By Arun Nair

Copyright timesnownews

New Delhi: A day before GST reforms come into effect, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a strong pitch for ‘swadeshi’ goods and asserted that the next generation GST reforms will accelerate India’s growth story, increase ease of doing business and attract more investors. “Next gen GST reforms are being implemented from tomorrow, it is like ‘GST saving festival’,” he said. In his address to the nation, PM Modi said ‘GST bachat utsav (savings festival)’ coupled with the income tax exemption, it will be a “double bonanza” for most of the people. “From the first day of Navratri, the country will take a step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat,: he said. Citing the income tax exemption on earning upto Rs 12 lakh and GST reforms, PM Modi said his government move will sweeten the festivals for the middle class, neo-middle class and others. Here are the highlights from PM Modi’ address to the nation: GST reforms will accelerate Bharat growth story, making investments more lucrative. There is equal footing for every state.When in 2017, GST was implemented, history was made. For decades, traders were entangled in tax system. Trouble in sending products from one to another. Every state had different tax norms. In 2014, when I became PM, one foreign paper cited a story of the troubles of a company.Tax and toll were big hindrances.We spoke to all stakeholder and all states and tried to find a solution, and that’s how such a reform was possible. Both Centre and state contributed to making it possible. Thus, we got one nation one tax .Reforms are important.Looking at dreams of the future, new GST reforms are going to be implemented. 5 and 18 percent tax slab will be imposed.Decisions of raising I-T exemption limit, GST reforms will save people Rs 2.5 lakh crore. This will increase the saving for the middle class, neo-middle class, women, farmers and traders. Every family will have sweetened festivals.25 crore people have been uplifted from poverty and this neo middle class has it’s aspirations PM Modi’s address comes on the eve of Navratri, the day from which the revised GST rates will kick in, with the prices of a large number of products set to come down. PM Modi has in the past taken to addressing the nation to make major announcements, like demonetisation in 2016 or India’s successful test of Anti-Satellite Missile to join an elite club of countries in 2019. He also directly reached out to people following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 through such addresses, informing them on lockdowns, offering them suggestions or highlighting the government’s measures to combat one of the most severe health crises to have hit the country and the world. In 2021, PM Modi had addressed the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti to announce that his government was rolling back the farm laws, which were aimed at reforms in the sector but had drawn fierce protests from a section of farmers, especially of Punjab. For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.