Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 7 hailed the sweeping changes in the GST to give relief to small and medium businesses, saying his government does not want the country’s business class to get caught in red-tape.
Referring to newspaper headlines, the Prime Minister said he was happy that the changes made by the GST Council which met on October 6 had been welcomed all over the country, as if Diwali had come early. “You all must be busy preparing for Diwali, and in Gujarat, Diwali is celebrated with great enthusiasm, especially among businessmen,” Mr. Modi said while addressing a public gathering in Dwarka.
Noting that “some very important decisions” related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) have been taken, Mr. Modi said the government had earlier stated that it will study the GST for three months following its implementation and then fix the problems.
“(We had said)...Wherever there are problems in these three months, as in the areas of management, shortage of technology, problems related to rules, complaints regarding rates, trouble in practical experience of business class, we will address it,” he said.
“We do not want the country’s business class to get caught in red tapism, files, bureaucracy, I will never want this,” Mr. Modi said.
He said that, based on the information the government had, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley convinced everyone at the GST Council meet on October 6. “I am happy that it has been welcomed in one voice across the country,” Mr. Modi said.
When there is trust in the government and honesty is seen behind decisions, then the country joins in despite difficulties, the Prime Minister said.
“I can experience this and I am thankful to the people of the country for the way they have welcomed our effort to make simple tax simpler,” Mr. Modi said.
Two-day tour in poll-bound Gujarat
Earlier in the day, Mr. Modi arrived in his poll-bound home State of Gujarat on October 7 for a two-day visit less than a month after inaugurating the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project. He began the tour with prayers at the Dwarkadheesh Temple in Dwarka.
During his whirlwind tour, Mr. Modi is expected to address as many as six public meetings launching various schemes and projects at five places in three regions of the State.
After visiting the Dwarkadheesh temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, the Prime Minister came out and waved at people waiting outside to greet him. He also shook hands with some of them.
At Dwarka, Mr. Modi laid the foundation stone for a four-lane cable stayed signature bridge between Okha and Beyt Dwarka to be built at a cost of ₹962.42 crore. Located about a couple of kilometres away from the temple, Beyt Dwarka is frequented by thousands of pilgrims coming to this temple town of Lord Krishna. At present, the pilgrims cross the sea in boats operated by private operators and Gujarat Maritime Board. The new bridge would connect both the pilgrim centres by road.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function to lay the foundation stone for a sea-link bridge between the coastal town of Okha and Bet Dwarka Island on October 7, 2017. Photo: @PMOIndia
Other projects for which foundation stones will be laid include the four-laning of 116.24 km of the Porbandar-Dwarka section of NH-51 and the four-laning of 93.56 km of the Gadu-Porbandar section of NH-51.
Next on his itinerary is the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a ₹2,500-crore Rajkot International Airport on the outskirts of biggest city in Saurashtra. He would also address a public rally at the pilgrim town of Chotila in Surendranagar district just an hour’s drive from Rajkot.
Less than a fortnight ago, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who toured the Saurashtra region for a three-day campaign, also began his visit with prayers at the Dwarkadheesh temple and subsequently paid salutations to the local deity in Chotila.
Mr. Modi would then inaugurate the new building of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) near Gandhinagar.
On October 8, Mr. Modi will visit his hometown Vadnagar in North Gujarat to inaugurate a ₹500-crore civil hospital and a medical college. At Vadnagar, he will also dedicate the re-developed Sharmistha Lake to the people and inaugurate other public works, including the facelift of the Vadnagar railway station, where he once sold tea as a school boy.
The town has been decked up to welcome the son of the soil. Mr. Modi would pass by his school and also the old railway station where his father’s tea stall was located.
Massive hoardings have been put up along the route, depicting his journey from Vadnagar to Varanasi. Some of them have a sketch of Mr. Modi as a school boy.
The hoardings also highlight several achievements of Modi’s three-year rule at the Centre.
Mr. Modi will lay the foundation stone of the ₹1,200-crore Devi Ni Mori International Buddhist complex near Shamlaji in Aravalli district, also in North Gujarat.
Later, the Prime Minister would lay foundation stone for ₹3,000-crore Bhadbhut barrage project over river Narmada, as well as a ₹650-crore Dahej-Ghogha Ro-Ro ferry service near Bharuch in South Gujarat before flying off to New Delhi from Vadodara.
