National seminar on GST Reforms 2.0 concludes at CUKashmir
20/08/2026
Ganderbal, August 20 (KIP)-The two-day national seminar on "GST Reforms 2.0: Sectoral Growth Prospects and Challenges," organized by the Department of Commerce, School of Business Studies, Central University of Kashmir (CUKashmir) in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi, concluded at Tulmulla Campus here on Thursday.
Addressing the valedictory function, Dean, School of Social Sciences, Prof. D. K. Madaan, highlighted the economic and political dimensions of GST and its implications for welfare and resource allocation. He noted that the unified tax structure has improved efficiency by enabling businesses to source inputs more productively, reducing supply-chain costs and encouraging wider participation in the tax network. He also called for further reforms promoting sustainability, including tax incentives for environmentally responsible production.
In his speech, former Vice-Chancellor of CCS University, Meerut, Prof. Narendra Kumar Taneja, remarked that the unified market dismantles the "tax-inspired, tax-distorted vertical integration" of the pre-GST era, where businesses were forced to produce all inputs in-house to avoid cumbersome inter-state taxes. This fragmentation, he explained, hurt specialization and scale. With GST, producers can source inputs efficiently, boosting productivity. He cited studies showing that major companies like HUL, Marico, and Nestle have restructured their supply chains, reducing warehouses and costs due to the uniform tax structure. Prof. Taneja advocated for using GST to promote environmental sustainability by taxing goods that contribute more to greenhouse emissions at a higher rate, while lowering rates for eco-friendly products. He urged students and young researchers to examine emerging dimensions of taxation and policy.
Assistant Director (Retd.) and Advocate, Mr. M.G. Kodandaram, offered a practitioner's perspective on the journey of GST. He explained that GST successfully transitioned India from an origin-based to a consumption-based tax system, ensuring equitable revenue distribution among states. He illustrated how the tax rate structure has rationalized, noting that out of the original 425 items in the 28% bracket in 2017, only 28 items remain today. He emphasized the importance of Input Tax Credit (ITC) in eliminating the cascading effect of taxes and urged scholars to study the place of supply rules.
Earlier, Dean, School of Business Studies, Prof. Syed Zahoor Ahmad Geelani, expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. A Ravinder Nath for his proactive support and to ICSSR for providing financial assistance, noting that the seminar was an example of the university's commitment to hosting relevant intellectual activities aligning with the National Policy of Education 2020.
Seminar convenor and Head, Department of Commerce, Dr. Mehraj-ud-Din Shah, presented a detailed overview of the proceedings of the seminar. He informed the gathering that the University had received 74 research papers from scholars and academicians from different parts of the country on the theme and after a thorough scrutiny and evaluation of the submissions, only 50 papers were selected for presentation during the seminar, ensuring that the deliberations remained focused, research-oriented and aligned with the objectives of the event. Thereafter the dignitaries distributed certificates among the participants.
Asst Prof. Dr. Rizwana Rafiq, conducted the programme proceedings and Dr. Mehraj ud Din Shah proposed the vote of thanks.