GST Council to Weigh Wider Use of GST Data and Tax Relief for Rare Disease Medicines
The 57th meeting of the GST Council is to be held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It was moved from October 7. The meeting is focused on process reforms of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), not broad rate changes.
One proposal is about who can use GST data. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has asked for complete GST datasets, including detailed records from GSTR-3B (monthly summary return) and GSTR-9 (annual return), to build better economic statistics such as GDP and a new services index.
The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) under the Ministry of Home Affairs has also asked for query-based access to GST registration, e-way bill and return data, to help investigate terrorism financing, tax evasion, money laundering and cyber fraud.
The GST Network (GSTN) and the GST Implementation Committee of officers raised concerns: the requests may go beyond a "need-to-know" basis, may break the law's confidentiality rules, and may create data security risks.
On health, a package before the Council proposes adding seven more rare diseases to the list for which imported medicines and Food for Special Medical Purposes are exempt from GST. The Council may also consider giving export status to clinical trials done in India for overseas sponsors.
Other agenda items include removing GST officers' power to arrest (requiring judicial approval instead), raising the threshold for criminal prosecution from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore, faster refunds of input tax credit, and easier registration for small online sellers.
Administrative Data in Official Statistics
Administrative data is information that the government collects while running its normal work, not through a special survey. When you file a tax return, register a company, get a vehicle registered or join a provident fund, the government records some details. These records are administrative data. Official statistics are the numbers the government publishes about the economy and society, like GDP, inflation and jobs. Today, countries including India are using more and more administrative data to make these statistics faster and more accurate.
MoSPI's request to the GST Council for detailed GSTR-3B and GSTR-9 data is the next step in India's move from surveys to administrative data. If approved, GST data would become a regular input for official statistics, not just a tax tool. The concerns raised by GSTN and officers about confidentiality and legal basis are exactly the trade-offs this concept involves.
National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD), 2021
A rare disease is a health condition that affects only a very small number of people. Many rare diseases are genetic, start in childhood, last for life and can be fatal. Treatment, where it exists, is often extremely costly. The National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD), 2021 is the central government's plan to help patients with rare diseases get diagnosis, treatment and financial support. It was approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on March 30, 2021.
The proposal before the 57th GST Council to add seven more rare diseases to the GST exemption list for imported medicines and FSMP would widen the tax relief that began in 2023. It directly supports the NPRD's aim of making costly orphan treatment affordable for families.
The GST Council (Article 279A)
The GST Council is a body of the Union Finance Minister and the finance ministers of all states. It recommends the main rules of the Goods and Services Tax: tax rates, exemptions, thresholds and procedures. It was created by Article 279A, added by the Constitution (101st Amendment) Act, 2016. It is a key example of cooperative federalism, because the Centre and states decide together on a shared tax.
Both the request to share GST data with MoSPI and NATGRID and the proposed tax relief for rare disease medicines need the GST Council's recommendation. Because GST data belongs to a shared Centre-state system, wider use of it is also a federal question, which is why the Council, not just one ministry, must decide.
- 57th GST Council meeting: Thursday, October 8, 2026 (moved from October 7), Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
- MoSPI seeks complete GST datasets, including GSTR-3B and GSTR-9 records, for national statistics
- NATGRID (attached office of the Ministry of Home Affairs, set up December 1, 2010) seeks query-based access to GST data
- GSTN and the GST Implementation Committee flagged confidentiality, "need-to-know" and data security concerns
- Proposal: GST exemption on imported medicines and FSMP to be extended to seven more rare diseases
- Proposal: export status for clinical trials conducted in India for overseas sponsors
- Decriminalisation proposal: remove arrest powers of GST officers; prosecution threshold to rise from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore
- CGST Act Section 158 (confidentiality) and Section 158A (consent-based sharing, Finance Act, 2023)
- NPRD, 2021: up to ₹50 lakh per patient, 12 CoEs, 63 notified rare diseases
- New GDP series base year 2022-23 (released February 27, 2026) already uses GST data