Piyush Goyal asks traders to promote swadeshi by selling, consuming local goods

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal asked the traders to promote swadeshi by selling and consuming local products, saying it will help in boosting economic growth to double digits.

He exhorted domestic traders to pay heed to the call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote swadeshi products.

"If traders start using swadeshi (indigenous) goods, sell swadeshi products and promote those items, the economic growth will boom...no one can stop us from growing at 7, 8, and 9 percent and double digits," Goyal said here while addressing members of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Monday.

Modi in one of his 'Mann Ki Baat' programmes has called upon people to promote indigenous products.

The minister also asked CAIT to prepare a database of a number of shops and people employed in those establishments in the country as that data will help the government implement demands made by the traders' community effectively.

On this, CAIT said it will start the work soon and will prepare the database in the next six months.

Goyal said data is essential for the government to prepare schemes and programmes for the welfare of people but regretted that some people are opposing the National Population Register.

For exports, he said the ministry is working on a scheme to enhance credit for exporters.

He also emphasized on using quality and standard products.

He said the US has over 800 SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) and TBT (technical barriers to trade) protocols, but India has less than 500.