BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday reiterated the demand for the withdrawal of 18 per cent GST on kendu leaf, which provides livelihood to a large section of people.
In a letter to the Union Finance Minister and chairperson of the GST council Nirmala Sitharaman, the chief minister said that the imposition of such a high rate of GST on kendu leaves was affecting its trade. This in turn affected the livelihoods of kendu leaf pluckers, binders and seasonal workers, he stated.
Naveen further pointed out that this was also having an adverse effect on implementation of social security and welfare schemes for them. A minor forest produce, the kendu leaf was the financial backbone of around eight lakh pluckers, binders and seasonal workers of Odisha who were mostly tribal women and belonged to the poorest of the poor in the society, he added.
The tribal people collected the leaves as part of their rights defined under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, he said adding that they had the right to procure and sell these products.
The chief minister further urged the union finance minister to withdraw the 18 per cent GST on kendu leaf.