13 Units of Natural Paint from Cow Dung Started in Gauthans | Chhattisgarh | 20 Feb 2023

Why in News?

According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on February 19, 2023, 13 units have been started to make natural paint from cow dung as an innovation along with conducting various income-oriented activities in the Gauthans established for the conservation and promotion of livestock in the state.

Key Points

• As per the intention of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, gauthans established for the conservation and promotion of livestock in the state have started developing rapidly as rural industrial parks. Natural paints are being produced from cow dung as an innovation along with conducting diverse income-oriented activities in gauthans.
• At present, the establishment of natural paint making units from cow dung in 32 identified gauthans of 21 districts is in the final stage, where natural paint will be produced soon.
• A total of 45 paint production units have been approved for making natural paint from dung, out of which 13 have been completed and production has been started there.
• Two units have been set up in Raipur district, while 1 unit each has been set up and operational in Kanker, Durg, Balod, Korba, Koriya, Kondagaon, Dantewada, Bijapur, Bemetara, Surajpur and Bastar districts.
• So far 30,218 liters of natural paint has been produced through working units, out of which 14,358 liters of natural paint has earned Rs 29,70,300 from the sale.
• So far, 11 thousand liters in 2 units of Raipur district, 7768 liters in Kanker, 2900 in Durg, 700 in Balod, 284 in Korba, 800 in Korea, 2608 in Kondagaon, 1443 in Dantewada, 800 in Bijapur, 300 in Bemetara, 300 in Surajpur 500 liters of natural paint has been produced in Bastar and 1160 liters of natural paint. The produced paint is also being sold.

GST Council Agrees to Have Two Judicial Members and Two Technical Members in the Tribunal on Chhattisgarh's Proposal | Chhattisgarh | 20 Feb 2023

Why in News?

• In the GST Council meeting held under the chairmanship of Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 18, 2023, on behalf of Chhattisgarh, on the proposal to have two judicial members and two technical members (one form the state and one from the center) in the tribunal Consensus was reached in the council.

Key Points

• This will also enable states to get proper representation while taking proper care of cooperative federalism. States will also have the right to determine the number of benches of tribunals based on their geographical and other circumstances.
• It is worth mentioning that the 49th meeting of the GST Council was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chowdhary and Finance Ministers of other states, officers and Chhattisgarh Commissioner, Commercial Tax Bhim Singh also participated in the meeting.
• The proposal was put forward by Chhattisgarh's commercial tax minister TS Singhdeo. Chhattisgarh demanded to provide the amount of compensation soon. It was decided to give compensation amount of Rs 505 crore immediately by the central government.
• The main issue in the meeting was the GST Appellate Tribunal (Tribunal). The Group of Ministers was constituted to reconsider the tribunal provision after the Madras High Court declared the tribunal provision of TNGST illegal in the Madras Bar Association case. The report of this Group of Ministers was presented in the meeting.
• Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh supported status quo on Orissa's proposal to reduce GST rate on tendu leaves to zero. Earlier, in the 22nd and 37th meeting of the Council, it was decided to keep the rate unchanged and to maintain status quo based on opinion of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
• It is noteworthy that due to the policies of the Chhattisgarh government, tendu leaf collectors are provided the highest benefit across the country. Due to the transfer of maximum benefit, the burden of tax does not have to be borne by the collectors, as well as the tax burden is borne by the government due to RCM (reverse charge) on tendu leaves.
• Bhartiya Kisan Sangh, Chhattisgarh State proposed to give such input tax to the farmers (as it is given to other manufacturers) on fertilizers, agricultural machinery etc. purchased after paying the tax.
• It may be noted that the eligibility for input tax is only after registration and taxable sale. Farmers are not eligible for input tax due to lack of registration and taxable sales. Therefore, a proposal was put before the council by converting this proposal from Chhattisgarh to keep all the materials used by the farmers free from GST, which was recommended to be sent to the Fitment Committee for consideration.

Government of India Approves CM's Proposal to Include Millets in Mid-day Meals | Chhattisgarh | 20 Feb 2023

Why in News?

• According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on February 18, 2023, the Central Government has approved the proposal to include millets in the mid-day meal scheme by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Key Points

• After the approval of the Center, now under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Yojana, food items made from millets will be distributed to school children four days a week in place of soya chikki in 12 districts of Chhattisgarh.
• It is known that in line with the intention of the Chhattisgarh government, the Directorate of Public Education had sent a proposal to the Central Government to partially revise this scheme and distribute food items made of millets in place of soya chikki. This proposal has been approved by the Director of the Central Government, PM Poshan.
• It is noteworthy that farmers are being given a lot of incentives for the production of millets in the state. Millets like Kodo, Kutki-Ragi are being procured at support price. Apart from this, input subsidy of Rs 9,000 is being provided to the millet producing farmers of the state under the Millet Mission. The year 2023 has been declared as the International Year of Millets.
• Earlier, in the annual action plan of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman Yojana, the central government had approved Rs 1787.20 lakh as central share and Rs 1198.14 lakh as state share for providing soya chikki to children under supplementary nutrition diet in 7 districts of Chhattisgarh.