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Himachal Congress protests against GST hike on apple cartons
Leading the protest in Rampur, Congress legislator and party general secretary Vikramaditya Singh sai farmers were suffering because of the follies of the government
Congress party’s state unit on Saturday staged a protest rally in Rampur Bushahr over the hike in the goods and services tax (GST) levied on the packaging material for apples and other fruits.
While leading the protest in Rampur, Congress legislator and party general secretary Vikramaditya Singh said, “Farmers are suffering because of the follies of the government. The increase in the GST, from 12% to 18% has led to escalation of the packing cost of the apple box.”
“The cost of the apple box has gone up by ₹200. The government while raising the GST did not think about the plight of the fruit growers in the state who contribute majorly towards the state’s economy. People will give a befitting reply to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the forthcoming assembly elections,” he added.
Highlighting the importance of affordable packaging, he said, “The government only provides limited cartons to farmers through Horticulture Produce Marketing & Processing Corporation (HPMC), but still the farmers will have to buy 3 to 4 crore apple boxes on their own. He also blamed the government for the dropping rates of apples.”
Singh further alleged that the prices of the apples have been brought down to benefit the big corporates, further criticising the BJP-led government for their alleged indifference towards the problems being faced by the farmers.
“No minister is ready to talk to the growers or listen to grievances and problems being faced by them,” he said.
The Congress leader also questioned the government over the rising unemployment in the state, saying “The government should come out with figures on how many youth got employment during its regime.”
