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'Centre will protect domestic industry, but…'

Union Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran said that the new Exim Policy would be totally different, especially in view of the fact that quantitative restrictions on imports as per the WTO agreement would have to be removed with effect from April.

He said that even as the Centre was committed to protecting and helping the domestic industries against indiscriminate dumping, the ultimate answer to the post-QRs scenario was "not protection, but ensuring international competitiveness".

"There is no other alternative to improving international competitiveness of the country and pursuing an export-oriented economic growth strategy in the years ahead," Maran said.

He further added that the new Exim Policy had to be formulated with a view to ensuring that the country's contribution to the global trade improves from the current levels of below 1 per cent.

Maran said that the country's contribution to the global trade had come down to an abysmally low level of 0.7 per cent last year from 1.04 per cent in the sixties.

Stating that only exports could ensure economic growth in the coming years he said that inefficiency could no longer be promoted with regard to the domestic industries notwithstanding the fact that the centre would take all possible steps to protect the domestic industry and make them efficient.

"Anti-dumping duties would be imposed in genuine cases," he said, adding that the need of the hour was an export consciousness among the people, the state and the domestic industry.

He said that the Centre was committed to embarking upon further rationalisation of procedures and giving more freedom to states to participate in export promotion activity."But export pessimism which is still dominant has to go," he added.

The minister hoped that the country's exports this fiscal would exceed the revised target of $44 billion, adding that it was heartening that the export during April-October this fiscal had crossed the $25-billion mark.

Maran said that the Centre was keen on encouraging the setting up of special economic zones (SEZs) by the states. He said that one such zone by Tamil Nadu near Tuticorin would be commissioned shortly.

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