GST on Ganga? Govt issues clarification after controversy

The CBIC on Thursday said that there is no GST on Gangajal, amid Congress claims that the government has imposed an 18 per cent tax on it.

"Gangajal is used in pooja by households across the country and puja samagri is exempt under GST... All these items have been exempt since the introduction of GST," the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said in a post on X.

The CBIC said that GST on 'puja samagri' was discussed in detail in the 14th and 15th meetings of the GST Council held on May 18-19, 2017 and June 3, 2017, respectively and it was decided to keep them in exempt list.

Earlier in the day Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X said that the government has imposed an 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Gangajal, terming it as the "height of loot and hypocrisy".

"It is good that you are in Uttarakhand today, but your government has imposed 18% GST on the holy Ganga water itself. Not even once did you think what would be the burden on those who order Ganga water to be kept in their homes," Kharge said in a post in hindi addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi is on a day-long tour to Uttarakhand on Thursday.