended a uniform rate of 12 pc on all milk cans. Nirmala Sitharaman also informed that services provided by Indian Railways like platform tickets will be exempted from GST.

To read more about GST Council Meeting click here 

Speaker Protem row flares up 

As the row over the appointment of the new Speaker Protem, Opposition sources reportedly said on Saturday that Suresh Kodikunnil, Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu and Sudip Bandyopadhyay may not join the panel of chairpersons to assist Speaker Protem Bhartruhari Mahtab in administering the oath to the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha.

To read more about Speaker Protem row click here

Paytm's laid-off employees allege unlawful termination

Paytm is under the spotlight again after several of its former employees have alleged the fintech major over unlawful termination of employment without severance pay. Ex-employees have filed complaints with the Ministry of Labour and Employment demanding a fair and formal termination process for the same.

To read more about Paytm layoff click here

IMD issues alerts for Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra

Kerala, parts of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next few days, said the India Meteorological Department. IMD has issued a red alert for Kerala, Konkan, Goa, Coastal Karnataka and South Interior Karnataka. It has also issued an orange alert for Madhya Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar.

To read more about IMD weather updates click here

Govt forms committee to conduct exams amid NEET row

The Ministry of Education constituted a high-level committee of seven experts to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations. The move to form the expert panel came amid controversy over the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam 2024.

To read more about Govt measures amid NEET 2024 row click here