New Delhi, Dec. 4 -- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday moved The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025 in Lok Sabha for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, "I rise to move that the bill to augment the resources for meeting expenditure on national security and for public health and to levy assess for the said purposes on the machines installed or other processes undertaken by which specified goods are manufactured or produced and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto."

Elaborating on the rationale behind the bill, Sitharaman further added, "A cess is being imposed because the GST system taxes consumption, and even today pan masala is taxed under GST at ...