Face authentication app launched at GSKs
Ahmedabad: In a bid to curb fraudulent practices in issuing GST identification numbers (GSTINs), state finance minister Kanu Desai launched a face authentication application for Aadhaar-based identity verification at GST Seva Kendras (GSKs) across Gujarat on Monday.
The launch event was held at the state commercial tax department in Ahmedabad. Gujarat had already introduced GSKs as a pilot project in Nov 2023 to implement mandatory biometric verification for obtaining GSTINs.
This initiative has led to a 24.3% reduction in new GSTIN applications from Nov 2023 to June 2024 compared to the same period the previous year.
In the past eight months, around 1.52 lakh new GSTIN applications were received at GSKs across Gujarat. About 30% of these were classified as high-risk,” said J P Gupta, additional chief secretary, department of finance. This means roughly 45,800 registrations were considered high-risk. The initiative aims to tackle bogus billing in Gujarat, which has cost the state exchequer Rs 11,613 crore since GST rollout due to tax evasion through fake billing scams involving transactions worth Rs 94,761 crore.
