Confident of passing GST Bill in Monsoon Session: MoS for finance Santosh Gangwar and Arjun Ram Meghwal

NEW DELHI: Newly appointed ministers of state for finance Santosh Gangwar and Arjun Ram Meghwal said the government is confident of getting the Goods & Services Tax (GST) bill passed in the upcoming monsoon session.

Gangwar, who assumed charge on Wednesday after he was shifted out from textile ministry to the finance ministry in the cabinet expansion and reshuffle announced on Tuesday, said there was no real opposition by any political party to the GST Bill outside Parliament.

The monsoon session of Parliament begins on July 18. “The entire world... is looking at how India will act. I feel GST will certainly be passed by Parliament in the Monsoon session,” said Gangwar, who had also served in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. “No party opposes GST outside Parliament. All parties are for GST, but they put some hurdle or the other (in Parliament). I think all parties (will support) in getting GST passed in the monsoon session," he said when asked about principal opposition party’s support.

Gangwar and Meghwal replaced Jayant Sinha who moved to civil aviation as minister of state. Last mile delivery of key government schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra, Atal Pension Yojana and other social security programmes tops the agenda of Meghwal, a former bureaucrat-turned-politician.

On the issue of constitutional cap on GST rates demanded by Congress, he said it is not possible and is done nowhere in the world.

“We are hopeful that the GST Bill will be passed in the Monsoon session,” Meghwal said, adding that the BJP is constantly in touch with the Congress on this.