Pandemic of poverty: India's financial crisis worsens

Mafazah Sharafuddin
May 31, 2021

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As the country suffers the threat of death and disease, financial struggle looms over it. There has been a huge loss for several of the economy. The government has issued aid, however, it is insufficient and neglects the unorganized sector entirely. 

The estimation of the government, standing at Rs 1,250 crore, and is not close to what is needed by the people. Additionally, it does not aid those who don’t come under government schemes, meaning a huge chunk of the unorganized and industrial sector. 

The financial crisis in India due to COVID is a many headed demon. So many different issues have arisen since the start of the pandemic, and the people of India are suffering under the financial burden. 

Sudden shifts

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the word ‘unprecedented’ has been used innumerable times. Problems arrive suddenly, with no warning. People are losing their jobs all at once after years of working in the same place. 

With the magnitude of the death toll, many a times the sole breadwinner of the house passes away. This leaves the family floundering, looking for jobs and trying to keep mouths fed.

People who are newly unemployed and unable to find jobs in the same industry are left confused. They have a skillset that employers are not looking for and eventually, they have to resort to unskilled labor which gives them lower wages. 

Warning signs 

The fact is that the people are suffering. The numbers back it up. There has been a 15 to 20% increase in poverty since the pandemic began. This means more than 23 crore people have slipped below the poverty line. 

Unemployment has increased, too. 1.5 people have been lost their jobs, and those who continue to be employed face lowered salaries. The per capita income of the country has lowered by 16.8% to what it was in January of 2020. 

Within 2020, there was an increase in people partially withdrawing funds from their Employee Provident Fund accounts. While it was 54 lakh people in 2019, 2020 saw 1.27 crore people doing the same. 

According to RBI, there had been an 81.5% increase in that loans against gold jewelry by Scheduled Commercial Banks in March in comparison with the same last year. 

MFIs, MSMEs suffer losses

MFIs (Micro finance Institutions) cater to the poorer sections of Indian society. The lockdowns have has adverse effects on the functioning of NBFCs and MFIs. With the poor already suffering through unemployment and steep hospital bills, this too has caused a bad hit.

Some sectors are faring worse than others. These industries thrive on travel, face to face interactions and consumerism. Retail, MSME, and hospitality are some of them.

The pandemic has resulted in the closure of 15-20% of the MSMEs in India. Large scale supply chains are taking away their customers as they are not able to operate as usual during the pandemic. If the situation continues, there could be a much larger percentage of MSMEs closed during the pandemic. 

Small businesses run into trouble

Small businesses like family run stores are facing trouble getting customers and keeping their shops open. The lockdown hours put a huge dent in the time they can sell to people. Shops that don’t count as ‘essentials’ often cannot open at all. 

Chain supermarkets and other shops are seeing more traffic as these small businesses get neglected. Without their livelihood, the threat of COVID increases as they would not be able to afford the hospital bills and medication.

Sellers over the internet find it difficult to post packages as delivery services do not function everywhere due to COVID. Small businesses are losing customers at a large scale. 

Social workers rise to the occasion

While the situation is dire, social worker and organizations have taken the initiative to help people. All over India, social workers and volunteers are assisting on everything from grocery packages to cremations. 

The workers help with transportation, reservation of beds, intricacies of the Ayushman card, ensuring the patients and the family members staying with them are fed, etc. With the ongoing crisis with the bodies piling up with no one to deal with them, social workers are also burying and cremating bodies. 

Not just this, but they are also helping people who are not infected, but have been affected by the pandemic. Distributing food, rations etc. to those in need is another task they perform. 

However, without proper government aid to the poorer sections of society, there is no saying how bad the situation could get.

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Agencies
March 24,2025

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The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has warned that the tight Israeli blockade on the entry of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip is pushing the coastal territory closer to an acute hunger crisis.

Philippe Lazzarini made the remarks in a social media post, in which he noted that the siege, which is preventing food, medicines, water and fuel from entering the region, has lasted longer than what was in place in the first phase of the war.

Israel has banned the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza since March 4, following the expiry of the first phase of a ceasefire and an agreement with Hamas resistance movement on the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners.

Lazzarini warned that Gaza’s population depends on imports via Israeli-occupied territories for their survival.

“Every day that passes without the entry of aid means more children go to bed hungry, diseases spread & deprivation deepens,” he said.

“Every day without food inches Gaza closer to an acute hunger crisis,” the UNRWA chief noted.

Lazzarini described the banning of aid as a collective punishment on Gaza’s population – the vast majority of which are children, women and ordinary men.

He called for the siege to be lifted and for humanitarian aid and commercial supplies to be brought into Gaza “uninterrupted and at scale.”

Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 50,021 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 113,274 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

On November 21 last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its deadly war on the blockaded coastal sliver.

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News Network
April 1,2025

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As the new financial year begins, several significant financial and tax-related changes take effect from April 1, 2025. Many of these updates were announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2025 and have now been officially approved as part of the Finance Bill 2025.

Some of the key changes include income tax exemption on annual earnings up to Rs 12 lakh, deactivation of UPI for long-unused mobile numbers, and suspension of dividend payouts for individuals who haven’t linked their PAN with Aadhaar. Below is a comprehensive look at all the important updates.

1. Income Tax Exemption & New Tax Slabs
Under the revamped tax regime:
✅ Individuals earning up to Rs 12 lakh per year will be completely exempt from income tax.
✅ For salaried employees, a standard deduction of Rs 75,000 raises the effective tax-free limit to Rs 12.75 lakh.
✅ To claim a rebate of up to Rs 60,000, taxpayers must file their returns on time.
✅ The new tax structure applies to income earned between April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026, and will be reflected in ITR filings for FY 2025-26 (AY 2026-27).

2. Major Changes in TDS & TCS Rules
To provide tax relief and streamline transactions, several TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) and TCS (Tax Collected at Source) amendments have been introduced:
🔹 TDS on bank interest for senior citizens has doubled from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
🔹 TDS on dividend income has increased to Rs 10,000.
🔹 TCS on overseas remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) has been raised from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

3. UPI Deactivation for Inactive Mobile Numbers
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will start unlinking UPI IDs associated with inactive mobile numbers. If your number has been inactive for a long period:
🔸 Your bank may remove it from their records.
🔸 You could face disruptions in Google Pay, PhonePe, or any UPI-based transactions.
🔸 This change enhances security by preventing unauthorized access to old UPI-linked accounts.

4. New GST Rules
Several Goods and Services Tax (GST) updates take effect:
🔹 Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is now mandatory for logging into the GST portal, improving online security.
🔹 E-way bills can only be generated for documents issued within the last 180 days, ensuring better compliance.
🔹 Hotel room tariffs above Rs 7,500 per day are now classified as "Specified Premises," attracting an 18% GST on restaurant services.

5. Toll Tax Hike Across National Highways
From April 1, 2025, toll charges across various highways will increase:
🚗 Delhi-Meerut Expressway, NH-9: Toll for cars will rise by Rs 5 to Rs 170.
🚛 Trucks and buses will now pay Rs 580 on major highways.
🚗 Delhi-Jaipur Highway: The Kherki Daula toll plaza will maintain current rates for cars, but the monthly pass for larger vehicles will rise by Rs 20 to Rs 950.

6. End of Equalisation Levy on Digital Transactions
The Finance Act 2025 removes the Equalisation Levy, which previously imposed a 2% tax on e-commerce and 6% on online advertisements. This change aims to:
✅ Reduce tax burden on digital service providers.
✅ Attract foreign investments in India’s digital economy.

7. Positive Pay System for Cheque Payments
To prevent bank fraud, the Positive Pay System requires account holders to:
✅ Electronically submit cheque details for payments above Rs 50,000.
✅ Ensure the details match before the cheque is processed.

8. KYC Mandatory for Mutual Fund & Demat Accounts
🔹 KYC (Know Your Customer) verification is now compulsory for mutual fund and demat accounts.
🔹 Nominee details will also undergo re-verification to enhance security.

9. Major Credit Card Perk Reductions
Credit card users will see major perk reductions, particularly with SBI, IDFC First, and Axis Bank:
❌ SBI Cards will remove complimentary insurance coverage for accidents (Rs 50 lakh for air, Rs 10 lakh for rail).
❌ Reward points on SBI Cards will be slashed from 15% to just 5%.
❌ IDFC First Club Vistara cardholders will lose milestone benefits and Club Vistara Silver membership perks.
❌ Axis Bank is discontinuing Maharaja Club tier memberships and premium vouchers.

10. Minimum Balance Rules for Bank Accounts
📌 Major banks like SBI, PNB, and Canara Bank have updated their minimum balance requirements based on account location:
🏙 Urban branches will require higher minimum balances.
🏡 Rural and semi-urban accounts may have lower minimum balance thresholds.
🚨 Failing to maintain the required balance will result in penalty charges, varying by bank.

11. Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for Government Employees
The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), introduced in August 2024, takes effect:
✅ Central government employees under NPS can opt for UPS.
✅ Those with at least 25 years of service will receive 50% of their average basic salary as a monthly pension.

Final Thoughts

These changes, introduced as part of the Union Budget 2025, mark a significant shift in India's tax, banking, and digital transaction landscape. With higher tax exemptions, updated TDS & TCS rules, stricter banking security, and GST amendments, the new financial year aims to simplify compliance while improving financial security and economic efficiency.

Stay informed and ensure all necessary updates to your financial accounts to avoid disruptions.

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News Network
April 7,2025

Mangaluru, Apr 7: A price storm is brewing in Mangaluru’s hotel and restaurant industry. Faced with skyrocketing raw material costs and mounting overheads, hoteliers are preparing to hike food prices by up to 10% within a month — a move that could hit the pockets of thousands of diners across Dakshina Kannada.

From milk and oil to LPG and staples like rice and toor dal, prices have surged, pushing both vegetarian and non-vegetarian establishments to the brink. Over 65% of hotels operate in rented spaces, and labour shortages are adding fuel to the fire.

Swarna Sunder of Dinki Dine says running a hotel without burdening customers is becoming near-impossible. “Costs are rising daily. We’re trying to strike a balance, but a hike is inevitable,” he said, calling Mangaluru a highly price-sensitive market.

Industry leaders, including the Dakshina Kannada Hotel Owners Association, are expected to meet soon to formalize the revision.

Meanwhile, hoteliers blame "unhealthy competition" for further disrupting the sector. “Some serve unlimited fish meals under ₹60 — it’s unsustainable and unfair,” said a hotelier, adding that such practices are forcing smaller eateries to shut shop.

Chandrahas Shetty, president of the district association, confirmed that rising input costs have left them with little choice but to revise menus.

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