Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday welcomed the central government's decision to keep materials used in langar (free community dining facility) run by religious institutions out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) purview and also to return the GST collected from such institutions.

"Expressing my gratitude to Central Government for taking a positive step and accepting our request for giving exemptions to the raw materials used in langar and religious places under GST," Nitish tweeted and also tagged the message to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley's Twitter account.

Nitish said GST imposed on materials bought for langars led to increase in expenditure of religious institutions, creating difficulties for them and also the common people.

"The decision by the central government under its 'Seva Bhoj Yojana' (food service scheme) to reimburse the GST collected on materials bought by religious institutions to provide free food to the people will help the institutions and the common people," Nitish said.

The Bihar chief minister had written to Jaitley, who also happens to the chairman of GST Council, on April 12, and requested him to grant exemption to all inputs related to provision of food in a langar in religious institutions, especially Gurudwaras and other such organisations belonging to different creed.

Nitish had pointed that though food served at langar was not liable to be taxed under GST, some significant inputs like sugar, jaggery, atta, rava, rice, ghee, edible oil, spices are taxable, which adds to the cost of Gurudwaras.

Requesting that GST on such items should not be imposed, the chief minister had said in the letter: "Imposition of tax on the aforementioned inputs should be discouraged in view of the sanctity of the langar."

Apart from Nitish, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive off GST imposed on ingredients used for langar in Gurudwaras.