New Delhi: BJP member Jagdambika Pal’s demand that the Centre either bear the GST of 12 per cent on the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund or hike the annual amount of rupees five crore to negate the tax burden drew cross-party support Tuesday in the Lok Sabha.
Members belonging to different parties raised different issues during the Zero Hour with Tapir Gao of the BJP highlighting incidents of discrimination against people from north-eastern states in the wake of the coronavirus scare.
Gao urged the Centre to issue a advisory to states against the alleged racial discrimination. Students from north-east states living in different parts of the country are being asked to vacate their rented accommodation, he said.
Pal raised the issue of annual MPLAD fund of Rs 5 crore provided to every member for development in their respective constituencies. He said the UP government has been paying the GST on a similar kind of fund for the state’s MLAs so that the entire amount they get is spent on development.
“The Centre should also pay the GST or hike the MPLAD fund by Rs 60 lakh so that Rs 5 crore is entirely spent on development projects,” Pal stated, drawing support from many members.
Two National Conference (NC) MPs, Hasnain Masoodi and Akbar Lone, said the government should evacuate Indians who are still stranded in Iran, which has been hit hard by coronavirus. BJP’s Jamyang T Namgyal, who represents Ladakh, said 836 Shia Muslims, most of who are from his constituency, are still stuck in Iran and should be evacuated.
PTI
