Tirupur : In a bid to ensure the livelihood of ailing weaving sector, MP Sathyabama from Tiruppur has appealed to Arun Jaitley, the Union Minister for Finance to bring the 'Bhavani Jamakkalam,' a unique handwoven blanket, under zero GST.
Tirupur : In a bid to ensure the livelihood of ailing weaving sector, MP Sathyabama from Tiruppur has appealed to Arun Jaitley, the Union Minister for Finance to bring the 'Bhavani Jamakkalam,' a unique handwoven blanket, under zero GST.
In her memorandum, the MP emphasised that "Bhavani Jamakkalam, a 300-year old traditional cottage industry fosters livelihood for clusters of weavers in the Tiruppur region, traditionally known as a weaving cluster of Tamil Nadu.
Having been recognized with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2005 for its weaving quality and uniqueness, the famed Bhavani Jamakkalam has been one of the hallmarks of the region. For many generations, weavers from Bhavani, Anthiyur and adjacent areas of the district have been dependent on production of Jamakkalam for their livelihood.
Bhavani Jamakkalam attracted no taxation in the pre-GST period, but under the new GST regime, the Government had initially imposed 12 percent of GST on carpets, which included the Bhavani Jamakkalam.
"In the recent review of the GST structure, the GST was reduced to five percent. However, it had not benefitted the poor weavers who are in amidst poverty due to various socio-economic reasons," opined MP Sathyabama.
She also noted that Smriti Irani, the Union Textile Minister has consented to reduce the margin of GST from the earlier 12 percent bracket to the present five percent bracket. However, only a total exemption of GST can save the ailing weaving sector producing Bhavani Jamakkalam.
"Owing to poor returns and dwindling work order, the high GST has only affected the prospects of their traditional vocation which has forced youth to migrate to other avenues of profitable employment", she added in the memorandum.
MP Sathyabama also evoked the past when 20,000 families were engaged in the weaving of the Bhavani Jamakkalams. However, in the present scenario only 6,000 families are engaged in the traditional vocation. Hence, only with total exemption of GST, these weavers and the Bhavani Jamakkalam can survive.