'Unfortunate': Chhattisgarh CM Baghel slams non-inclusion of Congress minister in GST panel

Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has termed the non-inclusion of members from Congress-ruled states in the Group of Ministers for GST cut on Covid-19 healthcare items an attempt to undermine "the spirit of cooperative federalism".

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has constituted an eight-member panel of ministers, which does not include any member from Congress-ruled states, for exemption from tax on essential goods related to Corona.

The Chhattisgarh CM has said that ministers from Congress-ruled states, who are part of the GST Council, should be included in the GoM (Group of Ministers) constituted to discuss the GST rates on COVID relief material. "It is unfortunate not to include any members of Congress-ruled states and is against the spirit of cooperative federalism," he said in a statement.

In the GST Council meeting, the ministers of Congress-ruled states had proposed a relaxation of GST in this regard to 0.1 per cent rate instead of 5 per cent. An eight-member committee was constituted by the chairman of the GST Council to look into the matter when no consensus was achieved in the council.

Baghel said that not a single Congress-ruled state's minister has been made a member in the committee “deliberately” so that this demand is not considered.

Bhupesh Baghel had also raised the issue in the video conference with the Prime Minister, urging him for exemption in GST in goods related to Covid-19.