The general public should benefit from the reduced GST rates – Finance Minister O.P. Chaudhary

Finance Minister O.P. Chaudhary held a special review meeting of the ‘GST Savings Festival’.

Raipur : At a special review meeting of the “GST Savings Festival” held in Naya Raipur, Finance and Commercial Tax Minister O.P. Choudhary directed the state’s citizens to ensure prompt benefits of the reduced GST rates. He emphasized that the benefits of the GST rate reduction should reach the general public directly, ensuring real savings for every family and relief for traders.

Finance Minister Choudhary conducted a detailed review of the situation in all markets across the state and sought feedback from officials. He directed that the benefits of the GST rate reduction reach consumers transparently. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a historic rate reduction has been implemented under “GST 2.0,” aimed at providing relief to citizens and facilitating trade. It is the state government’s responsibility to ensure that the benefits of this reform reach the public in a timely and honest manner.

It is worth mentioning that the rates of commonly used items have been drastically reduced—almost 99 percent of items are now under the 5 percent GST slab. This decision is directly resulting in significant savings for consumers. For example, savings of ₹60,000 to ₹120,000 have been achieved on agricultural machinery like tractors. At the same time, prices of clothing and daily use items have also declined significantly, significantly reducing annual expenditures for the general public.

It is important to know that the GST 2.0 reforms, which came into effect on September 22, 2025, are aimed at directly benefiting ordinary Indian families. These reforms have provided significant relief to the healthcare sector. Individual life and health insurance premiums are now GST-free, saving families thousands of rupees annually. The GST rate on most medicines, medical devices, and diagnostic kits has been reduced from 12% to 5%, while many life-saving drugs have been completely exempted from tax.

These reforms have not only provided relief to ordinary citizens on healthcare expenses but have also had a positive impact on household budgets.

Finance Minister Chaudhary directed GST officials in all districts to ensure that no goods are sold at the old rates. If any old stock is available, the new revised rates should be marked on it, and goods should be sold only at the new rates, so that the benefits of the GST rate reduction reach consumers directly. He also stated that daily reporting of the “GST Savings Festival” will be ensured, and he himself will regularly review it at the state level, so that the benefits of the “GST 2.0” reforms reach every citizen of the state.

The meeting was held in the presence of Finance and Commercial Tax Minister O.P. Chaudhary, Finance Secretary Mukesh Bansal, and Commissioner of State Taxes Pushpendra Meena. All senior and regional officials of the department were present at the meeting.