Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 22: The jewellers continued their indefinite strike in an aggressive manner for the 21st day here today to protest against the Budget proposal to impose 1 per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery.
Jewellery houses are closed since March 2 after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech on February 29, proposed levying 1 per cent excise duty on non-silver jewellery.
Large number of jewellers, swarnkars and artisans assembled at Jain Bazaar and marched towards Raj Bhawan in the shape of rally.
The protesters raised slogans against the Central Government and demanded immediate roll-back of the excise duty decision.
Addressing the gathering, Raman Suri, Chairman, Sarafa Association and Swarnkar Sangh Joint Action Committee, Jammu Province, lambasted the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for not taking positive decision in favour of jewellers.
He added that on one side Government is saying that we cannot provide Government jobs to all, do your own businesses for your livelihood and on the other side Government is forcing us to close our gold business by imposing excise duty on us, which will only lead to corruption.
“If the Central Government failed to revoke the decision, the goldsmiths’ occupation will be in jeopardy”, he added.
Later, the protestors submitted a memorandum to Governor NN Vohra for submitting it to Central Government.
Meanwhile, gold traders also held a meeting, in which representatives of the jewellery and swarnkar associations took part. In the meeting, all the participants unanimously decided to continue their indefinite strike
Among others present were Ram Kapoor, General Secretary, Jagdish Sehdev, Senior Vice President, Raghubir Saraf, Chief Organizer, Raj Pal Verma, Chief Adviser, Joginder Verma, President, Udhampur, Ashok Nagi, President, Sunderbani, Parjan Kumar Jain, President Sarafa Association Jammu, Kulbhushan Anand, President Swarnkar Sangh Jammu District, Vijay Verma, General Secretary Sarafa Association Jammu, etc.
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