New Delhi: Two major developments on Sunday will boost the poll prospects of the ruling BJP, one, launch of the PM-KISAN scheme by Modi from Gorakhpur to give Rs2,000 per quarter of the year to the poor farmers. Second, the GST rate cut on the housing properties by the GST Council to give a boost to the collapsing real estate sector. The GST rate cut decision would have been taken in the last Wednesday video-conferencing meeting, but it was deferred to Sunday on the non-BJP states insisting on the final decision in a proper meeting in which all are physically present.
Earlier, a group of ministers, headed by Gujarat deputy CM Nitin Patel, had suggested to slash the GST on the under-construction residential properties from 12% to 5% without input tax credit (ITC) and reducing it on affordable housing segment from 8% to 3%. Even in the budget speech, the then Finance Minister Piyush Goyal favoured the rate cut to drastically cut down the GST burden on the home buyers.
The farmers’ scheme being launched by the PM in Gorakhpur to transfer first instalment of Rs2,000 to some 5.5 million small and marginal farmers directly in their bank accounts on Sunday itself. Around 12 crore small and marginal farmers will benefit from the scheme announced in the budget. The PM will seize his Uttar Pradesh trip also to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad on Sunday and distribute cleanliness certificates to the volunteers for keeping the river “Swachh” (clean).
