HRANI meets Minister of State for Finance on Rationalization of GST rates. A delegation led by Mr Surendra Kumar Jaiswal, President, HRANI comprising of MC Members Mr. Pradeep Narayan Singh, Mr Vinod Gulati, Mr Amit Jain and Mr Vineet Taing along with Mrs Renu Thapliyal, Secretary General met Sh Anurag Singh Thakur, Hon'ble Minister of State for Finance, Govt of India. The delegation submitted a detailed representation on Rationalization of GST rates for Hospitality sector to the Hon'ble Minister. A copy of the representation was also sent to Hon'ble Finance Ministers of nine States of Northern India to take it up in the meeting of GST Council. Reduction in GST quantum for hotel rooms; Banquets and Input tax credit to Restaurants has been the key concern of the industry. HRANI takes up the issue of Non-Issuance of Commercial Airport Entry Permits ( T- Pass) with Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Civil Aviation. A delegation led by Mr. Surendra Kumar Jaiswal, President HRANI comprising of Members of Managing Committee Mr. Vinod Gulati, Mr. Vineet Taing, Mr Amit Jain along with Mrs Renu Thapliyal, Secretary General, HRANI including Mr. Bhupinder Singh, Airport Operations Manager, JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity & Mr Pawan Khatri from Hilton Group met Sh. Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, New Delhi to discuss the concern of 4 star and above hotels on new AEP guidelines 2019 by BCAS under Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt of India. The delegation apprised the Union Secretary Tourism that The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) under Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has unveiled the new Airport Entry Permit (AEP) guidelines 2019 on August 2, 2019 wherein as per para 9.7 of said guidelines, the issuance /re-issuance of the commercial Airport Entry Permits have been abolished. As a result all commercial AEP issuance / re-issuance has been stopped. The Commercial AEP Terminal Pass (T-pass) is issued to 4 star and above hotels on chargeable basis which gives access to Terminal Building other than Security Hold, Customs and immigration but include baggage claim area of Domestic terminal. The issuance / re-issuance of commercial AEP is not a security concern as the hotels follow the strict SOP to obtain the Commercial AEP from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) which comprises BCAS Verification and AVSEC Certification including Approval / Classification from Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and certification of FHRAI and its four regional associations. After clearance by the AEP committee which includes officials from AAI, BCAS and CISF, the commercial AEP is finally issued. Mr. Surendra Kumar Jaiswal, President, HRANI submitted the Secretary Tourism that abolishing issuance of commercial AEPs is highly arbitrary and not a industry centric decision. It will result in draconian consequences such as Security Risk for Tourist, Increase in Touts and will also affect livelihood of many people in travel trade. It will also lead to substantial lay-offs and job terminations across the hotels on PAN India level, there by further deteriorating the already worsened unemployment situation in our country. This new practice will also hurt tourism to a certain extent. A detailed representation was submitted to the Secretary Tourism. The delegation requested him to take up the matter with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). Sh. Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary Tourism gave a patient and positive hearing to the delegation. The representation has also been sent to Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) by the Association. About Us Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) is the northern wing of the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) - an apex body of the hospitality sector. HRANI, founded in 1950 by Legend Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi, represents hotels, restaurants, tourism industry & travel trade of all nine states of Northern India i.e. Delhi, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh. It was conceived with an idea to give Hoteliers and Restaurateurs in Northern India a common forum for interaction. With an active membership base from the hospitality industry and allied sectors, HRANI is assisting its members to create a conducive environment to tap the vast potential of hospitality industry in Northern India. For advertising in HRANI Hospitality Flash, write to hrani.1950@gmail.com or call +91 011-26468103, 26433590 Mailing Address : Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India CIN No.: U55101DL1952NPL002161 406/ 75-76, Manisha Building, Nehru Place, New Delhi-110019 Telephone: 91-11-26468103, 26433590, Fax: 91-11-26236201 E-mail: hrani.1950@gmail.com Copyright © 2019 Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India, All rights reserved