Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the status of Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is to be implemented from July 1.
The review meeting, which lasted over two-and-a-half hours, was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and top officials from the Finance Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Secretary.
In the course of the meeting, Modi specifically reviewed aspects of implementation such as IT and human resource readiness, training and sensitisation of officers, and query handling mechanism and monitoring, an official release said.
Modi was informed that GST systems such as IT infrastructure, training of officials, integration with banks, and enrolment of existing taxpayers will be ready well ahead of July 1. Information security systems were discussed in detail.
A Twitter handle, @askGst_GOI, has been started for real time answering of queries. An all-India toll-free phone, 1800-1200-232, has also been activated for this purpose.
Modi said the implementation of GST is the culmination of the concerted efforts of all stakeholders, including political parties, trade and industry bodies. He described GST as a turning point for the economy, “unprecedented in history.”
The PM further told the officials that the creation of ‘One Nation, One Market, One Tax’ will greatly benefit the common man. Maximum attention should be paid to cyber security, he was quoted as saying by the release.