INTERACTIVE MEETING WITH HON’BLE FINANCE MINISTER Smt. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN GARU HELD AT VIZAG CONVENTION CENTER

An interactive meeting with Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Garu was held at the Vizag Convention Center, where she shared key achievements of the government and insights into ongoing reforms. Highlighting the recently announced GST 2.0 reforms as a “Diwali gift to the common man” from Hon’ble Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi Garu, she stated that these measures are designed to provide direct benefits to citizens and stimulate economic growth. She noted that under the Gareeb Kalyan scheme, 25 crore people have been uplifted from below the poverty line to the middle class. Additionally, GST on essential goods and health services has been reduced to 5% or even 0%, ensuring greater affordability. These reforms are expected to leave around ₹2 lakh crore in the hands of the public, driving spending and boosting other sectors of the economy. 
    
VCCI members, YW members led by Mr. Sampath Kethavarapu President, YW, were participated in the session. 

During the Q&A session, Shri Sudarsan Swamy, President of VCCI, requested the Hon’ble Minister to expedite the establishment of GST Tribunals. He emphasized that this would help reduce the burden on the judiciary and facilitate faster resolution of GST-related disputes.

President also requested for Refund of ITC on Account of Reduction in GST Rate, Refund of ITC on Input Services in Inverted Duty Structure (IDS), Passing on Benefits of Tax Rate Reduction to Customers, Relief for Exporters Facing Reduced Turnover through the representation. We thank Mr CA Anil Kumar Bezawada for his inputs.