This Diwali will be bigger and brighter for the traders of the capital, as Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said Rs 1,600 crore in GST refunds pending since 2019 will be released to them.
Gupta convened a special meeting of the Department of Trade and Taxes (GST) at her camp office in Civil Lines, which was attended by GST commissioner Nandini Paliwal, finance secretary Shurveer Singh, and other senior officials of the department.
Claiming that the previous AAP-led government failed to take concrete measures towards the settlement of this long-pending amount, she directed that the entire refund amount be disbursed to the traders before Diwali.
Gupta further said to make the refund process faster and more transparent, the Delhi GST department, in collaboration with IIT-Hyderabad, has developed an advanced IT module. This system, based on data analytics, data automation and expedited verification, will ensure quicker settlement of refund applications, providing timely relief to the traders, she said.
She also directed the concerned officials to ensure that all pending, undisputed and genuine refund applications are processed strictly in accordance with the rules on a priority basis. She stressed that timely refunds will ensure adequate liquidity for the traders, reduce their litigation costs, and collectively accelerate Delhi’s economic growth.
The chief minister also said strengthening ‘ease of doing business’ for traders is a top priority of the government, assuring that the administration is continuously making efforts to protect and promote their interests. As part of this effort, the government has also established a Traders’ Welfare Board, she said.
She said the welfare board includes appropriate representation from Delhi’s traders, ensuring that their issues and concerns are addressed in the truest sense.
