Industry, exporters should not depend on subsidies; work on improving competitiveness: Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal Thursday said that industry and exporters should not depend on government subsidies and instead focus on becoming more competitive.

He said this while addressing members of the Board of Trade and the Council of Trade Development and Promotion.

At the meeting, it was decided to take certain measures to promote exports, reduce import dependence and boost manufacturing.

After the over nine-hour long meeting, Goyal told reporters that participants were in tune with the government's thinking that they should work on increasing competitiveness instead of depending upon small subsidies.

"I found great acceptance of the government's thinking that we should move towards free trade and look how we can move out of the mindset of small subsidies," he said.

"My own experience in the last five years is that wherever we have done away with subsidies, industry and business have progressed, grown and prospered," Goyal said.

It was discussed that to make ...