Raipur: Commercial Tax (GST) minister TS Singh Deo participated in the pre-budget discussion with the finance ministers of various states and union territories held under the chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.

In this meeting organized through video conferencing, Singh Deo made the central government aware of the demands and suggestions of Chhattisgarh for the coming financial year. The commercial tax minister represented the state at the meeting as chief minister and in-charge minister of finance department Bhupesh Baghel was on his visit to Assam. Finance secretary Alarmelmangai D was also present at the video conference.

During the meeting, the minister demanded to continue the amount of GST compensation given by the Government of India in the Union Budget for the upcoming financial year 2021-22 even after the year 2022, bringing the headquarters of NMDC to Bastar, the convergence of state government’s ambitious NGGB programme with central schemes and approval of ethanol production from surplus paddy. He also demanded the central government to allow 60 lakh metric tonnes of rice, increase the amount of social pension schemes, increase the rate of mineral royalty and start an international cargo terminal in Raipur. He also requested for the provision of central funds, the release of mineral royalty and GST compensation for Bodhghat irrigation project costing more than Rs 22,500 crore.

In the meeting, the health minister congratulated the Central Government as well as the scientists, doctors, health workers and all the frontline activists on the commencement of massive vaccination programme to combat corona pandemic. He said that only with the good coordination between state and central government, new heights of economic development can be achieved.