Combating COVID-19: Piyush Goyal holds video conference with EPCs representatives

Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday held a video conference with the representatives of various Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) to assess the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown in the country.

He said that lockdown was necessary for the safety and health of 130 crore Indians.

"The export-import is an important activity of the country. At the same time, the lockdown was necessary for the safety and health of 130 crore Indians. Therefore, a fine balance has to be maintained, and solutions found to reduce the difficulties," the minister said.

"The government has been ahead of the curve in recent times, as noticed in the recent announcements made by the Union Finance Minister and the RBI Governor. But in such difficult times, one can learn from the experiences of others and plan for the future," he added.

Goyal said that the suggestions made in the conference will be taken up in right earnest, and action will be taken soon.

He assured the export and import groupings that the government will try to be accommodative with their reasonable demands, and come out with practical outcomes.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri, Commerce Secretary Dr Anup Wadhawan, Director General, DGFT, Amit Yadav were also present in the meeting.