<p>Mysuru: MLA and former minister Tanveer Sait has appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to send a good representative to the meeting of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, scheduled for September 3-4, to argue for lesser GST on beedi, a labour intensive product, for the larger benefit of the huge pool of workers involved in its production.</p><p>Sait, who is also president of Mysuru Beedi Mazdoor Association, said, “I request the state government to recommend a rollback in the GST slab from 28% to 18% in the interest of the beedi workers and the industry. I would be happy, if the CM directs our Karnataka state member of the GST Council to raise the issue in the meeting and convince the Union government for a rollback”.</p><p>Meanwhile, the GST Council is likely to propose either a fresh cess on sin goods like tobacco products or amend the law to raise the maximum GST rate above 40%.</p>.Govt committed to welfare of Beedi workers: Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya.<p>Recalling that the beedi industry in Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh is a century old, Sait said, his late father Azeez Sait, who was also minister, also championed the cause of beedi workers from 1952 untill his demise in 2001.</p><p>“There are crores of workers, 90% of them women, depending on the beedi industry for a livelihood. Beedi manufacturing is labour intensive and is categorised as a cottage industry. My father Azeez Sait was the president of Mysuru Beedi Mazdoor Association till his demise. He was instrumental in enrolling and registering beedi workers under Minimum Wages Act. He ensured that the families of beedi workers get benefits like health, housing and education. He brought the Central Hospital for Beedi Workers, one of its kind in the entire nation, to Mysuru,” Sait recalled.</p><p>“The World Health Organisation (WHO) policies against tobacco products has reduced the production to 50%, already affecting the livelihood of beedi workers. Many beedi industries, including Ganesh Beedies of Mysuru, may face the threat of closure, leading to unemployment of beedi workers,” he warned.</p>
<p>Mysuru: MLA and former minister Tanveer Sait has appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to send a good representative to the meeting of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, scheduled for September 3-4, to argue for lesser GST on beedi, a labour intensive product, for the larger benefit of the huge pool of workers involved in its production.</p><p>Sait, who is also president of Mysuru Beedi Mazdoor Association, said, “I request the state government to recommend a rollback in the GST slab from 28% to 18% in the interest of the beedi workers and the industry. I would be happy, if the CM directs our Karnataka state member of the GST Council to raise the issue in the meeting and convince the Union government for a rollback”.</p><p>Meanwhile, the GST Council is likely to propose either a fresh cess on sin goods like tobacco products or amend the law to raise the maximum GST rate above 40%.</p>.Govt committed to welfare of Beedi workers: Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya.<p>Recalling that the beedi industry in Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh is a century old, Sait said, his late father Azeez Sait, who was also minister, also championed the cause of beedi workers from 1952 untill his demise in 2001.</p><p>“There are crores of workers, 90% of them women, depending on the beedi industry for a livelihood. Beedi manufacturing is labour intensive and is categorised as a cottage industry. My father Azeez Sait was the president of Mysuru Beedi Mazdoor Association till his demise. He was instrumental in enrolling and registering beedi workers under Minimum Wages Act. He ensured that the families of beedi workers get benefits like health, housing and education. He brought the Central Hospital for Beedi Workers, one of its kind in the entire nation, to Mysuru,” Sait recalled.</p><p>“The World Health Organisation (WHO) policies against tobacco products has reduced the production to 50%, already affecting the livelihood of beedi workers. Many beedi industries, including Ganesh Beedies of Mysuru, may face the threat of closure, leading to unemployment of beedi workers,” he warned.</p>