NEW DELHI: A special relief package to prop the export sector is expected to be
presented to the apex committee chaired by the Prime Minister by next week-end,
Mr. G K Pillai, Commerce Secretary, announced here on Friday.
Addressing
a meeting on ‘Global Slowdown and Strategies for Sustaining India’s Export
Growth’, organised by FICCI, Mr. Pillai said: “The Committee of Secretaries has
had detailed discussions with the various export sectors and we hope to finish
the exercise by Monday.By the end of the week the export relief package would be
presented to the apex committee for its approval."
The relief package, he said, will factor in the difficulties being faced by
exporters and the fall-out of the global financial crisis, “the worst of which
will come in March-April 2009,” Mr. Pillai said. He urged exporters to bring to
the notice of the finance and commerce ministries, bank braches that were
hesitant or unwilling to lend, despite explicit instructions from the Reserve
Bank of India.
Mr. Pillai said, a meeting of Chief Ministers has been
convened in the first week of December to discuss issues relating to the export
sector and expediting the payment of dues to the industry, including refund of
VAT.
The Commerce Secretary said, the government would be most
sympathetic to employment-intensive sectors such as textiles, gems &
jewellery and handicrafts.
He said, the government would actively
consider reinstating the duty drawback and DEPB rates which were lowered before
the financial crisis gripped the world and the rupee was appreciating. It would
also strengthen the anti-dumping mechanism to ward off large scale dumping from
China, Korea and Taiwan.
Representatives from the textiles, chemicals,
garments, leather & footwear, synthetic fibre, tyre, steel, roller flour
mills, rice, handicrafts, automotive bicycles, and meat and livestock sectors
listed out the problems being faced by their industries and urged the government
to come out with immediate remedial measures.
Source : Machinist.in