Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reaffirmed the Government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare for every citizen.

Building on transformative initiatives such as Jan Aushadhi Kendras and Ayushman Bharat, the Government has now taken a significant step forward under the #NextGenGST reforms.

Responding to a post by Dr Sumeet Shah on X, PM Modi said: "Affordable healthcare for every Indian has always been our mission."

"From Jan Aushadhi Kendras to Ayushman Bharat, and now with reduced GST on essential health products, including zero tax on 33 life-saving medicines, we continue our journey to make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for all," he said.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced sweeping rate cuts after the GST Council approved a new two-slab structure of 5% and 18%.

Crucial items, including life and medical insurance, life-saving drugs and food items including dairy products and bread, have been made tax free.

"I had promised the people of the country that this Diwali would bring a double bonanza... People will start benefiting from first day of Navratri. This time, Dhanteras will be more vibrant. This is the biggest reform of Independent India," PM Modi said.

The Congress has provided a mixed response to the central government's major overhauling of the GST regime, which now has two main slabs instead of the previous four, media reports said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh slammed the Modi government over the previous four slabs of GST.

Ramesh said the Congress had referred to the flawed GST 1.0 way back in 2017 but Prime Minister Narendra Modi allegedly did not pay attention to it.

He has also questioned the functionality of the GST Council as the skeleton of the new regime was spelled out by the Prime Minister during his Independence Day address on August 15.