GST Council Rolls Out Bio-Metric Based Aadhaar Authentication On All-India Basis

In the 53rd GST Council Meeting, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed the nationwide rollout of biometric-based Aadhaar authentication for GST registration applicants in a phased manner. This move aims to strengthen the registration process and combat fraudulent input tax credit (ITC) claims made through fake invoices. The pilot project for this authentication method was successfully conducted in Gujarat and Puducherry, garnering positive feedback. The rollout will be implemented gradually across India. The initiative, conducted by the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), is designed to streamline the registration process and enhance its security.