Page 3 - Finance Ministry

FinMin calls meet to spur gold and silver transactions through IIBX

The officials also noted that the upcoming meeting will take stock of the progress made since the last review held on August 6, 2025

Be polite in dealing with honest taxpayers: Sitharaman tells GST officers

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said GST officers should be polite and empathetic in dealing with honest taxpayers and asked them to use technology for faster registration approvals and grievance redressal. She also asked field formations to "proactively" undertake trade facilitation measures. "There is no iron wall between you and trader, there is thin air. You can understand where the difficulty is, rather than muddy it up any further," she said. Speaking at the inauguration of the CGST building in Ghaziabad, the minister flagged the need for timely conclusion of any disciplinary proceedings against officers of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). This would send a clear message from the CBIC board that any misconduct, dereliction of duty or unethical behaviour by officers will not be tolerated. She said the ultimate goal of tax administration is to make life easy for honest taxpayers and to do that GST officers should follow the laid down SoP and sho

A big reforms push for small biz: PMO, ministries readying major MSME plan

PMO, finance, and MSME ministries working on cluster-to-national reform roadmap with focus on jobs, cost control, legal ease, and innovation in small business sector

Finance ministry rules out Customs duty relief for magnet PLI scheme

Finance ministry has ruled out customs duty exemption for REPM-making machinery, saying capital subsidy under the PLI scheme will offset high import costs amid China's export curbs

Centre extends tenure of 16th Finance Commission till November 30

The government has extended the tenure of the 16th Finance Commission by one month till November 30. The 16th Finance Commission was constituted by the government on December 31, 2023, with former Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya as its Chairman. The report by the panel was due by October 31. The Commission will mainly make recommendations on the distribution of taxes between the Centre and states for a 5-year period starting April 1, 2026. The Finance Ministry, in a notification dated October 10, said that the date for submission of the 16th Finance Commission report is being extended till November 30. The Commission has four members and is assisted by Secretary Ritvik Pandey, two joint secretaries and one economic advisor. Retired bureaucrat Annie George Mathew and economist Manoj Panda are full-time members of the Commission, while SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh and RBI Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar are part-time members. Besides suggesting tax .

Finance ministry to review US tariff impact on MSME sector on Monday

DFS secy to meet PSBs to assess credit flow

Finance ministry raises questions over PLI plan for rare-earth output

Says these subsidies could leave bidder with little incentive to improve efficiency or cut costs

Private sector sees scope in India as govt maintains capex push: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said India's capacity to absorb external shocks is strong at a time when the world economy is undergoing a structural transformation. She said the task before nations is not only to manage uncertainty but to confront trade, financial and energy imbalances. "Geopolitical conflicts are intensifying. Sanctions, tariffs, and decoupling strategies are reshaping global supply chains... For India, these dynamics highlight both vulnerability and resilience. Our capacity to absorb shocks is strong, while our economic leverage is evolving. "Our choices will determine whether resilience becomes a foundation for leadership or merely a buffer against uncertainty," Sitharaman said at Kautilya Economic Conclave 2025 here. Addressing the session on 'Seeking Prosperity in Turbulent Times', Sitharaman said wars and strategic rivalries are redrawing the boundaries of cooperation and conflict. "Alliances that once appeared solid are being tested, and new .

FinMin urges RBI to push rollout of digital fraud detection platform

Once operational, DPIP will collect and analyse data from various sources to identify potential threats and prevent fraudulent activities

GST reforms will boost market purchasing and economy: MoS Chaudhary

The recent GST reforms will spur market consumption and boost the domestic economy, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Monday. He said the impact of these reforms will be known in the next four to six months. Chaudhary interacted with businessmen, entrepreneurs, and tax experts in Indore regarding the Goods and Services Tax reforms. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that when GST reforms bring additional money into the hands of the common people, it will definitely boost market purchasing and accelerate our economy," he said. Chaudhary said that though the GST system was introduced in 2017 under the leadership of PM Modi, efforts for it were going on for 10 years. Taking aim at the previous Congress-led UPA government, the MoS said, "The then government was not successful in introducing the GST system because people didn't trust that government. The lack of credibility was the reason that the erstwhile government couldn't convince states to adopt the GST .

FM Nirmala Sitharaman to inaugurate Kautilya Economic Conclave on Oct 3

The fourth Kautilya Economic Conclave will open Oct 3 with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurating the three-day event on prosperity in turbulent global times

DFS, SC's MCPC hold 40-hour mediation training for DRT, PSU executives

DFS and Supreme Court's MCPC conducted a 40-hour mediation training for DRT presiding officers and PSU bank executives to enhance dispute resolution through consensus

FinMin calls meet with lenders on Swamih Fund II scope expansion

Finance Ministry to discuss SWAMIH Fund II, a ₹15,000 crore blended finance facility to complete 1 lakh homes, building on the success of India's largest real estate stress fund

GSTAT launch: One forum for state, Centre GST appeals, says FM Sitharaman

Sub heading: 4.8 lakh pending appeals to be heard, says GSTAT Head Mishra

Most states bunch up expenditure in March, CAG warns of fiscal risks

CAG warns most Indian states of fiscal imprudence as March spending overshoots limits, with key departments exhausting large portions of budgets in the last month of FY24

DGTR recommends 5-year anti-dumping duty on select Chinese cranes imports

The commerce ministry's probe agency has advised imposing a five-year anti-dumping duty on specific Chinese crane imports to shield domestic firms from low-cost shipments

40% GST slab: Cess backlog hits cigarette, aerated drink distributors

Distributors of aerated drinks and cigarettes told the Finance Ministry that cess accumulation under the new 40 per cent GST regime is blocking working capital and hitting liquidity

Desist from spending on festival gifts, Finance Ministry tells CPSEs

The Finance Ministry has asked CPSEs to discontinue the practice of spending on Diwali and festive gifts to ensure judicious utilisation of public resources and fiscal discipline

Bricks to continue under GST 2.0 special composition scheme at 12%

The GST Council has kept the special composition scheme for bricks unchanged, retaining 6% without ITC and 12% with ITC, with a Rs 20 lakh threshold, under GST 2.0

Finance ministry urges employees to opt for UPS before Sept 30 deadline

The Finance Ministry on Thursday asked government employees to opt for shifting to the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) well before the September 30 deadline to ensure the timely processing of their requests. From April 1, 2025, the government has introduced UPS as an option under the National Pension System (NPS) for central government employees. UPS will provide assured payouts to the employees. In a statement, the Ministry said the last date for eligible employees and past retirees under NPS to opt for UPS is September 30, 2025. "All eligible employees are urged to exercise their option well before the deadline to avoid any last-minute difficulties and to ensure timely processing of their requests. Employees who choose to remain in NPS cannot opt for UPS after this date," the ministry said. Around 31,555 central government employees had opted for the UPS till July 20, and the last date to enrol under the scheme is September 30. Also, the Finance Ministry, on August 25, introduced a