By: Express News ServiceNew Delhi | September 23, 2025 03:23 AM IST 2 min readBJP chief J P Nadda at a Delhi market on Monday, the first day of BJP’s GST Bachat Utsav (Express Photo/Tashi Tobgyal)As part of BJP’s weeklong ‘GST Bachat Utsav’, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and J P Nadda — who is also the party chief — Monday spoke with shopkeepers and consumers in Delhi, crediting PM Narendra Modi for the next-generation GST reforms.Vaishnaw said due to the reforms, lower taxes on almost all daily-use items would benefit all households even as he took on the Congress over “high tax rates” during the UPA rule.“The reform has simplified MSMEs, input tax credit, dispute resolution, and filing processes. As a result, consumption in the country will increase, leading to an improvement in the GDP and investment,” he said.Also Read | PM Modi says ‘GST savings festival’ begins: with lower prices, how household budgets are set for boost“Just a short while ago, I visited the markets of Karol Bagh and R K Puram where shoppers expressed happiness over the changes… it should be explained in detail how the prices of every item have been reduced and how this has improved the budgets of our middle-class and low-income families,” he said.Alleging that the Opposition was not happy with these savings, Vaishnaw said this was natural, because during their time “there was only talk and no real work ”.“The old price of a pressure cooker was `700, the new price is `650. The old price of a mixer-grinder was `5,500, the new price is `4,800… washing powder costing `100-150… the new price is `93-135… It will bring savings to everyone,” he added.“During the UPA era, the tax on cement was 30%, which the NDA government reduced to 18%. On sanitary pads, the tax during UPA was 13%, which is now zero. On household daily-use items, the tax during UPA was 30%, which is now 18%,” he said.Story continues below this adNadda told reporters, “I requested all shopkeepers to ensure that the benefits of reduced GST reach the consumers and that they sell ‘swadeshi’ products.”Vaishnaw expressed confidence that the consumption boost will raise investment and, consequently, employment.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:GST rates