The Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Shri Piyush Goyal today held a video conference with representatives from various Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) from across the country, to assess the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown in the country, and get their feedback and suggestions in ameliorating the situation. The Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Commerce Secretary Dr Anup Wadhawan, Director General of DGFT Shri Amit Yadav were among those present in the meeting. The EPCs apprised of the impact of the pandemic on their activities and businesses, and made a range of suggestions to overcome the hardships.

Shri Piyush Goyal said in the meeting that Export-Import is an important activity of the country, and at the same time, lockdown was necessary for the safety and health of 130 crore Indians. Therefore, a fine balance has to be maintained, and solutions found to reduce the difficulties. He said that the Government has been ahead of the curve in the recent times, as noticed in the recent announcements made by the Union Finance Minister and the RBI Governor.  But in such difficult times, one can learn from the experiences of others and plan for the future. Shri Goyal said that the suggestions made in the conference will be taken up in right earnest, and action will be taken soon. He assured the Export and Import groupings that the Government will try to be accommodative with their reasonable demands, and come out with practical outcomes.

The organizations which took part in the video conference included FIEO, AEPC, SRTEPC, GJEPC, CLE, CEPC, Shefexil, Pharmexcil, Electronic & Software EPC, Services EPC, Silk EPC, EEPC,  EPCH, Project EPC, Texprocil, Telecom EPC, Cashew EPC, Plastic EPC, Sports Goods EPC,  Capexcil, Chemexcil, EPC for EOU & SEZ, Wool & Woollen EPC, HEPC and IOPEC

Export import continuity amid COVID 19: stakeholder consultations to inform practical, accommodative measures for trade disruption. Assessment of export-import disruptions due to COVID-19 was conducted via a video conference between the Minister, senior commerce officials, and representatives of multiple Export Promotion Councils to gather feedback on pandemic-related operational hardships and proposed mitigatory suggestions. The Minister committed to consider the councils' recommendations, seek a balance between health measures and trade continuity, and pursue timely, practical, and accommodative actions informed by recent fiscal and monetary measures.