'GST collections top Rs 1 lakh cr for 5 months in a row'

New Delhi: Increased economic activities have resulted in higher GST collection which stood above Rs 1 lakh crore for five months in a row since October 2020, Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Thakur, during Question Hour, said this could be possible on the back of the measures taken by the government to boost economic activities over the last year to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. "GST collection has increased. If you see e-way bill data, numbers... activities have increased," the minister said. "GST collection has witnessed above Rs 1 lakh crore for a stretch of five months since October 2020... The GST collection during the period has been higher than the collection in the same period last year," he said.

On the economy, Thakur said V-shaped recovery is being seen as the third quarter GDP numbers are positive and trade is getting better. The Indian economy had seen a contraction of 24.4 per cent in the June quarter of FY21, impacted by Covid-19. After two consecutive quarters of contraction, the country's GDP entered into a positive territory with a growth of 0.4 per cent in the October-December quarter of the current fiscal.

"When Covid-19 pandemic erupted... -24.4 growth rate was recorded in April- June.... Modi government has initiated several good steps with a positive result and 0.4 per cent growth was in the third quarter," Thakur said.