New Delhi: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) announced on Sunday that it will host a one-day National Traders Conference on November 25 to finalise preparations for its Swadeshi Sankalp Rath Yatra, a nationwide campaign inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to promote Swadeshi goods.
The conference will bring together leading trade representatives from every state to map out the rollout of the campaign across India. In a statement, CAIT said the meeting will also review the “substantial benefits of GST announced by the Prime Minister” and the growth of domestic and export trade under the Ease of Doing Business framework.
Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT National Secretary General and Member of Parliament from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, said the conference carries significant importance given India’s rapidly changing trade environment. He noted that discussions will focus on the challenges faced by traders, future strategies and ways to strengthen CAIT’s organisational structure.
Khandelwal said the Swadeshi Sankalp Rath Yatra will play a central role in taking the message of “Sell Swadeshi – Buy Swadeshi” to every part of the country. One of the raths that began in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region is now entering Chhattisgarh, he said, while two more are set to begin their journey across villages in Madhya Pradesh from December 1. Plans for similar initiatives in other states will be finalised during the conference.
He added that rising cyber fraud targeting traders will be a key area of discussion, with the body set to outline protective measures and awareness initiatives to safeguard businesses in the digital era.
The meeting will also deliberate on skill development programmes for traders and their staff, including specialised training in digital literacy, financial management, technology adoption and modern retail practices. Large-scale workshops will be planned nationwide.
In addition, the agenda includes detailed planning on the implementation, operation and monitoring of the Rath Yatra to ensure that the Swadeshi movement is impactful and far-reaching.
More than 100 prominent traders from across India are expected to attend the conference, which will be chaired by CAIT National President B. C. Bhartia.
