The eGoM on SEZ, headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee could not meet since January 2007, as controversies and violent protests broke out on the issue.
However, the board of approval in the commerce ministry asked the DLF to return all the tax sops it had taken from the Centre before its SEZs in Gujarat, West Bengal, Orissa and Haryana could be denotified. The BoA, headed by commerce secretary G K Pillai, also allowed more time to the K Raheja group to build its tax-free zones in Goa, Hyderabad and Navi Mumbai, an official said.
For the startup ecosystem in India, the scorecard so far has been a mixed bag, observes Akhil Gupta.
The commerce ministry will put up a note to the Cabinet for 100% FDI in speciality retail like electronics, building equipment etc.
To tap into the growing demand for offices, several global and Indian co-working entities are creating stock in the top cities.
The government on Wednesday unveiled the FTP for 2015-20.
Wholesale price-based inflation rose to an eight-month high of 0.26 per cent in November, driven by a sharp jump in food prices, especially onion and vegetables. The WPI inflation was in the negative or deflationary zone for the past seven months since April and was at (-)0.52 per cent in October. The last positive WPI inflation was recorded in March at 1.41 per cent.
E-commerce players may soon rent out drones, so you can use them the way you book a cab on an app, and test viable use-cases for last-mile delivery.
The Centre on Friday said it will sell 'Bharat Rice' in the retail market at Rs 29 per kg from next week to give relief to the common man and has also directed traders to disclose rice/paddy stock, as part of its efforts to control prices that have risen by around 15 per cent in the last one year. In a press conference, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra exuded confidence that these two measures along with the various restrictions of exports will help in cooling down the prices. Seeking to dispel market rumours, he categorically said the government has no plans to lift restrictions on rice exports any time soon.
The Commerce Ministry is set to unveil the annual review of the Foreign Trade Policy on April 11. It would not be exports alone which would be the focus, but steps to ease imports are also likely to give a boost to supply of essential commodities.The government is facing political pressure from many quarters, including the Left parties, to check the rising prices within a couple of weeks.
In a move aimed at checking the revenue loss stemming from Indian shoppers purchasing luxury brands abroad, the government on Friday said it could rationalise import duties."India has high tariffs and we recognise that if you go abroad and buy, then it is a revenue loss for India. So we are working on both duties and countervailing duties," Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said.
The 30-share Sensex rose 265.65 points to end at 20,249.26 and the 50-share Nifty gained 79.05 points at 6,007.45 levels.
The broader markets ended higher with mid-caps and small-caps adding 0.5-0.8 per cent on the BSE.
The commerce ministry is currently firming up the annual supplement to the FTP, which is likely to be unveiled in April. Referring to the export performance during 2007-08, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said, actual export was likely to remain short of the target of $160 billion. The exports during the year were likely to reach a level of $152-155 billion, he added.
The department of commerce may de-recognise the 247-hectare engineering special economic zone at Hazira, promoted by Essar Hazira SEZ Ltd.
The multi-product SEZ will bring in more than Rs 2.11 lakh crore of net foreign exchange in 30 years.
The reshuffle could take place before the start of the winter session of Parliament.
India will take up with Argentina the import restrictions imposed by it, as they have implications on the country's shipments to the Latin American nation, a top Commerce Ministry official said.
The growth of eight key infrastructure sectors rose to a 14-month high of 12.1 per cent in August 2023 against 4.2 per cent a year ago, mainly due to expansion in production of coal, crude oil, and natural gas, according to the official data released on Friday. The expansion in August is the highest since June 2022, when it was 13.2 per cent. The production of refinery products, steel, cement and electricity also grew in August, the data showed.
Lakhs of jobs are at stake.
Falling private sector investment and farm distress are problems that call for immediate attention, says T N C Rajagopalan.
The commerce ministry has consented to 10 per cent disinvestment in MMTC that can fetch the government Rs 17,000 crore (Rs 170 billion)at present valuation.
Some new sectors in which the commerce ministry has proposed to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) are credit information companies and commodity exchanges. The ministry is in favour of allowing up to 49 per cent FDI proposed in both these sectors. In proposing to open up the commodity sector, the ministry has said that FII investment be limited to 24 per cent, with a condition that a foreign investor cannot hold more than 10 per cent equity in the investing companies
The inflation rate inched closer to 7%. the government has started pulling out all stops to boost domestic supply situation by withdrawing incentives on export of at least 40 items, including steel, cement and non-basmati rice. The Commerce Ministry withdrew or temporarily suspended the tax refund scheme - Duty Entitlement Pass Book. Besides measures to discourage exports, the government is considering more fiscal steps to improve supplies and rein in inflation, he indicated.
Pakistan desires the "negotiated settlement" of all issues with India, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said adding both countries should stand by each other and share happiness and grief.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram is expected to extend a relief package for leather and textile exporters, who are hit by the rupee appreciation, as demanded by the commerce ministry.
SEZs are allowed duty-free imports as opposed to a maximum of 6 per cent charged on imports by other entities.
Exporters on Thursday demanded fiscal incentives, tweaking in customs duties on certain products and credit at affordable rates in the forthcoming Budget to boost exports and create jobs. In a pre-budget virtual meeting with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) said the depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar is affecting exports' competitiveness and the sector requires more support. "Creation of employment is the biggest challenge faced by the country...We would urge the government to provide fiscal support to units which provide additional employment in the export sector," the exporter's body said.
Since no communication has been received from the Goan govt. on the cancellation of SEZs, the issue remains unresolved.
The drafts or rules are prepared by Directorate General of Safeguards and it is to be issued by Finance Ministry in consultation with commerce ministry. The government may impose safeguard duties, which could be as high as more than 100 per cent, after thorough investigations confirm that import surge is leading to 'serious injury, market disruption' to domestic industry.
The department of commerce has urged the agriculture ministry as well as the diplomatic mission in Tehran to apprise it of details as to why Iranian buyers have stopped import of rice and tea from India, a senior government official said. Exporters said that exports of items such as high quality tea and rice have stopped since last week. As of now, there has been no confirmation from the authorities and the response from the embassy in Tehran is also taking time, they said.
According to the Morcha, the demands which Delhi Chalo has been called include: MSP should be guaranteed as per C2+50 percent formula and, as promised, a law should be made to guarantee it; all the farmers should be made debt free, and all agricultural loan must be waived.
On the back of rising crude oil purchases, India's bill for imports from sanctions-hit Russia jumped 3.5 times in a year in April to $2.3 billion, showed data from the commerce ministry. In April, India's crude oil imports from Russia were valued at $1.3 billion, 57 per cent of India's total inbound shipments from Russia. Other major imported items during the month included coal, soybean and sunflower oil, fertilisers, and non-industrial diamonds. That month, Russia was also the fourth-largest crude petroleum supplier to India, after Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
