New Delhi, May 21 (KNN) Lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic has not only brought businesses of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) or large corporate to a standstill but it has also hampered the hotel and tourism business across the country.

To overcome this situation, Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association (DHROA) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to grant MSME status for guest houses so that they can get relief from the ongoing crisis.   

''The hotel and tourism business are the most vulnerable and devastated industry right now. It will require maximum support from the government,'' said Sandeep Khandelwal, President, DHROA in its letter to PM Modi.

''Some relief measures can be given by granting SME or MSME status to guest houses and allowing them (guest houses) to retain 25 per cent of GST payable for the next 12 months,'' he added.

Khandelwal also sought to waive of fixed charges and electricity bills must be subsidised by 50 per cent for the next six months.

"Most of the guest houses are owned by middle class families who run this for their livelihood. Request you to save our industry so that the families depending on the businesses and the families of staff can survive,'' Khandelwal pleaded.

In the month of March union territory Jammu & Kashmir and states like Rajasthan too sought financial aid from the centre for the hotel and tourism.

In a letter to PM, the Rajasthan Chief Minister had requested the union government to consider giving concession in to the tourism, hotel and MSMEs in Goods and Services Tax (GST) or by consider postponing it.

On the other hand, Federation of Industries Jammu (FOIJ) had too urged for the financial support and informed that a task force had been constituted by the government to provide immediate relief to the industrial sector, tourism, hotel industry, hospitality sector etc with the timeline for the submission of recommendations by May 15th.