The Assam government will be donating its entire share of GST collected from the upcoming Assamese film Roi Roi Binale, the last movie featuring Zubeen Garg. The amount will be handed over to the Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, a charitable organisation set up by the late singer for humanitarian work.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters on Wednesday that there is no entertainment tax levied on films in the state. He clarified that this means there is no scope to offer any waiver, as some people had demanded. “The state government will exclusively hand over its share of the GST realised from the movie to the Kalaguru Artiste Foundation to support medical treatment of artistes, help flood victims, and assist needy students in their academic pursuits,” Sarma said.He explained that the GST applicable on cinema tickets varies depending on the ticket price. “For movie tickets above Rs 100, there is 18% GST and it is 5% GST for tickets priced below Rs 100. The state share is half of that rate and we will get the money later. We will then hand it over to the foundation,” he added. The CM also mentioned that the decision was finalised after Garg’s wife agreed to the proposal.The Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, created by Garg, carries out philanthropic activities in Assam. Alongside this announcement, the chief minister also listed several other decisions cleared by the cabinet, including financial approval for the second phase of the Asian Development Bank-backed ‘Climate Resilient Brahmaputra Integrated Flood and Riverbank Erosion Risk Management Project’. The state has earmarked Rs 2,205.75 crore as additional funding for this phase. The project will be implemented by the Flood and River Erosion Management Agency of Assam, acting as the project management unit, while the Water Resources Department and the Assam Agroforestry Development Board (AADB) will serve as the project implementation units. In another major decision, the cabinet approved the settlement of hereditary land rights for members of the Moran and Matak communities. The chief minister said this would follow the same model used for tribal communities under Mission Basundhara 2.0.
