Industry joins hands to halt Chinese juggernaut
With an aim to bring respite to the sinking cottage industry, city-based industrialists have joined hands against Chinese goods sold during the festive season by campaigning for ‘Make in India’ products.
With an aim to bring respite to the sinking cottage industry, city-based industrialists have joined hands against Chinese goods sold during the festive season by campaigning for ‘Make in India’ products.
According to the industry, Chinese goods, including lights, crackers, and decoration pieces, worth several crores sold during Diwali caused severe damage to the cottage industry of the country. Residents often pick these products due to their affordability.
Therefore, in an attempt to bring the cottage industry some respite, auto parts, cycle and other industries have decided to celebrate Diwali with all Indian products, and also gift only Indian-made products. They have also been circulating messages on social media seeking boycott of Chinese products.
Jaswinder Singh Thukral, president of Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association, said duty on Chinese products should be heavy so that it did not negatively impact the local industry.
“Local potters who used to earn their living during festivals are now left with no option but to leave their traditional occupations with several Chinese products flooding the market,” Thukral said.
He advised that to save the local cottage and micro industry, people should buy only Indian products.
“This year, I have decided that I would use only earthen lamps and candles and no fancy lights that are made in China,” Thukral said.
Upkar Singh, general secretary of Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertaking (CICU), said he would buy only Indian-made gifts and nothing manufactured in China.
On the other hand, some industrialists also believe that to end the monopoly of Chinese goods in the market during Diwali, Indian industry needed to manufacture such goods.
“Goods made in India are not that cheap as compared to Chinese goods. Also we do not have competitive variety and quantity of these products used during Diwali,” said Gurmeet Singh Kular, president of Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organization, adding that there was a lot of potential to produce such products.
