Business
Textile mills slam regulator over high RLNG bills | The Express Tribune
ISLAMABAD:
Textile millers have lashed out at the regulator and a public gas utility over billing shocks pertaining to re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) supply to captive power plants, saying their actions have burdened consumers with exorbitant costs.
The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) has submitted a petition to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) related to final RLNG sale prices for consumers of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) from April 1, 2015 to June 30, 2022.
The regulator conducted a public hearing recently. Aptma members argued that since LNG started landing in Pakistan, its sale prices had been issued on a provisional basis with expectation of near-term adjustment.
“Those reconciliations should have been a routine and timely, month to month or quarter to quarter, but instead they accumulated for multiple fiscal years,” the millers said.
When these were finally actualised, they appeared as a bulk charge rather than a phased schedule. Several years of differentials were folded into current bills, converting a technical accounting exercise into a liquidity crunch for power producers, industrial users and compressed natural gas (CNG) station operators, they said.
In practice, businesses were sold electricity, gas/RLNG, goods and transport fuel under the tariffs then in force. Aptma emphasised that they could not retroactively re-price those transactions according to 2025 costs; still the utility sought to reopen prior periods in a single sweep. Since mid-2023, natural gas tariffs for captive power have risen from Rs1,100 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) to Rs3,500 per mmBtu, with a new grid transition levy of Rs791, lifting the effective price to about Rs4,291 per mmBtu ($15.4).
At this moment of acute industrial stress, Ogra first determined the actualised RLNG covering the period from April 1, 2015 to June 30, 2022. SNGPL then compounded the problem by billing arrears for that 84-month period in a single cycle.
“What should have been routine monthly reconciliations over seven years became a lump sum retrospective charge, triggering a severe liquidity shock and threatening the viability of the whole sectors,” it said.
“For energy-intensive industries, the result is catastrophic, worsening working capital shortages.”
Business
‘Made strong entry’: Amit shah hails semiconductor sector’s growth despite being ‘bit late’; confident of ‘exports soon’ – The Times of India
NEW DELHI: India would soon establish itself in the semiconductor industry by starting exports, even though it’s entry was late, said Union home minister Amit Shah.“We have made a strong entry into the semiconductor industry, although a bit late. In no time, we will not only become self-reliant in the semiconductor sector, but will also start exporting it,” he said, addressing the ‘Abhyudaya Madhya Pradesh Growth Summit’.Speaking at the summit, Shah highlighted Madhya Pradesh’s attractive geographical location and fertile land.He also inaugurated industrial projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore, on the occasion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee‘s 101st birth anniversary. He remembered Vajpayee as “a great orator, a sensitive poet, a leader dedicated to public welfare and remained ‘ajatashatru’ (person without enemies) in politics.”He noted that even small investments in the state could yield substantial returns. He praised Madhya Pradesh’s transformation from a power-deficient state to one with surplus electricity. He also commended the state’s achievements in cleanliness, saying it has surpassed other states in this aspect.During the event, Shah also paid tributes to Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya on his birth anniversary and C Rajagopalachari on his death anniversary. The Growth Summit attracted 25,000 beneficiaries and thousands of entrepreneurs and investors. Officials confirmed that the industrial projects launched during the event will create 193,000 new jobs.Shah’s visit also included inaugurating the Gwalior Fair and dedicating the renovated Atal Museum to the public, further marking the celebrations of Vajpayee’s birth anniversary.
Business
Planning Your Taxes For 2026? What Freelancers And Gig Workers Should Know
Income doesn’t come regularly
Freelancers earn from different clients at different times, making it hard to know the final income figure early

Multiple clients mean scattered TDS
Tax is deducted by many payers under different sections, and details don’t always update together in AIS or Form 26AS.

Income details settle very late
Many payments and TDS entries appear only near the year-end, delaying tax calculations.

First-time taxpayers lack clarity
Young gig workers often don’t know ITR deadlines, advance tax rules, or penalties for late filing.

Paperwork isn’t ready on time
Forms like 16A, invoices, bank statements, and expense bills are often unorganised or missing.

TDS deducted ≠ filing done
A common myth is that if tax is already deducted, filing the return is optional. It’s not.

Refund expected, filing delayed
Many assume that if no tax is payable or refund is due, filing late won’t matter — but penalties still apply.

E-verification gets ignored
Returns filed but not verified within 30 days are treated as invalid, almost like not filing at all.

Portal issues at the last moment
Heavy traffic, OTP failures, and technical errors near deadlines push filings beyond the due date.

No regular income tracking system
Not maintaining client-wise records of invoices, payments, and TDS creates confusion at filing time.

Deductions are gathered too late
Proofs for insurance, mutual funds, PPF, health cover, or tuition fees are often collected at the last minute.
Business
SFIO probes IndusInd’s Rs 1,960 crore derivatives hole – The Times of India
MUMBAI: Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has opened a formal probe into IndusInd Bank after a Dec 23, 2025 letter triggered an investigation under the Companies Act, 2013, over accounting lapses tied to internal derivative trades.In a filing, the bank said SFIO, under the MCA, seeks information after the lender flagged on June 2 issues spanning internal derivatives, unsubstantiated “other assets/liabilities”, and microfinance interest/fee income. It disclosed the update on Dec 18, pledged full cooperation, and posted details on its website.Derivatives irregularities have hit P&L by about Rs 1,960 crore as of March 31, 2025, eroding reported net worth by roughly 2.3% as of Dec 2024. Earlier profits were overstated as notional gains flowed into P&L while losses sat parked as assets, inflating NII and earnings quality. The derivatives irregularities saw several members of the senior management stepping down with the board bringing in Rajiv Anand from Axis Bank to head the private lender.The bank recognised the losses, absorbed pain in its FY25 earnings which tipped the bank into a Q4 FY25 net loss after one-off write-offs/provisions. Capital/net worth took a 2–2.5% post-tax hit, trimming buffers and nudging growth appetite and capital pricing.The derivatives loss resulted in the shares of the bank sliding as investors reassessed earnings credibility and governance. The scrutiny also sharpened on the board/management/audit committees, intensifying regulatory pressure and SFIO oversight.
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