New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will interact with traders in a 'Digital Samvad' on Sunday to understand their issues and plan measures to further strengthen Delhi's economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, an official statement said.

The digital interaction is part of a series of initiatives being undertaken by the chief minister to kick-start Delhi's economy and improve the business environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

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The traders can register online by August 22 evening to participate in the programme, the statement said.

"The 'Digital Samvad' initiative ensures that all voices of the stakeholders are heard, before any policy initiatives are planned by the government, in the true spirit of the Delhi Model," it added.

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Recently, Kejriwal had interacted with various industry associations to discuss challenges being faced by them and to discuss measures to revamp the post-corona economy of Delhi.

The traders' community in Delhi is more than 1.5 million strong and serves as the backbone of the economic structure of the national capital, the statement said.

The effect of lockdown, the fear of the virus, and the finances have affected sales and service at markets and shops. Many shops downsized their staff strength during the lockdown and have been under considerable pressure with limited sales and fixed costs, it stated.

The Kejriwal government has taken several steps so far to boost the economy of the city. It substantially reduced the diesel price in Delhi, de-linked hotels from COVID hospitals, allowed street hawkers to work and launched a job portal, the statement added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)