The textile industry has suffered a loss of an estimated Rs 40,000 crore due to the protest against GST since July 1. In Gujarat alone, the loss is roughly to the tune of about Rs 10,000 crore.

Lakhs of traders associated with the textile industry have been protesting the inclusion of clothes in the ambit of GST. They have put forth two demands to end their protest - taxing only thread or deferring GST on textiles till April 2019.

The textile traders in Surat, country's main centre of the industry, are spearheading the protest under the banner of 'Save Textile Struggle Committee'.

Its convener Tarachand Kasat Devkishan Mangani said there are about seven lakh traders directly or indirectly associated with the industry in Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jetpur, Jamnagar Kutch and other cities of Gujarat.

He said the traders have suffered a loss of about Rs 10,000 crore due to the strike. Adding industries associated with raw materials, transport and others, this loss could be to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore so far, he added.

Mangani further said if the protests at other places such as Erode in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are also included, the total losses would reach about Rs 40,000 crore.

The sale had dropped since June 15 as the textile merchants had reduced their stocks, he added.

He said unlike jewelleries, cloth is a necessity. It is not a luxury. Cloth is indispensable while the same cannot be said about jewelleries. The strike by the textile industry would continue, he said.

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