By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
DEHRADUN, 8 Mar: At a time, when speculation is rife in the media and the political circles in Uttarakhand about a possible major political reshuffle in the Pushkar Singh Dhami’s Cabinet, state’s Finance Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal, who is in the centre of this speculation, has been nominated as member of Group of Ministers (GoM) for Disaster Revenue. It however remains to be seen, if this responsibility will settle down the ongoing speculation of him being forced to resign or the speculation will continue for some more time. Sources in the BJP, however, do not foresee a major Cabinet reshuffle. If at all there is a reshuffle, it may result from a possible Cabinet expansion.
Aggarwal has been nominated as a member of the Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to explore ways to raise revenue in the event of natural disasters. Reacting to this, Aggarwal expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for entrusting him with this crucial responsibility.
The GST Council has constituted the GoM to assess the imposition of a special disaster cess in states affected by natural calamities. The seven-member group includes Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, Uttarakhand Finance Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal, Assam’s Ajanta Neog, Chhattisgarh’s OP Choudhary, Gujarat’s Kanubhai Desai, Kerala’s KN Balagopal, and West Bengal’s Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The GoM members will examine the constitutional and legal feasibility of imposing a special cess by states to generate revenue for disaster relief. The committee will also analyse and establish a framework for determining what qualifies as a natural disaster under the GST system to justify the imposition of such a cess.
Additionally, the GoM is also expected to explore alternative mechanisms to support states in disaster situations without altering the fundamental structure of GST. Another key focus will be determining whether the special cess should apply universally across all sectors or be limited to specific industries.
While this responsibility comes as ex-officio responsibility, but this development can really work towards settling the ongoing political speculation regarding Prem Aggarwal along with two other ministers also being made to resign. An insider in the RSS, speaking to Garhwal Post in this respect, felt that the controversy has been unnecessarily dragged this long. He also indicated that the government has other means than making someone like Prem Aggarwal or others to resign to “punish” them.
Meanwhile some sources in the BJP on Saturday claimed that while the possibility of Cabinet expansion can’t be discounted, the possibility of a major reshuffle may not be on cards at the moment.
Dhami describes his Delhi visit as routine and prescheduled
Speculation over cabinet reshuffle
By OUR STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI, 8 Mar: Amid the speculation that is currently rife and viral in Uttarakhand regarding a major cabinet reshuffle of Pushkar Singh Dhami Cabinet, CM Dhami today described his Delhi visit as not only prescheduled but also a routine visit. Speaking informally with the media persons in Delhi on the sidelines of a programme related to the Women’s Day, Dhami instead asked the media persons if they had additional information regarding his visit to Delhi.
It may be recalled Dhami and BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt’s visit to Delhi has garnered significant attention. Political circles are abuzz with speculation that the Dhami cabinet may be reshuffled and that three ministers may be asked to put in papers after Holi. Amidst the speculation, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has also made a statement regarding the situation.
When questioned by journalists about the cabinet expansion and his Delhi visit, Dhami responded in his characteristic style, stating that his visit to Delhi was pre-scheduled and not a sudden development. He added that his Delhi visit was already planned. It is not a new or sudden development. Dhami added that it was a routine trip. It might be something new for you all, but for me, it was just a normal visit.
