Page 4 - Craftcil June 2025

M eetings & announcements

Commerce Secretary Meets industry leaders from EPCs/Associations

10th June 2025, New Delhi: Mr. Sunil Barthwal, Commerce
Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government
of India, convened a high-level meeting with
representatives of various Export Promotion Councils
(EPCs) and industry associations in New Delhi. The meeting
was attended by senior government officials, including
Mr. Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary; Mr. L. Satya Srinivas,
Additional Secretary; Mr. Rohit Kansal, Additional Secretary,
Ministry of Textiles; Mr. Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary
and Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT); and Ms. Arti
Bhatnagar, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor,
Ministry of Commerce.
EPCH was represented by Dr. Neeraj Khanna, Chairman, EPCH; • Duty-free import of essential embellishments, trimmings, tools,
Mr. Sagar Mehta, Vice Chairman, EPCH; and Mr. Rajesh Rawat, and consumables under the IGCR Scheme
Additional Executive Director, EPCH.
• Establishment of a robust trade dispute resolution mechanism
The meeting aimed to review the current export performance and through the DGFT portal
deliberate on strategies to strengthen India’s export sector. It served
• Relaxation under Section 43B of the Income Tax Act for MSME
as a platform for meaningful dialogue between policymakers and
exporters regarding timely receipt of payments
industry stakeholders to enhance coordination and responsiveness
• Facilitation of cross-border B2B e-commerce
in export promotion.
• Continuation of the Interest Equalisation Scheme
Dr. Neeraj Khanna provided a comprehensive overview of the
handicrafts sector, highlighting its export performance and EPCH’s • Enhanced support for compliance, raw material innovation, and
ongoing initiatives. He also brought attention to several key increased funding for research and development (R&D)
concerns, including: Mr. Barthwal gave a patient and constructive hearing to the concerns
• Implications of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) raised.

4 CRAFTCIL • JUNE 2025