Will soon call first meeting of GoM set up to review GST rates: CM Basavaraj Bommai
New Delhi, Oct 8: The first meeting of the Group of Ministers set up for rationalising GST rates and to shore up revenue will be held soon, its chairman and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday after meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
"Very soon, I will call the first meeting of GoM. I met her (Finance Minister) in this backdrop," Bommai told reporters after the meeting.
The Group of Ministers (GoM) has to submit a report in the next two months, Bommai said, adding he discussed important issues related to rationalisation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) taxes and ways to increase revenue with the Union Minister.
Earlier, Bommai was to meet the finance minister late in the evening. However, the meeting was advanced.
In September, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council had decided to set up two Groups of Ministers (GoMs) to shore up revenues.
Bommai's seven-member group constituted by the Finance Ministry includes West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra and Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal, as well as GST Council members from Goa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Asked if the centre has released the pending GST compensation to Karnataka, the chief minister said it has been cleared till 2019-20 fiscal. For 2020-21 fiscal, the state was to get Rs 11,800 crore which is being released in phases.
For the current fiscal, the Centre has sanctioned GST compensation of Rs 18,000 crore via loan, he said, adding a higher amount was sanctioned as the state GST collection has improved when compared to the last year.
Besides GST, the chief minister also sought more support to Karnataka under programmes implemented by Nabard. "I have sought higher allocation to the state under one of Nabard's infrastructure schemes."
He also requested an increase in loan amount from the current Rs 1,500 crore given by Nabard for farmers and rural development.
Bommai said the Union Minister will visit the state and attend separate programmes of Nabard and SIDBI.
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Chhattisgarh: Scheduled Caste pastor’s burial blocked by villagers, son moves Supreme Court
Bastar: A farmer in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region has been unable to bury his father for the past 12 days due to opposition from villagers. The deceased, Subhash Baghel, a pastor from a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, had wished to be buried alongside his relatives in the village graveyard in Chhindawada. However, some residents opposed the burial, citing the family’s conversion to Christianity.
Ramesh Baghel, the pastor’s son, initially moved the Chhattisgarh High Court for permission to carry out the burial, but his plea was rejected on January 9, with the court citing potential law and order concerns. Following the setback, Baghel approached the Supreme Court, which has now sought a response from the state government by Monday.
“This is a clear case of religious discrimination,” said lawyer and human rights activist Degree Prasad Chouhan, who is assisting Baghel. He highlighted the increasing instances of discrimination against Christians in the Bastar region, particularly after the introduction of the Chhattisgarh Panchayat Provisions (Extension of the Scheduled) Rules, 2021.
Baghel recounted the challenges his family has faced over the past two years, alleging that a political group has been inciting villagers to socially boycott Christians. “We have been denied work, my shop has been boycotted, and now we are not even allowed to bury our loved ones,” he said.
Despite the fact that Baghel’s grandfather and other relatives are buried in the same graveyard, the High Court suggested that the family use a Christian burial ground located 20–25 km away in Karkapal to avoid unrest. Baghel has also accused local police of siding with the villagers, further complicating the situation.
