Ministers tour markets in city to push NextGen GST

Union ministers and BJP leaders promoted new GST reforms across Delhi, urging traders to prioritise domestic products and pass on tax benefits to consumers.

Several Union ministers, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and chief minister Rekha Gupta canvassed shopfronts and markets across Delhi on Monday, meeting traders and consumers to promote the rollout of the new generation of GST reforms and press for wider adoption of domestic products.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her visit to the Laxmi Nagar market on Monday. (HT Photo)

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, flanked by East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra, visited Laxmi Nagar market in east Delhi, where she met traders and consumers to discuss the GST rate cuts, her office said in a statement on X. “The shopkeeper shared that Next-Gen GST rate cuts on many stationery items have reduced prices, benefiting students and parents,” the post added.

BJP president and Union health minister JP Nadda, joined by Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and the party’s media head Anil Baluni, toured the Amar Colony Suit Market in south Delhi.

“I held discussions with shopkeepers and requested them to ensure that the tax benefits reach consumers, and that Indian-made products are prioritised,” Nadda said. He added that traders had expressed gratitude and pledged to pass on benefits, particularly as festival shopping season approaches. “Crores will celebrate Diwali and other festivals. They will now shop at lower prices thanks to GST reforms,” he said.

Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, alongside BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi and local MLA Anil Sharma, visited RK Puram market. Posting a video from the site, Vaishnaw urged consumers to adopt swadeshi products “to the extent possible” in daily life.

The reforms, rolled out last week, mark the biggest overhaul since GST’s 2017 launch. They collapse four tax slabs into essentially two broad rates – 5% and 18% – covering most items. Ultra-luxury goods face a 40% levy, while tobacco and related products remain at 28% plus cess. Previously, rates were split across 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%, with added cess for luxury and sin goods.

The coordinated outreach ahead of the festive season underlined the BJP government’s messaging on the tax relief while invoking the nationalist push for swadeshi consumption.

Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta joined the “GST Bachat Utsav” (GST Savings Festival) at Totaram Market in Trinagar, pasting posters across shops with the slogan “Make Every Home Swadeshi.” “Prices of hundreds of everyday items have come down, and markets are buzzing with excitement,” Gupta said.

She highlighted the decision to remove GST on health and life insurance, and cap rates on vehicles at 18%, saying this would directly benefit 1.4 billion citizens, particularly the middle class. “Housewives, traders, youth, farmers, MSMEs – everyone is experiencing relief. With Diwali nearing, these reforms will empower every family,” she added.

Delhi minister Pravesh Verma canvassed Bengali Market while South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri met traders in Sangam Vihar. Both urged shopkeepers to display signs reading “Say with pride, this is Swadeshi” and administered pledges to sell only Indian-made goods.