Keeping an eye on the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and to ensure a decisive and decision-making role of the trading community in the polls, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) will launch a national campaign with a slogan ‘One Nation-One Trader-Ten Votes’  on February 1.
CAIT National President B C Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal informed that beginning February 1, the CAIT campaign will be launched simultaneously in 100 cities. Under the campaign, special teams of local trade associations in each city affiliated to CAIT will contact traders in their respective areas and make them aware of importance of traders in national economy and urge them to cast their vote on the whip of CAIT and that of local trade association.
During the campaign,  which will last till April 30, the trade associations across country will hold conferences, seminars, road march and traders’ rallies in all States. A mass public campaign will be launched from February 15 to March 15 by organising rath yatra in each state. The yatra will spread the message of need of consolidation and strength of trading community. A massive campaign will also be launched on social media.
There are about 7 crore small businesses in the country providing livelihood and employment to about 45 crore people generating an annual business of about Rs 42 lakh crores. There are more than 40 thousand trade federations and associations across the Country working for the trading community, Bhartia informed.
Both Bhartia and Khandelwal said we are aiming to connect more than three crore traders directly or indirectly during the campaign and will spread the message to about 7 crore small businesses all over the country.
The Lok Sabha polls are an opportunity for us to underline our importance in Indian economy and we are gearing ourselves for the cause. This time we are committed to break any myth, which takes the trading community for granted-said both leaders.