Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Union MSME and Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on May 9, 2020, assured the Retailers Association of India and Practicing Engineers, Architects and Town Planners Association (India) that their request for registering as MSMEs will be examined expeditiously.
Gadkari felt that this need to be explored from the point of these bodies being employment creators and whether various benefits such as insurance, medical, pension, etc can be provided to workers. He also called upon the retailers to start exploring option of home delivery and maintaining social distancing, availability of sanitisers for customers/employees and use of masks at all retail outlets.
The Minister was addressing meetings on May 9 via video conferencing with the representatives of Retailers Association of India and representatives of Practicing Engineers, Architects and Town Planners Association (India) on impact of COVID-19 on their respective sectors. During this interaction, the representatives expressed concerns regarding various challenges facing them amid COVID-19 pandemic along with few suggestions and requested support from the government to keep the sector afloat.
Gadkari also called upon the Engineers, Architects and Town planners to explore decongesting over crowded cities and participate in the development of rural, tribal and backward regions especially along the Green Expressways like the New Delhi -Mumbai Exressway which is passing through such areas. He said various clusters and logistics parks will come up up on this ambitious project offering huge opportunities, according to a PIB release.
Some of the major issues highlighted and the suggestions given included: registering retailers/restaurants/architectural firms as MSMEs, starting Malls with conditions of safety measures related to COVID-19, starting operations of e- Commerce companies for non-essential items, relief in rentals for retailers, extension of moratorium to 9 months, reduction in bank interest rate from 10% to 4-5%, adherence to RBI guidelines by private banks, applying GST on receivables only, registration of builders as MSME who are already registered under RERA Act, etc.
Gadkari said that it is needed to be ensured by industries that necessary preventive measures are taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. He emphasised on usage of PPE (masks, sanitiser etc.) and advised to maintain social distancing norms during business operations. The Union Minister emphasised that special focus on export enhancement is the need of the hour and necessary practices shall be adopted to reduce power cost, logistics cost and production cost to become competitive in the global market.
He further mentioned that work on Green Express Highway has already started, and this is an opportunity for industry to make future investments in industrial clusters, logistics parks equipped with state-of-art technology. The Minister recalled that Government of Japan has offered special package to its industries for taking out Japanese investments from China and move elsewhere. He opined that it is an opportunity for India which should be grabbed.