NEW DELHI: The commerce department on Tuesday announced the setting up of an inter-ministerial group (IMG) of officers on supply chain resilience and a 24×7 helpline to address issues faced by businesses dealing with West Asia, while vowing to ensure seamless trade. “Govt under PM @NarendraModiji’s leadership remains firmly committed to enabling a stable and responsive trade environment for our traders and exporters, safeguarding their interests and ensuring seamless operations,” commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said in a social media post.A day after exporters met officials from multiple govt departments and regulatory agencies such as RBI, Goyal said the IMG will have representatives from the departments of commerce, financial services, ministries of external affairs, shipping and petroleum and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs “to facilitate effective coordination, monitoring and follow-up”. He assured procedural flexibility in export-related matters, coordination with customs and port authorities and engagement with financial institutions and insurance agencies to address the concerns flagged by exporters during a meeting with officials from the commerce department and DGFT on Monday.India has a large exposure to West Asia with nearly 15% of goods exports headed to the region, which is also home to a large diaspora.
