Govt lists GST Bill for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha`s agenda for next week

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Amid efforts to hammer out a consensus, the government on Friday listed GST Bill for consideration and passage in Rajya Sabha's agenda for next week

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanyam on Thursday held several rounds of talks with leaders of Congress and other parties including the Samajwadi Party, JD(U) and CPI(M).

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha participated in the discussions with Jaitley. There were two rounds with the Congress leaders.

PTI has earlier reported quoting Congress sources that party Vice President Rahul Gandhi also expects a positive outcome from these consultations. They said the discussions have entered a "decisive and positive phase".

The agency also reported quoting sources that Jaitley told the opposition leaders that government wants to bring consensus on the GST and was ready for talks with any leader even during the weekend to hear out and address their concerns on the issue.

The Bill seeks to introduce a system for uniform taxation across the country and has been pending for a long time.