Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that she had held a meeting with representatives of about 23 industries and none of them had expressed any anxiety about raw material supplies or exports being disturbed due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
“However, some of them felt that if after 2 months, the situation does not improve regarding containing the virus they may start having some problems of raw material availability. We are trying to see how we can help them out,” the Finance Minister told news agency ANI.
The Union government is keeping a close watch on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the Indian economy and various options are being gauged at different levels, the minister added.
The Finance Minister met trade and industry representatives, economists and policy experts as part of her Budget outreach programme.
The government is “closely monitoring” the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the Indian economy, she had said a day earlier during a meeting of the heads of PSU banks.
Over 2,700 people have died due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), which broke out in China’s Wuhan in December last year, while the number of those infected is around 80,000.
{{/usCountry}}Over 2,700 people have died due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), which broke out in China’s Wuhan in December last year, while the number of those infected is around 80,000.
{{/usCountry}}“We are very closely monitoring it. Secretary-level officials are engaging with their respective industries. I had informed you about the various options we have including airlifting raw material for some specific sectors, resourcing from other countries. All these are being worked out at the concerned department level,” Sitharaman told reporters.
.“We will have a quick review of all departments coming back with specific help that they may require. We will collate all these and respond,” the finance minister added.