Centre sanctions Rs 2,228 crore as compensation against pending GST arrears to Punjab
Chandigarh, Dec 16: The Centre has sanctioned the release of Rs 2,228 crore as grant-in-aid for Punjab against pending GST arrears of the state government since August.
The amount is aimed at compensating the Punjab government for loss of revenue for the months of August and September 2019 on account of implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
A communique in this regard was received on Monday by the Punjab Finance Department from the Department of Revenue (State Taxes) of the Union Finance Ministry, according to an official statement here.
The communication from the Centre comes amid repeated efforts by the state government, including Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, to press the Union Government to release pending GST payment.
Earlier, Amarinder had expressed shock over the delay in the release of Rs 4,100 crore of GST compensation to the state and sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the matter.
"Shocking that the Centre is delaying the GST compensation amounting to Rs 4,100 crore as compensation & arrears to Punjab. Urge PM @narendramodi ji & FM @nsitharaman ji to intervene & solve the problem which has the potential to bring governance of the state to a grinding halt," Singh had tweeted on November 24.
His remarks came days after Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, along with the finance ministers of West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi and Rajasthan, appealed to Sitharaman to release GST compensation without any delay.
On November 20, Manpreet Badal had attended the meeting of the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers at New Delhi.
In a joint statement, they had said, "GST compensation for the month of August and September, required to be paid by the central government, sometimes in October, continues to be outstanding till date."
The delay has caused a serious financial crunch for Punjab, the chief minister has repeatedly pointed out at various forums, as per the Punjab government statement.
He has also suggested several ways to simplify the GST structure in order to resolve the problems faced by states, for which this is the only major source of revenue since the introduction of the new tax system.
"According to the letter received by the state government, the grant-in-aid is provisional and subject to the condition that, in case the total GST compensation entitlement of the State Government, on the basis of the audited revenue figures of the Comptroller and General of India, falls below the total amount of provisional GST compensation already released to Punjab, the excess payment shall be recovered from future claims or by direct debit to the State Government's account as per the procedure," the statement further said.
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Allen, Raghuvanshi, Green power KKR to 29-run win over GT
Kolkata (PTI): Finn Allen blasted a 35-ball 93, while Angkrish Raghuvanshi hit an unbeaten 44-ball 82 as Kolkata Knight Riders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 29-run win over Gujarat Titans in the IPL match here on Saturday.
Sent in to bat, Allen went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 maximums and four boundaries to add 95 off 41 balls with Raghuvanshi (82).
Raghuvanshi then shared another 108 off 53 balls with Cameron Green (52 not out) to power KKR to a challenging 247 for 2.
In reply, GT could manage 218-4, riding on skipper Shubman Gill's 49-ball 85 and a 35-ball 57 from Jos Buttler. Opener Sai Sudarsan was retired hurt but returned to make a 28-ball 53 not out.
Sunil Narine (2/29) claimed two wickets and Saurabh Dubey snapped one for KKR.
For GT, Mohammed Siraj (1/50), Sai Kishore (1/38) were the wicket-takers.
Brief Score:
KKR: 247 for 2 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 93, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 82 not out, Camero Green 52 not out; Mohammed Siraj 1/50).
GT: 218 for 4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 85, Sunil Narine 2/29).
