Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore has urged the Central government to provide a special financial package to the state, citing that Jharkhand is losing nearly Rs 2,000 crore every year under the current Goods and Services Tax (GST) system. Addressing the media at the Council Bhawan in Jamshedpur on Saturday, Kishore said that while the GST Council’s recent decisions are welcome, their impact has not reached the poor in Jharkhand.
He explained that Jharkhand produces steel and coal on a large scale, but most of it is consumed in other states.
“The tax benefits go to those states, while Jharkhand suffers heavy losses. This is an unbalanced system and must be corrected,” he said.
The Finance Minister welcomed the move to remove GST on items like milk, cheese, and paranthas, saying this would help households across the country. However, he pointed out that such exemptions do not benefit Jharkhand’s poor population, which mainly relies on local grains such as madua (finger millet) and corn.
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“No relief has been given on these items, which form the staple diet of our poor,” Kishore added.
He stressed that the state government is committed to ensuring that every welfare scheme reaches the “last person in society.” But, he argued, the present GST framework is not in Jharkhand’s favour.
“It is the priority of Jharkhand to protect the interests of its people. We are requesting the Centre to give the state a special relief package to make up for the loss of nearly Rs 2,000 crore every year,” Kishore said.
The Finance Minister also called for reforms in the GST system to ensure that mineral-producing states like Jharkhand are not left at a disadvantage.
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