Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that 2025 marked a defining phase in India’s reform journey, with pathbreaking policy changes across sectors accelerating growth and strengthening the foundations of a Viksit Bharat. In a LinkedIn post, PM Modi said that “India has boarded the Reform Express,” driven by the country’s youthful demography, entrepreneurial energy and the indomitable spirit of its people. He noted that India’s rise as a centre of global attention stems from next-generation reforms that are cross-sectoral, citizencentric and growth-oriented.
He said that 2025 will be remembered as a year when reforms became a continuous national mission, building on progress made over the past 11 years. He said institutions were modernised, governance simplified and long-term, inclusive growth strengthened through faster execution and deeper transformation.
Highlighting major initiatives, PM Modi pointed to GST reforms, including the introduction of a clean two-slab structure of 5 per cent and 18 per cent aimed at reducing disputes, easing the burden on households, MSMEs and labour-intensive sectors, and improving compliance. The reforms, he said, boosted consumer sentiment and demand during the festive season.
He also underlined historic tax relief for the middle class, with individuals earning up to Rs12 lakh annually paying no income tax, and the replacement of the Income-tax Act, 1961 with the modern Income Tax Act, 2025, marking a shift towards a transparent and technologydriven tax administration. To support businesses, the government expanded the definition of small companies to include firms with turnovers up to Rs100 crore, reducing compliance burdens. 100 per cent FDI in the insurance sector was permitted to enhance insurance penetration, competition and service delivery.
In the financial sector, the Securities Market Code Bill was introduced to strengthen SEBI’s governance, enhance investor protection and enable a technology-driven securities market. Major maritime and blue economy reforms were also undertaken, with five landmark maritime laws passed in a single Parliament session, replacing outdated colonial-era legislation and reducing logistics costs. PM Modi highlighted the Government’s push to end excessive criminalisation through the Jan Vishwas reforms, under which 71 Acts were repealed.
He said institutions were modernised, governance simplified and long-term, inclusive growth strengthened through faster execution and deeper transformation.
Steps to boost ease of doing business included the revocation and suspension of several Quality Control Orders, helping reduce production costs and improve competitiveness across industries. On labour reforms, PM Modi said 29 fragmented laws had been consolidated into four modern labour codes to ensure fair wages, social security, safer workplaces and higher female workforce participation, while extending ESIC and EPFO coverage to unorganised and contract workers.
He also pointed to expanded global market access, citing trade agreements with New Zealand, Oman and the UK, as well as the operationalisation of India’s first FTA with developed European economies under the EFTA bloc. In the energy sector, he described the SHANTI Act as a transformational reform enabling the safe and responsible expansion of nuclear energy to meet rising demands from data centres, advanced manufacturing and clean technologies, while opening new opportunities for private participation and innovation.
