Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 23 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday visited several shops and interacted with owners during the 'GST Savings Festival' in the Rajpur Road area in Dehradun.
According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), during the visit, he interacted with business owners and tried to understand their perspectives. During his visit, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for implementing the new GST rates and described this historic decision as being in the public interest. He further highlighted that the central government has introduced extensive reforms in the GST slabs.
"These new rates will provide direct financial benefits to millions of families and small traders in the state," CM Dhami said.
Additionally, he also engaged with shopkeepers and business owners to gather feedback and urged everyone to ensure that the benefits of reduced GST reach the general public. He also encouraged the promotion of indigenous products and active participation in the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (Self-Reliant India) initiative.
The Chief Minister also noted that the awareness campaign on GST will continue across the state until September 29, with participation from ministers, legislators, and officials. He also mentioned that the information will be shared at various locations to ensure that many people understand the advantages of the new GST slabs and their benefits.
During his visit to Rajpur Road, the Chief Minister also stated that implementing the new GST rates before the festive season would increase savings for the public and provide fresh momentum to the state's economy.
The reform in the Goods and Services Tax structure, which was approved during the 56th meeting of the GST Council earlier this month, came into effect on Monday.
The current four-rate system has been replaced with a streamlined two-slab regime of 5% and 18%. A separate 40 per cent slab has been retained for luxury and sin goods.
This new framework is expected to ease compliance, reduce consumer prices, boost manufacturing, and support a wide range of industries, from agriculture to automobiles and from FMCG to renewable energy. It is intended to lower the cost of living, strengthen MSMEs, widen the tax base, and drive inclusive growth.