Exports were up 0.8 per cent in Jan while imports rose 6 per cent.
India's exports need free trade and reform. The government, however, is extending failed schemes.
Singh is accompanied by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju and Science and Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday left Durban for home, ending a four-day visit during which he attended BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit that decided to establish a development bank to finance infrastructure projects in emerging economies.
The highlight of the first BRICS Summit on the African soil is the possible setting up of a development bank for undertaking infrastructure and development projects.
The government on Wednesday ruled out banning export of onion saying the spurt in domestic prices was "temporary" caused by unseasonable rains and market closures.
The minister also exuded confidence that India would be able to sustain 20 per cent export growth in the current fiscal.
Novartis' threat that it would not introduce new medicines in India after the verdict is hollow, says Anand Grover.
DEA official writes to DIPP suggesting that govt needs to understand what has been left out, and why, in the revised application of the retailer.
CCEA approves its Rs 10,500-cr investment in India.
The government has often defended its decision to open multi-brand retail to foreign direct investment (FDI) by saying modernisation of the sector through fresh investment would bring down wastage of fruit and vegetables.
The Euro 25-billion firm can now set up furniture stores in India, along with restaurants and cafes, in line with its global concept.
The JWG has had eight rounds of meeting since it was set up in 2006 but no mutually agreeable solution has been arrived at.
The decision to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail was announced in November last year.
Although Infosys was given 50 acre at Rajarhat for setting up its first development centre in West Bengal, the firm was insisting on getting special economic zone status, which the state was not keen to consider due to political reasons.
Formation of the Rangarajan panel comes after Reddy proposed that the revision issue be placed before the empowered Group of Ministers.
President Pratibha Patil yet again came out with a strong defence of her foreign tours, saying she was forced to go public on the issue despite government clarifications.
After dithering for months, if not years, the government suddenly unleashed a barrage of reforms.
Meeting on Tuesday to decide on letting foreign airlines buy into domestic ones.
The incident occurred when Banerjee, who was part of his party MPs' team which was raising slogans in the Well on the FDI issue, was returning to his seat after the House adjourned for the day shortly after noon.
India and Malaysia on Friday signed a landmark pact that paves the way for freer flow of trade in goods and services, besides enhanced investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.
The commerce ministry has sought a review of foreign direct investment policy in the pharmaceutical sector, in the light of recent takeovers of domestic companies by multinationals.
Voices of opposition to FDI in retail from within the United Progressive Alliance gained momentum on Tuesday with a Congress member of Parliament from poll-bound Uttar Pradesh criticising the decision, saying it will hurt the poor and its timing was not right.
India and Australia have expressed a keen interest to work together to boost two-way trade following talks in Canberra during the visit of Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, its Trade Minister has said.
Noting that SMEs in India account of substantial part of domestic production and that 40 per cent of the manufacturing and exports come out of SMEs, the minister said that SMEs, particularly the medium enterprises, are great incubators of technologies and that such an initiative would make the bilateral trade and commerce more meaningful.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is in a fighting mood, blasting everybody, more so the media, the moment you offer any criticism of the Commonwealth Games that will open in New Delhi on October 3.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma offered 'four principles' to break the impasse in the stalled-Doha trade negotiations, insisting that only a pronounced shift towards 'development objectives' could enable 'developing countries to bring more to the negotiations'.
Centre has lifted the ban on exports of a certain variety grown in Karnataka.
The chairman and CEO of Dow Chemicals Andrew Liveris will not attend the Indo-US CEO Business Forum meeting scheduled to be held in Washington.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is leading a high-powered team of policymakers, including Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia at the India-US CEOs Forum.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and Planning Commission Deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia will also participate in the India-US Business CEOs Forum Meeting.
With the pressure on for the European Union (EU) and India to come up with a significant announcement at the upcoming EU-India summit on December 10, a flurry of activity surrounding the ongoing negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) is giving momentum to the process.
If economic pundits and analysts are to believe, India's growth story presents a rosy picture and it is destined to be a significant economic power soon.
Noted lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ram Jethmalani and Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma were on Thursday elected in the Rajya Sabha polls in Rajasthan, while a Congress-supported Independent candidate was defeated.
South African President Jacob Zuma thanked Commerce Minister Anand Sharma for India's support in the matter, when the two met here this morning. India had been lobbying for South Africa's inclusion.
Talks had collapsed in Geneva in July last year after India, among others, opposed agriculture subsidies offered by rich nations to their farmers on the grounds that this distorts trade by making produce of developing countries costly. The negotiators will meet for a week beginning September 14.
Ahead of unveiling the Foreign Trade Policy, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday said the government was looking at cooperating with states to bring down transaction costs to make exports more competitive. India's exports have been on a downslide since October 2008.
This accord marks the success of India's Look East Policy and is the first with a trading bloc.
This accord marks the success of India's Look East Policy and is the first with a trading bloc.
Commerce minister Anand Sharma had taken up the treaty when he was in the US in June. The two are also trying to bridge differences on the investment protection treaty.
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