DyCM Sushil Modi replaces FM Nirmala Sitharaman as head of GoM on IGST

As per the GST council, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Modi has replaced Nirmala Sitharaman as the head of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST). The Council in a statement on Tuesday said that Sitharaman was mentioned as the chairperson of the ministerial panel set up to discuss issues relating to IGST after she met on December 4 with finance ministers of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan and deputy chief ministers of Delhi and Puducherry.

The council further said that since Sitharaman is also the chairperson of the GST Council, she could not have headed the GoM panel. A report of the recommendations of the GoM that will deliberate on the issues of IGST will be submitted to the Finance Minister in her capacity as the chairperson of the GST council. A modification was made on Tuesday to the constitution of GoM on IGST making Sushil Modi its convener.

The finance ministers of Delhi, Punjab, Puducherry, and Madhya Pradesh and representatives of the governments of Kerala, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, and West Bengal met with Sitharaman on December 4 to discuss GST compensation. 

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Central GST Falls Short Of Budget Estimate

The Central GST collection fell short of the budget estimate by nearly 40 per cent during the April-November period of 2019-20, according to the data presented in Parliament on Monday. The actual CGST collection during April-November stood at Rs 3,28,365 crore while the budgeted estimate is of Rs 5,26,000 crore for these months, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said in a written reply in Lok Sabha. The minister added that the data was, however, provisional.

In 2018-19, the actual CGST collection stood at Rs 4,57,534 crore as against the provisional estimate of Rs 6,03,900 crore for the year, he said. In 2017-18, the CGST collection was Rs 2,03,261 crore.

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