Withdraw GST on handloom products

Warangal: The leaders of Weavers Development Foundation have demanded the Centre to withdraw GST on handloom products.

Marking Handlooms Day on Monday, the Foundation has felicitated 30 senior weavers at Kothawada in Warangal. Addressing the gathering, Enumamula Market Committee Chairman K Dharma Raju wanted the government to ensure livelihood opportunity to weavers from Kothawada at Textile Park proposed here.
Similarly, old age pensions should be given to both wife and husband in a family, he added.

Former ZP Chairman S Samma Rao and ex-MLA Vannala Sriramulu demanded that the government should give pensions, health cards, and double bedroom houses to all eligible handlooms workers. Measures to extend bank loans to the workers should be taken, they added.

At the meeting chaired by the Foundation state vice-president Chippa Venkateshwarlu, a resolution was passed seeking to establish Textile Engineering College in Warangal. An all-party meeting to discuss the issues of handlooms workers has to be convened by the government.

The Foundation advisor V Sadanandam urged the government to initiate immediate measures to prevent suicides by handlooms workers under financial distress. The affected families should be given Rs 5 lakh as compensation.

APCO directors DS Murthy, M Chalam, V Narender, Chanda Mallaiah and A Ravinder were present. Later on the day a rally, flagged off by KUDA Chairman M Yadava Reddy, was taken out from Kaloji Centre to Public Gardens in Hanamkonda where a handloom exhibition was organised by the department of handlooms and textiles.

The programme was attended by Mayor N Narender, Warangal Urban District Collector Amrapali Kata, Commissioner of Police G Sudheer Babu, Municipal Commissioner Shruti Ojha and DPRO DS Jagan.
The Mayor said the State government was committed for the welfare of the handlooms workers and has allocated Rs 1,200 crores for the purpose.