GST pinch to Gurudwara “langars”

The cash-rich Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages gurdwaras, or Sikh shrines, across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh claimed that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) puts an extra burden on its finances in running the free food service.

The Harmandir Sahib, the SGPC claims to have paid nearly Rs 2 crore (about $310,000) as GST.

“The SGPC spends around Rs 75 crore to purchase desi ghee, sugar and pulses. Now, it will have to bear a financial burden of Rs 10 crore on these purchases as they come under the 5 to 18 per cent GST bracket,” Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had written to the Finance Minister seeking exemption from the GST Act for all purchases made by the SGPC for langar sewa.