<h1>20 States Approved to Borrow Additional Rs. 68,825 Crore to Address GST Shortfalls, Equivalent to 0.50% of GSDP.</h1> The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has authorized 20 states to raise an additional Rs. 68,825 crore through open market borrowings. This permission, equivalent to 0.50% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), is granted to states opting for Option-1 to address GST implementation shortfalls. The GST Council presented two options on August 27, 2020, with 20 states choosing Option-1, which includes a special borrowing window and waives reform conditions for borrowing the final 0.5% of GSDP. The states include Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, among others, while eight states have yet to decide.