Hyderabad: Lakhs of postcards seeking abolition of GST on handlooms sent to PMO

Hyderabad: Lakhs of postcards written by leaders across the State to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding abolition of GST on handlooms were posted to the PMO here on Monday.

With bags of lakhs of postcards from all districts, Netannala Welfare Associations, Handloom Workers' Unions and Netannala Social Groups and party leaders staged a demonstration at the Nizam College. Hundreds of leaders from districts took the letters from Nizam College and organised a massive rally to the General Post Office,Abids. Earlier, at a stage set up in Nizam College, they displayed lakhs of letters and raised slogans against the Centre. They demanded the complete removal of GST on handlooms, which was threatening the future of handloom workers. They suggested that programmes, like life insurance and yarn subsidy, should be restored for the welfare of the weavers.Boards like handloom and powerloom, which had been abolished, should be reconstituted immediately.

MLC L Ramana alleged that the Centre was treating the handloom workers cruelly, cancelling all welfare programs available to them and keeping them away from the profession. He said imposition of GST on handloom products, which Mahatma Gandhi once used as the most important weapon for the country's independence, was worse than ever in history. He said the BJP government at the Centre had conspired to increase GST from five to 12 percent on handloom textiles, but due to protests across the country, it has been stopped at present.

Former MP Rapolu Anand Bhaskar said by sending lakhs of postcards to Modi, the handloom workers made an effort to convey their grief. The leaders who went on a rally from Nizam College to GPO posted lakhs of letters they had brought with them to the PM.