International Conference on GST Reforms in India: Towards Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient Growth [Hybrid, NEHU Shillong, 8-9 October; Register by 30 August]
Department of Economics, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).About the organiser
The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), established in 1973, is the oldest central university in Northeast India. It has 87 affiliated undergraduate colleges, including eight professional colleges, enrolling about 18,000 students. Close to 1,700 students are pursuing master's degrees and doctoral research, and the faculty strength is just over 300. In a span of about 50 years NEHU has matured into an institution with a serious academic, social and cultural agenda.
The Department of Economics, established in 1974, is one of the oldest and largest departments of NEHU and ranks well among Indian institutions of higher learning on the IDEAS/RePEc ranking. It offers MA/M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes in economics, has a faculty strength of 11 with competencies in development economics, international economics, health and environmental economics and public finance, and currently hosts 43 research scholars. Faculty members also serve on policy-making and evaluation committees of government bodies. The conference is being held in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
Background and rationale
The Goods and Services Tax is a landmark indirect tax reform in India that aims to create an integrated domestic market by streamlining tax compliance, ensuring transparency and improving efficiency through the subsuming of multiple layers of central and state taxes. Since its introduction in 2017, the GST regime has seen continuous rate revisions, technology upgrades and compliance simplifications, reflecting efforts to promote domestic manufacturing, green transitions and consumer welfare.
The changes to GST in September 2025 herald the Next-Gen GST Reforms (GST 2.0), focused on rationalising tax rates, simplifying compliance through digital innovation, ensuring faster refunds for businesses and aligning with changes in global trade. Notwithstanding this progress, India's GST reforms are still confronted with complicated rates, low business compliance, inadequate administrative capacity, delayed refunds and inconsistent state revenue.
Objectives of the conference
The conference aims to stimulate discussion on:
- Comparative perspective of India's GST experience with that of other countries
- Performance evaluation of India's GST
- Impact assessment of recent changes in the rate structure of GST
- GST issues in the Northeastern States
Major sub-themes and technical session themes
A. Inclusive growth dimensions
- GST and Consumer Welfare
- GST and Social Equity
- GST and the Informal Economy
- GST and MSMEs
B. Sustainable growth dimensions
- Green Taxation under GST
- GST and Macroeconomic Stability
- GST and Fiscal Federalism
C. GST and growth resilience
- Digital Transformation
- AI and Data Analytics in Tax Administration
- Resilience Enablers: revenue stability, supply-chain efficiency, formalisation, inflation management
D. Comparative and future perspectives
- Global Insight
- Next Generation GST Reforms
Who can take part, and what is still open
The target audience for the conference includes academicians, professionals, practitioners, research scholars and students.
Please read the timeline carefully before you act. The call for papers invited original unpublished research on the conference themes, with submissions undergoing a double-blind review process, but that window has now closed: the extended abstract deadline was 15 May 2026 and the full paper deadline was 30 July 2026, with notification of full paper acceptance issued by 15 August 2026. What remains open is registration, and the last date for registration is 30 August 2026. Delegates who wish to attend the conference, whether in person at Shillong or through the online participation tier, should register within that date.
Submission guidelines (for authors already accepted)
These are the formatting requirements that governed submissions and continue to apply to accepted papers:
- Extended abstract of not more than 1,000 words; full paper within 6,000 words
- MS Word, font style Times New Roman, font size 12, line spacing 1.5
- APA style for references
- Plagiarism should not exceed 15 per cent
- The abstract should contain purpose, design, methodological approach, findings, research limitations and social implications
Full papers are to be sent to the conference email address, gstconfnehu2026@gmail.com.
Registration fee
Fees are charged per participant, in two tiers depending on whether accommodation is required. The second tier also applies to online participation.
- Research scholars and students: Rs 1,000 with accommodation; Rs 500 without accommodation or for online participation
- Faculty and industry participants: Rs 2,000 with accommodation; Rs 1,000 without accommodation or for online participation
- Foreign participants: Rs 5,000 with accommodation; Rs 2,000 without accommodation or for online participation
Registration fees include conference kits and food. An accompanying person of a participant needs to register separately at the same fees.
Travel, accommodation and hospitality
Hospitality will be provided from the afternoon of 7 October 2026 to the forenoon of 10 October 2026. Paper presenters are encouraged to arrange their own travel expenses; however, limited travel reimbursement for 3AC non-Rajdhani by the shortest route will be made available to select paper presenters strictly on a merit basis, subject to availability of funds. Accommodation will be provided to all paper presenters on request on a double-sharing basis.
How to register and the organising team
The organisers have not published a separate online registration form. Registration and all correspondence run through the conference email address, gstconfnehu2026@gmail.com, on or before 30 August 2026, or through the coordinators listed in the contact section below.
The conference is convened by Prof. Chittaranjan Nayak, Head of the Department of Economics, NEHU, with Dr. Darishisha W. Thangkhiew as Co-convenor and Dr. Rajib Sutradhar as Organizing Secretary. Prof. Sumarbin Umdor, Pro-Vice Chancellor of NEHU, is Patron and Prof. Moses M Naga, Dean SEMIS, is Co-Patron, with the Vice Chancellor of NEHU as Chief Patron. Organising committee members are Prof. Utpal Kr. De, Dr. Veronica Pala, Dr. Deigracia Nongkynrih, Dr. Wandinecia Tariang and Dr. Mohd Murtaza, all of the Department of Economics, NEHU.