Over 10,000 jewellers on Monday hit the roads across the country to protest against the government’s decision to make quoting of PAN mandatory for transactions worth Rs 2 lakh and above.
Over 10,000 jewellers on Monday hit the roads across the country to protest against the government’s decision to make quoting of PAN mandatory for transactions worth Rs 2 lakh and above.
They threatened to go on a strike if this rule, which the jewellers claimed has adversely affected their sales and put many out of business, is not scrapped. The rule came into effect from January 1.
“Candle light marches were held in over 200 cities across the country by jewellers. We will continue to protest in some form or other, like a silent march or candle light march, for a week or 10 days against the government’s decision to make PAN card a must for transactions worth Rs 2 lakh,” All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) director Ashok Minawala said.
More than 10,000 jewellers took part in the protest march, he said. If, Mr Minawala said, the government does not respond positively to their demand, the jewellers across the country will go on a strike in 10-15 days. GJF representatives, Mr Minawala said, met finance minister Arun Jaitley and submitted a representation on the issue.
“We hope the government is committed and believes in improving ease of doing business and removing hurdles. We believe the government will take steps for the betterment of the jewellery industry as a whole. We are expecting a positive response,” he added. GJF has urged the government to raise the PAN card threshold for consumers purchasing jewellery to '10 lakh and above, which will be a big respite for the industry, he said.
