"Our government is fully committed to an early breakthrough in the Doha agreement based on the December 2008 draft texts in agriculture and industrial goods. It must be a balanced agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of developing countries," Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said.
Commerce Minister Anand Sharma has issued several signals about his government's commitment to conclude the Doha talks, saying it is a priority issue for New Delhi. While many industrialised countries, including some developing nations, praised Sharma for adopting a conciliatory stance to break the 'impasse,' other members in the developing world are apprehensive about New Delhi's stance, especially its discussions with the US trade representative, trade envoys said.
The recession hit US today said it wants to enhance dialogue with India on key trade policy issues, including the bilateral investment treaty under negotiation.
Faced with slump in demand in key markets such as the US and Europe, India's exports plunged by 30 per cent in May as per the quick estimates, given by commerce secretary G K Pillai. The final figures will be released on July 1. Exports fell the most in 14 years by 33.2 per cent in April to $10.74 billion in April 2009-10, from $16.08 billion a year ago.
A senior European Union representative said here on Tuesday that the body would soon change its Customs laws to address the issue of seizures of Indian generic drug shipments while en route for export to other countries.
Finance Minister has proposed to levy MAT of 18.5 per cent on the book profits of Special Economic Zone developers and units.
The government on Tuesday indicated that it was open to changing FDI norms for multi-brand retail sector, saying policies 'are not cast in stone'.
According to the Press Notes 2, 3 and 4 of the department of industrial policy and promotion, for a company or entity to be treated as Indian, foreign investment, including American and global depository receipts, foreign currency convertible bonds, convertible preference shares and from non-resident Indians, in it should be less than 50 per cent.
Over the past five years, US-India trade has more than doubled and the US continues to be India's largest trading partner -- if goods and services are counted -- a total bilateral trade standing at $65.9 billion in 2009.
The Forum will host a special session on 'The reality of terrorism', to be initiated by Union home minister P Chidambaram. The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma will be part of the Indian delegation.
"In the next five years, we are aiming to have $ 250 billion FDI coming into India," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said at a CII function in New Delhi.
Earlier this week, commerce secretary Rahul Khullar met EU director-general for trade David O'Sullivan to review the progress so far. Several differences mired the process over EU's insistence on including social issues such as human rights, labour policies and climate change within the FTA purview.
After the heat it faced on climate change stand for the Copenhagen summit, the government on Tuesday came under scanner as the Opposition felt that India might come under US pressure on the trade talks in WTO.
The $31-billion company, which sources around 30 per cent of its global consumption from India, had also criticised the Indian government for not opening foreign direct investment in single brand retailing.
Replying to supplementaries in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour, commerce minister Anand Sharma said, "There can be no negative impact of organised retailing on unorganised sector as 96 per cent of retail business is in unorganised sector.
India will make yet another effort at the ministerial level to give a push to Doha Round of WTO trade talks before leaders of the G-20 meet in Seoul next month.
The fresh initiative by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma to meet ambassadors of the key members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, in a bid to revive the deadlocked Doha round of trade negotiations, is well-timed though a positive outcome may be doubtful.
Helped by an impressive 46.4 per cent rise in June, exports grew by a hefty 45.7 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal despite uncertainties in the US and European markets.
The government's disinvestment programme made a muted re-start with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approving the part-sale of its stake in two power companies -- NTPC and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam -- but postponing a decision on the overall disinvestment policy.
Data on primary and fuel items would continue to be released on weekly basis.
India is negotiating for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Malaysia and Japan and a broad based trade and investment agreement with the EU.
The zero-duty EPCG scheme is in addition to the 3 per cent EPCG scheme that was introduced last year.
These may weaken India's long-standing demand of easy, flexible rules.
The five-year Foreign Trade Policy, to be unveiled on August 27, is expected to give incentives to Indian exporters to widen their global markets beyond the United States, the European Union and Japan in the face of the economic crisis in these key destinations.
The pact on trade in goods under the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement was signed by Indian commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma and ASEAN economic ministers after more than six years of intense negotiations.
The 10-member ASEAN described the Indo-US nuclear deal as an extremely positive step, hoping that the two countries would be able to conclude the pact soon.
But the government rejected their demand and instead promised to hold an internal inquiry.
US President Barack Obama would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Toronto, a top Indian official said Wednesday. "The Prime Minister would be traveling for the G-20, he will be meeting President Obama," Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma told Indian media-persons in Washington.
Currently, trade between India and Africa stands at about $45 billion.
Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma warned against protectionist measures resorted to by developed countries saying those measures would further deepen recession and delay a recovery in the world economy.
For the second time since Press Note 2 and 4 were issued in February 2009, the Department of Economic Affairs in the finance ministry has raised questions on their implementation, this time over an application before the Foreign Investment Promotion Board.
The agreement that provides for both India and ASEAN reducing tariff on agreed goods has come into force with all but Cambodia and Philippines.
The country would also ink the free trade pact with Malaysia in the same week.
India and the United Kingdom have agreed on the text of a landmark civil nuclear agreement and a formal pact may be signed within a week, Britain's Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson announced on Thursday. "The civil nuclear deal text has been agreed to and it will be signed soon, may be within a week after ministerial approvals," Lord Mandelson told a joint press conference with Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.
India was fourth in 2008, in terms of FDI inflows, among developing countries, he said referring to UNCTAD World Investment Report (WIR) 2009.
The country is on track to surpass the export target of $200 billion for the current fiscal, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said in New Delhi on Monday.
A policy change on full convertibility of rupee is not possible at present, commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma said in New Delhi. Even finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Wednesday that 'we welcome the deal but it should in the context of existing laws of the land'.
On his maiden visit to New Delhi to attend the two-day informal ministerial meet on Doha round, Kirk told reporters in a teleconference that he would be back to New Delhi in just over a month for 'continued talks' relative to the Trade Policy Forum.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said he expected exports to reach $200 billion in the financial year ending March 2011.
India is the world's largest diamond cutting centre.
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