Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said 13 Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended in Barpeta district and pushed back across the border, while also confirming that the state will support the Centre’s proposal to reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to two slabs.
“While some deal with Kangaroos, we have to deal with… Anyway, our vigil remains strong as we have pushed back another 13 illegal infiltrators, who were apprehended in Barpeta, back to Bangladesh,” Sarma said in a post on X.
He shared a photograph showing the group of 13, which included three women and seven children.
“We will keep a strong eye and ensure every illegal infiltrator is pushed back,” he added.
Assam shares a 267.5-kilometre-long international border with Bangladesh through its Sribhumi, Cachar, Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankachar districts.
There is an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Sutarkandi in Sribhumi, one of three ICPs in the Northeast along the India-Bangladesh border, the others being at Dawki in Meghalaya and Akhaura in Tripura. Another ICP operates at Darranga in Assam along the India-Bhutan border.
Assam Police earlier stated that, together with the Border Security Force, they would take all necessary measures to prevent illegal entry from Bangladesh in line with the law, following political unrest in the neighbouring country last year.
At the same time, Indian passport holders would be allowed to return through designated entry points.
Also Read : BJP will free India of infiltrators: Amit Shah
Separately, Sarma confirmed that Assam would support the Centre’s proposal to rationalise GST into two slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent.
“We are supporting the move of the prime minister. Assam’s position will be to lower the GST to two slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent,” he told reporters.
He said Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog is representing the state at the 56th meeting of the GST Council in New Delhi. The meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, began deliberations on ‘next-gen GST’ reforms on Wednesday.
The Council, comprising state finance ministers, is considering a restructuring of GST that would lower tax rates on mass-consumption items, remove duty inversion in sectors such as textiles, and reduce the compliance burden on micro, small and medium enterprises.
“We are going to support the initiative of the central government completely. Whatever the PM has said should be implemented,” Sarma added.
The proposals include scrapping the 12 per cent and 28 per cent slabs, retaining only two standard rates, and levying a special 40 per cent tax on select items such as tobacco and ultra-luxury goods.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address on August 15, had first announced the plan for GST reforms. The central government later circulated a blueprint of the reforms to a Group of Ministers from different states for initial review.
Follow us
