In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, she said over 6.49 crore electronic returns were submitted for the assessment year 2018-19 (financial year 2017-18), up 18.65 per cent from over 5.47 crore in the assessment year 2017-18.  

The government is considering to increase the personal income tax threshold in Budget 2019-20, according to a Bloomberg report. Budget 2019-20 is set to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 5.

The agenda of the meeting will also include integration of GST e-way bill system with NHAI's FASTag mechanism from April 1, 2020, to help track movement of goods and check GST evasion.

Budget 2019-20: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the full-year budget for financial year 2019-20 on July 5. This will be the first budget of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government after securing a massive mandate in May. The Budget Session began on June 17 and will end on July 26.   

Making his submissions at a meeting convened by the Union Finance Minister for pre-budget consultations with stakeholder groups from agriculture and rural development at New Delhi on Tuesday, NDDB Chairman Dilip Rath also pitched for reduction of GST on breeding outputs, besides a cut in import duty on import of bovine germplasm.

Nirmala Sitharaman, the first full-time woman finance minister, is set to present her maiden Budget on July 5 in the Lok Sabha.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its forecast for global growth from 3.6 per cent last year to 3.3 per cent in 2019.

Inundated with congratulatory messages, the Twitter handle of the new Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs also contains in-depth advices on the next level of economic reforms and growth-oriented moves that she should undertake.

This is a Nirmala Sitharaman appreciation post -- and she totally deserves it.

Nirmala Sitharaman joined the BJP in 2008 and has served as a spokesperson for the party. In 2014, she was inducted into Narendra Modi's cabinet as a junior minister and in June 2014, she elected as a Rajya Sabha Member from Andhra Pradesh.

Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was a surprise pick, while Sitharaman, the first woman to be appointed as a full-time Defence Minister in September 2017, was sworn in for a second term as Union minister.

India’s second woman defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has been sworn in as Cabinet minister in the Modi Sarkar 2.0.

Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the SCO Defence Ministers' conclave on Monday during which she is likely to press for concerted efforts by the powerful bloc to deal with terrorism and extremism.

Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Congress candidate Tharoor, on Monday, suffered a freak accident while performing a ritual at a temple near here, leading to eight stitches on his head.

Tharoor, the Thiruvananthapuram MP and party candidate in the April 23 Lok Sabha polls, was injured when the hook of a weighing scale came off and its iron panel hit his head during the "Thulabharam" ritual.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said her ministry has made a "clear demand" to the Finance Ministry that once defence budget is allocated, the unutilised part of it not be sent back to consolidated fund.  

Sitharaman claimed that Rahul Gandhi at a public rally today said PM Modi has been proven to be guilty of corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal and of giving air force money to Anil Ambani.

The AFSPA gives the armed forces certain protection from legal action in carrying out their operations in disturbed areas.

Her statement comes two days after Sam Pitroda, chief of Indian Overseas Congress, asked the government to come out with "more facts" on the Balakot air strikes.

Sonu Nigam talked about diverse topics including questions raised around Balakot air strike and the 'keyboard warrior' attitude of youth on social media.