The Goods and Services Tax (GST) was rolled out at midnight with the 'press of a button' from the Central Hall of Parliament. The President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, FM Arun Jaitley and other Cabinet ministers were present. Some of the opposition parties attended, while the Congress and the Left parties gave it a miss.
11:20 pm: "India will chart a new direction with GST," says PM Modi. Acknowledges that "this was not the work of any one government."
11:25 pm: "Central Hall is the perfect place for launch of GST. Today at midnight we will decide India's future course."
11:27 pm: "India is a perfect example of cooperative federalism."
11:30 pm: "This is the pinnacle, the height of Indian democracy."
11:32 pm: "Einstein said once that "income tax regulations are hardest to understand. I wonder what he would have said if he came to India."
11:35 pm: "We are now getting freedom from this complicated regime. All the difficulties you have been experiencing, you are getting freedom from those via GST."
11:45 pm: President Pranab Mukherjee begins his address
11:45 pm: President Mukherjee says that "this is the culmination of a 14 year journey", noting the role of the previous UPA government. Rahul Gandhi had said earlier in the day that the GST was a reform that the UPA government had actively championed. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh skipped GST launch event owing to the Congress’ boycott of the ceremony.
11:50 pm: "This is a moment of satisfaction for me personally."
11:55 pm: "In the many meetings so far on the GST, the government representatives took decisions with consensus and good counsel between centre and states."
11:56 pm: "This system is a disruptive change no doubt, which is often met with initial resistance. There are bound to be teething troubles in the initial stages."
11:58 pm: "My deep appreciation to all those who helped implement this path-breaking change," the President says as he finishes his speech to applause.
Midnight: Dignitaries, Prime Minister, President and other officials invited to press the button initiating the GST system.
