Gorakhpur Weavers on the Verge of Shutting Looms Post-GST

The Quint speaks to weavers in Gorakhpur to understand why business is dwindling & how elections can effect change.

Why are the weavers from Gorakhpur in such a bad state? The Quint speaks to weavers struggling to earn from handloom.

(Photo: Shadab Moizee/The Quint)

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

Why are the weavers from Gorakhpur in such a bad state? Many power handlooms are on the verge of shutting down. On the eve of the last phase of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, The Quint spoke to the weavers in this district of Uttar Pradesh. Ajijul Ansari, a weaver said, "We have been doing this work for ages, but the situation is really bad now." The decaying potential of earning from handloom was a sentiment which was echoed by Matloob Ansari who said, "The looms have reduced from 100 to 8 now. We hardly earn Rs 10,000 now. Many people are unemployed." Junaid Alam, another weaver said, "Weavers have switched professions. They have become vegetable vendors, workers etc. GST has affected work of many labourers."

After GST, many weavers have had difficulty in procuring raw material. And the unhappiness with politicians is uniform; from SP's Akhilesh Yadav to BJP's Yogi Adityanath, their demands are constantly going unheard. Speaking on Akhilesh Yadav, Ubaid Ur Rehman said, "Akhilesh Yadav who has been a CM did not know about our existence." These handloom weavers of Gorakhpur say they have tried meeting CM Yogi but no one supports us. Will the 2019 Lok Sabha elections be different? Watch the video to know more.