The government will explore the option to set up special "convenience centres" in 101 sub-divisions of the state to help traders file online returns in compliance with the goods and services tax.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who has the commercial taxes portfolio too, made the announcement on the Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industriespremises in Patna on Wednesday. He was addressing an interactive session on the GST organised by the chamber.

Abhishek Pansari, a trader from Supaul district, flagged the problems they face in small towns and villages in registering themselves and filing online returns. He requested Modi to issue directives to open dedicated centres with trained people where small traders could go and avail the services.

To this, Modi announced the idea to open the convenience centres would be explored. "We would get the idea examined and would try to set up such centres with trained personnel if not at block levels but at least in the sub-divisions of the state," he said.

Apart from traders, officials from the central GST and the state commercial taxes department were present at the interactive session. The business chamber president, P.K. Agrawal, moderated the session and asked the participants to submit their problems in writing so that these could be incorporated in the final memorandum the chamber would submit to the Bihar government so far as implementation of the GST and related problems were concerned.

Another trader from Jamui, who didn't mention his name, highlighted the poor Internet connectivity problem in the remote areas and how it makes compliance with norms of the GST Act impossible.

Modi, who holds additional charge of information and technology department, announced he will hold a meeting within a week with Internet service providers in Bihar to address problems like poor connectivity and call drops on priority.

Some of the participating traders also raised the issue of profiteering and told the deputy chief minister how some companies had increased the base price of their products after reduction in taxes on certain items.

Modi thanked them of highlighting such matters and informed them it would be discussed threadbare in the next meeting of the GST council - scheduled in Delhi on August 5 - and producers involved would be taken to task.

Also thanking the participants for their enthusiasm, Modi said he and a team of officials would organise similar sessions in Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Gaya and Bhagalpur so that more traders could get a platform to share their problems with the government on GST.