Rahul Gandhi Proposes Food Park For His Lok Sabha Constituency

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged the Centre and the Kerala government to set up a mega food processing plant in his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. In separate letters to Union Food Processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Kerala Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan, Gandhi said his parliamentary constituency has immense employment potential and agricultural diversity.

He said while there is a demand for coffee, tea and ginger, the area lacks adequate marketing and food processing facility.

Gandhi urged the Kerala government to send a proposal to the Centre to set up the mega food park in Wayanad, and also requested Badal to initiate steps for the same.

Earlier, Gandhi has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flagging high GST on accessories used in "cochlear implants".

Requesting the finance minister to look into the issue, he said while the cochlear implants attract a GST of five per cent, the implant accessories which require periodical replacement are subject to GST ranging from 12 to 28 per cent.

The Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala said as per the 2011 census, reportedly over 1.26 million people in the country have hearing disabilities and a large number of them are from poor and vulnerable background.

Cochlear implants are assistive devices for people with hearing impairment and can greatly improve their ability to comprehend speech.