Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Monday in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, that the implementation of GST reforms has marked a new era. With the GST Savings Festival now in full swing, the public receives this double blessing during the festive season.
PM Modi expressed that this visit to Arunachal is particularly special, coinciding with the auspicious onset of Navratri, amidst the picturesque mountains. Today, next-generation GST reforms have been activated, and the GST savings celebrations have begun. Arunachal has been granted projects spanning energy, health, tourism, and numerous other sectors.
He acclaimed the land of Arunachal as not only the land where the sun rises but also as a vibrant hub of patriotism. Just like the first color of the tricolor is saffron, Arunachal's predominant hue is saffron too, symbolizing bravery and peace among its people. As PM Modi further articulated, his visit holds significance for three reasons—Foremost being this auspicious opportunity to witness such majestic mountains at the start of Navratri, devoted to the goddess Shailaputri, daughter of the Himalayas. Offering devotion amidst these mountains provides a truly divine experience.
The Prime Minister interacted with local entrepreneurs and self-help group members. He explored an exhibition at Indira Gandhi Park, closely inspecting the local products on display.
Engaging with traders, PM Modi inquired about the impact of new GST reforms on their businesses and delved into the quality and variety of local products. He emphasized the importance of promoting indigenous products under the ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign.
An official commented that this interaction was not only invigorating for the local business community but also illustrated the government’s commitment to bolstering grassroots entrepreneurship in this border state.
PM Modi also highlighted the importance of promoting local innovation and products, aiming to offer more opportunities to the state's small and medium enterprises.
During the event, PM Modi stated, “We revere the eight northeastern states as Ashta Lakshmi and cannot afford to trail in their development. The central government is investing maximally for this region's growth. When Congress was in power, Arunachal Pradesh received only 6,000 crore rupees from central taxes over ten years. In contrast, during the BJP's decade, Arunachal received over one lakh crore rupees – a sixteen-fold increase compared to Congress, signifying the BJP government's dedicated financial support beyond just tax allocations.”
Targeting Congress, PM Modi remarked, “A longstanding Congress habit is to avoid daunting development tasks altogether. This negligence has heavily impacted the Northeast. Regions requiring development were labeled backward by Congress and left unattended. Border villages were dismissed as the last village. Consequently, border areas saw migration. The BJP has transformed this approach, elevating former ‘backward districts’ to ‘aspirational districts’ with prioritized development. Border villages Congress dubbed as last, are now our first villages. The outcomes are evident as the Vibrant Village initiative has significantly eased lives there.”
