Business owners in Ludhiana are expressing concern about how easily their confidential sales and purchase data is becoming available. Claims have surfaced that some staff members in the GST Department are disclosing this information to rival companies for financial gain.
Badish Jindal, president of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association (FOPSIA) and All Industries Trade Forum said that earlier we faced the recession and now we are required to deal with the worry that our confidential data is not secure.
Reportedly some GST department staff are selling our sales and purchase information to rivals. In the past, agencies in Delhi would ask for approximately ₹20,000 for that information, but local agents in Ludhiana are now providing it for as low as ₹1,000, he said.
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He added that various agents are now approaching the businesses, proposing monthly access to the competitor’s data at reduced costs. Much more data is available on the website of the GST department which makes it simpler for the insiders with access to leak the same, he alleged.
Lalit Shorey, vice president of the Oil Mill Manufacturers Association, echoed these concerns and shared his personal experience. He stated that competitors are undercutting their prices after accessing their sales and purchase records.
Additionally, industries such as auto parts are facing issues, as their clients are being hunted via parties in Delhi. He emphasized the need for government intervention to avoid significant troubles.
Industrial Area C industrialists convened to counter the same problem. They remarked the frustration that they trust the government to secure their information, lax security in the said GST department is directing to login information that is been shared with people who do not have access such as accountants and clerks, consequence in leaks.
Punjab’s Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Varun Rujam on approaching for a remark cited the Tribune that he was not knowledgeable of such happenings. If the problem is standing in front of businesses then the department shall perform the checks at the district level. No case should be out from my eyes, he ensured.
