Health bill in LS amid Oppn demand for select panel

AMID concerns by the opposition, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, in Lok Sabha on Thursday, asserting that the proposed cess will be levied only on demerit goods, like pan masala, and not on essential commodities, and revenue from the levy will be shared with states for spending on health schemes.

- PREETHA NAIR @New Delhi

The purpose of the bill is to create a ‘dedicated and predictable resource stream’ for two domains of national importance — health and national security, said Sitharaman. “This is a cess, and it is placed not on any essential commodity. We wish to impose such a cost so that it is a deterrent, so people tend not to use it,” she said.