Jewellers’ strike enters 19th day

Protests across the country by the jewellery industry against levying of 1% excise duty entered 19th day on Tuesday.

Jewellers association,NAC market,in a press release detailed the reasons for their strike. “More than 90% of the retail jewellery shops in the country are artisans while the remaining depend on karigars for whom it is the only source of livelihood,” said S K Jain,president of the association.

The jewellers are demanding rollback and abolishing of excise duty on unbranded jewellery.

The protesters claim that in addition to the government losing crores of rupees in revenue,even people who earn their daily bread in this industry have not been earning their livelihoods for the past 19 days.