When Union Finance Minister personally clarified about GST for traditionally hand-crafted musical instruments
CHENNAI Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman found time recently to reply to a post on Thanjavur veenas by social media influencers Pavan and Nandhini. M. Com student Subhashini Kannan, who belongs to a family of veena makers from Thanjavur, had expressed concern over rumours that such instruments too would attract GST. 'We don't get much in terms of profit since we have to invest in the wood and other items. It takes atleast 15 days to make one veena. In such a situation, if GST was also imposed it would be a burden for instrument makers,' she said on the video posted by the Instagram handle @inthemoodforsouth. Responding to her concern, Ms. Sitharaman, thanked Instagrammers Nandhini and Pavan for bringing out the cherished tradition of making handcrafted veenas in Thanjavur and how a few families are keeping the tradition alive. 'We are reaching out to the girl who mentioned her plight about GST in the video, as you have mentioned her number.' Further, she added: 'Just for the information of viewers, would like to state, as per the rules, indigenous handmade musical instruments are completely exempt from GST and hence attract zero GST.' The exemption list includes instruments such as sitar, sarasvati veena, mohan veena, nakula veena, thanthi Panai, elathalam among many others,' the Finance Minister explained. Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Subashini said she was thankful to Ms. Sitharaman for exempting the instrument from GST. 'Someone else also later clarified that veenas don't attract GST. It came as a relief. After the post, we got orders for three veenas,' she said adding that veenas can be bought from ₹24,000 onwards depending on the colour and designs. They are all made using jackfruit wood. EOM
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Kayalode suicide: five booked on complaint by victim's friend
The police have registered a case against five persons based on a complaint filed by Rahees, a friend of Razeena, the young woman who died by suicide at Kayalode here. Mubashir, Faisal, Rafnaz, Suneer, and Zakaria have been named accused in the case which involves charges of unlawful assembly and assault. Mr. Rahees, who appeared at the Pinarayi police station on Saturday, alleged that the accused had confronted Razeena and assaulted her while she was talking to him inside a car. According to the FIR, they dragged him out, beat him up, threatened him with the release of photographs and seized his three mobile phones. He also stated that one of the accused took him on a scooter to an isolated location and assaulted him again. Family's claim denied The police had earlier arrested three of the five for abetment to suicide, based on a note left by Razeena, which reportedly cited mental distress due to public humiliation. Mr. Rahees denied the family's claim that he had exploited Razeena financially and told the police that he had met her three years ago through Instagram. A detailed statement was recorded by a police team led by the Thalassery ASP. CPI(M) charge Meanwhile, the incident has taken a political turn, with Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] district secretary K.K Ragesh launching a scathing attack on the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). He accused the party of orchestrating the 'moral policing' that led to the young woman's death. 'What happened in Kayalode was a Taliban-style moral policing. They punished the girl and her friend and gave it wide publicity on social media to shame her,' Mr. Ragesh said. He also criticised the SDPI's claims that Rahees was a CPI(M) member, calling the tactic 'Goebbelsian propaganda.' Mr. Ragesh alleged that the SDPI had 'killed her through humiliation' and held both the SDPI and the Congress responsible, saying the UDF had allowed religious fundamentalists to grow under its fold. 'The Congress is silent and now Razeena is being humiliated again by using her own family,' he added.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Foremost priority is to ensure forest lease holders receive entitlements: Chhattisgarh CM
Even as joint security forces continue operations across several States to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah's resolve on a 'Naxal-Mukt Bharat' by March 2026, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that his government's 'foremost priority is to ensure that every forest land lease holding family received their rightful entitlements'. An official told The Hindu that this flows from the government's thinking that 'there is a clear correlation between FRA (Forest Rights Act) enforcement and reduced Naxal activity'. The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognises and vests forest rights with Scheduled Tribes and forest-dwelling communities. 'The approach is holistic, combining rights recognition, economic empowerment, and security measures to strengthen tribal self-governance and counter extremism,' the official said, adding, 'Reports from the ground indicate that in districts with robust FRA implementation, Naxal recruitment has dropped. Gram Sabhas now resolve many local disputes without Maoist interference, showcasing the positive impact of tribal self-governance.' In response to questions on FRA implementation in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled State, the Chief Minister told The Hindu that his government had streamlined the 'fauti naamantaran' — the process of transferring ownership of land after the death of the leaseholder as well, 'so that legal heirs face no hurdles'. 'By simplifying and streamlining the process of 'fauti naamantaran', we have made sure that after the demise of a lease holder, their legal heirs face no hurdles in claiming their rightful ownership,' Mr. Sai said. Also Read | Forest rights concerns could influence electoral results in nearly a third of constituencies, says study 'With their names now officially recorded, they not only become the lawful owners of the land but also gain easier access to various government schemes and benefits,' he said, adding that the streamlined process had 'provided forest rights holders with a new foundation of economic, social, and familial security'. 'It has boosted the confidence of our rural and tribal communities and strengthened their trust in the government,' the CM said. This thinking is also reflected in the State government's 2025 policy for the surrender and rehabilitation of Naxals and victims of violence, which has provisions to give land titles, financial aid, and livelihood assistance to surrendered Naxals and victims, the State government official further said. 'By recognising land and forest rights, the government has addressed long-standing tribal grievances, which Naxals previously exploited for recruitment. In conflict-prone areas such as Abujhmad, granting habitat rights has strengthened trust between tribal communities and the administration,' the official said. The State government has especially focused on granting community rights titles under the FRA, data showed, with officials adding that Chhattisgarh had been granted over 4,300 Community Forest Resource Rights (CFRR) titles in the past 1.5 years. Public data from FRA implementation further showed that while, as of 2018, individual rights titles under the FRA were more than twice the number of community titles granted, the dataset for the last one year showed community titles outnumbering individual titles. This comes in the backdrop of the Union government trying to give a fresh push to the implementation of the FRA across the country by funding the setting up of over 300 FRA cells to facilitate the law's implementation. This effort is the first time the Union government is setting up mechanisms to help in the implementation of the law, which was hitherto largely in the domain of State governments.
India Today
8 hours ago
- India Today
Surrender of values: Sonia Gandhi slams India's silence on Iran, Gaza strikes
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday strongly criticised India's silence on Israel's devastation in Gaza and Iran as "not just a loss of its voice, but also a surrender of values".In an article - "It is still not too late for India's voice to be heard", she accused the Narendra Modi government of abandoning India's long-standing and principled commitment to a peaceful two-nation solution envisioning an independent Palestine along with in the article, was also critical of US President Donald Trump for following a "destructive path" in West Asia, after having spoken against America's endless wars. "New Delhi's silence on the devastation in Gaza and now on the unprovoked escalation against Iran reflects a disturbing departure from our moral and diplomatic traditions. This represents not just a loss of voice but also a surrender of values," the Congress leader said in her article in 'The Hindu'."It is still not too late. India must speak clearly, act responsibly, and use every diplomatic channel available to defuse tensions and promote a return to dialogue in West Asia," Gandhi also said that in the face of this humanitarian catastrophe, "the Narendra Modi government has all but abandoned India's long-standing and principled commitment to a peaceful two-state solution, one that envisions a sovereign, independent Palestine living side-by-side with Israel in mutual security and dignity."advertisementSonia Gandhi noted that on June 13, 2025, the world has, once again, "witnessed the dangerous consequences of unilateral militarism when Israel launched a deeply troubling and unlawful strike against Iran and its sovereignty".She said the Indian National Congress has condemned these bombings and targeted assassinations on Iranian soil, which represents a dangerous escalation with grave regional and global consequences."As with so many of Israel's recent actions, including its brutal and disproportionate campaign in Gaza, this operation was executed with utter disregard for civilian lives and regional stability. These actions will only deepen instability and sow the seeds of further conflict," she also alleged that the current Israeli leadership under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "has a long and unfortunate record of undermining peace and nurturing extremism". She alleged that given the record, "it is not surprising that Netanyahu would choose escalation over engagement".Referring to the US President, she said, Trump's statement of June 17 dismissing its own intelligence chief's assessment and claiming that Iran was "very close" to acquiring nuclear weapons is "deeply disappointing"."The world expects and needs leadership that is grounded in facts and driven by diplomacy, and not by force or falsehoods," she said Iran has been a long-standing friend to India and is bound to us by deep civilisational ties."It has a history of steadfast support, including in Jammu and Kashmir at crucial junctures. In 1994, Iran helped block a resolution critical of India at the UN Commission on Human Rights on the Kashmir issue," she noted. "Indeed, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been much more cooperative with India than its predecessor, the Imperial State of Iran, that had tilted towards Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars," she to the India-Israel strategic relations in recent decades, she said, "This unique position gives our country the moral responsibility and the diplomatic leverage to act as a bridge for de-escalation and peace.""This is not simply an abstract principle. Lakhs of Indian citizens are living and working across West Asia, which makes peace in the region an issue of vital national interest."Israel's recent actions against Iran have taken place in an atmosphere of impunity, enabled by near-unconditional support from powerful western nations," Gandhi said while the Indian National Congress unequivocally condemned the "absolutely horrific and totally unacceptable attacks" by Hamas on October 7, 2023, "we cannot remain silent in the face of Israel's catastrophic and disproportionate response."More than 55,000 Palestinians have lost their lives. Entire families, neighbourhoods, and even hospitals have been obliterated. Gaza stands on the brink of famine, and its civilian population continues to suffer unspeakable hardship," she Watch
