Permission to import machinery under the Export Promotion Capital Guarantee (EPCG) Scheme and relaxation in condition for registration with indirect tax authorities by the Director General of Foreign Trade would pave the way for the much expected and required relief to the job working units in Tirupur cluster, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) said today.

In a statement, TEA President, Raja M Shanmugham pointed out that though the proposal was a welcome step, only the Common Service Providing units located in Tirupur (Town of Export Excellence) are eligible to import machinery under the EPCG Scheme, while the units located outside Tirupur town are not eligible.

Under the proposal, the job working units like knitting, dyeing, compacting, printing, embroidering, labelling, calendaring, registered as Common Service Provider (CSP), are now permitted to import machinery under the EPCG Scheme, he said.

Stating that he would take up the issue with the Commerce Ministry to give relaxation in this condition also, as more number of job working units are located in the periphery of Tirupur town, Raja Shanmugham thanked Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for relaxing the condition of registration with indirect tax authorities.

Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade, Coimbatore, D. Sridhar, made a presentation on the subject at Tirupur, in which all the job working units associations participated and got clarification on the issue, he said.