Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Rajiv Singhi, chairman of the National Traders Welfare Board, has informed that, respecting the sentiments of traders and tax consultants of the Malwa region, the State Government is sending a recommendation to the Central Government for setting up an additional bench of the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) in the city.
Singhi said that discussions in this regard have already been held with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav.
He shared this information during the first-ever meeting organised to resolve issues faced by traders across various departments. The meeting was held at Residency on Thursday.
MPIDC executive director Himanshu Prajapati, GST commissioner Anay Dwivedi, and senior officials from the MSME department, Central GST, and the police department were present at the meeting. Representatives of the trading community, including Ahilya Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Ramesh Khandelwal, Akshay Jain, Narendra Bafna, Sumit Suri, Pramod Dafaria, Amit Dave, Yogesh Mehta, Ashwin Lakhotia, Rakesh Tiwari and others, raised their concerns.
During the meeting, traders directly questioned administrative officials on pressing issues such as GST-related problems, delays in refunds, traffic management, encroachments, and lack of infrastructure in commercial areas. The officials assured the traders of prompt redressal of their grievances.
The demand for setting up a GSTAT bench in the city was prominently raised. In response, Singhi said that the issue had already been discussed with the Union Finance Minister. He added that he has also taken up the matter with Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav.
Singhi further informed that deputy chief minister Jagdish Devda has conveyed that the State Government is preparing a proposal in this regard, which will soon be sent to the Central Government.
State & district-level traders’ welfare boards to be formed
Singhi also announced that State- and district-level Traders’ Welfare Boards will be constituted soon. He said these boards will facilitate faster and more effective resolution of traders’ problems at the local level and strengthen coordination between the administration and business organisations.
Emphasising the role of traders in nation-building, Singhi said that just as soldiers protect the country at the borders, traders continuously contribute to strengthening the country’s economy. He described traders as akin to paramilitary personnel and said their role in India’s development is extremely significant.
