National Traders’ Welfare Board proposes centralised loan portal

The 11th meeting of the National Traders’ Welfare Board (NTWB) was held in New Delhi to review measures for trader welfare, digital empowerment, and ease of doing business. Chaired by Sunil J. Singhi, the Board discussed several initiatives to support traders, retailers, and MSMEs.

A key proposal involves the creation of a centralised loan portal designed to process loans within a 30-day timeline. The Board also discussed reforming the CIBIL score mechanism to improve access to finance and suggested including traders in MSME facilitation committees.

Regarding taxation, members addressed GST-related issues, including rationalisation, refund delays, lengthy audits, and input tax credit anomalies. Other discussions focused on expanding digital platforms like ONDC and DigiDukaan to the district level, establishing trader grievance helplines, and enhancing export participation to promote India as a competitive trading nation.