November 21, 2019
Pratima Mondal speaks about high GST rate on assisted devices for persons with disabilities
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Sir, I will like to draw the attention of the House to an important issue. Sir, persons with disability assisted devices ensure personal mobility, communication and often makes a difference between the life of seclusion and life of activity, being able to lead a normal life. It goes well beyond that; winning medals for our country is their birthright.
But imposition of GST ranging between 5 % to 18% has become a hurdle. Instead of assisting them, the government is making their life harder. The extent of which is visible in every state. This approach of the government has compelled a huge number of people to stop using or switching over to basic prosthetic equipment.
Sir, several thousands of people, including Paralympic athletes, be it Manisha Singh or Neeraj George of Kerala, sought removal of GST. Sir, according to him a five year old dream was achieved with a lot of pain, only for a reason. He wanted to prove that differently abled people without prosthetic limbs can be…
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