Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised a Diwali gift for the citizens of the country in his speech on the occasion of the 79th Independence Day. Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he said that the next generation Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms will be a Diwali gift for the country.

"This Diwali, I am going to make it a double Diwali for you. The citizens will receive a big gift on this Diwali...We are bringing next-generation GST reforms. This will reduce the tax burden across the country. This will be a gift ahead of Diwali," he said in his address to the nation.

PM Modi said the government had undertaken major reforms eight years ago, referring to the GST regime that subsumed numerous taxes and local levies. The government reduced the tax burden across the country and simplified the tax process, he said.