ITANAGAR, June 12: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein who is also the state’s Finance Minister today attended the 44th GST Council meeting held in a virtual mode from the national capital under chairmanship of Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The meeting carried huge importance since a decision on the report of the Group of Ministers (GoM) for GST concessions on Covid relief items was on the cards. It can be recalled that there were divergent views in the last Council meeting regarding GST rates on individual items being used in Covid-19 relief with respect to coverage, extent and modalities of GST concession/exemption. To break the deadlock, it was decided to constitute a GoM to examine the need for further relief on COVID-19 related items and accordingly the GoM was constituted with Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K. Sangma as its convener. 
Representing Arunachal Pradesh, Mein thanked the Prime Minister on behalf of the GoAP for the historic decision to provide vaccines free of cost to all states and agreed with the GoM recommendations that were arrived at after a thorough consensus. The decision to exempt GST on Amphotericin B and Tocilizumab, the critical Covid drugs, reduction of GST from 12% to 5% for other medicines like Remdesivir, Heparin and similar anticoagulant medicines, reduction of GST rates on Medical Grade Oxygen, oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters including personal imports from 12% to 5% and that on medical devices namely ventilators, ventilator masks/cannula/helmet, BiPAP machines and high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) to 5% till August 31, 2021 also received support by Mein. Arunachal Pradesh welcomes the recommendations of the GoM for reduction of GST rate on personal imports of concentrator, hand sanitizers, temperature check equipment, texting kits for D-dimer, IL-6, Ferritin, LDH, Gas/Electric/other Furnaces (incinerators) for use in crematoriums till August 31, 2021 as a short term measure, the DCM said in the meeting.  After day-long deliberations, the Council finally decided to reduce the GST rates on the specified items being used in Covid-19 relief and management till September 30, 2021.
Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur, Finance Ministers of states/UTs and their senior officers participated in the virtual meeting. Tax & Excise Commissioner Kanki Darang and State Nodal Officer (GST) Tapas Dutta accompanied Mein in the meeting. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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