Pinarayi Vijayan meets PM Modi, demands GST dues

‘Ideally, the States should be given financial aid’

The Central government owed Kerala ₹4,524 crore of GST dues, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first meeting with the latter after winning a second term in his State. Mr. Vijayan said the COVID-19 pandemic had put a strain on the State’s finances. “Ideally, the States should be given financial assistance. But the Centre, in fact, owes the State ₹4,524 crore of GST compensation for 2020-21. This should be disbursed at the earliest,” Mr. Vijayan said at a press conference. The meeting with the Mr. Modi lasted nearly half an hour and Mr. Vijayan described it as cordial. Long-standing problems and demands of Kerala were discussed, he stated.