India's 75% artisans don't know if GST is applicable to their handmade products: Jaya Jaitley's elite NGO

By A Representative
A recent high-profile report on the imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on handmade products has complained that the Government of India (GoI) has not shown any consideration for 90 million agricultural households, "who necessarily are connected to the artisan sector and sometimes overlap in activities."
Pointing out that the GoI has looked at GST landscape "from the point of view of formal status", the report wonders, "Will a basket maker sell his bamboo baskets made from raw material from the local forest to his neighbouring farmer with tax? Will a tribal terracotta tile maker in Madhya Pradesh make a roof for his neighbouring farmer who gives him grain and charge tax?"

Prepared by Jaya Jaitly of the Dastkari Haat Samiti and the National Association of Craftspeople, and Ritu Sethi of the Craft Revival Trust, known to be elite NGOs seeking to promote handicrafts across India for the last several decades, the report states, on the basis of a "rapid survey", that 82% of the craftspeople would be covered by GST, as their "annual income" would be more than Rs 20 lakh.
However, shockingly, to the question, "Do you know even if annual income under Rs 20 lakh you have to register if you are taking your products outside the state?", 76% said no. A major reason cited for this is, only 19% of them are able to understand "the procedure for GST in their craft."

When asked whether they knew about the fact that the tax is applicable for their craft, only 25% answered in the positive. When asked if they have understood procedure for GST in their craft, only 19% answer in the positive. On being asked whether they knew of the tax applicable on their craft, 25% answered in the positive.
To the query, "Do you know that even if selling price is more with new tax, you will get reverse input refund on tax paid for raw material?", only 11% said they knew. On being asked if they have a computer in their home or nearby, 60% said "Yes", and when asked "Are you dependent on an educated person, accountant or CA to help you with procedures required by GST?", 57% said "Yes".

The report states, "The points and queries raised in this representation show that there is vast confusion at every level of the crafts sector which has been unrepresented in the preparation of GST. Is has happened because there has been no preparatory meetings with experienced representatives working in the field in this sector."
Pointing out that "crafts and handlooms have been treated as formal industries and material rather than skill based", the report says, the GST virtually "makes the word ‘skill' meaningless", evn as using the word 'hand' callously, wiping the relationship between the two "out of existence."
"Crafts and Handlooms have not been coherently slotted and come under tax slabs ranging from 0%, 0.25%, 3%, 5%,12%,18% and 28%", the report states, adding, all it is "impossible to tackle".

In fact, the report underlines, "No sympathy or consideration has been given to the ecological aspects of natural fibres, natural dyes, organically produced cotton, ahimsa silk, recycling of waste materials, which are all historically, culturally and traditionally valued in India".
According to the report, " Customers benefit only at the cost of the Indian artisan as the competitive and comparative advantage of cheap mechanized imports and the Indian mechanized industry are completely to the disadvantage of artisans with hand skills who use little or no machine assistance in their work."
This predicament has taken shape because, says the report, "Till now the crafts sector has largely remained untaxed because of which products were cheaper and price competitive, e.g., handmade shoes, handloom fabric, handmade apparel etc. GST on these products is in the range of 5% to 28% making these products expensive and highly uncompetitive."

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Centre criminally negligent': SKM demands national disaster declaration in flood-hit states

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has urged the Centre to immediately declare the recent floods and landslides in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Haryana as a national disaster, warning that the delay in doing so has deepened the suffering of the affected population.

Saffron Kingdom – a cinematic counter-narrative to The Kashmir Files

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* “Saffron Kingdom” is a film produced in the United States by members of the Kashmiri diaspora, positioned as a response to the 2022 release “The Kashmir Files.” While the latter focused on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits and framed Kashmiri Muslims as perpetrators of violence, “Saffron Kingdom” seeks to present an alternate perspective—highlighting the experiences of Kashmiri Muslims facing alleged abuses by Indian security forces.

From lazy to lost? The myths and realities behind generational panic about youth

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak Older generations in many societies often describe the young with labels such as “lazy, unproductive, lost, anxious, depoliticised, unpatriotic or wayward.” Others see them as “social media, mobile phone and porn addicts.” Such judgments arise from a generational anxiety rooted in fears of losing control and from distorted perceptions about youth, especially in the context of economic crises, conflicts, and wars in which many young lives are lost.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Counterview

Search This Blog