• 12.4% Is the growth in India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues in February 2023 to over ₹1.49 lakh crore, with tax receipts from goods imports rising 6% and domestic transactions along with services imports yielding 15% more, compared to a year ago. The gross GST kitty collected in February marks the 12th successive month that monthly revenues have been over ₹1.4 lakh crore, although it was 5.06% lower than January’s ₹1,57, 554 crore receipts. 
  • 16.8% The rise in India’s net direct tax collection to touch ₹13.73 lakh crore, reflecting a slight dip in growth over the past month but reaching within striking distance of the Budget target for this year, with three weeks still to go. Gross collections stood at ₹16.68 lakh crore by Friday, 22.58% higher than the tax inflows in the corresponding period of 2021-22. The uptick in net Personal Income Tax collections continued to outstrip Corporate Income Tax flows, rising 20.73% year-on-year compared to a 13.62% increase in the latter. 
  • Only 1% of the ambitious target of one crore people were scanned for sickle cell disease in 2022-23 by the Health Ministry, according to official data accessed by The Hindu from the National Health Mission’s portal for sickle cell disease. The Ministry plans to screen seven crore people from 17 highly affected States by 2025-26 as the country seeks to eliminate the disease by 2047. Sickle cell disease is a genetic disorder in which the red blood cells of the patient turn into a sickle-shaped crescent cell, become rigid and sticky, and get clogged in the blood vessels, reducing the cell’s capacity to carry oxygen. It causes excruciating pain and organ damage in affected patients.
  • 6.44% was India’s retail inflation in February, remaining above the central bank’s 6% tolerance threshold for the second successive month and virtually unchanged from 6.52% in January, as per the National Statistical Office. The price rise faced by urban consumers inched up marginally from 6% in January to 6.1% in February, while it eased fractionally for rural consumers from 6.85% to 6.72% in February. The Consumer Food Price Index rose 5.95% in February, just a tad lower than the 6% recorded in January. 
  • 84,866 is the number of posts lying vacant in six Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) against the total sanctioned strength of 10,05,520, the Rajya Sabha was informed. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the recruitment of 31,785 personnel in the CAPFs has been done in the past five months. The vacancies in the CAPFs are on account of retirements, resignations, promotion, death, the new raising of the battalion, creation of new posts etc, he added.