CAIT’s national traders meet begins today

Business Bureau :

Issues that will be taken during the meet include onslaught of e-commerce cos on retail trade by their malpractices and violation of FDI policy etc.

Given the economic downturn in the country’s retail business, the lack of cash liquidity, the complexity of the tax system and the unscrupulous business model of the e-commerce companies, which has washed out domestic trade and the role of traders in objective of making India a 5 trillion economy by Government and on several other critical issues, now the eyes of traders across the country are looking at the National Traders Convention of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) which is beginning on January 6.

Traders hope that there will be a vigorous discussion on trade related issues in the convention and the future strategy will be decided for their solution. Many political parties are also eyeing this convention of traders happening just before the announcement of Delhi elections. This convention in which traders of Delhi will also be involved in large numbers can decide the attitude of the traders on elections.

The three-day session will be inaugurated by the Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and throughout the day various sessions will be attended by Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri and NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant on how to modernise existing retail format of business, digitalisation of traders, Delhi sealing issue, Delhi Rent Control Act, upgradation of commercial markets under Smart City Project etc. National Secretary General of CAIT Praveen Khandelwal told that in the session, thousands of business leaders of major business organizations from all the states will participate in the discussion and many prominent economic and finance experts will also participate in the discussion for several sessions. Khandelwal informed that various critical issues of the trading community will be discussed during the convention including onslaught of e-commerce companies on retail trade by their malpractices and violation of FDI policy, to seek immediate steps by the Government to make them obligatory to comply with FDI policy or else leave the country.

Early introduction of a comprehensive e-commerce policy, reforms needed for e-commerce market of India, formation of a regulatory authority for e-commerce or e-commerce ombudsman , linkage of 7 crore traders of the country with e-commerce under Digital India Programme of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ban on cash on delivery (COD). Payment system in e- commerce will be elaborately discussed and future action plan will be chalked out. Similarly problems arising out of implementation of GST, simplification and rationalisation of GST structure, removal of disparities and anomalies in different GST tax rate slabs, blockage of refund with the Government and ways and means for aggregation of 2 crore traders under GST will be discussed at length.