GST: State FMs call for CMs' conclave in October-end
NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister met six other state finance ministers on Friday to hold CMs' conclave in Delhi on October end where the issues regarding GST will be discussed.
"A group of six finance ministers on Friday decided to organize a Chief Ministers conclave towards October-end to evolve a consensus on financial issues concerning states across the country," said an official statement. The decision was taken in a meeting of a Group of Finance Ministers, attended by the Finance Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, joined on video conferencing by the Karnataka Finance Minister and on teleconferencing by the Puducherry Chief Minister and the Punjab Finance Minister. West Bengal has also agreed to the proposal of the Chief Ministers' conclave.
"We discussed the discriminatory Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the 15th Finance Commission and other financial issues concerning federalism," said Sisodia. He also said that preliminary discussions on GST revenue collection and futuristic revenue collections were also discussed on Friday by the group of Finance Ministers. All these issues will form the agenda for the Chief Ministers conclave and all CMs of India will be invited for this event. The main focus will be on the discriminatory ToRs of the current Finance Commission," he said.
Earlier this month, with the common man suffering due to the fuel prices hitting an all-time time high in the country, the five northern states of New Delhi, Haryana, Himachal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh decided to constitute a sub-committee of senior officers to come out with a strategy to ensure uniformity of fuel prices in these states and give a relief to the general public.
The meeting was attended by Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia, Haryana Finance Minister Capt. Abhimanyu, Punjab Finance Manpreet Singh Badal and senior officers from other states and UT Chandigarh here. Manish Sisodia said, "Excise officers and Transport Commissioners of northern states will meet next month to discuss the way out to variations in excise rates, registration of vehicles and others duties leading to revenue loss and diversion in these states."
