Sharma to meet Finance Minister to seek subsidy on loans

15 Nov 2012 Evaluate

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, realizing the difficulty of achieving a target of $360 billion exports, is planning to meet Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, seeking subsidy on loans for certain sectors to boost industrial production and exports. However, minister also expressed concerns over the contraction in the industrial production measured on IIP in September.

Discussions has been made on adding more sectors under the interest subvention (scheme), like all the SMEs have been given interest subvention of two percent. Though, exports are on decline since May and contracted by 1.63 percent last month, the trade deficit widened and rose to record $21 billion in October. Further, there has been decline in demand from the traditional markets of the US and Europe, Sharma added. He further said that the government is in constant touch with all stakeholders including the industry chambers.

Amid continuing decline in overseas shipments, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is reviewing performance of different aspects of the exporting sectors and is likely to complete the exercise in a couple of days. Merely after that, the government may come out with some support measures for the sector to arrest the decline.

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