- CM Bhupendra Patel stated the state government has not received any grants from the Centre as of July 31
- GST registration in Gujarat to get stricter with passport-like mechanism: Minister
NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, SEPT 17
The Gujarat government had sought compensation of Rs 700 crore from the Centre towards the damage caused by cyclone Biparjoy in June but didn’t receive any grants as of July 31, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel told the assembly on Wednesday.
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall on the Gujarat coast on June 16 accompanied by heavy rains. It ripped through Kutch and parts of the Saurashtra region, with wind speeds going up to 140 kmph resulting in trees and electricity poles getting uprooted.
During question hour on Wednesday, Congress MLA from Vav in Banaskantha district, Geniben Thakor, asked if the state government had sought any grant from the Centre in view of the damage caused by cyclone Biparjoy in June.
In his written response, the chief minister, who handles the Disaster Management portfolio, said the state government submitted a memorandum to the Centre on June 18 seeking Rs 700.42 crore as compensation towards the damage caused by the cyclone.
Patel stated the state government has not received any grants from the Centre as of July 31.
As a precautionary measure before the cyclone made landfall on June 16, the state government had shifted nearly 1 lakh people to safer places.
Because of heavy rains caused by the cyclone, seawater had entered villages located in low-lying areas.
In July, the state government announced a relief package of Rs 240 crore for farmers affected by the cyclone in Kutch and Banaskantha districts.
GST regn to get stricter with passport-like mechanism: Minister
The Gujarat government has decided to put in place a passport-like mechanism, wherein the applicant undergoes police verification, in the GST registration process to tackle “bogus billing”, the legislative assembly was informed on Wednesday.
The announcement was made by state Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai in the House on the first day of the monsoon session.
“To tackle the menace of bogus billing, we have decided to tighten the process of GST registration and make it more stricter. We will follow a passport-like registration process (including police verification) for those seeking a GST number. This will eliminate the chances of fraud through bogus billing,” said Desai.
The minister shared the plan while responding to the members of the opposition Congress over the issue of unscrupulous individuals claiming tax credits by producing fake bills.
He was speaking after tabling a Bill which seeks to rationalise the rate of interest on delayed payment of taxes and duties.
The minister informed the House that The Gujarat Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023′ would fix the maximum rate of interest and also empower the government to specify a lower rate of interest by issuing a notification. The Bill was passed through a majority vote in the BJP-ruled assembly.
