The 57th GST Council meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has concluded in New Delhi with the Council approving a wide-ranging package of GST 2.0 reforms aimed at simplifying compliance, speeding up refunds and making the tax system more predictable for businesses and taxpayers. Among the biggest decisions, the Council has removed the power of arrest under GST and raised the threshold for prosecution from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. The minimum punishment has also been removed, while the general penalty where no specific penalty is prescribed has been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 10,000.