In the framework of the one-day working meeting "Do it in India", held on December 29 in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with representatives of the Indian industrial sector. He assured the assembled industrialists that he would contribute to the creation of a "road map" for the development of this project, and also noted that he wanted to obtain from the government such a culture of interaction with business, where responsibility, respect for private property, transparency and discipline would prevail. Modi added that the goal of the whole nation in the coming years should be the development of science, innovation and human resources in all sectors of the economy.
Finance Minister of India Arun Jaitley (Arun Jaitley) said that efforts should be aimed at reducing production costs and improving the quality of finished products. "Otherwise, we will be a nation of traders, not manufacturers," he said.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman, stressed that strong production has the potential for development, entrepreneurship and employment of people, which in the end will become one of the factors of increasing India's competitiveness in world markets.
In the second part of the working meeting, representatives of each of the production sectors presented detailed reports on their industry, as well as their role in the international arena. Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director of the Gem & Jewelery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), said: "We are trying to convey to the government the idea that the jewelery and diamond sectors of Indian industry are ideal representatives of the concept "Made in India."
Ray added that in these sectors, the goals are short-term (up to a year) and medium-term (up to three years). "We have the goal of achieving a level of exports of jewelry and precious stones at $ 68 billion by 2018" , - the tale l it.
Pankaj Parekh, vice chairman of the GJEPC, also attended the meeting, said: "Industry representatives have many wishes for the government: it's good that Minister Sitharaman agreed with almost all of them."
Among the measures requested by the jewelry industry that the government can take, including in accordance with its interests, is the creation of a special Notified Zone, the reduction of the tax on the reduced assessment (Benign Assessment Tax) to 2.5%, the tax on the import of gold up to 2%, and a tax on pearls up to 2.5%. It also envisages the creation of a special Commission for Domestic Policy on Gold and Jewelry (Council for the domestic gold & jewelery sector).
"This kind of event is being held for the first time," said Ray. "Now we have a vision of our prospects and we know the direction in which we will move to achieve our goals, therefore we will continue to work with the government in this area of activity."