Marathwada trade summit begins Sunday

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Over 300 delegates from across Marathwada will gather in the city on Sunday (July 20) for a major trade summit aimed at discussing the challenges and future prospects of the trading community.

The event, hosted by the Marathwada Chamber of Trade and Commerce (MCTC), marks the 28th foundation day of the chamber, which represents over eight lakh traders in the region. Set to begin at 10 am at the MACCIA auditorium in Chikalthana Industrial Estate, the summit is themed “Way forward, challenges and bright future of traders.” Chamber president Adeshpalsingh Chhabda, speaking at a pre-event press conference, said the chamber was established on July 20, 1997, to act as a voice for Marathwada's traders before state and central authorities. Guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat, state minister Atul Save, and senior trade advisor Satyanarayan Lahoti will attend as chief guests, while former Maharashtra Chamber president Manasingh Pawar will preside over the inaugural session. With multinational giants like Toyota entering the local market, traders are optimistic about new business avenues. The growing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in commerce is also expected to reshape trade practices. However, despite the rollout of GST, lingering issues such as Professional Tax and the legacy Value Added Tax (VAT) continue to affect traders. These and other pressing matters will be addressed through in-depth discussions, with policy resolutions to be passed during the summit. Prominent office-bearers including Shyamsundar Lohia, Vikas Sahuji, Lakshminarayan Rathi, Santosh Kawale Patil, and Shivshankar Swami were also present at the press conference.