Weavers send postcards to PM Modi, demand rollback of GST on handloom products

The postcards were sent responding to a call given by Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao after launching the campaign on October 22.

Hyderabad: Demanding the Centre to rollback the five per cent GST being imposed on handloom products and its raw materials, lakhs of postcards hand-written by Telangana handloom weavers were sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The postcards were sent responding to a call given by Handlooms and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao after launching the campaign on October 22.

The handloom weavers and handloom supporters gathered at Nizam College Grounds on Monday and took out a massive rally before posting the postcards in bulk numbers at General Post Office in Abids. They held placards with the photographs of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Minister Rama Rao and various slogans demanding for removal of the GST on handloom products and its raw materials.

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Speaking on the occasion, MLC L Ramana said due to the GST imposition, scores of handloom weavers were unable to sell their product for affordable prices considering the high input costs and additional taxation had only made it worse. He demanded the Centre to rollback the GST and also restore various weavers’ welfare schemes which were scrapped including ICICI Lombard Health Scheme, Mahatma Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojana and others.

He said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao took several measures to protect the handlooms sector. Some of them are Nethanna Ku Bima, Chenetha Mithra, Nethannaku Cheyutha and loan waiver to weavers.

Telangana State Handloom Development Corporation chairman Chinta Prabhakar, Telangana Powerloom and Textiles Development Corporation chairman Guduri Praveen, former Rajya Sabha MP Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar, Warangal Mayor Gundu Sudharani and others participated in the programme and the rally.