INDIA CANVAS
AEPC Celebrates 40th Foundation Day
“ Benefits to industry should be in proportion to its capabilities to generate employment ”
- Amitabh Kant , CEO , NITI Aayog
( L to R ) Sudhir Sekhri , Amitabh Kant , H . K . L . Magu and V . Anil Kumar Vasu Pillai on the dais at the Foundation Day celebration
In a proactive move to motivate staff and reiterate the importance of the council , AEPC celebrated its 40th Foundation Day at its headquarters in Gurgaon . The occasion was made special by the presence of Amitabh Kant , CEO , NITI Aayog , who has in the past always spoken in support of the apparel industry and the need to look at the industry differently from other industries , mainly for its huge employment generation capabilities . At the inaugural session , Kant again reenforced his support and even urged the Government to ‘ compromise ’ on other industries if need be to ensure that the FTA with the European Union is finalised this year .
Though , the exporters from across the country gave the celebration a skip , EC members and some showroom holders of Apparel House were present on the occasion . Lauding the infrastructure of the Apparel House , Kant pointed out that it is the biggest and most beautiful office among the numerous export councils and efforts needed to be made to create a buzz of activity at the venue to complement the structure . Reacting to the suggestion , AEPC Chairman HKL Magu shared that this agenda was among the priorities for his tenure .
Tracing the history of AEPC , Magu , said that the industry had gone through many ups and downs and AEPC has always kept pace with the changing needs from a quota monitoring body to an association which worked alongside exporters , not only to promote exports , but also to update the ministry on issues of concern . “ As India is gearing up to move towards WTO-compatible , production-based subsidies from export-based subsidies , it becomes extremely important that we position India strongly as a responsible sourcing destination ,” said Magu , imploring the Government to give the much needed support to the community as it is facing one of its worst fund crises ever .
There has been a reduction in the benefits to the industry post-GST roll out and we are looking at ways to bring it at par with the rates prevalent in the previous regime .
– Amitabh Kant
The cheers went up when Amitabh Kant clearly seconded the opinion that garment exporters needed immediate steps to get them out of the current deadlock . He agreed that long-term policies to make the industry competitive could follow , but at the immediate phase to create positive signs , it is important to resolve the issues , like blocked taxes and refund of GST , and exchange rate-related concerns to bring back the apparel export and manufacturing sector on a growth path from consistent by declining trends . “ There has been a reduction in the benefits to the industry post- GST roll out and we are looking at ways through which we could bring it at par with the rates prevalent in the previous regime . For the benefit of the Industry , Central and State levies should be refunded and Government should work with the industry to resolve this issue ,” said Kant .
With a strong membership base that exceeds 8,300 members , AEPC is considered one of the most influential councils for export development and promotional activities . Over the last few years , the council has been under fire for not discharging its role in a free and fair manner . Many RTIs have been filed against the Council and change has been initiated with the Council EC membership ' s voting now conducted through EVS . The industry at large still looks upto the Council for leadership and guidance and it is now for the Council to win back the confidence of those section of exporters who feel that the AEPC is only watching the interest of large exporters while a majority of the members are left to fend for themselves .
42 Apparel Online India | MARCH 1-15 , 2018 | www . apparelresources . com