Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman launches 12 GST Seva Kendras in Vapi, Gujarat

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman today launched 12 Goods and Services Tax (GST) Seva Kendras at Gyandham School, Vapi, in Gujarat.

The Union Finance Minister also gave away prizes to 6 customers with a cheque award of Rs 10 lakh to who participated in Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar scheme. The winners had uploaded their valid GST bills on the app after making a purchase.

Speaking on the occasion, the Finance Minister said these state-of-the-art centres will help in increasing the Ease of Doing Business in the country. While congratulating Gujarat in taking lead in establishing such centres, the Finance Minister said it will prove to be a role model for other states to follow. The Finance Minister of Gujarat, Shri Kanubhai Desai, was present on the occasion along with Shri Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) besides senior officials of the GST department.

Speaking about the Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar scheme, the Finance Minister said that the common citizen of the country can make a valuable contribution to the development of the nation by asking for a bill from the trader or shopkeeper while making a purchase. It is the right of the consumer to take the bill and it is the duty of the trader-shopkeeper to pay the bill, Smt. Sitharaman added.

The Finance Minister said that such incentives will encourage more and more people to take bills and upload bills on the portal for participate in the scheme.

Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar (MBMA) is a scheme was launched by the CBIC on 1st Sept. 2023 to promote the culture of generating bills/invoices during sale purchase transactions. A campaign in support of the MBMA scheme to create awareness among the people is already going on.

State Finance Minister Shri Kanubhai Desai thanked the Union Finance Minister for gifting the GST Seva Kendra to Vapi on the occasion of Diwali and said when GST was implemented, many concerns were expressed but by taking the views of all the members of the GST Council in every state, the Union Finance Minister, as the chairperson of the GST Council, has always given priority to the interests of the people.

“It was the dream of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi that the dream, ‘One Nation, One Tax’ has now come true. Due to its business friendly policies, Gujarat has now become the growth engine of the country’s economy. The campaign Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar has been a great success,” he said.

The 12 GST Seva Kendras opened today are located at Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Godhra, Vapi, Mehsana, Palanpur, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Gandhidham. GST Seva Kendra is a dedicated service centre established by the Government of India to assist taxpayers with GST (Goods and Services Tax) related issues.