Thiruvananthapuram: The state government is thinking of reintroducing rebate for khadi and handloom, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly on Thursday. Replying to a calling attention motion, he also said it was thinking of returning the VAT paid by Dinesh Beedi company. Replying to another calling attention motion, he said the state government, which has opposed the mega trade deal Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) involving 16 countries, was ready to adopt any method including leading an all-party delegation to put pressure on the Centre not to sign the pact.
The move to sign the RCEP would adversely affect Kerala's agriculture sector, mainly the cash crops, he insisted. The Centre should discuss with the state before finalising the details of the agreement. The RCEP would badly affect agriculture sector in the country and would result in doing away with import duty on agricultural products, he said.
