New Delhi, Sep 20 (Agency) In yet another relief for exporters, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday announced to set up a 247 Helpline for traders. “Government is going to Institutionalise a 24 hours Helpline for assistance to exporters and resolution of issues,” said Goyal at an event at SEZ, Noida. Companies engaged in overseas trade said that most issues which come up are related to DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade). “They pertain to licenses in case of items restricted for trade. There are issues related to the duty refunds and at times there are issues related to interpretations,” said an exporter.
Another executive working with an export house said that other than the issue of high sea freight charges and container shortage he had not faced any other issue in recent days. “The Helpline seems more a gesture towards exporting community,” he said. Sharad Kumar Saraf, Former President of Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) and Chairman, Technocraft Industries (India) Ltd welcomed the government’s move and hoped that it will remove the bottlenecks in smooth flow of trade. Exports have been one of the key engines driving the growth in the economy and government has taken a slew of measures to boost it. The Commerce Ministry has set US$ 400 billion exports target for FY22. Ministry of Commerce and Industry has lined up a series of mega events, exhibitions and seminars across the country to showcase India as a Rising Economic Force. Vanijya Utsavs would cover all 739 districts and hold sessions to promote local items for exports. “During the Vanijya Utsav, to be held during 24-26 September, 2021 exporter conclaves and meets will be held in more than 700 districts, including mega events in 100 districts,” said the Commerce Ministry in a statement.
During these events, the onboarding of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and in EPCs (export promotion councils) will also be completed. Alongside the trade promotion campaign, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) would launch the National Single Window System and Industrial Park Rating System. The digital platform will allow investors to identify and apply for various pre-operations approvals required for commencing a business in India. This would provide end-to-end facilitation, support, including pre-investment advisory, information related to land banks and facilitating clearances at Central and State levels,” the Ministry said.