Prime Minister Modi Sits With MPs As BJP Workshop Endorses GST Reforms

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attended the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) workshop at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium within the Parliament complex, opting to sit in the last row alongside fellow MPs.

The unusual gesture underscored his call for collective responsibility as the gathering deliberated on major policy changes.

During the session, BJP MPs unanimously endorsed the sweeping Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms approved by the GST Council on September 3.

Experts consider this overhaul one of the most significant changes to India’s indirect tax regime since its inception.

Fewer Slabs and Lower Rates for Essentials

Under the revised structure, only two primary tax slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent will remain, with a higher 40 per cent rate reserved for sin goods.

The Council’s decision has cut rates across a wide range of essential goods and services, including groceries, footwear, textiles, fertilisers and renewable energy products.

Items previously taxed at 12 per cent and 28 per cent have largely been moved into the two main categories.

Officials said the simplified framework aims to ease household expenditure and increase disposable income, thereby stimulating consumption and boosting economic growth.

The reforms follow the Prime Minister’s Independence Day pledge to offer relief to the middle class through the GST system.

The government expects the changes to provide immediate benefits to ordinary citizens while delivering fresh momentum to the economy in the longer term.

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