New Delhi, 9th August 2026: A grand National Traders’ Conference and Bhamashah Felicitation Ceremony was organised at the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi, to mark the 45th Foundation Day of the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal (BUVM). The programme was presided over by the organisation’s National President, Shri Babulal Gupta (Rajasthan), and was effectively conducted by National Senior General Secretary Shri Mukund Mishra (Uttar Pradesh).

Around 1,000 trader representatives from 24 states and two Union Territories participated in the conference, demonstrating the unity, organisational strength and national coordination of the trading community.

Union Minister for Law and Justice Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal was the Chief Guest at the event. He said that promoting trade and business is essential to achieving the goal of a developed India. He emphasised that accelerating trade and commerce is necessary to expand the size of the country’s economy. He assured the traders that the government would take necessary steps to address their concerns on issues related to GST, online trade and other matters concerning the business community.

Durg Lok Sabha MP Shri Vijay Baghel, Rajya Sabha MP Smt. Sadhna Singh, former MP and Senior Vice President of the Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Mandal Shri Bhairav Prasad Mishra, along with several other public representatives and senior trade leaders, were present at the event.

Among the national and state office-bearers and representatives present were Shri Mohan Gurnani and Shri Kishor Bhai Kharawala from Maharashtra; Shri Taraknath Trivedi from West Bengal; Shri Rajpurohit and Shri Anurag Singla from Karnataka; Shri Prakash Mishra from Uttarakhand; Shri Hemant Gupta, Shri Prem Arora and Shri Rakesh Yadav from Delhi; Shri Sujit Roy from Tripura; Shri Prahlad Khandelwal from Odisha; Shri Ashok Modi from Chhattisgarh; Shri Gopal Agarwal and Shri Rajesh Jain from Madhya Pradesh; Shri Raju Apsara from Kerala; Shri Soundarya Rajan from Tamil Nadu; Shri Vijaylaxmi Gupta and Shri Bhanu Ji from Haryana; Shri Ranjan Agarwal and Shri Pyarelal Seth from Punjab; Shri Charanjit Singh and Shri Sanjeev from Chandigarh; and Shri Rajendra Prasad Gupta, Shri Dilip Seth, Shri Sunil Pandey and Shri Ashok Kansal from Uttar Pradesh, among several other senior office-bearers and trader representatives.

The conference called for increasing the target from 500 to 1,000 districts to promote local products, local trade and local tourism and advance the vision of ‘Local for Global’. National President Shri Babulal Gupta said that promoting local production, trade and tourism would strengthen employment and economic activity in districts and help connect traditional skills and crafts from villages with global markets.

The conference also discussed several key issues, including the need for a clear and effective regulatory framework for online trade, protection of small and traditional traders, addressing the unequal competition arising from e-commerce and mall culture, strengthening MSMEs, promoting the concept of “Investment in the District, for the District”, and establishing trader assistance groups in every district.

Several other major demands concerning the trading community were also discussed, including One Nation–One Mandi Tax, limiting mandi cess to 0.50 per cent, an amnesty scheme for the resolution of GST and old VAT cases, relief from GST on rented shops and houses, reduction in interest on delayed GST payments, and simplification of FSSAI regulations. It was decided that detailed proposals on these issues would be submitted to the Central Government.

Speakers recalled that late Shri Shyam Bihari Mishra, the founder of the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, who was a four-time Member of Parliament and a prominent leader of the traders’ movement, had initiated the movement for trader unity and protection of traders’ interests nearly 45 years ago. They said that the movement has today evolved into a strong national organisation. All state, district and city-level units of the organisation continue to work towards protecting and strengthening the interests of the trading community in line with the same vision.

National President Shri Babulal Gupta congratulated the various state units of the organisation for successfully conducting traders’ conferences and training programmes across the country. He said that the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal has emerged as a strong national voice for the trading community from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

The National President congratulated and extended his best wishes to the entire Delhi Pradesh team of the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal for successfully organising the event. He also expressed special gratitude to the Federation of All India Food Grain Dealers Association for its important support as a partner organisation in the event.

At the conclusion of the programme, National President Shri Babulal Gupta announced that a “Local to Global National Trade Conference” would be organised at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in January 2027. The conference will aim to provide fresh impetus at the national level to youth entrepreneurship, local trade, local production, local tourism and the “One City–One Product” initiative.

Spread across more than 2 lakh sq. ft., the three-day mega expo has brought together over 1,000 national and international brands, showcasing the latest collections in readymade garments for men, women, and children. Day Two saw packed exhibition halls, extensive buyer-seller interactions, product launches, and promising business negotiations, reinforcing the event’s position as one of Eastern India’s largest and most influential garment trade platforms. The event is expected to facilitate wholesale business transactions worth approximately ₹1,600 crore over its three-day duration.

Speaking to the media,  Sri. Arjun Ram Meghwal, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Justice (Independent Charge), Govt of India, stated, “West Bengal is richly endowed with natural resources and possesses immense potential across various industrial sectors. Referring to the state’s once-thriving garment industry, he remarked that while Bengal had a glorious industrial past, unfavorable industrial policies of previous governments had led to industry migration instead of generating new employment. He expressed confidence that the state is now on the path towards a new industrial revolution with promising prospects for investment and job creation.”

On this occasion,  Sri. Dipak Barman, Hon’ble Minister of School Education, Housing and MSME and Textiles, Govt of WB, stated, “The future of the garment industry in the state is exceptionally bright. He noted that investors from across the country are showing keen interest in establishing medium and large-scale manufacturing units in Bengal. Responding to the Association’s long-standing demand, he assured that the state government would seriously consider the proposal for developing a dedicated Garment Hub.”

On this occasion, Sri. Hari Kishan Rathi, President of West Bengal Garment Manufacturers & Dealers Association, stated, “The response on the second day has been truly encouraging. The enthusiasm among buyers and exhibitors reflects the resilience and growing potential of India’s garment industry. This platform is not just about business transactions – it is about creating long-term partnerships, encouraging innovation, and providing opportunities for manufacturers and traders to expand into newer markets. We are grateful to all exhibitors, buyers, industry partners, and the Government for their continued support in making this landmark edition a grand success.”

The 60th Garment Buyers & Sellers Meet & B2B Expo will conclude on 14th July, 2026, reaffirming WBGMDA’s commitment to promoting the growth of the garment industry and contributing significantly to the economic development of West Bengal.

He was speaking at the 44th Foundation Day of Bhartiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal (BUVM), here. Among others, Hon’ble Harsh Malhotra, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra; Vijay Baghel, Ramesh Awasthi, and Sadhana Singh, both MPs attended the event.

Meghwal assured the BUVM that he stands with them in addressing their concerns related to doing business.

“I, along with Malhotra Ji, and MPs who are attending the event will act as your advocates,” Meghwal said.

Addressing the gathering, Malhotra said the traders community has played a very important role in making India the world’s fourth largest economy.

He said further said that while the new indirect tax regime is much better than the old one, there is always a scope for further improvement.

“We will convey your issues to the officials in the finance ministry and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,” Malhotra said.

The Event was attended by representatives of BUVM from 28 States.

Established in 1981, BUVM has represented and advocated the concern of businesses and has been seeking favorable policy changes from the government. BUVM actively engages with policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders to shape business-friendly policies and create an enabling environment for growth.

BUVM has raised certain issues affecting businesses and traders. It has highlighted problems traders face because of multiple GST rate slabs, and lack of uniformity in Mandi tax rates in different rates, among others.

The organisation has also made a strong case for appointment of a regulator for e-commerce.

 President of BUVM Babu Lal Gupta said the government is focussing on ease of doing business.

“One of the major pain points has been the multiple GST tax slabs which creates challenges especially for MSMEs and trader community alike. The issue needs to be resolved and we have written to various government authorities suggesting rationalisation of GST rates into three slabs – 0%, 5% and 18%. We believe if accepted, this will pave the way for higher GDP growth,” he said.

He further added that all food products, irrespective of their weight and packaging must be zero tax slab. Cleaning, grading and sorting machines for foodgrain, pulses and oilseeds, LED lamp, submersible water pump, hardware, stainless steel, toys of up to Rs 1000, edible oil, bakery products, solar water heater, ghee, pickle, handicrafts and hotel rooms upto Rs 1000/day should be kept in 5% slab. Rest all the products should fall under 18% slab.

Similarly, there is a wide variation in Mandi cess across States which typically ranges between 0-4%. This needs to be uniformed.

In his address, Satish Agarwal,National Senior Vice President & In Charge, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Province said that state governments distributing freebies should be stopped, as it places an unnecessary burden on taxpayers.

Among other demands, the association called for reduction in tax compliance which has burdened businesses with additional time and expenditure. It suggested withdrawal of TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) and TCS (Tax Collected at Source).