Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended an investiture ceremony in Assam’s Guwahati where she felicitated officers and staff of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) for Specially Distinguished Record of Service.
The Presidential Award for Specially Distinguished Record of Service was conferred on 29 officers and staff of the CBIC on Republic Day 2023. The awardees were selected on the basis of their exemplary performance in their respective field of service over the years.
Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary also graced the ceremony that was held in Guwahati’s Radisson Blu Hotel on Friday.
Addressing the gathering in the event, Nirmala Sitharaman said that northeastern states of India are success stories of GST collection and devolution.
“According to the 2023 RBI report on state finances, the eight Northeast states have registered a compounded annual GST hike of 27.5 per cent. Assam was the first state to ratify the GST Act, four days after it was passed and since then there has been a 12 times increase in the collection of taxes. Assam's sales tax collection prior to the implementation of the GST was Rs 558.26 crores but this has increased manifold to Rs 7,097 crores,” the Union Finance Minister said.
She further said, “On being the fastest growing economy and making sure that all sectors of the economy are equally given attention & stimulus, I think the results are showing. There could be inflation pressure because of the agricultural output or specifically on perishable goods. Efforts are being taken by the government to make sure they are available at affordable rates, especially perishable goods. I hope India continues its momentum of growth.”
Notably, Nirmala Sitharaman is on a two-day visit to Assam and Tripura starting today, sources said. Later today, the union ministers will leave for neighboring Tripura to attend the inauguration of the GST Bhavan in Agartala. The team of union ministers will also visit the Integrated Check Posts at Srimantpur, sources said.
