Goods and Services Tax Network – Genesis and Role

Introduction

With the introduction of GST for simplifying the tax payment in various fields, things are expected to become smooth, hassle-free and simple. In order to implement and control the new tax regime, the government has introduced a nodal agency with the mandate of simplifying the tax payments by various stakeholders. In this blog post, we will see what this agency is and what it is mandated with.

GST Network

It is a Section-8, non-Government, private limited company mandated to provide IT infrastructure and services to the Central and State Governments, taxpayers, and other stakeholders for implementing the Goods and Services Tax framework. It is a not-for-profit company with an authorized capital of Rs. 10 crores. The stakeholders of the company are Indian Government, all the States of the Indian Union; including the centrally administered regions of New Delhi and Puducherry; the Empowered Committee of Ministers and non-Government financial institutions. The government has the share of 49% and the private finance agencies the remaining shares in this network. This special vehicle project has adequate safeguards in the form of a government control over its working.

GST Network Features

This network is a complex initiative that aims to establish a uniform interface for the taxpayer and a common and shared IT infrastructure between the Center and the States. This bold step will do away the previously followed the Centre and State indirect tax administrations under a variety of laws, regulations, procedures, and formats that totally confuse the people who were under their purview. Hence, the GST Network is designed to integrate this complex indirect tax ecosystem to bring all the tax administrations to the level playing field using this IT platform. Consequently, there will be uniform formats and interfaces for the taxpayers and other external stakeholders. Moreover, it strives to bring in robust settlement mechanism amongst the States and Centre

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Common GST Portal

This portal will function as the front-end of the overall GST ecosystem of the country. This all important backbone of GST is designed by this special vehicle project. At the back end of this portal are the robust IT systems of CBEC and State Tax Departments. This would enable the smooth handling of tax administration functions, such as registration approval, assessment, adjudication, audit, etc. In connection with this, CBEC and 9 Indian states are developing their own backend systems. This new portal is currently capable of doing the backend functions for 20 States and 5 Union Territories. Prior to the migration of the GST regime, GST Portal was interacting with CBEC and State Tax Departments as a front-end tool on a pilot basis. The issues and shortcomings that were encountered in the trial run have been incorporated and made fool-proof.

Role of GST Portal in Tax Payments

Under GST, the taxpayers have to prepare their own challans for the tax payments through the GST portal only. This mandatory step is expected to weed out the presence of wrong TIN number from the records. Previously, the handwritten entries used to bring in these wrong TINs to the database. Once the registration is complete through the GST portal, the users have two options.

1. Online: Through the GST portal, the users have the option of payment through the agency banks that collect the GST. Once the payment is done, the portal generates a paid challan that can be downloaded for the safe custody.


2. Offline: In the other option, the user has to take print out of the payment challan and present it to the relevant bank for the Over-the-Counter (OTC) payment. After receiving the money, the bank transfers it to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and sends the payment confirmation receipt to GST Portal for accounting purpose.

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20 Things that Say You have a Good Husband

Introduction

Always men expect the women to do many things for them. This is especially true in the third world or Muslim world. The demarcation is now slowly ebbing with the passage of time with members from each gender making contribution for the well being of the society. With the family becoming more nuclear, the expectations from the couple are getting more over the board. In this backdrop, it is quite natural for the women folks to expect something from their spouses. In this blog, we will be listing 20 things women expect from their spouses before adjudging them as good husbands.

1.      Accepts spiritual responsibility for his family and does whatever needed to teach the children about the findings he had about the better living.

2.      He is willing to say "I'm sorry" and "Forgive me" to his family if he is at fault.

3.      He prefers to discuss household responsibilities with his wife and makes sure they are fairly distributed so that family does not suffer.

4.      He brings in loop his wife on all major financial decisions to get her inputs so that couple does not suffer.

5.      He always keeps track of the commitments he has made to his wife and makes amendments when he is not able to meet one or two such promises.

6.      He anticipates different stages his children will pass through and tells them what they need to do to keep them on track.

7.      Anticipates different stages his marriage will pass through and makes preparations for that with the wife’s consent in advance.

8.      He often keeps his wife in good humor by telling her what he likes about her.

9.      Under all conditions, he provides funds for the family’s up-keeping.

10.  Through years of dealing with the family, he knows how to deal with distractions so that he can talk with his wife and other members of the family openly.

11.  He visits with his family to the church or a temple or a mosque on a regular basis and prays with them. He prays for all the members of the family, including him.

12.  He initiates meaningful family traditions so that siblings in the family come and mingle with the family to generate more happiness.

13.  He proactively takes the family to outings regularly to keep the members rejuvenated.

14.  He takes some time from his busy schedules to give his children practical instructions about life to groom them well for the life beyond home.

15.  In between, he manages the schedule at home and anticipates pressure points when the homemaker is not well.

16.  He manages his finances well and provides serious inputs to the family members to keep his family financially sound.

17.  He makes sure that he and his wife have drawn up a will so that there is a smooth transition after their death.

18.  Lets his wife and children into the interior of his life and discusses with them some funny instances that happened in his life. He also talks about the lean patches in his early life and the way those bad times were overcome

19.  He honors his wife in public.

20.  The husband includes his wife in envisioning the future. Always has a fruitful discussion with his wife to plan for the family.

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6 Situations in Which Mobiles Come to Our Rescue

Introduction

We live in a diverse society in which good and bad things happen simultaneously. At one place, good things happen while bad things happen at another place in the same time. We do not have control over the behavior of people with whom we meet regularly during the course of the day. Some people take it in sportsman spirit while some others give back in the same coin after some time.  The most vulnerable members of the society are children and women. They have to move around independently at different points in time. Always the eagle-eyed predators are on look out for the vulnerable people in the society. Moreover, the untoward incidents happen at any point in time. That is why the companies have brought certain applications that help the users to convey the latitude and longitudes of their location when such an event strikes in their lives. Many of the applications have customizable features that anybody can use to his or her advantage without much effort. In this blog, we will see when users can make use of these installed applications in mobile to seek help from the authorities and local people whenever a distress comes in their lives.

1. Pool: While swimming in a water body near your house, sometimes you get entangled in an undercurrent. You can use the application to make distress calls to the people who are trained in rescuing life nearby.





2. Toddlers: When your child gets trapped in a room in your house not knowing how to open the door room from outside and crying for help. The mothers can make the distress call for help from nearby.





3. Girls: When young girls step out of their office premises, they can use the mobile applications to keep in touch with the people who are their well-wishers. This is true when they take cabs to reach their homes. They can use the applications to send their position to let know the people concerned about them whether they are being transported in the right direction.





4. Accidents: Sometimes while traveling, you might face with an accident. In such a situation, you need to get a number of the nearest hospital to seek help from the people working there. This time also the mobile applications come handy.





5. Travelers: If you are a frequent traveler, your car may become non-functional. You need a guy from the nearest workshop or garage to look into the problems afflicting your car at the earliest. This is more relevant if you are traveling with your family. Now, you can do this with the help of a button on your mobile.





6. Aged: If you have old people at home, there is every possibility that they fall ill. If the illness strikes in the midnight, you are left to go nowhere. In such situation, you use the mobile applications to reach out to the health authorities to arrange an ambulance to take your near and dear one to the hospital at the earliest.

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Are New Codes for NEET Aspirants Justified in Light of Hardship Endured by Them?

Introduction

After a protracted battle between states and center in the apex court, the stage is set for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical and paramedical courses in the country. The honorable Supreme Court made it mandatory a pass in the NEET exam a mandatory condition to get admissions in medical and paramedical courses in the country. In order to offset the chances of cheating in mass-scale, the exam conducting authority Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) made sweeping changes in the schedules for the code of contact for the aspirants. The centers were given strict instructions to adhere to the code to avoid the controversies. In the light of the severe criticism from various quarters, let us see what these codes meant in the first place and how the authorities should execute them with discretion.

NEET Codes of Contact Surprised the Aspirants

As per the new codes of contact issued by CBSE for conducting NEET exam, the candidates had to remove earrings, abandon closed shoes, cut shirt sleeves, and avoid taking a calculator, unwanted papers before entering the examination hall. Apart from the restrictions listed above, the aspirants were not allowed to wear full sleeve shirts, and not allowed to take pencils, pens, closed or high-heeled shoes, metal buttons and big brooches inside the examination hall. Though CBSE gave instructions on the codes of contact, many of them were not clearer enough. As a result, the aspirants had to run between pillar and post in the 24th hour, risking their chances for appearing in the exam. Keeping in mind the confusion, some authorities at the test centers kept a stock of two dozen T-shirts ready for the use by those students who came with full-sleeve shirts on.

Candidate Hardships

Many candidates around the country were not prepared to meet the NEET codes of contact at the examination centers despite their listings in the leaflet accompanying the hall ticket.

1. A girl student at Army Public School in Bengaluru faced an unexpected crisis when she was unable to remove earrings in a hurry.





2. In another incident, a girl in Kannur district of Kerala was asked to remove her underwear before entering the examination hall.


3. Students wearing closed shoes were asked to remove them and asked to walk into the examination hall barefooted.


4. Girls with the long flock of hair nicely combed and set were asked to untie their hair before their entry into the venue.





5. Authorities in some exam centers asked even asked the girls to remove the nose stud before entering the exam center.





6. The candidates who came wearing the black dress were in for a shock. They were asked to remove them and change into new clothes with lighter colors.





7. Students coming with full sleeves were asked to make it half-sleeves before entering the hall by the authorities.

Response from Parents

Though many parents acknowledged the good intentions of the CBSE in removing the menace of mass copying, they were against the way these codes were executed across the country. They were of the view that the codes should have been enforced depending upon on the context and sensibility of the situation. They also added that blind enforcement of codes would deter the aspirants from undertaking similar examinations in the future if the authorities were not forthcoming in understanding the feeling of the student community. In certain cases, the children were made to do what that was not listed in the list of not-dos.

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10 Reasons Why You Should Always Book a Window Seat on Plane

Introduction

Nowadays, people travel in the plane to overseas destinations for various purposes. Sometimes the period of travel by air may extend up to a day. If you book a non-window seat, you might feel as well bored. On the other hand, the people who have opted for the window seat would be able to watch the natural wonders happening through the transparent windows. This is why primarily people opt for the window seat for a plane journey. In this article, we would be listing out 10 reasons why you should opt for a window seat while doing the air travel.

1.     You might be able to see Kerala skyline reflected in Lake Vembanadu while traveling over Kollam district of that state in India.

2.     While sitting on the window seat, you could see an approaching rainstorm from some distance and marvel at the beauty of transformation the system brings to the environment. You can even enjoy small sprays of water cooling the airplane when it passes through the rain-forming clouds.

3.     At higher altitudes, the visuals of a solar eclipse are pretty cool as there is no turbulence of atmosphere. Hence, the full duration of the eclipse can easily be seen while traveling at higher altitude.

4.     While traveling to the African continent, you can see the breathtaking view of the highest point in the continent through the window from the top.

5.     When seated in the window seats of an airplane, you might see the spectacle of sunrise and the change it brings to the atmosphere. The color of rising sun seen through the clouds gives a totally different experience for the passenger.

6.     An air traveler sitting on the window seat might be able to see even the sunsets coloring the horizon, courtesy cnn.com.

7.     While passing by waterfalls, you can see it from the top in all its splendor. This aerial view might take your breath away. The rising drops of water scatter the light and give a milky white color to its top.

8.     If you pass over the Australia or USA in the night during the summer, you could witness forest fires raging below through the plane window.

9.     You can finally understand why everyone thinks Norway is so beautiful with its panoramic aerial view when you are traveling by plane seated on a window seat.

10.   You could ride an endless sea of clouds and at times even pass through them with some jerks. The window seat lets the passenger enjoy the cloud shapes and the horizon.

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US Drops ‘Mother of All Bombs’ in Afghanistan

Introduction

According to the latest news available in the public domain, the United States (US) forces have dropped what the defense analysts call as ‘Mother of All Bombs’ in Afghanistan. This was disclosed by the sources close to the ground forces operating in this war-torn country. The sources say that the said bomb was used to blast the ISIS tunnels in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is expected to talk about this development in his upcoming brief. In this blog post, let us see what has prompted the US to drop this bulky bomb in Afghanistan.

Understanding ‘Mother of All Bombs’

The explosive device used this time in Afghanistan is the largest non-nuclear device in the US Air Force arsenal. This was reported by the reputed news gatherers in the globe, as quoted by the US ground forces operating in Afghanistan.  This precision-guided device was developed in 2003 by US Air Force. It belongs to the GBU-43 class of bomb that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to precisely hit the target. This bulky explosive device was code named as MOAB, which stands for Massive Ordnance Air Blast. In the defense quarters, MOAB is fondly called as the ‘Mother of All Bombs’. The total weight of this explosive device is 21,000 pounds. It is for the first time the US Air Force is using this bulky ordnance. According to the defense analysts, this device is a ‘concussive weapon’ that does not penetrate the ground. Instead, MOAB destroys tunnels and a large surface area.

Likely Impact

As told above, this bomb creates a huge shockwave, apart from a huge fireball, over a large surface area. Though the impact seen from above will be minimal at the surface, it completely pulverizes the underground tunnels and bunkers, thereby making them useless in the future. Hence, it is the most optimal arsenal to use against the terror groups. Due to its precision nature, the collateral damage would be minimal, the defense sources privy to this development claimed. The blast impact would cover a radius of 300 meters. The shock impact was felt even in the neighboring Pakistani province as well. This bombing is expected to impede the free movement of terrorists through this tunnel without getting noticed.

Reason for Afghan Bombing

It was dropped in Nangarhar province in this war-torn country, bordering the eastern region of Pakistan.  The attack was launched in an area where the US ground forces had faced small arms firing when they were searching there to flush out the ISIS militants and destroy their targets. As a result of this Saturday firing, one US Green Beret was killed. This Afghan province has been in the limelight for all wrong reasons, as it has become the operational base of terrorist groups like al Qaeda, Haqqani Network and ISIS (Afghan branch). Even the Osama Bin Laden chose this region to hide from the public glare after the infamous 9/11 terror attacks.  

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US Court Grants Divorce Through Facebook

Introduction

In a recent past, the US Court granted a divorce for a couple through Facebook as a last resort. While passing the judgment, the honorable court had said that a woman could divorce her husband through Facebook if she failed to go along with him. This ruling had come after the husband of a New York woman was not physically traceable even after repeated serving of notices to him.

Landmark Judgement

The Judge of Manhattan Supreme Court Matthew Cooper had to pass this ruling in favor of the New York woman Ellanora Baidoo as her husband remained untraceable during the course of the trial at the family court. The court allowed the woman to send divorce summons to her missing husband Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku. The honorable court instructed her attorney to send him the petition on her behalf through the Facebook messaging system so that it could reach the man. The New York women' attorney Andrew Spinnell passed the news about this landmark judgment to the media. He told a media house in New York that his client wanted to become free. He further added that his client was very happy to hear the judgment as it had provided a mechanism for her to get the judgment of divorce from the legal authorities. The woman’s attorney would try to contact Blood-Dzraku once in a week for three weeks or until he acknowledges the receipt of the judgment. After the Facebook method of reaching the man fails, the woman would be granted the default divorce decree by the honorable court. The court had reasoned that the non-receipt of the court summons cannot become a premise for not giving divorce to a person who deserves to go out-of-wedlock.

Modern-day Judgement

In his judgment, the Justice Cooper opined that the social media platforms offer novel and non-traditional ways to communicate with people who cannot be contacted. This is because such people have no permanent house or permanent place of employment. He was referring to the case of the husband of the New York woman. He further added that summons could be served physically on those persons who present themselves readily before the court or whose whereabouts are known. If a person has no permanent place to live, the social media platforms help the authorities to pass on the softcopy of the judgment to him.  He also noted that courts in the USA had passed the judgments through emails in similar cases in the past.

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