THE Shimla town committee held a strong protest demonstration outside the deputy commissioner’s office at Shimla on July 23, 2022, against the incessant price rise of essential commodities and the recent increase in GST values on food items.

The speakers lambasted the Modi government for levying tax on essential food articles. They said in the history of 75 years of India’s independence for the first time tax is being levied on items like atta, paneer, rice, milk, curd, gur etc. They said that the BJP government has blindfolded itself from people's woes and is doling out concessions to the big sections of the corporates.

Increasing GST on the tourism industry to 12 per cent will also severely affect tourism activities, particularly in the state of Himachal Pradesh and Shimla which have a substantial footfall of tourists. Tourists, for a large section of the people, mean bread and butter, the speakers asserted. They said more tax on tourism activities would dampen the spirit of the tourists and thus affect the people in the hilly towns.

Jagat Ram, Jagmohan Thakur, Balak Ram, Kishori Dadhwalai, Vinod Birsanta and other leaders of the Shimla local committee addressed the protest meeting.