The Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is in the final stages of implementation, is a validation of India’s federal structure, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking at the India Today Conclave 2017. Modi who spoke via video conference to an audience gathered in Mumbai used the occasion to detail his government’s achievements ranging from the Make In India programme to the improvement in ease of doing business indicators.
Speaking on GST, Prime Minister Modi said that consensus on all issues has been arrived at after extensive consultations with the states. The idea was to emphasize cooperative federalism, he said. “This (GST) may be disruptive for you, but it is a testament to India’s federal structure,” said Modi.
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The government intends to live the slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ in all aspects of its functioning, the Prime Minister said.
One area where the government intends to take all constituencies along is on the issue of labour reforms. Anyone attempting labour reforms has been seen as “anti-labour”, said the Prime Minister while adding that his government will tackle the issue in a way that benefits employees and employers.
The government is equally committed to job creation and entrepreneurship, added Modi. To promote self-employment, loans worth more than Rs 3 lakh crore have been given under the MUDRA scheme, he said.
Addressing concerns about delays in implementation of schemes and projects, the Prime Minister said that the government has launched a programme called ‘PRAGATI’ which stands for ‘Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation.’
Under this, over Rs 8 lakh crore worth of stalled schemes and projects have been kick-started, said Modi.
Bloomberg quint, 18 March 2017