Mumbai: Jewellery trade associations including India Bullion & Jewellers Association (IBJA) and All India Gem & Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), took decision to call off the strike after an eight hour-long meeting with government officials in new Delhi on Saturday.

Amit Shah, president of the main governing Bharatiya Janata Party, also attended the meeting. “Our demands have been accepted. The strike has been called off,” said Mohit Kamboj, president of IBJA.

But it has decided to set up a Task Force, led by former chief economic adviser Ashok Lahiri, to sort out procedural issues. The task force will have three industry representatives, a legal expert and officials from the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) as members.

All associations will be given the opportunity to submit representations before the panel, an official said, requesting anonymity. Registration of establishments for central excise will be taken up until April end but the liability for payment of central excise will be with effect from March 1, the official said, adding that as a special case, payment for March will be allowed to be deposited along with that of April.