Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Textiles and I&B on Thursday attempted to address issues faced by stakeholders in key sectors. At a gathering organised by Chennai Citizens Forum, she offered alternative solutions to some long-standing concerns.
Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Textiles
Chennai:
The Minister began by highlighting the progress of the textile industry. She said recent numbers that have come from the Directorate of Commercial Intelligence show that in November, the textile industry saw 20 per cent growth with readymade garments registering a growth of 24 per cent.
“This is after a historical decision taken not only by the Centre but also all the state governments,” Irani said. She pointed out the multiple challenges faced by the sector due to GST, especially in the fabric segment, that has never been a part of a taxation regime.
“There will be an opportunity to address the issues with the Ministry of Finance and put forth the industry concerns before the GST Council. We have done so in the past and will continue to do so.” Referring to the issue of imports from Bangladesh, Free Trade Agreement and dumping of Chinese fabrics, Irani said.
“I have been a Minister of Textile for the past one and a half years. In the beginning, I told the industry that if it wanted an anti-dumping regime initiated, it must provide market intelligence and portwise entry of dumping for the Commerce Ministry to make a clear case given the WTO restrictions.”
Lamenting that her appeals to the industry regarding dumping had fallen on deaf years, she said requisite paperwork was not submitted to the Ministry of Commerce and Directorate General of Foreign Trade so that the case for dumping could be made.
To a suggestion of reserving 25 per cent for positive news in media, Irani said, “We live in a country that celebrates freedom of speech. Would that be so if I dictate news channels on what to telecast? I think not.”
Also, in an age where the role of social media is gaining upper hand, she underscored the need to spread a good word. To this end, a hashtag called “Positive India” had been created that will enable anyone to record a personal positive story or that of a city or state, she noted.
Urging every citizen to make use of the access to a digital gateway that had been thrown open by the government, she said in her role as Minister for I&B, she beseeched those in “the business of news to make space for good news.”
On a lighter note, Irani said, “When our announcer mentioned I do not know Tamil, I agree that’s a challenge. But not everyone knows Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi or Gujarati either.
The beauty of our country is that we have constitutionally 125 languages recognised with 1,600 dialects that possibly none of us know about but they exist as people still speak them. So, I appeal to the public broadcaster to explore options to help Indian citizens learn various native languages.”
Cinema biz seeks respite
Kollywood representations came in the form of actor Karthi and Kandaswamy of Kavithalayaa Productions. Karthi sought relaxations on the tax like the F&B industry availed of. He also urged the blocking of torrent sites that offered films for free, increasing piracy, which accounts for 48 pc revenue loss. Highlighting the delay from Censor Board clearances, Karthi said even a teaser, trailer or promotional material took months for certification. “There is also a need to ensure 100 per cent digitisation of the ticketing process in theatres which will lead to the creation of a formal revenue stream,” he said.
Kandaswamy sought ways to involve the film industry in nation-building, to which Irani said “Given the background of your production house, there are certain aspects on which the Tamil industry, or for that matter, the entire film industry can come together. I relate to your concerns on how the film industry can contribute in expanding the cultural horizon of our country and present in clear context the legacy of India. That is why, we have a national contingent going to the Berlin film festival to get a peek into what the Cannes film festival would look like. The endeavour of the Ministry is to ensure that Cannes depicts the diverse cultural landscape of India as well. We have a committee that has been constituted that will take those aspects into consideration. I invite you to be part of that committee.”
A love affair with ghee roast
Nostalgic about her relationship with TN, she said “I remember coming to Kanniyakumari – my first long journey as a child. Every time I am in Chennai, I pester Shankarji (S Shankar – TN President – Protocol, BJP) to go to Hotel Saravana Bhavan. I did find a HSB in Delhi. I am obsessed with their ghee roast. As HRD minister, I had the privilege of spreading Tiruvallur’s message to children in schools. The story and journey of Tiruvallur, the passion with which Subramanya Bharathi served the Motherland should not be confined to TN. I appeal to Doordarshan that their stories should be brought to light in the national language on the national channel, before the entire world. I am hopeful my plea will be heard.”
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