Textile sector needs to work with govt on GST: Smriti

Surat: Union textiles minister Smriti Irani has asked Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGto work constructively for the betterment of synthetic textile sector and stop making unreasonable demands.
She said in a meeting with textile businessmen and industrialists here on Saturday that passage of Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill is a good thing to have happened."Those against its implementation must ponder and think of its benefits. India has taken a revolutionary step by passing the GST bill. We must not let this advantage go away now and start working with the government."
The minister said this when SGCCI president BS Agarwal sought excluding textile sector from its ambit on the plea that it remains disorganized. Smriti asked SGCCI to start a research programme for advancement of technical textiles and promised government help if it took the lead. The minister praised SGCCI on its proposal to set up a mega textile park but wanted it to study the successes and failures of such parks at other places. "We must take lessons from the failures of others. We must ensure that investors come from across the world in such parks and create environmentally sustainable textiles," Smriti said.
The minister also inaugurated Source-2016, an exhibition, at Convention Centre. It is being organized by Synthetic and Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council.
Media boycotts programme
Surat: Media men boycotted Union textile minister's programme at Sarsana Convention Centre as the SGCCI had not made any arrangement for them to cover the event. Cameramen covering the programme were heckled by some people in the audience which prompted the media men to boycott it.