Govt. keen on passage of GST Bill in Winter Session

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The government is making all attempts to bring the opposition on board over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill ahead of the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament beginning on November 26.

The GST, which will include more than a dozen state levies to create a single market, is to be implemented from April 1, 2016. But the deadline may be missed if Parliament does not pass the Constitution Amendment Bill in the upcoming Winter Session.

The Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha and is awaiting clearance from the Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA lacks majority.

The main opposition party, the Congress, has been opposing the passage demanding inclusion of a few provisions in the Bill.

The government is reaching out to parties in the opposition on the GST, including looking at the possibility of incorporating some of the changes proposed by the Congress.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting at his residence today along with his Cabinet colleagues Rajnath Singh, Manohar Parrikar, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to discuss and explore the demands raised by the opposition without undercutting the core of the landmark legislation.