Creating industrial hubs, implementing single GST crucial for MSMEs: Rahul

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Creating industrial hubs and implementing a single GST rate are imperative measures to shield MSMEs which collectively possess the power to drive India's growth engine, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday as he shared a video of his recent visit to a chocolate-making factory in Ooty.

Gandhi had visited "one of Ooty's most celebrated brands" Moddys Chocolates earlier this month while on his way to his parliamentary constituency Wayanad after his Lok Sabha membership was restored.

Nestled amidst the picturesque Nilgiris lies a globally renowned Indian industry -- the chocolate-makers of Ooty, a statement issued by the Congress said.

"On my way to Wayanad, recently, I had the delightful experience of visiting one of Ooty's most celebrated brands: Moddys Chocolates. The entrepreneurial spirit of the couple behind this small business, Muralidhar Rao and Swati, is inspiring," Gandhi was quoted as saying in the statement.

Equally remarkable is the all-women team which works alongside them, he said. "This dedicated team of 70 women crafts some of the most exquisite couverture chocolates I've ever tasted," he said.

"However, like countless other small and medium businesses across India, Moddys is grappling with the burden of the same adversary - the Gabbar Singh Tax," he said.

"In a landscape where the government appears to favour larger corporations to the detriment of the MSME sector, it is the pure grit of hardworking Indians like the women I met here that sustains India's growth," he said.

Creating industrial hubs and implementing a single GST rate stand as imperative measures to shield these MSMEs, which collectively possess the power to drive India's growth engine, Gandhi asserted. He said women-led teams like this deserve all the support that can be given.

Muralidhar and Swati's children deserve an India where their future thrives, the Congress leader said.

In the video shared by Gandhi, he can also be seen trying his hand at chocolate-making and interacting with the all-women staff at the chocolate factory.

Sharing the video of Gandhi's visit to the chocolate factory, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X, "Taking forward the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi recently visited a chocolate factory in Ooty, which is run by women. He interacted with them, listened to their experiences, appreciated their hardwork and understood their problems."

"People associated with small as well as small and medium industries need to be heard in a similar manner. They need support," Ramesh said.