Vanshika verma | Feb 14, 2026 |
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explains GST on Dairy and School Products
Recently, a Lok Sabha MP raised the issue that essential items like milk and school supplies, such as pencils, sharpeners, erasers, notebooks, and maps, are being taxed under GST. In response, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared a fact check on ‘X‘ (Previously Known as Twitter) and also explained the situation in the Lok Sabha.
The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, recently said on a social media platform, “I heard Hon’ble MP (LS) speech very carefully. It’s unfortunate that he twisted facts which are known to everyone in this House. Very conveniently he spoke about the life cycle of an individual & lied.”
The Finance Minister said that ever since the GST was introduced in 2017, milk has been completely exempt from GST.
The Finance Minister criticised a Lok Sabha MP, asking if he was treating the members like fools. On September 3, 2025, the 56th GSTCouncil meeting made important changes to taxes on milk and dairy products. While milk itself has always been tax-free, milk-based products like ghee, cheese, and butter used to have a 12% GST, which has now been reduced to 5%.
The Finance Minister also said on X that education is exempt from GST. She said, “Pre-school to higher secondary education, there’s no GST. Education leading to recognised qualifications: there’s no GST. On books, textbooks and notebooks, there’s been no GST since 2017.”
The MP also spoke about pencils, sharpeners, etc., and asked how can someone lie so much?’, replying to which FM said, Pencils, sharpeners, erasers, exercise books, notebooks, and maps have zero GST.
Apart from GST on milk and education, MP also raised questions regarding GST on healthcare services. He said that an individual is charged GST even after their death.
Responding to which, the Finance Minister said on X that “Health & life insurance on individual plans was brought down to 0% in the Next Gen GST reforms (September 2025). “ She further added that no Funeral services were ever taxed under GST.
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