OPPN FLAG GST SHORTFALL IN PM’S ALL-PARTY MEETING

Though the main agenda of the Prime Minister’s all-party meeting was the strategy for rollout of a Covid

19 vaccine, many Opposition parties flagged the need for the government to urgently bring the economy back on track. Most parties demanded financial help from the Centre and a holistic plan for rollout of the vaccine.

The meeting was attended by 13 parties which included Congress, Shiv Sena, Trinamul Congress, DMK, among others. The parties highlighted the GST dues that the Central government owed states adding that they were facing severe revenue shortfall due to

Covid-19 pandemic. The Congress was represented by Ghulam Nabi Azad, who said that the pandemic should be a part of India’s internal security policy, and all political parties should be involved against any misinformation campaign on vaccine.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Namma Nageshwar Rao said the government should provide the vaccine free of cost. The Central government, he said, should ensure that cold storage units are set up across the country for easy transport of the vaccine.

The Shiv Sena’s Lok Sabha MP Vinayak Raut said that the GST collection by the Central government was more than `1 lakh crore and thus the Centre should not withhold the share of the State governments.

Similar views were echoed by the Trinamul Congress, represented by Sudip Bandopadhyay. He too said there was a need for additional financial help for the State governments, considering the financial stress they were going through.