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Press releases Jan,2007
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 Press Releases
Feb,
2007 |
Press Information Bureau
Government of
India
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Date
Release
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27th
Feb.2007 |
New
Delhi: February 27, 2007
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows
into India during December 2006 registered an unprecedented
increase of 480% over the inflows in December of the previous year 2005,
Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & industry, indicated here
today.
“We
received equity inflow of US$ 2.04 billion in December 2006, as compared
to US$ 0.35 billion in December 2005. This is the highest inflow ever
into the country in a single month. With this, the total inflows from
April 2006 to December 2006 are now about US$ 9.3 billion, as compared to
US$ 3.5 billion received during this period last year. The total inflows
in the year 2005-06 were US$ 5.5 billion, while it is expected that by
March 2007, we would have received this year over US$ 12 billion of FDI
equity inflows”, he said.
The
Index of Industrial Production (IIP) in December 2006 went up by 11.1%
over the corresponding month of the previous year. Manufacturing
sector, which has an almost 80% weightage in the Index, went up by 11.9%.
With this, the overall IIP has grown between April-December 2006 by 10.8%
over the previous year, when during this period last year, 8% rate of
growth was recorded. “The Ministry of Commerce & Industry is
expecting this rate of growth further enhanced in the last quarter of
the year, so that during the entire financial year, i.e. 2006-07, the
growth rate of industry can reach almost 11% and the manufacturing
rate of growth go beyond 12%”, Shri Kamal Nath said.
Meanwhile, In a continuous exercise to streamline the Industrial Policy,
in January 2007, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry notified the
de-reservation of 87 items from the list of items reserved for
small-scale industry. In a meeting of the Advisory Committee held
last week, it was decided to further de-reserve 125 items from that
list and a notification to that effect is being issued shortly. With
this, 212 items would have been de-reserved, leaving only 114
items reserved for SSI units.
***********
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27th
Feb.2007 |
New
Delhi: February 27, 2007
Department of Commerce have issued
Notification No.48 dated 20.2.2007 allowing export of Dollar (Channa)
under permission granted by Director General of Foreign Trade. The
permissions will be granted by the Jt. DGFT, Hyderabad & Bhopal. Jt. DGFT,
Hyderabad has been allocated 10,000 MTs and Jt. DGFT, Bhopal has been
allocated 20,000 MTs. The allocated quantities will be allowed for export
on first-come-first-served and pro-rata basis.
************
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27th
Feb.2007 |
New
Delhi: February 27, 2007
Government
has received a report from the Technical Expert Group on Patent Law Issues
set up by the Government of India under the chairmanship of Dr. R.A.
Mashelkar on 29/12/2006. The main recommendations of the Group are as
under:
a) “It
would not be TRIPs (Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights) compliant to limit granting of patents for pharmaceutical
substance to New Chemical Entities only. However, every effort must be
made to provide drugs at affordable prices to the people of India.
Further, every effort should be made to prevent the grant of frivolous
patents and ‘ever-greening’. Detailed guidelines should be formulated
and rigorously used by the Indian Patent Office for examining the patent
applications in the pharmaceutical sector so that the remotest possibility
of granting frivolous patents is eliminated”.
b)
“Excluding micro-organisms per se from patent protection would be
violative of TRIPs Agreement”.
The
Chairman of the Group, however, has requested the Government by a letter
dated the 19th February 2007 to allow it to “withdraw” the
Report.
The
Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance has represented to the Government to reject
the Report and ignore the recommendations of the Technical Expert
Group. The Government has, however, not yet decided on accepting or
rejecting the recommendations of the Expert Group.
This was stated by Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Industry, in a
written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
*********
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27th
Feb.2007 |
New
Delhi: February 27, 2007
The Policy on foreign direct investment (FDI) is reviewed on a continuing
basis. Inter-Ministerial consultations on policy issues is an ongoing
process. The policy was comprehensively reviewed in 2006 and the revised
policy for FDI was notified. In the trading sector, FDI was permitted
in single brand product retailing. Besides, change of route for FDI in
wholesale/cash & carry and export trading was also notified.
Government remains committed to initiating, where necessary, suitable
measures for safeguarding the legitimate interests of the Indian industry
and consumer.
This
was stated by Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, in
a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
*********
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26th
Feb.2007 |
New Delhi:
February 26, 2007
The Indo-Nepal Bilateral trade Treaty will be
renewed with effect from
6th
March, 2007, Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, said
in Kathmandu today.
“We will continue to discuss deepening and widening of the treaty”, he
added.
The figures
of past document the usefulness of the treaty. Nepal’s exports to India
have grown eleven times since 1996.
India
accounts for two-thirds of Nepal’s foreign trade and absorbs nearly 70% of
Nepal’s total exports, up from less than 20% in 1996. This itself attests
to the usefulness of India-Nepal bilateral trade treaty for Nepal, which
has proved to be a vital means for strengthening bilateral economic ties
and an important instrument for Nepal’s industrial and economic
development.
“The need now is to work towards Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to expand and deepen our economic
ties, and include, in addition to trade in goods, trade in services and
investments as well. It is the intention of Government of India and
Government of Nepal to further expand the treaty of trade. The best way to
do so is to explore the possibility of CEPA. A Joint Study Group could be
set up in future. The process of mutual consultations has started and we
believe that it will be over in two months”, he said.
India greatly values its close and historical relations with Nepal, Shri
Kamal Nath said.
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26th
Feb.2007 |
KAMAL NATH SAYS INDIA AT LIBERTY TO REVIEW CONCESSIONS IN
CASE OF NON
COMPLIANCE WITH SAFTA BY PAKISTAN – SAARC MINISTERIAL COUNCIL URGES
PAKISTAN TO COMPLY WITH SAFTA
New Delhi:
February 26, 2007
Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister for Commerce and
Industry, has said that “India
will be at liberty to review concessions given to Pakistan under the South
Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) Agreement in case of continued
non-compliance with the Agreement by Pakistan. However, concessions given
to other countries will remain”. Shri Kamal Nath articulated India’s views
while participating in the 2nd meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial
Council in Kathmandu today, making it clear that there could not be a
qualified implementation of SAFTA by a member country.
At a press conference, the Minister reiterated
that Pakistan had not complied with what they had acceded to under SAFTA.
While the concept of SAFTA is based on a negative list, Pakistan has
provided a positive list in the case of India.
He stressed that it was not a matter of disagreement or dispute with
Pakistan but only a question of Pakistan's compliance with and
implementation of its obligations under the Agreement and pointed out that
this approach fractures the solidarity of the economic engagement among
SAFTA countries. He also pointed out that implementation of SAFTA would
benefit Pakistan's economy and expressed the hope that Pakistan would
recognise this and the need to implement SAFTA in letter and spirit.
The 2nd SAFTA Ministerial Council
meeting has taken place at an important juncture, as the next SAARC Summit
is to be held within just about month’s time, in New Delhi on April 3-4,
2007
In
this context, it would be important for members to enhance
connectivity, physical, economic and people-to-people, in the region,
Shri Kamal Nath said, while stating that “we expect the 14th
SAARC Summit in New Delhi to take forward this idea, identify and
implement concrete projects for upgrading our trade and transport
infrastructure, enlarge the scope of SAFTA to include trade in services
and investment and comprehensively address issues of trade facilitation,
which is at the heart of increasing trade engagement successfully”,
he said.
Referring to the fact that SAFTA has important ‘F’s – Freer, Fairer and
Faster Trade, Shri Kamal Nath reiterated India’s commitment to provide to
all its neighbours greater market access and technical facilitation for
greater economic cooperation in the SAARC region.
Background on SAFTA
· SAFTA
has come into force from 1 January 2006. Both India and Pakistan are
signatories of SAFTA
· Phased
Tariff Liberalisation Programme (TLP) of SAFTA has been implemented by
Member States from 1st July, 2006.
· This
TLP to cover all tariff lines except those kept in the Sensitive (Negative
List) by each country.
· All
the countries have notified tariff concessions for the first phase.
· Pakistan’s
notification for tariff concessions is with an India-specific rider that
imports from India into Pakistan would continue to be as per the Positive
List (now 1075 items).
****************
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23rd
Feb.2007 |
KAMAL NATH
LAUNCHES RIS’ WORLD TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2007
New Delhi: February 23, 2007
The current impasse in the global trade talks under the aegis of the World
Trade Organisation (WTO) offers an opportunity to reflect and resolve the
broader issues about the processes of agenda-setting and decision making in
multilateral trade talks so as to make them inclusive and democratic.
This is the main recommendation of the World Trade and Development Report
2007, prepared by the Research & Information System for Developing Countries
(RIS), a New Delhi-based think-tank, which was released by the Union
Commerce & Industry Minister Shri Kamal Nath here this evening. The Report
was prepared by a team led by Dr Nagesh Kumar, Director-General of RIS
In its 130-page comprehensive analysis of the
state of play in WTO and workable suggestions for reactivating the stalled
dialogue to bring development focus onto the centre-stage of the agenda, RIS
pitches for south-south cooperation (SSC) in trade. It said in the Doha
Round, developing countries have reinforced their participation through
issue-based coalitions such as the G-20 and G-33 as well as the G-90. "The
success of these coalitions was evident in their ability to get three
(investment, competition policy and government procurement) of the four
Singapore issues dropped off the negotiating agenda", it said adding that
more pro-active SSC would be crucial in making the world trading system more
responsive to the needs of the developing world.
It said that while a rule-based multilateral trading system
is important for the developing world, the existing structure and process of
rule-making suffers from asymmetries that need to be addressed. Hence a more
democratic system of decision-making based on secret voting and decision
based on the majority would serve the organisation better and make it more
participatory. All negotiating texts and drafts should be introduced in
open-ended meetings and no decisions should be imposed on members without
wide consultations and discussions, it said.
The RIS report also proposes strengthening the
Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) for developing countries so as to
make it "precise, operational and effective" and thereby retrieve the
development policy space to them that has been "squeezed by different WTO
agreements and proposals". SDT is required to neutralise the adverse fallout
on development of distortions in global markets caused by protectionist
policies of rich. SDT, it said, would need to be part of "a broader approach
that recognises the fundamental interest of developing countries in the
trading system to seek fair trade, capacity-building, balanced rules and
good governance in WTO".
The Report finds that
‘countries that followed a gradual and sequenced approach to trade
liberalization such as China, Vietnam and India have had a much greater
success in expediting growth and reducing poverty’ compared to those that
pursued indiscriminate liberalization as in Latin America and Sub-Saharan
Africa under the structural adjustment programmes administered by the
Brettonwoods institutions. It finds a compelling case for continued
relevance for infant industry protection. Explaining this Dr Nagesh Kumar,
Director-General, RIS who led the Report team, said that all the developed
countries of today have extensively employed protection in the process of
their industrialization and development, adding that the US, for instance,
was the most protected and also the fastest growing economy until the World
War –II. Developed countries have also used soft patent laws and various
industrial subsidies extensively in their process of development. In the
more recent times, such policies have been employed with great success in
building internationally competitive industrial capabilities in South Korea
in auto, electronics and steel, Taiwan in electronics, Brazil, China,
Thailand, Malaysia and India. However, the space to pursue such policies is
being squeezed by the multilateral trade negotiations affecting the
development prospects of developing countries.
In the Doha Round, developing
countries should strive to retrieve and preserve this policy space. In this
context, the report urges the developing countries coalitions to seek a
negotiation of a Framework Agreement to provide a legally binding status to
SDT provisions, which among others, confer policy flexibility to developing
countries based on an objective criteria such as a threshold of per capita
manufacturing value added (MVA) for flexibility from commitments under
non-agricultural market access (NAMA), trade-related intellectual property
rights, trade-related investments or SCM agreements. The report also called
for international funding of R&D activity in developing countries in order
to compensate them for the adverse effects of the strengthened intellectual
property right regime. It also underscores the need for promotion of
south-south trade and investments through a slew of measures covering trade
facilitation and non-tariff barriers, extending the scope to cover trade in
service, a South Investment Agreement and financing and guarantees for
South-South investments.
The report also recommends strategies for the developing
world on the negotiations of agreements on agriculture, NAMA, trade in
services and development, trade facilitation and reform of dispute
settlement undertaking of the WTO to help developing world fight unfair
trade practices effectively."
The Report was also commented upon by Panelists including Ms
Farida Mahommed, a member of South Africa’s Parliament, Dr Kamal Malhotra,
Senior Advisor of the UNDP, New York, and Mr. T.K. Bhaumik, Chief Economist
of Reliance Industries, who spoke after Shri Kamal Nath.
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22nd
Feb.200 |
INVERSION OF THE NAMA
MANDATE
New
Delhi: February 22, 2007
Recognizing the adverse
effect high tariffs in developed countries have on developing country
exports, the Doha Mandate for non agricultural market access (NAMA)
negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) requires reduction of
tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariff escalation on products of export
interest to developing countries. Further, while making this demand on
developed countries the Doha Mandate, the July, 2004 Framework Agreement and
the December 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration simultaneously also
reiterated that there shall be “less than full reciprocity in reduction
commitments (LTFR)” and special and differential (S&D) treatment through
flexibility to exempt certain tariff lines from formula cuts for developing
countries to meet their domestic developmental objectives. “It is,
therefore, paradoxical that proposals emanating from a few developed
countries over the last few months have not only blatantly flouted the LTFR
(less than full reciprocity) mandate but seem to be looking at effacing the
developmental dimension of this negotiating round. Swiss coefficients of 10
and 15 have been suggested in the above proposal for developed and
developing countries which translate to reduction commitments of 33% for
most developed countries and a whopping 66-70% for most developing
countries. If this is what the proposers believe a development round should
deliver we need to re-examine the etymology of ‘development’,” a statement
issued by the Commerce and Industry Ministry (Department of Commerce) said
here today.
The acceptance of the
non-linear Swiss formula is in itself a statement of a broad commitment by
the developing countries. However, a coefficient of 15 for developing
countries seems more in tune with honouring a non-existent Doha mandate of
“reduction of tariff peaks, high tariffs and tariffs escalation only on
products of export interest for developed countries”. The mandate, on the
other hand, prescribes the “reduction of tariff peaks, high tariffs and
tariff escalation especially on products of export interest for developing
countries, the statement says.
Coming
to number crunching on the developed country proposal, a Swiss coefficient
of 10 for developed countries which is more than double of their average
bound rates (average bound rates for developed countries is 4-5%) would lead
to insignificant tariff liberalization in terms of a 1/3rd reduction
commitment. On the other hand, most developing countries with average bound
rates in the region of 30-40% are being asked to take on a Swiss coefficient
which is less than half of their average bound rates thereby cutting their
average bound rates by 2/3rd. This exemplifies the inequity of the proposal,
which inverts the mandate of the Doha round. Therefore, the reduction
commitments can meet LTFR (less than full reciprocity) -- which is part of
the Framework Agreement and the Hong Kong Ministerial text – only if the
coefficients chosen have a linkage to the average bindings. Ambition in
reduction commitments must be circumscribed by the well-entrenched principle
of LTFR.
The NAMA negotiations
should not be vitiated by introduction of extraneous modalities which do not
find any manifestation in the negotiating mandate. Foremost, the
development dimension of the Doha Round must be the cornerstone of the
commitments made. LTFR is the pivot on which the relative ambition levels
must be decided since it is part of the negotiating mandate. LTFR for a
Swiss coefficient of 15 for developing countries as proposed by some
developed countries would translate into a Swiss coefficient of less than 1
for developed countries. Are developed countries prepared to accept this? If
not, they will need to rework the proposals”, the statement asks.
The argument that developed countries have
made large commitments in the earlier rounds merits little empathy when one
considers that most of the tariff peaks and high tariffs maintained by them
are on products of export interest for the developing world. Therefore the
reduction commitments by the developed countries should harmonise their
tariffs on “products of export interest for developed countries” with their
tariffs on “products of exports interest for developing countries”. This
can only be construed as a correction in the historical tariff imbalance and
can be met only by coefficients below 4 (for developed countries). *
Oxfam in its briefing paper
of April, 2006 had stated that historical evidence shows that the so called
today’s champions of tariff liberalization were the most blatant users of
the tariff protection for promoting industrial development. Drastic cuts in
tariff reductions in developing economies would, therefore, severely
restrict their policy space to provide an exigency-based protection to
vulnerable sectors. Further, the paper has given examples of how tariff
liberalization had deleterious economic effect on many African and Latin
American economies, the statement points out.
(* NB: Higher the
coefficients, the lower the percentage tariff cuts)
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22nd
Feb.2007 |
New Delhi: February 22, 2007
Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister
of Commerce & Industry, will release the World Trade and Development Report
2007, at a function organised by the Oxford University Press India and
Research & Information System for Developing countries (RIS) here tomorrow.
The
World Trade and Development Report has been prepared by RIS.
The Report focusses on the
following important issues: (1) Emerging multilateral trading system and
development: Asymmetries, impact and challenges; (2) Agriculture: Addressing
the clashing interests of rich and poor farmers; (3) Non-agricultural market
access (NAMA) and developing countries; (4) Trade in Services and
Development; (5) Trade facilitation and developing countries; (6) TRIPs,
indigenous knowledge and geographical indications; (7) Dispute settlement
understanding: A developing country perspective; and (8) South-South
Cooperation in Trade.
The Report is a valuable resource for policy makers, development
economists, civil society organisations and all other concerned about making
globalisation and trade work for development.
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21st
Feb.2007 |
New
Delhi: February 21, 2007
A complete ban on
export of pulses was imposed, during June last year, in order to check price
rise. A number of representations were received in the Department of
Commerce, that because of a general ban on export of pulses, prices of
Dollar Gram (chana), which is not used as pulse but exported in its primary
form, have plummeted. This particular variety of chana is primarily grown
in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
There were reports
that the prices have fallen between Rs.2000 to Rs.2300, as against the last
year prices of Rs.4000 to Rs.4500 per quintal.
There were
reports that a few farmers have contemplated suicide since they are not able
to meet even half the cost of cultivating this chana. To mitigate the
farmers’ distress condition, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Shri
Kamal Nath in consultation with Shri Sharad Pawar, Union Minister for
Agriculture and Minister of consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
decided to lift the ban on export of this particular variety of chana.
Accordingly, Department of Commerce have issued Notification No.48 dated
20-02-2007, allowing export of Dollar Chana under permission granted by
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The regional offices of DGFT
at Bhopal and Hyderabad are being authorised to issue these permissions.
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20Th
Feb 2007 |
New
Delhi: February 20, 2007
Within three months of the decision of the India-Italy Joint Commission, the
India-Italy Joint Working Group (JWG) on Infrastructure has been established
and has met for the first time here on 15 February, 2007. The broad goal of
the JWG is to widen the India-Italy economic relationship by facilitating
trade and investment flows in the infrastructure sector. One of the major
outcomes of the 17th Session of India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic
Cooperation held in Rome in November 2006 was the agreement to set up an
India-Italy Joint Working Group on Infrastructure.
Both sides
presented the opportunities and expertise available in the infrastructure
sector. Identification of joint pilot projects was discussed and projects
in the highways and power sector have been identified for further
participation by both sides.
Commerce & Industry
Minister, Shri Kamal Nath, Italian Minister of International Trade, Ms. Emma
Bonino and Italian Minister for Infrastructure, Mr. Antonio di Pietro, have
welcomed the meeting of the Joint Working Group and its outcome.
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19th
Feb.2007 |
PHENOMENAL
INCREASE IN TRADE WITH PAKISTAN IN FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF 2006/07 – PAKISTANI
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMERCE MEETS KAMAL NATH
New
Delhi: February 19, 2007
There has been a phenomenal increase of 129% in India’s trade with Pakistan
in the first seven months of the current financial year from April-October
2006-07. Two-way trade has reached a record figure of US $ 977.03 million.
This comprises India’s exports to Pakistan valued at US $ 789.13 million and
India’s imports from Pakistan valued at US $ 187.90 million. India’s
imports from Pakistan have been growing at a steady pace – 87% in 2005-06
and 86% in April-October (2006-07). This was indicated at a meeting
between Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, and Mr.
Hamid Yar Hiraj, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Commerce, here today.
The Pakistani
Minister is leading a 187-member business delegation to India, the largest
ever business delegation from Pakistan to India.
The two Ministers
underlined the desire on both sides to boost bilateral trade and to promote
economic and commercial cooperation within the framework of composite
dialogue.
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15th
Feb.2007 |
GOVERNMENT
AIMING AT 13 % MANUFACTURING GROWTH NEXT YEAR: KAMAL
NATH MEETS JAPANESE MACHINERY FEDERATION TEAM
New Delhi, 15
February, 2007
The government
is aiming at 13 % manufacturing growth next year, while the current year’s
manufacturing growth is more than 11 %.
At present, the share of manufacturing in India’s GDP is 17 % and “ we are
hoping to increase it to 25 %”, Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and
Industry, said at a meeting with a delegation of the Japanese Machinery
Federation which is on a business mission to India, led by Dr. Tsutomu
Kanai, Chairman of the Federation.
The Minister
said that the highest priority was being accorded to manufacturing sector,
as job creation was of utmost importance in view of the country’s young age
profile. The delegation conveyed the keenness of Japanese machinery industry
to cooperate with their Indian counterparts. India was steadily emerging as
a manufacturing hub of Asia, with a number of Japanese machinery companies
locating in India. However, infrastructure bottlenecks often hindered such
collaboration, they said.
The Minister
assured the delegation that infrastructural development was being addressed
on a priority basis so that the high manufacturing growth rate could be
sustained and further accelerated. Later, the Minister also met a
delegation of the Japan-India Business Cooperation Committee, headed by Mr.
Nobuo Ohashi, Chairman of the Committee.
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15th
Feb.2007 |
New Delhi, 15 February,
2007
The first UNIDO Centre for
South-South Industrial Cooperation (UCSSIC) was
launched in
New Delhi today 15 February, 2007 by Mr. Kamal Nath, Commerce
and Industry Minister, at a function presided over by the Director General
of United Nations Industrial Organisation (UNIDO), Mr. Kandeh Yumkella.
“India has as much to learn
as to teach, as much as to receive as to give. Mutual benefit is the
defining phrase. We see the South-South Centre as a project which is global
in its reach and scope,” Mr. Kamal Nath said in his keynote address.
“The role of South-South
cooperation in linking development, the expansion of trade, and poverty
reduction is not a new subject in the international development dialogue.
However, it is faced with new challenges and arguably has a greater
potential today than ever before,” Kandeh Yumkella, DG UNIDO, said while
giving his perspective on the importance of the Centre. He said recent
initiatives heralded a New UNIDO, with focus on linkages between industrial
development and trade especially through value-addition , and on innovations
in technology which would help in eradicating poverty and job creation in
developing countries of Asia and Africa. “Industrialisation is needed for
growth”, he added.
Both emphasised the need to
ensure that the benefits of industrial growth are more evenly spread. They
also underlined the importance of the Centre as a collective response and
approach of the South to the challenges of globalisation.
Meeting
New Challenges
Some of the new major
players in global industry and trade are developing countries – a group
known simply as the South. In the last 25 years the share of the South in
world manufacturing and world exports has doubled, and South-South trade is
rapidly increasing.
If the rise of some
countries in the South is to be harnessed for the mutual benefit of all, it
calls for a qualitative enhancement of South-South cooperation.
Some of the new – and
critical – challenges are in trade and investment
promotion and industrial development. To tackle them, new institutions and
systems are needed and UNIDO responded with a proposal to launch South-South
Cooperation Centres in some of the more advanced developing countries like
India,
China, South Africa, Egypt and Brazil.
In March 2006, a UNIDO team
led by its Director General Dr. Yumkella, discussed this proposal with the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry. After the visit, the Prime Minister Dr.
Manmohan Singh confirmed India’s commitment to this project.
Accordingly, the first UNIDO
Centre for South-South Industrial Co-operation (UCSSIC) has been formally
launched in New Delhi on the 15th February 2007.
To enhance greater
interaction between developing countries, the Centre will:
-
Exchange
expertise and experience;
-
Network
institutions and enterprises;
-
Replicate
best practices to reduce poverty, and
-
Strengthen
national and local innovation systems.
Specifically, the Centre
aims to:
·
Design
practical and innovative projects to exploit new areas of technical
competence and economic opportunity. The emphasis will be on launching
projects in established fields as well as in new ones with social and
economic development potential for LDCs;
·
Provide a
platform to encourage closer cooperation in policy formulation among
developing countries. The aim is to ensure that the less developed countries
can benefit from the experience of successful strategies in the more
developed ones. Benchmarking will be encouraged between the more developed
economies of the South - India, China, South Africa and Brazil - so that
through increased productivity their pace of development could be maintained
and strengthened, enabling them to become engines of growth in their
respective regions.
·
Act as a
catalyst to leverage various on-going projects of governments, as well as of
UNIDO, where relevant.
To carry out these aims, the Centre will encourage:
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Capacity
Building
-
Hands-on
training
-
Best
practices replication
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Sustainable
and appropriate technology transfer
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Appropriate
Policy Formulation
-
Meeting
international standards in industrial production
-
The development
of Clusters for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)
-
The promotion
of investment between developing countries
Expanded trade and investment between developing countries will trigger
further cooperative ventures and technology transfer, and turn barriers into
breakthroughs.
KEY
AREAS OF INTERVENTION
Initially, the Centre
will be active in six key areas of rural and urban oriented industries:
·
Renewable energy especially wind energy and biomass energy
·
Low cost
housing and building materials
·
Food
processing and agro-industries
·
Pharmaceuticals, aromatics and traditional remedies, and biotechnology
· Technical
training and skill enhancement in automobile
components,foundries, machine tools, and Business Management
·
Information Technology applications in industry.
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13th
Feb.2007 |
KAMAL NATH TO PARTICIPATE IN
INDIA-ITALY BUSINESS FORUM IN MUMBAI
TOMORROW
New
Delhi, 13 February, 2007
Mr. Kamal Nath, Union Commerce and Industry Minister, is scheduled to
participate in the high-level India-Italy Business Forum being jointly
organised in Mumbai on 14 February, 2007 on the occasion of the visit of the
Italian Prime Minister Mr Romano Prodi to India. The Forum meeting is being
organised by ASSOCHAM, CII And FICCI from the Indian side along with their
Italian counterparts – CONFIDUSTRIA, Instituto Nazionale per il Commercio
Estero and ABI ( Assozione Bancaria Italiana ). Prime Minister Prodi will
deliver the keynote address at the Forum, which will also be addressed by
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Ms. Emma Bonino,
Minister of International Trade of Italy; and Mr. Kamal Nath.
There is
growing realisation in Italy of the importance of India as a trade and
economic partner, and the visit of the Prime Minister of Italy Mr Romano
Prodi to India at the head of a high level delegation comprising 150
government and business decision makers is being seen as an important
milestone in the expansion and strengthening of bilateral economic
cooperation between the two countries.
Among the important initiatives taken recently was the meeting of the
India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation which was held its 7th
meeting in Rome in November 2006, where it was decided to set up a Joint
Working Group to improve bilateral cooperation in infrastructure. It was
also decided to promote Brand India in Italy and Brand Italy in India
through business events and exchange of business delegations. The dialogue
was carried forward as a prelude to Premier Prodi’s visit when Ms Emma
Bonino had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Kamal Nath in New Delhi in January
2007.
The major sectors of bilateral cooperation envisaged include :
infrastructure, IT, telecommunications, industrial machinery, healthcare,
textiles and garments, gems and jewellery, fashion design, leather, food
processing, energy, automobile and auto components, and tourism.
**********
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13th
Feb.2007 |
SOUTH-SOUTH INDUSTRIAL
COOPERATION CENTRE – KAMAL NATH AND DG/UNIDO
TO LAUNCH NEW INITIATIVE
New
Delhi, 13 February, 2007
The first
UNIDO Centre for South-South Industrial Cooperation (UCSSIC) will be
launched jointly by Shri Kamal Nath, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and
Mr. Kandeh Yumkella, Director General of the United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation (UNIDO), here on Thursday 15 February, 2007.
Some of
the major new players in global industry and trade today are developing
countries – a group known simply as the South. In the last 25 years, the
share of the South in world manufacturing and world exports has doubled, and
South-South trade is increasing rapidly. Some of the new and critical
challenges are in trade and investment promotion and industrial development.
New institutions and systems are needed to tackle them and UNIDO responded
to this need with a proposal to launch South-South Cooperation Centres in
some of the more advanced developing countries like India, China, South
Africa, Egypt and Brazil. The formal launch of the first such Centre by Shri
Kamal Nath and Mr. Yumkella, DG/UNIDO comes against this backdrop.
In order to
enhance greater interaction between developing countries, the Centre will :
exchange expertise and experience; network institutions and enterprises;
replicate best practices to reduce poverty; and strengthen national and
local innovation systems.
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9th
Feb.2007 |
INDIA, GREECE KEEN TO ENHANCE
TRADE AND ECONOMIC TIES
BILATERAL TRADE WITH GREECE UP BY 84%
New Delhi,
February 9, 2007
India and Greece are keen to enhance the levels of bilateral trade, which
stood at around US $ 620 million in 2005-06. A meeting held here today
between Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, and the
visiting Greek Minister of Finance and Economy, Mr. George Alogoskoufi noted
that India’s trade with Greece increased by an impressive 84% to reach US $
620.46 million in 2005-06 (i.e., comprising US $ 564.09 million worth of
exports from India to Greece and US $ 56.37 worth of imports from Greece to
India). However, this was way below the potential, both the Ministers
said, while underlining the desire to develop bilateral trade and economic
ties especially in view of close and friendly relations between the two
countries as ancient civilizations and modern democracies.
Referring to the proposed Agreement on Trade and
Investment between India and the European Union (EU), which could open vast
opportunities for business on both sides, including Greece, Shri Kamal Nath
said that India would like to see early commencement of negotiations for
this Agreement and sought Greece’s support in the Council of the European
Commission for ensuring an early mandate for the negotiations focussed on
trade and investment.
While
noting that Indian exports to Greece had diversified beyond traditional
commodity items to include machinery, automobiles and engineering goods,
Shri Kamal Nath said that auto components, pharmaceuticals, health sector
including medical tourism, agriculture (especially olive oil) and food
processing were the other potential areas of growth. He invited Greek
companies to participate to India’s infrastructure programme while conveying
that Indian companies could also participate in the infrastructure sector in
Greece. The need for easier visa procedures for
Indian businessmen and professionals in
Greece was also
flagged.
***********
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8th
Feb.2007 |
DELHI-KOLKATA FREIGHT CORRIDOR
PROPOSED WITH JAPANESE ASSISTANCE:
KAMAL NATH
New Delhi,
February 8, 2007
The Union Minister for Commerce & Industry
Shri Kamal Nath, while speaking to the 27-member Japanese delegation here
last evening, informed that a Delhi-Kolkata Railway Freight Corridor to be
built with the Japanese assistance is under consideration of the Government.
This would follow the Japanese supported Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor on
which the two countries were actively involved. The delegation comprised
Japanese media persons and representatives of Suzuki Motors including
Chairman of the company Mr. Osamu Suzuki. The Minister briefed the
delegation on advances India had made in attracting FDI in last three years
also mentioned the role played by the Japanese investors in Indian economy.
He highlighted the need for the Japanese Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
to further engage in Indian growth story. In this regard, he lauded the role
played by Japan External
Trade Organization (JETRO) in providing support services to the Japanese
SMEs through their
New Delhi office.
“A natural synergy
exists between the young workforce of India and the technology & innovation
of Japan. We need to exploit this further”, he said. The relationship will
get a further boost with the forthcoming visit of Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe to India, he said.
Shri Nath also complimented Mr. Suzuki for his contribution to the Indian
industry and described Suzuki Motors as the “flagship of India-Japan
Relationship”. Dr. Ajay Dua, Secretary, Department of Industrial
Policy & Promotion and Shri G.K. Pillai, Commerce Secretary, were present on
the occasion.
Japan is the fourth largest investor
in India, with cumulative FDI inflows from August 1991 to November 2006
amounting to US $ 2175 million, behind Mauritius, USA and Netherlands.
India’s exports to Japan in 2005-06 were valued at US $ 2.4 billion while
imports stood at US $ 3.5 billion. Major items of Indian exports are gems
& jewellery, iron ore, and marine products while major imports from Japan
include machinery, electronic goods, iron & steel etc. Both countries
recently held the first round of negotiations on India-Japan Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is likely to be concluded in a
time frame of 18 months.
**********
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7th
Feb.2007 |
QUANTUM
INCREASE IN FDI INFLOWS INTO INDIA
KAMAL NATH CHAIRS PARLIAMENTARY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE ON
COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
New Delhi:
February 07, 2007
Inflows of foreign
direct investment (FDI) into
India have witnessed a
quantum leap during the current financial year
and are expected to be more than double the inflows recorded last year.
This was indicated by Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce &
industry, while presiding over the meeting of Parliamentary Consultative
Committee attached to his Ministry here last evening. FDI equity inflows
during the current year (April-November 2006) had been US $ 7.2 billion –
the highest ever received in equity capital since the commencement of
economic liberalisation in India, he said adding that monthly inflows
this fiscal crossed US $ 1 billion on 3 occasions viz., in July, October and
November 2006.
Shri Kamal Nath also referred to the higher
credit rating assigned to India by Standard and Poor’s recently and said
that raising of India’s rating to investment grade – both at institutional
and FDI levels – should lead to even greater inflows into India.
Emphasising that the higher inflows as well as the new credit rating
reflected growing investor confidence in India, the Minister said that FDI
inflows by the end of this fiscal would reach US $ 12 billion, implying an
unprecedented 120% growth over the previous year.
Members who attended the meeting were: S/Shri
Ramakrishan Badiga, Ram Singh Kaswan, Sudhangshu Seal, J.M. Aaron Rashid,
Sharad Joshi, M. Rajasekara Murthi and Abu Asim Azmi. Dr. Ajay Dua,
Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP); and Shri G.K.
Pillai, Commerce Secretary, were also present
In a presentation made on the occasion,
the following points were highlighted:
·
In A.T.
Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index, India’s rank as a FDI investment destination
has improved from No. 15 in 2003 to No. 2 in 2006.
·
As per
J.P. Morgan, the return on equity on investments made in India is the
highest in Asia at 18%.
·
Services
sector has become the top sector in attracting FDI in April-November 2006.
In response to a suggestion from members, Shri
Kamal Nath agreed to set up an Expert Committee to look into the sectors
into which FDI was flowing and its impact on the rural economy. The
purpose of this exercise is to ensure equitable distribution of FDI and to
bridge the rural-urban divide. Members agreed with the Minister on the
importance of FDI in the country’s economy in terms of not only generating
economic activities and jobs, but equally in facilitating transfer of
technology and managerial capabilities, thereby enhancing India’s global
competitiveness.
*************
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7th
Feb.2007 |
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA ON IPRs GETS A BIG BOOST
OUTCOME OF FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL MEET ON IPR DEVELOPMENT
AGENDA HOSTED BY INDIA
New Delhi:
February 07, 2007
The proposal to establish a Development
Agenda on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) received a major boost, with
the first-ever International Meeting on Intellectual Property and
development Issues Related to the Development Agenda concluding its
deliberations here today. The 3-day (5-7 February 2007) meeting,
inaugurated by Dr. Ajay Dua, Secretary (DIPP), was organised by the
Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), in association with
the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & industry (FICCI) and
National Intellectual Property Organisation (NIPO). The proposal to
establish a Development Agenda contains 111 proposals made by member
countries of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
A broad consensus was reached on a number of proposals
which have special significant for developing countries. Some of
these important proposals are:
·
Proposal to
strengthen WIPO’s technical cooperation programme, taking into account the
different levels of development of member states in designing, delivering
and evaluating technical assistance.
·
To create a
WIPO Partnership Programme Database, an internet-based tool to
facilitate the strategic use of intellectual property by developing
countries by bringing together all stakeholders to match specific IPR-related
development needs with available resources, thereby amplifying the
impact of intellectual property development assistance.
·
To devise
innovative ways and means, including the fostering of transfer of
technology, to enable SMEs take better advantage of flexibilities as
provided by relevant international agreements and to explore policies,
initiatives and reforms necessary to ensure the transfer and dissemination
of technology to the benefit of developing countries.
·
To
approach intellectual property enforcement in the context of broader
societal interests and development-related concerns, in accordance with
Article 7 of the TRIPs Agreement.
Participants from 22 countries were generally
in favour of carrying forward the Development Agenda and were also of the
opinion that some kind of harmonization could be brought in by merging
some of the proposals to address concerns of all stakeholders for
expeditious consideration in the ensuing meeting of the WIPO Provisional
Committee on Development Agenda.
Discussions were held on 6 clusters in which
all the 111 proposals were categorised. The major issues discusses were:
Technical Assistance and Capacity Building; Norm-setting, Flexibilities,
Public Policy and Public Domain; Technology Transfer, Information and
Communication Technology and Access to Knowledge; Assessments, Evaluation
and Impact Studies; Institutional matters including Mandate and
governance.
************
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6th
Feb.2007 |
KAMAL NATH
SEEKS GERMAN COOPERATION IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, MANUFACTURING AND ENERGY
SECTOR
New Delhi:
February 06, 2007
Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has stressed the
need for greater cooperation between India and Germany in the field of
science & technology, manufacturing and energy sector, while meeting the
German Minister for Education and Research, Dr. Mrs. Annette Schavan, here
today. Shri Nath highlighted the importance of the German small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) to interact with the Indian SMEs and participate
in India’s economic growth. He also invited German investments and
cooperation in India’s booming pharmaceutical and engineering sector. The
German Minister expressed her country’s keenness to explore cooperation in
the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency products. Both the
Ministers also discussed possible cooperation in the area of intellectual
property rights (IPRs) including the possibility of a bilateral agreement
on IPRs. A 15-member German delegation from diverse industries also met
the Shri Kamal Nath.
India’s exports to Germany in 2005-06 were to the tune of US $ 3517
million while imports were US $ 5818 million. Major items of export to
Germany include RMG cotton, machinery, instruments, drugs &
pharmaceuticals etc. while major items of imports from Germany include
machinery (except electrical and electronics), electronic goods, transport
equipment etc.
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6th
Feb.2007 |
IMPORT OF SENSITIVE ITEMS DURING APRIL- DECEMBER 2006
New Delhi:
February 06, 2007
The total
import of sensitive items for the period April-December 2006 has been
Rs.14472 crores as compared to Rs.12959 crores during the corresponding
period last year thereby showing an increase of 11.7%. The gross import of
all commodities during same period of current year was Rs.598287 crores as
compared to Rs.464866 crores during the same period of last year. Thus
import of sensitive items constitute 2.8% and 2.4% of the gross imports
during last year and current year respectively.
Imports of fruits & vegetables (including nuts), cotton & silk, spices and
tea & coffee have shown a decline at broad group level during the period.
Imports of items viz. edible oil, food grains, products of SSI, rubber,
marble & Granite, Alcoholic beverages and milk & milk products have shown
increase during the period under reference.
In
the edible oil segment, the imports have increased from Rs.6753 crores
last year to Rs.7558 crores for the corresponding period of this year. A
significant feature of edible oil import is that import of crude oil has
gone up by 20.5% and that of refined oil have gone down by 44.9%. The
growth in edible oil import is mainly due to significant increase in
import of Crude Palm Oil and its fractions which has gone up by 44%.
Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, Argentina, Australia, United
States of America, China P RP, Malaysia, Russia, Sri Lanka DSR, Thailand,
Cote D’ Ivory, Germany etc. have gone up while those from Brazil, Guinea
Bissau, Egypt A RP, Japan, Benin etc. have shown a decrease.
|
IMPORT OF
SENSITIVE ITEMS-PROVISIONAL ESTIMATES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Value in Rs Crore) |
|
Sr. No. |
Commodity Group |
No. of Tariff
|
Weights w.r.t.
total sensitive items |
Value of Import (Rs
Crore) |
Difference (Rs
Crore) |
Growth |
|
|
|
Lines |
Upto December 2005 |
Upto December 2006 |
Upto December 2005 |
Upto December 2006 |
(Col 7 - Col
6) |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
1 |
Milk & Milk
Products |
16 |
0.09% |
0.45% |
11.17 |
65.09 |
53.92 |
482.6% |
|
|
Growth is observed in Butter Oil and
its Contribution is |
|
0.00 |
54.33 |
54.33 |
|
|
|
( and its %age
share to this group) |
|
0.0% |
83.5% |
|
|
|
2 |
Fruits & Vegetables |
43 |
19.84% |
17.00% |
2570.59 |
2460.32 |
-110.27 |
-4.3% |
|
|
Significant fall in
Cashew nuts in shell is |
|
1722.01 |
1462.01 |
-259.99 |
-15.1% |
|
|
( and its %age
share to this group) |
|
67.0% |
59.4% |
|
|
|
3 |
Poultry |
10 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.31 |
0.09 |
-0.23 |
|
|
4 |
Tea & Coffee |
31 |
1.20% |
0.48% |
155.30 |
68.83 |
-86.48 |
-55.7% |
|
|
Significant fall in
black tea (in packet, leaf and dust in
bulk) |
93.60 |
21.28 |
-72.32 |
-77.3% |
|
|
( and their %age
share to this group) |
60.3% |
30.9% |
|
|
|
5 |
Spices |
34 |
2.46% |
2.18% |
318.97 |
315.95 |
-3.02 |
-0.9% |
|
|
(Significant shortfall in Cardamom
large(amomum) and its contribution is) |
|
32.76 |
1.34 |
-31.42 |
-95.9% |
|
|
( and their
%age share to this group) |
|
10.3% |
0.4% |
|
|
|
|
( Significant growth in Non mulberry
silk and their contribution is) |
|
21.64 |
53.99 |
32.35 |
149.5% |
|
|
( and their
%age share to this group) |
|
6.8% |
17.1% |
|
|
|
6 |
Food Grains |
11 |
0.01% |
7.34% |
1.14 |
1062.69 |
1061.55 |
High Growth |
|
7 |
Edible Oils |
22 |
52.11% |
52.22% |
6753.14 |
7557.53 |
804.39 |
11.9% |
|
|
(a) Crude |
|
|
|
5869.71 |
7070.73 |
1201.03 |
20.5% |
|
|
( Raio of crude to total Edible ) |
|
86.9% |
93.6% |
|
|
|
|
(b)
Refined |
|
|
|
883.43 |
486.80 |
-396.64 |
-44.9% |
|
|
( Ratio of Refined to total edible
import) |
13.1% |
6.4% |
|
|
|
8 |
Alcholic Beverages |
11 |
0.70% |
0.78% |
91.10 |
112.51 |
21.42 |
23.5% |
|
9 |
Rubber |
11 |
1.84% |
2.86% |
238.71 |
413.71 |
175.00 |
73.3% |
|
|
Significant growth
in natural rubber in other forms: smoked sheets, Technically specified
natural rubber and other natural rubber non latex |
|
233.94 |
409.73 |
175.79 |
75.1% |
|
|
( and their %age
share to this group) |
|
98.0% |
99.0% |
|
|
|
10 |
Cotton & Silk |
20 |
8.68% |
7.76% |
1125.07 |
1122.86 |
-2.21 |
-0.2% |
|
|
Siginificant
Shortfall in :Non mulberry silk |
|
104.03 |
44.53 |
-59.50 |
-57.2% |
|
|
( and their %age
share to this group) |
|
9.2% |
4.0% |
|
|
|
11 |
Marble & Granite |
9 |
1.04% |
1.37% |
135.16 |
198.51 |
63.35 |
46.9% |
|
|
Marble blocks/tiles,polished
and others (Simply cut/Sawnmarble trauertine & alabaster with a flat
or even surface |
|
117.89 |
159.74 |
41.85 |
35.5% |
|
|
( and their %age
share to this group) |
|
87.2% |
80.5% |
|
|
|
12 |
Automobiles |
33 |
3.31% |
3.08% |
428.92 |
445.51 |
16.59 |
3.9% |
|
13 |
Product of SSI |
37 |
3.43% |
4.08% |
443.97 |
591.18 |
147.21 |
33.2% |
|
|
(Umbrella, locks, toys, writing
instruments, tiles, glassware, etc.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Significant growth in ceramic tiles,
other glassware used for table excluding glasses and other toys |
|
225.91 |
318.88 |
92.97 |
41.2% |
|
|
( and their
%age share to this group) |
|
50.9% |
53.9% |
|
|
|
14 |
Others (Wheat
flour, sugar, cigarette & salt) |
12 |
5.29% |
0.39% |
685.04 |
57.15 |
-627.89 |
-91.7% |
|
|
Total of Sensitive
items |
100.0% |
100.0% |
12958.60 |
14471.94 |
1513.34 |
11.7% |
|
|
%age share of
Import of sensitive items to Total Import (All Commodities) |
|
2.8% |
2.4% |
|
|
|
|
Total of All
commodities ( including sensitive items) as per quick estimate |
464866.02 |
598286.68 |
133420.66 |
28.7% |
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5th
Feb.2007 |
INDIA HOSTS FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL MEET ON
IPR DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
New
Delhi: February 05, 2007
In a major initiative on the
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) front, India is hosting the first-ever
International Meeting on Intellectual Property and Development: Issues
Related to the Development Agenda. The 3-day (5-7 February) meeting,
which is organised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP),
in association with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) and National Intellectual Property Organisation (NIPO)
was inaugurated here this morning by Dr. Ajay Dua, Secretary (IPP),
Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
In his inaugural address, Dr.
Dua underlined the importance of working out an actionable plan to
mainstream development into the agenda of the World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO) to address IPR-related concerns of developing
countries. The proposal to establish a Development Agenda for the WIPO
is one of the most important initiatives taken by developing countries to
ensure that the international intellectual property system evolves in a
manner which is favourable for developing countries and reflects their
concerns. At present, there are 111 proposals made by WIPO member
countries on what should constitute the Development Agenda. Suggesting a
way forward, Dr. Dua stressed the need for consolidating the diverse
proposals into a cohesive doable agenda and expressed the hope that by
facilitating exchange of views and perspectives on the proposed
constituents of the Agenda, the meeting would help in promoting a better
understanding of these issues, and facilitate the building of a consensus
among member countries of WIPO.
Around 22 countries
representing both the developed and developing world are participating
in this important event including Algeria, Argentina, Australia,
Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Colombia,
Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Switzerland,
UK and USA.
Spread over the next 2 days, there
will be presentations by distinguished international and national
participants on the following themes representing key elements
of the proposed Development Agenda viz., Technical Assistance and
Capacity Building; Flexibilities, Public Policy and Public Domain;
Technology Transfer, ICT and Access to Knowledge; Assessments, Evaluation
and Impact Studies; and Institutional Matters including Mandate and
Governance.
*********
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2nd
Feb.2007 |
New Delhi:
February 02, 2007
A meeting of the Board of Approval was held today
under the Chairmanship of Commerce Secretary, Shri G.K. Pillai, in which
proposals relating to grant of Co-developer status and requests for
approval of authorized operations by Developers and co-developers in
respect of some of the 63 notified SEZs were considered.
The Board of Approval accorded Co-developer
status to M/s Motorola India Pvt. Ltd. and M/s.FOXCONN India Developer
Pvt. Ltd. in the SIPCOT SEZ at Sriperumbadur, Chennai. Authorized
operations in respect of these co-developers were also approved. The
Board also granted approval for co-developer status for proposals from the
following:
(i)
Three co-developers in the Mahindra World City SEZ in Chennai as follows:
(1)
Mahindra Intergrated Township Ltd.
(2)
Mahindra Holiday Resorts
(3) M/s.Ascendas
Mahindra IT Park Private Ltd.
(ii)
Petronet LNG Limited as co-developer in Cochin Port Trust
(iii)
Integrated Warehousing Kandla Project Development Private
Limited as co-developer at FTWZ in Kandla SEZ
(iv)
Leela Lace Holdings Private Limited as co-developer in Info Park SEZ at
Kochi
(v) DLF
Assets Private Limited as co-developer in the DLF Info City
Developers (Chennai) Limited -IT/ITES SEZ in Ramapuram, Chennai
The Board of Approvals also cleared
requests from notified SEZs for authorized operations, list of which is
annexed.
List of
Proposals cleared by BoA on 2nd February 07 for authorized
operations in Notified SEZs
(1) HCL Technologies Ltd. - IT/ITES SEZ at Noida, Uttar
Pradesh
(2) Foxconn India Developer Private Limited in the SIPCOT SEZ at
Sriperumbudur, Chennai.
(3)
Motorola India Private Limited in the SIPCOT SEZ at Sriperumbudur,
Chennai.
(4) Quarkcity India Private Limited IT/ITES SEZ at
Mohali, Punjab
(5) Petronet LNG Limited in port based SEZ by Cochin
Port Trust
(6) WIPRO Limited IT/ITES SEZ in Pune Maharashtra
(7) DLF Limited IT/ITES SEZ at Silokhera, Haryana
(8) Dahej SEZ - Multiproduct SEZ in Gujarat
(9) M.L. Dalmiya and Co. Ltd - IT/ITES SEZ at Kolkata
(10) Ansal IT
City and Parks Limited IT/ITES SEZ at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh
(11) Satyam Computers Services Limited - IT/ITES SEZ at Bahadurpally
Village, Ranga Reddy Distirct, Andhra Pradesh
(12) Satyam Computers Services Limited - IT/ITES SEZ at Hitec City,
Madhapur, Hyderabad
(13) Zydus Infrastructure Private
Limited - Pharmaceuticals SEZ at Ahmedabad, Gujarat
(14) Leela
Lace Holdings Private Limited, in the Infopark IT/ITES SEZ at Kochi
Kerala
(15) L&T Tech Park Limited, in the Infopark IT/ITES SEZ
at Kochi, Kerala
(16) Adarsh Prime Projects Private Limited IT/ITES SEZ
in Karnataka
(17) K.
Raheja IT Park (Hyderabad) Private Limited IT/ITES SEZ at Ranga Reddy
District, Hyderabad
(18)
Coimbatore Hitech Infrastructure Private Limited IT/ITES SEZ at Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu
(19) Sanghi SEZ
Private Limited IT/ITES SEZ at Ranga Reddy District, Andhra Pradesh
(20) MIDC SEZ for Aluminium and Aluminium related industry at Shendre
Industrial Area, District Aurangabad, Maharashtra
(21) APIIC IT/ITES SEZ at Madhurwada Village,
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
(22) Hetro Infrastructure Private Limited -
Pharmaceutical SEZ at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
(23) MIDC Sector specific SEZ for Pharmaceuticals at Krushnor District-Nanded,
Maharashtra
(24) Royal Palms (India) private Lmited - IT/ITES SEZ
at Goregaon, Mumbai
(25) MIDC Sector specific SEZ for Agro Products at Latur, District-Latur,
Maharashtra
(26) FAB City
SPV (India) Limited - Sector specific SEZ for manufacturing and developing
semiconductor facility at Hyderabad
(27) APIIC IT/ITES SEZ at Kesarapalli Village, Andhra
Pradesh
(28) Shriram Properties Limited - IT/ITES SEZ at
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
(29)
Whitefield Paper Mills Limited, for writing and printing paper mill SEZ at
Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh
(30) M.P.
Audyogik Kendra Vikas Nigam (Indore) Limited (Crystal IT Park (SEZ),
Indore.
SB/NR/MRS
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2nd
Feb.2007 |
FIRST ROUND OF
NEGOTIATIONS ON INDIA-JAPAN CEPA CONCLUDES –
FOUR WORKING GROUPS SET UP
SECOND ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS TO BE HELD IN TOKYO IN APRIL 2007
New Delhi:
February
2, 2007
The
First Round of negotiations on India-Japan Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement (CEPA) concluded here today with both sides agreeing
on the terms of reference for future negotiations. Four Working Groups
were set up viz., Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Investment and
Bilateral Cooperation and preliminary discussions were held on the same.
The Japanese delegation was led by Mr. Masaharu Kohno, Deputy Minister for
Foreign Affairs, and the Indian side was led by Shri G.K. Pillai, Commerce
Secretary, in these negotiations. The second round of negotiations will
be held during April 2007 in Tokyo.
The working level meetings were co-chaired by Mr. Sumio Kusaka, Deputy
Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Japanese side and
Shri Dinesh Sharma, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce from the
Indian side.
During the visit of Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan
to India in April 2005, the Prime Ministers of the two countries directed
that the India-Japan Joint Study Group (JSG) be launched by June 2005 and
submit its report within a year. The JSG had recommended that the two
countries launch inter-governmental negotiations to develop CEPA.
India’s exports to Japan in 2005-06 were valued at
US $ 2.4 billion while imports stood at US $ 3.5 billion. Major items of
Indian exports are gems & jewellery, iron ore, and marine products while
major imports from Japan include machinery, electronic goods, iron & steel
etc.
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1st
Feb.2007 |
New Delhi:
February 01, 2007
Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has
said that Indian companies are now establishing a global presence,
displaying the muscle and the potential to tilt scales in global mergers
and acquisitions. In pure business terms, the change in domestic mindset
is one of the most significant trends that is driving the tide of change
in India, he said while delivering the keynote address on “Doing Business
with India – Achieving success in a fast-growing economy” organised by The
Economist in London today. “India has begun to invest in the global
canvas. From a tentative mindset that questioned our entrepreneurial
capability to survive against global competition, Indian businesses and
people are embracing globalization”, he said.
Meanwhile,
the world continues to invest in the Indian canvas, the Minister said,
emphasising that the intrinsic worth of India’s strong macro-economic
fundamentals was being recognised by international investors. He said
that foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflows alone this fiscal
(2006-7), were expected to touch US $ 12 billion, which was more than
double the equity inflows of US $ 5.5 billion last year. “Of the $ 53
billion in FDI (equity + other components) up to 2006 (September) since
1991, when the country began its economic liberalisation, a full
one-third, i.e., around $ 18 billion, has come in the last two-and-a half
years”, he pointed out.
“Indian
companies seeking to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange do not make
headlines any longer. The hunger to be globally benchmarked has spread
across sectors and regions. From a Hyderabad branded Cyberabad for its
technology-focussed growth, to rural communities hooked onto e-kiosks for
the latest price and product statistics, technology is spreading its
presence in the country. From technology intensive domains such as
telecom, to traditional sectors such as education and healthcare, it has
become a ‘new’ way of life”, the Minister said.
Underlining
that the real challenge was to ensure inclusive economic growth, Shri
Kamal Nath stressed that this was not just of domestic importance, but
equally important to foreign investors as it would make for a reassuringly
stable social environment and expand the market potential of the
country.
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1st
Feb.2007 |
New Delhi:
February 01, 2007
The
negotiations on India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
were formally launched here this afternoon. This First Round of
Negotiations which began informally yesterday is spread over 3-days (31
January to 2nd February). Mr. Masaharu Kohno, Deputy Minister
for Foreign Affairs, is leading Japanese delegation while the Indian side
is led by Shri G.K. Pillai, Commerce Secretary, in these negotiations.
The agenda for discussions include the “Framework of the Negotiations”,
the scope and modalities of the negotiations and other major areas such as
trade in goods, trade in services and investment.
During the visit of Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan to India in April
2005, the Prime Ministers of the two countries directed that the
India-Japan Joint Study Group (JSG) be launched by June 2005 and submit
its report within a year. The JSG had recommended that the two
countries launch inter-governmental negotiations to develop CEPA.
India’s exports to Japan in 2005-06 were valued at US $ 2.4 billion while
imports stood at US $ 3.5 billion. Major of Indian exports are gems &
jewellery, iron ore, and marine products while major imports from Japan
include machinery, electronic goods, iron & steel etc.
**********
SB/NR/MRS
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