Notifications & Circulars
Press Information Bureau
04.06.2019
Civil
Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Program, Signing of $287 Million World Bank loan to improve healthcare in the State of Tamil Nadu
MANU/PIBU/0583/2019
The Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN) and the World Bank signed here today in New Delhi a $287 Million Loan Agreement for the Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Program. The Program aims to improve the quality of health care, reduce the burden of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), and fill equity gaps in reproductive and child health services in the State of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu ranks third among all Indian States in the NITI Aayog Health Index which is reflected in vastly improved health outcomes. The State's maternal mortality rate has declined from 90 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2005 to 62 deaths in 2015-16 while infant mortality has declined from 30 deaths per 1000 live births to 20 in the same period. A key contribution to these achievements has been the establishment of emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care Centers and the 108 ambulance service with previous support from the World Bank. These have ensured that no mother has to travel more than 30 minutes to access emergency obstetric and neonatal care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Despite these impressive gains, certain challenges in health care remain, including quality of care and variations in reproductive and child health among districts. Tamil Nadu is also dealing with a growing burden of NCDs as they account for nearly 69 percent of deaths in the State.
The Tamil Nadu Health System Reform Program will support the State Government to:
develop clinical protocols and guidelines;
achieve national accreditation for primary, secondary, and tertiary-level health facilities in the public sector;
strengthen physicians, nurses and paramedics through continuous medical education;
strengthen the feedback loop between citizens and the state by making quality and other data accessible to the public.
"Tamil Nadu can serve as a model for how to take health system performance to the next level by investing in the public sector and offer lessons to other states. We are happy that the World Bank is helping the state in this journey," said Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
The Agreement for the Project was signed by Mr. Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Government of India, Beela Rajesh, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu and Mr. Hisham Abdo, Acting Country Director, World Bank India, on behalf of the World Bank.
"The Program supports interventions to strengthen institutional and state capacity to achieve results. Good practices and innovations from Tamil Nadu are being scaled-up while others from around the world are being introduced through the program to improve management of the State's Public Health Sector, increase transparency, and strengthen accountability," said Mr. Hisham Abdo, Acting Country Director, World Bank.
The Program will promote population-based screening, treatment and follow-up for NCDs, and improve monitoring and evaluation. Patients will be equipped with knowledge and skills to self-manage their conditions. Lab services and health provider capacity will also be strengthened to address mental health. To tackle road injuries, the program will improve in-hospital care, strengthen protocols, strengthen the 24x7 trauma care services and establish a trauma registry.
Another key aim of this Program is to reduce the equity gaps in reproductive and child health. Special focus will be given to nine priority districts, which constitute the bottom quintile of the RCH indicators in the State and have a relatively large proportion of tribal populations.
"This Program focuses on results instead of inputs through a Program-for-Results (PforR) lending instrument. This will provide a much greater focus on outputs and outcomes through better alignment of expenditures and incentives with results," said Mr. Rifat Hasan, Senior Health Specialist, World Bank India, and the Task Team Leader for the Program. The use of the PforR instrument is a first for the health sector and will offer lessons for other States.
Tags : Reform Program World Bank Loan Healthcare
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Press Information Bureau
04.06.2019
Direct Taxation
CBDT extends due date for filing of TDS statement in Form 24Q
MANU/PIBU/0582/2019
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had earlier notified amended Form 24Q for filing TDS statement by deductors of tax vide Notification No. 36/2019 dated 12th April, 2019. Subsequently, the File Validation Utility (FVU) for online filing of Form 24Q was updated by NSDL on 21st of May, 2019.
With a view to redress genuine hardship of deductors in timely filing of TDS statement in Form 24Q on account of revision of its format and consequent updating of the File Validation Utility for its online filing, CBDT has ordered the following:
(i) Extended the due date of filing of TDS statement in Form 24Q for financial year 2018-19 from 31st of May, 2019 to 30th of June, 2019 and
(ii) Extended the due date for issue of TDS certificate in Form 16 for financial year 2018-19 from 15th of June, 2019 to 10th of July, 2019.
Order dated 04.06.2019 issued under section 119 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 to this effect is available on www.incometaxindia.gov.in.
Tags : TDS statement Filing of Extension
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Reserve Bank of India
03.06.2019
Banking
Large Exposures Framework
MANU/RMIC/0058/2019
Please refer to the instructions contained in circulars DBR.No.BP.BC.43/21.01.003/2016-17 dated December 01, 2016 and DBR.No.BP.BC.31/21.01.003/2018-19 dated April 01, 2019 on "Large Exposures Framework (LEF)".
2. In order to capture exposures and concentration risk more accurately and to align the above instructions with international norms, the following amendments have been incorporated in the above mentioned instructions:
i) Exclusion of entities connected with the sovereign from definition of group of connected counterparties.
ii) Introduction of economic interdependence criteria in definition of connected counterparties.
iii) Mandatory application of look-through approach (LTA) in determination of relevant counterparties in case of collective investment undertakings, securitisation vehicles and other structures.
3. Revised guidelines superseding the above mentioned circulars are annexed. These have come into effect from April 1, 2019 (as was already specified in our LEF circular dated December 1, 2016), except guidelines in respect of para 2(ii) above (contained in paragraphs 6.2(b), 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, and 6.10 of the Annex) and non-centrally cleared derivatives exposures, which will become applicable with effect from April 1, 2020.
Tags : Concentration risk Exposures Framework
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Reserve Bank of India
03.06.2019
Banking
Enforcement action in respect of statutory auditors of commercial banks
MANU/RPRL/0107/2019
RBI vide its Press Release dated June 29, 2018 had put in place an enforcement action framework in respect of statutory auditors for the lapses in the statutory audit of commercial banks. In terms of the aforesaid enforcement action framework, on account of the lapses identified in a statutory audit assignment carried out by the firm, M/s S.R.Batliboi & Co. LLP, Chartered Accountants (ICAI Firm Registration Number: 301003E), it has been decided that RBI will not approve the said firm for carrying out statutory audit assignments in commercial banks for one year starting from April 1, 2019. The action taken in the matter has been communicated to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Tags : Statutory auditors Commercial banks Enforcement action
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Ministry of Finance
03.06.2019
Customs
Implementation of PGA eSANCHIT-Paperless Processing under SWIFT-Uploading of Licenses/Permits/Certificates/Other Authorizations (LPCOs) by PGAs
MANU/CUCR/0013/2019
'eSANCHIT' application is successfully in operation since 01.04.2018. Further with the objective of further reducing physical interface between Customs/regulatory agencies and the trade and to increase the speed of clearance in both imports & exports, a facility to upload digitally signed Licenses / Permits / Certificates / Other Authorizations (LPCOs) by Participating Government Agencies (PGAs) on eSANCHIT at all ICES locations across India was introduced from 16.11.2018 vide Circular No. 44/2018-Cus. dated 13.11.2018.
2. Initially, only three PGAs namely CDSCO, CPCB and WCCB were brought onboard eSANCHIT with the facility to upload one LPCO each. Subsequently one more PGA namely DGHC was also brought onboard with all its LPCOs. Now 23 more PGAs with their LPCOs as detailed in the Annexure are being brought onboard eSANCHIT platform. Further, the above mentioned PGAs that were already onboard shall also start uploading their remaining LPCOs. The communication of the IRNs pertaining to LPCOs uploaded by PGAs will also be made to the beneficiaries only through the email ids used for ICEGATE registration. A separate circular is being issued on the requirement of the ICEGATE registration for IEC holders.
3. Since the facility to upload the LPCOs is now being fully made available to the PGAs, therefore, the beneficiaries i.e. importers/exporters/customs brokers would not be allowed to upload the previously issued LPCOs on eSANCHIT w.e.f. 01/07/2019. Further, to facilitate the members of the trade (beneficiaries), the PGAs are required to upload the LPCOs issued by them during the last 15 days from the above cut-off date. Any LPCOs issued on a prior date may also be uploaded by the PGAs on eSANCHIT, in order to enable the beneficiary to utilize the same.
4. All Chief Commissioners of Customs are requested to issue public notices. Feedback and queries, if any, may be sent by email to icegatehelpdesk@icegate.gov.in.
5. Any difficulties, in this regard, may be brought to the notice of the Board.
Tags : Paperless Processing Import Export Implementation
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Ministry of Finance
03.06.2019
Customs
Simplified auto-registration of beneficiaries (IEC holders) on ICEGATE for eSANCHIT and other benefits
MANU/CUCR/0014/2019
I am directed to refer to Board's circular No. 35/2018 dated 01.10.2018 wherein it was stated that CBIC was working towards bringing all the Participating Government Agencies (PGAs) under eSANCHIT and enable PGAs who issue Licenses, Permits, Certificates and Other Authorizations (LPCOs) to upload the documents themselves instead of importer/exporter. The IRN of the uploaded documents would be communicated to the beneficiary importer/exporter for quoting the same in their declaration. The importers, exporters, Customs Brokers and other beneficiaries transacting with Customs were, therefore, requested to come forward and register on ICEGATE Portal. A detailed procedure was also made available for this purpose.
2. However, the response from the trade has not been encouraging. The matter was examined in consultation with the Directorate General of Systems. For successful implementation of PGA-eSANCHIT, it is essential that beneficiaries are registered with ICEGATE portal. Once the facility of uploading the LPCOs on eSANCHIT by PGAs is implemented, the beneficiaries will not be allowed to upload the same themselves. Out of 48 PGAs, nodal officers of around 29 PGAs have registered with ICEGATE and will commence uploading LPCOs shortly.
3. It was reported that one of the bottlenecks in registration was the requirement of Digital Signature Certificate of beneficiaries. For the effective implementation of PGA-eSANCHIT and other planned enquiries and interactions, it was decided to simplify the registration process on ICEGATE for those importers and exporters that do not intend to do any filing of documents through ICEGATE and would use the login only as an information and interaction portal.
4. Accordingly, ICEGATE has now introduced simplified auto registration for IEC holders based on the email ids already provided by them for registration under GST. Detailed advisory on the same has been placed on the ICEGATE web portal. The simplified procedure does away with the requirement of the digital signature. However, as has been stated above, digital signature would be required in case the IEC holder intends to file any declarations (BE, SB, eSeal manifest etc.) with Customs. Further, the communication of the IRNs pertaining to LPCOs uploaded by PGAs will also be made to the beneficiaries through the email ids used for ICEGATE registration.
5. The registration of importers and exporters will also enable direct access to information related to their consignments for which DG (Systems) is providing several enquiries under their login. The importers and exporters will get intimation about the status of their consignments and PDF copies of their declarations on their registered email ids. The option of replying to the queries raised by Customs officers, including those raised during post clearance audit, has also been provided under the login of the IEC holder so as to avoid the necessity of submitting the same physically at the Service Centre.
6. The importers and exporters operating in your jurisdiction may be asked to immediately register themselves, if not done already, so as to avail of the above benefits. All the field formations in your jurisdiction may also be sensitized in this regard and asked to issue suitable Trade notices.
Tags : Auto-registration IEC holders Benefits
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