Empowered Committee on logistics and supply chain established: Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday said that an Empowered Committee on logistics and supply chain has been established even as several steps had been taken to ensure smooth movement of goods besides resolving problems being faced by the food processing industry.
While interacting with major industry associations including FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM, PHDCCI, AIFPA, ICC, FINER and DICCI through video conferencing, Harsimrat Kaur Badal discussed interventions required by the government to revive food processing sector post lockdown scenario. During the conference, the senior officials of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries also informed about the measures taken by the Central and State Governments to ease the business environment and the status of issues received since the first video conference.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal disclosed that the Empowered Committee was taking up all grievances for redressal even as steps had been taken to issue only one document for Rail movement besides following up with district officials on a daily basis to ensure easy movement of foodstuff. She said that more exemptions had been issue including allowing related to agricultural machinery and truck repairs, an entire chain of milk collection, Mandis operated by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee and intra and inter-State movement of harvester combines.
The Ministry informed that Grievance Cell formed to resolve the micro issues being faced by the industry, to facilitate supply chain and logistics management for the availability of food and medicines, had resolved fifty percent of 348 queries received while the rest were in the pipeline.
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The industry representatives while giving suggestions to streamline food processing units, said encouragement from the top as well as local administrations to labour to return back to work was needed. They also urged for starting special trains both for goods and services as well as labour. They also requested that GST be waived off for three months or at least deferred to give breathing space to the industry. It was also suggested to lift produce directly from the farmers.
-PTC News
