Tamil Nadu has suffered Rs 35,000 crore GST revenue loss during lockdown, says chief minister K Palaniswami

Salem: Tamil Nadu has suffered an estimated Rs 35,000 crore GST revenue loss during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and various austerity measures have been taken to handle the situation, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Saturday. However, development schemes won’t be affected from these steps, he said. [caption id=“attachment_4295865” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami. PTI[/caption] During the last week of March, besides April and May, due to the lockdown, the state has suffered an estimated Rs 35,000 crore GST revenue loss, he said quoting the Finance Department. “Various austerity measures have been taken to handle the situation but they won’t affect development schemes as they ensure employment generation,” he told reporters here, without elaborating. The Tamil Nadu government had imposed the lockdown on 24 March, a day ahead of the national lockdown, to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state. To a question, he said the state will see what announcement the Centre makes on the next course of lockdown as the ongoing fourth phase will end on 31 May. The government would also consult a panel of medical experts, he said, while pointing out at the various relaxations already provided, including in the farming and industrial sectors to resume activity. To another question, he said there was no community transmission of the pandemic and asserted that the government was taking the right steps to prevent the contagion. In Chennai, the spike was sharp and that too in containment zones due to narrow spaces that accommodated more people.