Cloth merchants down shutters in protest against GST hike in Nalgonda:

Nalgonda: Shop owners at SPT Market, the biggest textile market in the district, downed shutters on Tuesday and staged a dharna protesting against the Centre’s decision to hike GST on textiles to 12 per cent from the present five per cent.

They participated in the protest demonstration under the aegis of Nalgonda District Cloth Merchants Association demanding that the Centre reconsider its decision.

Speaking on the occasion, association leader Jella Ganesh said cloth merchants were already facing financial crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic and the hike in GST on textiles would lead to closure of clothes stores.

In Yadadri-Bhongir



district, cloth merchants took out a rally in Choutuppal and staged protest demonstration at the statue of Konda Laxman Bapuji.

Speaking on the occasion, former DCCB Director Pillalamarri Srinivas said the State government introduced a thrift scheme and was extending 40 per cent subsidy for colours used by weavers. “It helped in the revival of the weavers’ community. But the hike in GST by the Centre will adversely impact sale of clothes and would result in losses to weavers,’ he said.

He said handloom accounted for highest number of jobs in the country after agriculture. Any government decision should help people and not create hardships for them, he added.