Stationery business is related to 70 percent school, demand to include stationery in the category of essential commodities
Many business industries have closed due to rain. The condition of many business industries has become poor. Similarly, the stationery business has also become weak due to the continuous closure of schools for the last two years. Online education has been started in schools, due to which the use of stationery has decreased. Stationery vendors say that due to the introduction of online education, business worth Rs 110 crore has been affected.
The vendors associated with the stationery trade say that more than 400 people are associated with the Surat Stationery Merchant Association. In the month of June, July is the season for the business of stationery, at present the schools are closed so that the business is further down. Last year 50% of business was affected due to Coronavirus but this year the condition is worse than last year. Sanjay Patel of Surat Market Association said that 70% of this business is from stationery schools, while the rest is from manufacturing units and offices. According to the government guideline, it has been closed but stationery is also used in government hospitals, laboratories and offices. Therefore, it should be allowed to be opened by counting it in the category of essential commodities.