National Security Cess
India's Lok Sabha Passes Health and National Security Cess Bill on Pan Masala Production
Dec 05, 2025 10:57 pm CST
The Lok Sabha has approved legislation imposing a cess on pan masala manufacturing facilities to fund national security and public health initiatives. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman confirmed the revenue will be shared with states while maintaining the existing 40% GST rate on pan masala products. This new cess targets production capacity rather than consumption and represents 6.1% of gross total revenue in the current fiscal year.
Finance Minister Sitharaman Defends Multilingual Speech Rights After TMC MP Objects to Hindi Address in Parliament
Dec 04, 2025 08:46 pm CST
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman firmly responded to TMC MP Saugata Roy's objection to her Hindi speech during a Lok Sabha session on the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill. The minister defended her right to speak in multiple languages, highlighting Parliament's translation technology while suggesting Roy's complaint was a diversionary tactic to avoid substantive debate on the proposed legislation.