Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'GST Bachat Utsav' and said shifting most items to 5% and 18% slabs with many essentials tax‑free will, alongside recent income‑tax cuts, yield nearly ₹2.5 lakh crore in household savings.
• BJP leaders staged market visits and drives to push pass‑through to consumers, with Yogi Adityanath leading an awareness march in Gorakhpur, JP Nadda engaging traders in Delhi, and Karnataka units holding public celebrations.
• State administrations moved to ease implementation: Goa’s chief minister assured refunds and guidance on pricing of old MRP stock, and Andhra Pradesh announced a month‑long campaign with 65,000 meetings to explain benefits.
• West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee welcomed consumer relief but said the Centre shifted the burden to states and projected about ₹20,000 crore in revenue loss for Bengal, as opposition leaders demanded accounting for past GST collections.
• Key changes highlighted by officials include life‑saving drugs becoming tax‑free, many medicines at 5%, and textiles cut from 12% to 5%, with leaders arguing lower rates will lift consumption, bolster MSMEs, and support jobs.