Welcome friends, 

All of us are back together once again after the recess during the Budget Session of the Parliament. There will be detailed discussion on the Budget and I am sure the level of debate and discussion will be of good quality. It will be focused on the issues pertaining to the welfare of the poor. We are hopeful of a breakthrough in the GST. One of the reasons for our optimism is that all the states have cooperated in a positive manner. All the political parties have also been extremely positive and cooperative in their response. We have been able to move forward in this direction after arriving at a consensus on certain decisions subsequent to detailed discussion on this issue in a democratic manner. The efforts are on to enlist the co-operation of  all to ensure that GST is in place by this session. I am extremely thankful to all of you once again.

Goods and Services Tax push emphasizes consensus and state cooperation to secure enactment during the parliamentary session. Goods and Services Tax implementation is being pursued as a legislative priority to be secured within the current parliamentary session through consensus-building with state governments and political parties. Cooperative federalism and intergovernmental consultation are identified as the principal mechanisms to finalize decisions required for GST adoption, alongside ongoing parliamentary debate focused on welfare-related issues.