The North News
Itanagar( Arunachal Pradesh), September 22
Recalling his commitment to enhancing both the income and savings of citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that despite facing major challenges over the years, his government consistently reduced income tax rates. This year, annual income up to ₹12 lakh has been made completely tax-free. He announced that GST has now been simplified to just two slabs—5 percent and 18 percent. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that many items have become tax-free, and taxes on other goods have been significantly reduced. He highlighted that building a home, purchasing a scooter or bike, dining out, and travelling have all become more affordable. He affirmed that the GST Savings Festival will be a memorable milestone for the people. While inaugurating and laying, the foundation stone for development works worth more than ₹5,100 crore in Itanagar of Arunachal Pradesh, said that every visit to the state filled him with pride and joy, describing Arunachal as both “the land of the rising sun” and “the pride of Mother India.”
Addressing a public gathering, Prime Minister Modi paid respects to the indigenous deity Donyi Polo and praised Arunachal’s “patriotism and simplicity.” Modi also outlined three reasons why the visit was significant: the beginning of Navratri, the launch of “Next Gen GST” reforms with what the BJP calls a “GST Savings Festival,” and the unveiling of multiple projects in power, connectivity, tourism and health sectors. He criticised previous governments for neglecting Arunachal and the wider Northeast, accusing them of sidelining the region because of its small population and limited parliamentary seats. By contrast, he said, his government had raised Arunachal’s share of central taxes more than 16-fold in the past decade, from ₹6,000 crore to over ₹1 lakh crore. Modi stressed that his administration’s approach was guided by “Nation First” rather than electoral calculations. Since 2014, he said, union ministers had made more than 800 visits to the Northeast, while he himself had travelled there more than 70 times.
Citing infrastructure gains, Modi pointed to the completion of the Sela Tunnel, the Hollongi airport terminal with direct flights to Delhi, and new heliport projects under the UDAN scheme. These, he said, were easing travel, boosting tourism and helping local farmers access larger markets. The Prime Minister also announced new hydropower projects, saying they would strengthen Arunachal’s role as a power producer and generate thousands of jobs. He argued that the Northeast, once marginalised, was now emerging as a “driving force” in India’s development push. India has set a goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, Modi said, adding that this would only be possible if all states, including the Northeast, advanced together.
