Bihar CM urges Centre to provide concession in GST, income taxes to promote new industries

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday urged the Centre to provide certain concessions in good and service taxes (GST) and income taxes as special assistance to Bihar to promote new industries in the state.
Speaking at the launching function of the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan (GKRA), CM said his government wanted to provide employment opportunities to returned migrant workers by setting up new industries in the state so that they should not go back to other places in want of a job.
"There is a dearth of industries in Bihar. To promote new industries, the Centre should provide certain discounts in the GST and income taxes as special assistance to the state. It will ensure employment opportunities to maximum people in their home state," Nitish said in his address through video-conferencing. PM Narendra Modi was also connected through video-conferencing when Nitish was speaking.
Nitish also said the allocation of Rs 25,000 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) should be increased further so that the MSMEs should be promoted in states like Bihar.
He said the state government took care of all returnee migrant workers in a better way in the time of crisis caused by the lockdown. "We will ensure their proper care even in future so that they do not face any difficulty in staying back in the home state," he said.
Nitish also thanked PM Modi for launching the GKRA, saying "the Centre has launched this scheme for poor and disadvantaged people."
Bihar CM said he spoke to the returned migrant workers staying at the quarantine centres, through video conferencing. “During the conversation, the returned people revealed that they faced a lot of difficulties at their place of job after the lockdown. Now, they do not want to go outside Bihar and want to work in the home state. The state government is making all possible efforts to ensure that no people will have to go to other places in compulsion. We are making efforts to arrange sufficient opportunities of employment for them here only,” Nitish said.
Referring to his recent interaction with senior bank officials at the state level bankers’ committee (SLBC) meet in Patna, the CM said the credit-deposit ratio in Bihar is just at 43%. “There is a need to increase this ratio. The money deposited by people of the state in the banks of Bihar, are being invested in other states,” he said.
Nitish said he had also suggested the banks working in Bihar to increase their annual credit plan to make a positive impact on the state’s C-D ratio.