Biometric Authentication Introduced at 46 GST Service Centres to Combat Registration Fraud
Indore: In a significant move to tackle fraudulent taxpayers, biometric-based Aadhaar authentication will be rolled out at 46 GST service centres across Madhya Pradesh. This initiative aims to streamline the GST registration process and eliminate dishonest applicants who contribute to revenue losses for the government.
These centres will be co-managed by both state and central GST departments, with the aim of becoming operational by the last week of November. “To address the issue of fraudulent registrations and to filter them out at the initial stages, sewa kendras are being set up in the state. Biometric authentication will involve capturing the applicant’s photograph and thoroughly verifying all original documents,” explained SGST additional commissioner Rajani Singh.
The common practice for establishing fake firms often includes forging invoices and submitting bogus documents of individuals not associated with the business. This new system at the service centres is designed to detect such cases early on, Singh added.
Experts highlight that unscrupulous taxpayers often manipulate the online GST registration system for fraudulent transactions, making the biometric Aadhaar verification a crucial tool in maintaining oversight over dubious registrations.
In Madhya Pradesh, the five GST service centres operated by the CGST will be located in Indore, Ujjain, Bhopal, Jabalpur, and Gwalior, while the remaining centres will be managed by SGST.
In Indore, around 15 applications for new GST registrations are submitted daily. “Our system will categorize applications based on historical data, and if any fraudulent registration associated with the same PAN or any suspicious activities are detected, those cases will be flagged. All such questionable cases will be directed to sewa kendras for Aadhaar authentication and thorough document verification, including rent agreements and electricity bills,” Singh stated.
At the service centres, appointments will be assigned to applicants, ensuring that the biometric authentication process is conducted efficiently.