India is one of the lowest among the Asia Pacific nations when it comes to health insurance for older people and needs to expand universal health coverage to meet the needs of rapidly ageing population and sustain growth momentum, a report by ADB said on Thursday. While the South Korea and Thailand have achieved universal health coverage, others lag behind with India having the lowest health insurance coverage among older people at 21 per cent, a report titled 'Aging Well In Asia' prepared by ADB said. However, schemes like Ayushman Bharat that provides cashless healthcare to bottom quartile of population has improved health coverage since its launch, ADB senior economist Aiko Kikkawa said here. Expanding it further will improve the condition and make people aged over 60 years more productive for the economy, she said, adding, silver dividend can be higher for such countries who gainfully employ them. Besides achieving universal health coverage, she said, it is also critical to ext

Manufacturers report robust demand from Indian and foreign clients, says HSBC final survey for the month

Business optimism improved as firms expected demand to remain buoyant and higher production volumes in the coming 12 months

The acceptance of Sovcomflot tanker by the country's largest refiner carries significance as it could embolden other smaller refiners to also use Sovcomflot vessels for their oil purchases from Russia

Fed holds rates steady, flags 'lack of further progress' on inflation

Experts say richer nations would pressure developing ones to meet green targets

India needs to address the quality issues with urgency, the think tank said

Net GST collections rise by 17%

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said GST collection breached the Rs 2 lakh crore milestone on the back of strong economic momentum and efficient tax realisation. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the minister also lauded the efforts of the central and state officers of the revenue department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) for their "sincere and collaborative efforts" in achieving this landmark. "GST collection crosses Rs 2 lakh crore benchmark, thanks to the strong momentum in the economy and efficient tax collections," she said. Goods and Services Tax collection grew 12.4 per cent to a record high of Rs 2.10 lakh crore in April, driven by increased domestic transactions and imports. The collection was Rs 1.87 lakh crore in April 2023. Out of the IGST collection, Rs 50,307 crore was settled towards CGST and Rs 41,600 crore towards SGST. This translates to a total revenue of Rs 94,153 crore for CGST and Rs 95,138 crore for SGST in April ..

Former RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has opined that only enlightened leadership at Centre and state levels can resolve the complex north-south divide in deciding on the distribution of the tax pool among states, saying it is beyond the remit of the Finance Commission. Subbarao, who held various positions including the finance secretary of Andhra Pradesh and Union finance secretary, and wrote extensively on issues in fiscal federalism in his new book titled 'Just A Mercenary?: Notes from My Life and Career' further said that horizontal sharing of the divisible pool of taxes has always been a contentious issue but will be even more so in this round. "This (north-south divide in deciding on the distribution of the tax pool among states) is a complex political challenge beyond the remit of the Finance Commission. "Resolving it will demand enlightened leadership at central and state levels that can look beyond politics and build a consensus around an optimal way forward," he told PTI.

Driven by domestic transactions and imports, the gross goods and services tax (GST) collections for April 2024 saw a 12.4 per cent year-on-year growth

A 19 kg cylinder will now costs Rs 1,745.50 in Delhi as against Rs 1,764.50 as of last month

Prime Minister Narendra Modi - who is seeking a third term in elections that run until June 1 - has been campaigning on making India a developed nation by 2047

(Reuters) - India has cut its windfall tax on petroleum crude to 8,400 Indian rupees ($100.66) a metric ton from 9,600 rupees with effect from May 1, the government said on Tuesday

Returning entrepreneurs hamstrung by inadequate policy measures

The fourth quarter GDP figure was also revised down to a negative 0.1% from a previous 0.0%, meaning that the euro zone was in a technical recession in the second half of 2023

Agrochemicals margins could normalise from the second quarter due to destocking of high-cost inventories

When you re-import the goods under notification 45/2017-Cus dated June 30. 2017, you have to pay the GST, DBK and RoDTEP amounts at the time of clearance

The French banking group said the turnaround in the investment cycle that started from 2018-19 has further gained pace over the last two years after a Covid-led disruption in 2020 and 2021

Saha indicated that the RTM should be amenable to take on other categories