Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday shared his views on several aspects of the Indian economy and its recovery post the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing a press conference, Goyal said that the number of welfare initiatives launched during the last eight years of Narendra Modi-led government, such as the Gareeb Kalyan Yojana, the emerging Startup eco-system, and the 'Har Ghar Bijli Yojana,' have helped the people of the country.
Commenting on the state of economy under PM Modi administration, the Union Minister said, “The last 8 years have seen the economy grow many folds.” He lauded the efforts of the Modi government in bringing people in and around the country to drive growth and development in accordance with the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The World Is One Family).
Goyal also praised the administration's efforts in reaching out to and partnering with other nations on issues such as the environment, health, and food security, which has helped the country gain international recognition. He recounted being a witness to this by what he saw at the World Economic Forum at Davos last month where, as stated by him, “it was visible that the world was listening to India.”
Here's what Goyal highlighted:
FUEL TAXATION
Addressing questions from reporters, the Union Minister shared his views on the current economic concerns. Upon being asked about the imposition of VAT on fuel, the minister stated that while many states have reduced VAT, some states like West Bengal and Maharashtra haven’t done the same yet.
E-COMMERCE
Furthermore, the union minister was deeply critical of other e-commerce platforms, calling their existence a "threat" to small retail traders, in light of the Indian government's future proposal to develop an open e-commerce network named ONDC. Piyush Goyal lambasted the large e-commerce businesses for being the cause of massive job losses, citing the United States and Europe as examples.
WHEAT EXPORT BAN
Addressing a question on the wheat export ban, Piyush Goyal stated "After the wheat ban was imposed, we tried to procure wheat again and could only get 6 lakh tonnes so farmers had already sold their produce and claims that the ban is anti-farmer are misplaced." The union minister also warned exporters against gaming the system by backdating letters of credit declaring that ‘the strongest action will be taken against any such players.’
SERVICE CHARGE ROW
Lastly, addressing a question on the currently ongoing service charge row between the government and restaurants, the union minister declared that restaurants cannot charge service charges and that the consumers must be given the liberty to choose whether they want to pay service charges or not.
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