Skip to main content

Gandhi’s Gujarat retaliates, forms Namak Satyagraha Samiti to fight government move to impose salt tax

By Pankti Jog*
A Namak Satyagraha Samiti has been formed in Gujarat, consisting of agariyas (traditional salt farmers), salt manufacturers and traders, to fight the “unjust” state notification to impose five per cent value added tax (VAT) on salt.
Apart from the recently added VAT, the Government of India and the state government are charging cess and royalty on salt, respectively.
Already, the Namak Satyagraha Samiti has made several representations. It now plans voluntary shutdown of salt trading in the entire state as a mark of protest against the state government move.
The Indian Salt manufacturers Association and the Rajasthan Salt Refinery Association have extended their support to the Samiti’s fight.
The decision to impose five per cent VAT on salt reminds one of the Britishers, who levied a heavy tax on salt. Mahatma Gandhi took out his historic Dandi March, Namak Satyagrah, in 1930, which played a key role in the Independence movement.
Gandhiji ensured abolition of tax on salt, giving a strong message to the British Empire that common people of this country are going to fight for their freedom in a non-violence manner.
Gujarat produces 176 lakh tonnes of salt per year, which constitutes over 73 per cent of India’s total salt production. Basically, salt is produced in the Little Rann of Kutch, which is termed as inland salt, and all along the coast of Gujarat, which is known as marine salt.
Salt farming is 600 years old livelihood occupation of backward communities of Gujarat. Every year, thousands of families migrate from more than 10 districts to salt farming areas for eight months, to make their livelihood.
Salt is an essential commodity, used for human consumption, dairy, preservation, leather processing, bakery, chemical and soda ash, and many other industries. Yet, the state government decided to tax salt.
Surprisingly, the government states, the step is meant to bring salt production under its wings. It means, the government expects that every salt farmer from the Little Rann of Kutch to register and take a VAT number, complete online procedure for the salt that she/he sells to the trader.
The Agariya Heetrakshak Manch, an organization of traditional salt farmers of Gujarat, having thousands Agariya of members in eight districts of Gujarat, has issues a statement that this step show how the government is least concerned towards community.
It believes, the step would adversely affect the entire salt industry, including agariyas.
Harinesh Pandya, trustee of the Manch, said, “Salt is produced at the salt farm, and is not distinguished whether it is going to bakery, or to home consumption. The government’s approach of levying tax salt is very impractical and it is not possible for the agariyas to keep the accounts related to VAT.”
He underlined, “Traditional salt farmers of the state are neither given user rights on the land they cultivate to produce salt, nor do they have access to the formal credit. And now the government has imposed tax to make life of the agariyas worse than hell”.
“The agariyas of Gujarat oppose this move of the government and if needed will fight this out in by launching a Gandhian non-violent satyagrah”, he added.
No other state of India has imposed tax on salt. This tax will add on the cost of salt, making the commodity costlier than the neighboring state, Rajasthan.
In the mission 2020 for salt, the Government of India announced the ambitious plan to beat China and become the second major salt producer in the world. Yet, it is completely silent on the user rights of salt farmers over land, access to formal credit, to solar technology, and to basic facilities of water supply, public distribution system supply, health services etc.
---
*Agariya Heetrakshak Manch

Comments

TRENDING

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

Biden urged to warn Modi: US can declare India as worst religious freedom offender

By Our Representative  During a Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Nadine Maenza, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has wondered why the Biden administration should raise issues of mass anti-minority mob violence  -- particularly in Haryana and Manipur -- with Modi. Modi should be told that if such violence continues, the US will be “compelled by law” to designate India as one of the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom, she urged.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Why iconic Urdu book stall, publishing house Maktaba Jamia died an 'unnatural' death

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed*  We have all grown through the fragrant flavours and flairs of our childhood, one of them being our childhood mother-tongue historic magazines like, “Thakurmar Jhuli” (Bengali), “Khilauna”, Payam-e-Taleem" (Urdu), “Hans” (Marathi), “Parag” (Hindi), “Chitralekha” (Gujarati), “Chandamama” (Telugu), etc. I “drank” Urdu while suckling his mother and learnt the language not from any madrasa, school or college but from these publications only — my treasure trove!

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Evading primary responsibility, ONGC decides to invest Rs 15,000 crore in sick subsidiary

By NS Venkataraman*  It is reported that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will infuse about Rs 15,000 crore in ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OPaL) as part of a financial restructuring exercise. ONGC currently holds 49.36 per cent stake in (OPaL), which operates a mega petrochemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat. GAIL (India) Ltd has 49.21 per cent interest and Gujarat State Petrochemical Corporation (GSPC) has the remaining 1.43 per cent.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Sales, profits of Indian firms 'deteriorate', yet no significant increase in cost pressures

By Our Representative  The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), a monthly exercise, has said that while cost perceptions data does not indicate significant increase of cost pressures, sales and profits of the Indian firms have deteriorated.

Why Bangladesh is achieving 'new heights' amidst economic collapse of Pakistan

By Sufian Siddique*  Pakistan's economy is on the brink of bankruptcy like Sri Lanka's. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $3 billion. They have asked the IMF for a 'bailout loan' a long time ago, but the IMF is trying to impose strict conditions that Pakistan's current ruling coalition has no capacity to meet. Even China and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's long-standing loyal friends, are now reluctant to shoulder Pakistan's burden.