KTR slams Modi government on GST on textiles, handlooms

TRS (BRS) working president and Textiles Minister KT Rama Rao appealed to the electorate of Munugode to teach the BJP a befitting lesson for the gross injustice done to weavers. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to levy taxes on handlooms and textiles in the history of independent India.

Interacting with weavers from Munugode constituency through a teleconference on Monday, Rama Rao slammed the Narendra Modi government for its attempts to push the handlooms and textiles industry into crisis, despite coming to power by promising to promote “Swadesi” (Made in India) products. He reminded that the textiles sector was the second largest employer in the country after the agriculture sector.

We need not wonder if the Modi government decides to hike this GST from 5 per cent to 12 per cent immediately after the elections,” he said.

Rama Rao feared that the Centre’s policies and decisions would completely ruin the handloom industry, a wonderful heritage of the country’s cultural traditions. He said the BJP had dissolved the All India Handlooms Board, All India Handicrafts Board and scrapped the savings scheme and insurance schemes for weavers. The yarn subsidy to weavers was also reduced from 40 per cent to 15 per cent, dealing a death blow to handloom production.

The Textiles Minister said though the Telangana government had sought



assistance from the union government in implementing welfare measures for weavers, there was no help from the Centre. Further, the union government did not extend any support to set up the National Textile Research Institute, Handloom Exports Promotion Council, Institute of Handloom Technology, and block-level handloom clusters.

Listing out the measures taken by the State government for upliftment of the weavers and support extended to the handlooms and textiles industry in the State, the Minister said the State had also allocated a budget of Rs.1,200 crore per annum for the welfare of the handloom sector, provided a 40 per cent subsidy on yarn and dyes through Chenetha Mithra, introduced a Rs 5 lakh insurance coverage for handloom and power loom workers under Nethanna ku Bima, and was also implementing Nethannaku Cheyutha scheme.

The State government had also waived weavers’ loans ranging up to Rs 1 lakh, benefiting about 10,500 weavers. He stated that an integrated training, production and sales centre in Narayanpet and handlooms park in Gadwal were being set up.

He promised to work for the welfare of weavers in textile towns like Koyyalagudem, Puttapaka, Gattupal, Chautuppal, Chandur, Munugodu, Narayanapuram and Lingotam under Munugodu constituency. He also assured to address the issues pertaining to Koyyalagudem and Kuntlagudem areas.