Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday announced that nearly Rs 1,600 crore in pending GST refunds since 2019 will be released to traders before Diwali, enabling them to celebrate the festival with “greater joy and prosperity.”Gupta chaired a special meeting of the Department of Trade and Taxes at her Civil Lines camp office, which was attended by GST Commissioner Nandini Paliwal, Finance Secretary Shurveer Singh and other senior officials, PTI reported.Accusing the previous AAP government of failing to take “any concrete measures” to clear the dues, she directed officials to ensure the entire refund amount is disbursed before the festival.The chief minister said the Delhi GST department, in collaboration with IIT-Hyderabad, has developed an advanced IT module to make the refund process faster and more transparent. The new system, based on data analytics, automation and expedited verification, would help ensure quicker settlement of refund applications and provide timely relief to traders, she added.“All pending, undisputed and genuine refund applications must be processed strictly in accordance with the rules and on a priority basis,” Gupta told officials. She stressed that timely refunds would improve liquidity, cut litigation costs and collectively give Delhi’s economy a growth push.Gupta said strengthening ‘ease of doing business’ for traders was a top priority for her government. As part of this effort, a Traders’ Welfare Board has been set up to include representation from Delhi’s trading community to ensure their concerns are addressed.