Hyderabad: Telangana’s Handlooms and Textiles minister, Tummala Nageswara Rao, has demanded that the Central government immediately withdraw the five percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) being imposed on handloom products to protect the sector and safeguard the livelihoods of workers.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Textiles minister Giriraj Singh on Monday, August 18, Rao highlighted the crisis facing the handloom sector.
He stated that Telangana currently has 23,046 weavers and 34,569 ancillary workers dependent on handloom production for their sustenance.
However, rising raw material costs, coupled with stiff competition from cheaper powerloom and mill-made fabrics, are pushing handloom products out of demand in the market, he said.
5 pc GST inflated prices: Tummala
Rao noted that the imposition of a 5 percent GST by the Centre has further inflated the prices of handloom products, worsening the situation for weavers and leading to loss of employment opportunities.
“The Centre should act quickly and exempt handloom products from GST so that this traditional sector, along with the livelihoods of countless artisans, can be saved,” Rao urged in his letter.
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