Importing wheat from North costlier than importing from Australia for South India: Nirmala Sitharaman

HYDERABAD: Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that for a South Indian state, importing wheat from North India is more costly than importing the same from Australia.

Talking to the members of Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO) in Hyderabad, Sitharaman said that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will actually make Indian goods cheaper for Indian customers rather than importing them.

She also expressed satisfaction over the support from various political parties and other stakeholders in passage the Bill.

In a conversation with Nidhi Swarup, chairperson of YFLO on women empowerment and having a startup incubation centre only for women similar on the lines of Isreal, she exhorted the women entrepreneurs to appraise the government of their demands in terms of policies.

“It is not a bad idea. That is why you women should tell the government what you want from us. Otherwise, we will come out with our own regulations and you may not appreciate,” she said, adding that only 8 per cent of total startups in India are run by women currently.

On increasing women participation in politics, the minister of state said that Indian politics need more women. “We don’t need stereotype male, female politicians. We need such people who can bring in fresh approach into politics,” she said.

She also brushed away questions about her returning to state politics in Tamil Nadu which is currently undergoing a political turmoil. Sitharaman hails from Madurai in Tamil Nadu and is a Member of Parliament from Karnataka.