RAIPUR – Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai visited MG Road in Raipur on Tuesday late evening to engage with traders and customers and assess the impact of the recent GST rate cuts. The Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a major campaign across the state to highlight the benefits of the reduced rates, which have made over 90 per cent of essential goods more affordable.
CM Sai began his visit at Jaistambh Chowk and proceeded to Sharda Chowk. He also offered prayers at a Durga pandal before meeting with owners of bicycle, electronics, and household goods stores. The Chief Minister spoke to traders to understand the effect of the GST reduction on sales and customer footfall. He also affixed ‘Bachat Utsav‘ (Savings Festival) stickers on several shops.
During his visit to an electronics store, CM Sai interacted with a customer, Richa Thakur, who runs a hostel. She told the Chief Minister that she was buying five air conditioners. With the new rates, each unit now costs ₹30,000, down from ₹35,000. She said she was saving ₹25,000 on her purchase.
Mohan Nebhani, proprietor of MS Traders, said sales had increased. He said customers were getting a direct benefit of ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 on every item. Subhash Agrawal, director of Vandana Ispat, said the government’s decision to remove the cess on steel and coal was a significant move. He added that it would reduce costs by ₹600 per tonne, leading to lower market prices and direct benefits for consumers.
Ministers and local representatives accompanied the Chief Minister. They included Cabinet Minister Kedar Kashyap, MLAs Sunil Soni and Purander Mishra, Motilal Sahu, NAN chairman Sanjay Srivastava, Amit Chimnani, Ramesh Thakur, and Nandan Jain.
Speaking to the media, CM Sai said the GST reforms, which came into effect from Navratri, were being celebrated as a ‘Bachat Utsav.’ He said the prices of many daily-use items have been reduced significantly. The Chief Minister also said he had interacted with traders to honour their contribution to the economy.
