CHANDIGARH: The Union Government has released the first instalment of Rs 57 lakh worth GST refund refund charged on raw materials used to prepare ‘langar’ in gurudwaras including the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which runs the world’s largest community kitchen offering free meals.
The erstwhile NDA government had decided to waive GST on langar items by providing financial assistance under ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’. Under this scheme, it was decided to reimburse both the Central GST (Goods and Service Tax) and the IGST (Integrated Goods and Service Tax) imposed on gurdwaras as well as other religious institutions hosting ‘langar’.
Union Food Processing Industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the NDA government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had fulfilled the promise made to the Sikh community.
She said the Union ministry of Culture had released Rs 57 lakh GST refund to the GST authority in Ludhiana which is to be forwarded to the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee). “This is the first instalment of GST refund and henceforth this refund will be issued quarterly to the SGPC. I thank the Prime Minister for the respect shown to Sikh sentiments by resolving this issue to the satisfaction of the Sikh community”, she added.