“This is a very big decision and it has ushered in a new era of trust between taxpayers and the government,” Shah said in an interview to a news channel.
New Delhi:Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has become universally accepted and successful in the country, and termed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of new GST rates, effective September 22, as a “very big decision.”
He said that since GST had stabilised in the country, the time had come to provide relief to the public. For this reason, GST had been reduced or made zero on more than 395 items.
“This is a very big decision and it has ushered in a new era of trust between taxpayers and the government,” Shah said in an interview to a news channel.
The new GST structure, called Next-Gen GST Reforms, came into effect nationwide on September 22, following its announcement by Modi during his Independence Day address at the Red Fort on August 15.
The home minister said, “Modi ji has given a constitutional guarantee to the states for compensating their losses, due to which GST became universally accepted and successful.”
Referring to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, he said India, under Modi’s leadership, had given befitting replies to any attempts at terror attacks. “Whenever terrorist attacks have come from Pakistan’s side, we have ensured that spilling the blood of Indians is not easy. Anyone who tries to do so will face severe punishment,” he said.
Shah added that the world recognises Modi as the most popular Prime Minister, with the ability to unite people and take decisions suited to every challenge. “I have seen him as one who listens to colleagues, guides them, and adapts himself to ideal leadership in the Indian democratic system,” he said.
He observed that the world has watched in amazement as Modi, who came from an extremely poor family, rose to become Prime Minister and accomplished tasks once considered impossible. “It is only through hard work, sacrifice, restraint, and consistent effort that a personality like Modi’s is forged,” he said.
The home minister also criticised India’s past foreign policy as “lacklustre and directionless,” asserting that the best results in foreign relations had been achieved during Modi’s tenure.
He said the Prime Minister has envisioned a great, fully developed, and self-reliant India by 2047, instilling confidence in 140 crore citizens. “The inferiority complex has been removed from people’s minds, and Modi has filled every Indian’s heart with the belief that we can move ahead in every field,” he said.
“It is everyone’s nature to fight against problems, but it is Modi ji’s nature to achieve complete victory over problems,” Shah added.
