Bhartiya Udhyog Vyapar Mandal Welcomes GST Council Decisions, Ravikant Garg expresses gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister

Mathura, October 9, 2026: The Bhartiya Udhyog Vyapar Mandal (Registered), a leading national organization representing industrialists and traders, has formally welcomed the recent policy decisions taken by the GST Council. Ravikant Garg, National President of the organization and a former institutional finance minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman following the announcement of these administrative shifts.

These policy updates, which follow a detailed memorandum submitted by the organization regarding the provisions of Sections 129 and 130 of the GST Act, address long-standing concerns regarding the seizure of goods and the detention of transport vehicles. Key reforms include the implementation of a common format for all GST notices and orders, and a commitment to simplifying the registration process for taxpayers. Under the new framework, changes to core taxpayer details—such as trade names, addresses, and partner or director information—will be processed automatically without the need for manual human intervention. This shift is intended to enhance transparency and reduce unnecessary litigation across the country.

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Addressing the specific concerns of the trading community, the government has moved to curb instances of arbitrary vehicle detention. The updated guidance encourages the inspection of goods primarily at the originating or destination locations, rather than during transit. Furthermore, administrative penalties have been reduced from 25,000 rupees to 10,000 rupees. The threshold for triggering criminal prosecution has been significantly raised from one crore rupees to five crore rupees, providing substantial relief to small and medium-sized traders who previously faced potential legal action for minor discrepancies.

The council has also streamlined the refund and return processes, mandating that acknowledgments for refunds be provided within 10 days, with 90 percent of provisional refunds issued within three working days. New provisions regarding Input Tax Credit have been introduced, extending benefits to previously restricted categories, including employee welfare and life insurance, telecom towers, and external pipelines. Additionally, small traders operating through e-commerce platforms have gained greater flexibility; those without a physical business location in a specific state can now register by declaring the warehouse of an e-commerce operator as their primary place of business, facilitating easier expansion of operations nationwide.

The organization’s leadership emphasized that these changes reflect a commitment to the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ initiative. By limiting the scope of harassment often described as ‘Inspector Raj’ and focusing on willful tax evasion rather than technical or clerical errors, the government aims to support the growth of small enterprises. Ravikant Garg noted that the reduction in criminal liability and the simplification of compliance procedures will allow traders to focus on economic development. The Bhartiya Udhyog Vyapar Mandal has reiterated its support for the government’s efforts to build a developed and self-reliant India. The organization confirmed its commitment to collaborate with the central administration on the ‘Viksit Bharat’ mission as these reforms are officially implemented.