Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel seeks Central relief for curb-hit SME sector

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has requested the Centre to grant relief to businessmen from the small and medium categories who are hit hard by coronavirus-induced restrictions in the state,
officials said on Monday.

On the request of the Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI), Baghel urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to postpone the due date for filing various kinds of returns in April and May for at least two months, a public relations department official said.

The CM has also requested that the deadline for the payment of principal and interest instalments against the business loan be extended by at least three months, he said.

"As a final and effective measure to contain the second and more fatal wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Chhattisgarh, all the districts of the state including Raipur have been declared as containment zones from April 9 to May 6 morning. Due to restrictions, businessmen from small and
medium categories in the state have been facing a financial
crisis," the CM stated.

Against this backdrop, the CCCI has demanded certain immediate relief to help the business community overcome this crisis, he said.

"As April is the first month of the financial year 2021-22, the due date for obligations under TDS and the TDS Act is scheduled in this month."

"However, the economic activities in the state has been suspended due to COVID-19-induced restrictions, because of which the businessmen are finding it difficult to tally their accounts and file returns in the given time period before the due date," he said.

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