<h1>GST rate rationalisation delivers broader relief and lowers taxes on essential goods, health insurance and farming inputs.</h1> The GST Council announced an overhaul realigning common-use items into two principal rate bands and reducing tax incidence across many personal-use and essential goods. The reform removes GST on education materials and lifesaving medicines, exempts personal health and life insurance from GST, and substantially lowers tax on agricultural inputs and equipment to relieve consumers and support farmers, effective from September 22, with the stated aim of stimulating domestic demand amid global economic pressures.