To The Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister of India and Chief Minister of Punjab.

The Gym Industry has always struggled in the country due to lack of govt support, the last year has been specially tough on the Industry, we fall under 18% GST category even though we help people become healthier, all major publications and science supports that Fitness helps build immunity. In Punjab there are almost 10000 business directly related to fitness and about 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh dependents whose future are now absolutely in dark and insecure. Its estimated that India had about 200000 gyms in 2020 January out of which 40% are estimated to have permanently shut down. There are some survivors and we are dying slowly too.

Surprisingly there is relief for Liquor Shops and Fast food joints that make people unhealthy, but no relief to people in the business of preventive healthcare who have worked hard to and create awareness about fitness, in the current situation you have taken away our war zone and still expect us to become Atmanirbhar? We were Atmanirbhar and making people healthier but the govt has taken away our livelihoods. 

This is a dire situation for the industry, there is no relief to the gym industry, the EMI's are payable, the rents are payable, the salaries are payable and the maintenance has to be done. In this situation it will not be possible for the owners to survive and support the staff for much longer, is the govt waiting for the dependents to become suicidal? Doesn't the future of our children matter?

We make people Healthier, is that our crime? Does that warrant us to die? 

Our Industry has paid heavy taxes over the years and is now preparing to pay for the mistake of being passionate about peoples health by putting our own futures in dark. The government has to understand and unburden us and support us through modifying the policies, we are following the set covid-19 protocols, wouldn't it be better to set up a team to check the enforcement of the protocols and penalize the individual business only when they are not followed?

व्यायामात् लभते स्वास्थ्यं दीर्घायुष्यं बलं सुखं।
आरोग्यं परमं भाग्यं स्वास्थ्यं सर्वार्थसाधनम्॥

Exercise results in good health, long life, strength and happiness. Good health is the greatest blessing. Health is means of everything.

We will not be sorry for having delivered health to people but we will be sorry to see our children starve because we chose to fight an epidemic in the country that will result in massive medical infrastructure failure in a few decades from now, Obesity effected approximately 17 crore people in India in 2007 according to a National Family Health survey, in 2007 30% of males and 38% of Females in Punjab suffered from Obesity we can assure you the number is higher today. 

We seek for the govt to reconsider us as a part of the health infrastructure in terms of GST slabs as well as operations to save us from dying a premature death for the simple crime of addressing an existing epidemic in the country and saving its future.