Source KASHMIR, INDIA, July 11, 2017 (BBC): Seven Hindu pilgrims, six of them women, have been killed in a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir after their bus apparently got caught in crossfire. The bus was returning from the Amarnath Cave pilgrimage site in the Anantnag district when the attack took place. Police told the BBC the target appeared to be…
Source A “Dial-a-Prayer” app has been released for atheists. You call it up, it rings and rings, but nobody answers.
Source HYDERABAD, INDIA, July 3, 2017 (Deccan Chronicle): Devotees visiting major temples have to pay more from July. Major temples, which have more than US$31,000 annual revenue, are brought under GST purview. There are 149 such temples in Telangana state. Section 73 of the GST Act states renting of rooms, where charges are $15.50 or more per day, renting of…
Source HYDERABAD, INDIA, July2, 2017 (Deccan Herald): It seems even gods cannot exempt themselves from GST (the newly instituted Goods and Services Tax), as 171 temples in Andhra Pradesh above US$31,000 income have come under the new tax regime. There are 23,834 temples in the state, of which 45 temples come under the $155,000 income category, 63 temples up to…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 6, 2017: India is looking about for the acknowledgement of Ayurveda in Singapore as a traditional medicine and has been in talks with Singapore for the protection, propagation and certification of Ayurveda as such. On June 21, Singapore hosted the second International Conference on Ayurveda. “People look at the rising costs of medical treatments, the…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 20, 2017 (Financial Express): Accepting the request of the state government, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on Sunday decided to exempt Prasadam and human hair at the Tirupati temple from tax. The proposal was placed by the Andhra Pradesh minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu during the 17th GST Council meeting which was held in New…
Source INDIA, June 19, 2017 (First Post): [HPI is posting several stories today on the impact of the new GST tax on Hindu institutions. There are some descrepancies between the reports.] A whopping US$7.75-15.5 million Goods and Service Tax (GST) burden stares at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) which manages the world’s richest temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala. This…
Source Spirituality is neither the privilege of the poor nor the luxury of the rich. It is the choice of the wise man. — Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission
Source PUDUCHERRY, INDIA, June 23, 2016 (Pondicherry University Press Release): All book reading fans please check this new initiative from the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. 6.5 million books are now available in one single portal where you can read online or download the books. There are textbooks, audio and video content. National Digital…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 3, 2017 (Financial Express): The Ministry of Finance on Monday slammed all the rumors that are doing the rounds over social media stating that temple trusts have to pay the GST while the churches and mosques have been exempted. The Press Information Bureau, on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India issued a…