When India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma met his counterpart in Beijing last year, he spoke mainly about India's yawning trade deficit and China agreed that this was a problem that needed fixing.
Centre wanted to push the Banking Regulation Bill, the Opposition wanted to discuss stalking case.
Unsatisfied by the minister's reply during the Question Hour, the Congress members including former prime minister Manmohan Singh staged a walkout.
Indian industry, particularly the IT sector has been concerned over increasing resistance to outsourcing in the developed world.
"It was agreed that the first meeting for this purpose (starting of negotiations for comprehensive economic cooperation agreement) would be scheduled by June or July," India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told reporters at a joint press conference with Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson in Canberra, Australia.
According to sources, among some of the parties that will be part of the opposition all-party delegation are Congress, CPI-M, CPI, RJD, NCP, TMC and DMK and Rahul Gandhi is likely to accompany them.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is expected to visit Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur between February 14 and 18 for signing the pacts -- Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan and Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement with Malaysia, an official told PTI.
The TERC, which comprises, among others Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, will also review the state of play in the Doha Round of talks for a multilateral trade agreement under the aegis of World Trade Organization, sources said.
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.
In the face of stiff opposition in Parliament to foreign direct investment in retail, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Monday sought to reach out to MPs and state chief ministers and appealed to them to rise above 'petty' partisanship on the issue.
Union Trade Minister Anand Sharma said on Monday that the impasse has been broken over the World Trade Organisation's long-running Doha round of trade talks.
Modi and the BJP have been targeting the Congress during the campaign for assembly polls, claiming that the grand old party opposed the scrapping of Article 370.
Asks India Inc for a list of concerns in 4 weeks, to coordinate policy response within 60 days; FM says prevailing cynicism based on perception, not facts.
Data exclusivity provides protection to the technical data generated by innovator companies to prove the merit of usefulness of their products.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday met Environment Minister Jayanthi Natrajan to resolve the inter-ministerial differences over a proposal to ease environment laws in the manufacturing policy.
The India-China trade is on course to reach the USD 100 billion target by 2015, but New Delhi is concerned over galloping gaps between India's exports and imports from China.
At present, global retail firms can invest up to 51 per cent in India and need a local joint venture partner.
Days ahead of India-EU annual summit, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday said a few ends are yet to be stitched for concluding the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two sides.
Gandhi met the president and handed over a memorandum signed by two crore farmers demanding a repeal of the laws, saying they will not benefit farmers or labourers.
Party chief Rahul Gandhi formed a nine-member Core Group Committee, a 19-member Manifesto Committee and a committee comprising 19 top party leaders who will look after the publicity during the elections.
A meeting of the Board of Trade, an advisory body to the Commerce Ministry, is likely to be held on October 11, a ministry official said.
The far-reaching Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement serves a number of national interests on both sides.
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.
India will sign a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) with Japan on Wednesday, setting the stage for free bilateral trade of goods and services.
India plans to cut transaction costs for exporters and ensure the availability of dollar finance, as it looks to reverse a decline in exports and double outbound sales of goods and services over the next five years.
The sops, to be given under different schemes like 'Focus Market' and 'Focus Products' from January to December 2011, were unveiled here by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.
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.
India will sign trade pacts with Japan and Malaysia within a week.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma on Wednesday said the government will soon announce incentives for labour intensive export sectors, notwithstanding high growth in the shipments during December.
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.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will be meeting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to make a case for the extension of one of the most popular incentives to exporters, the Duty Entitlement Passbook Scheme (DEPB), which is slated for expiry on June 30. DEPB is a duty reimbursement scheme, launched 14 years earlier.
India's disappointment over recent 'protectionist' measures by the United States, including increase in visa fee for IT professionals and Ohio's ban on government outsourcing, will be raised at the high level ministerial meeting in Washington on Tuesday.
The government on Wednesday expressed disappointment over China not fulfilling its promise to import more IT, ITeS and pharma products, which could help reduce the hugely-tilted trade imbalance favouring Beijing.
The manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, declined by 2 per cent in October as against a growth of 9.9 per cent a year ago.
India and Australia are all set to open negotiations on free trade following a feasibility study that showed each sides would gain AUD 30 billion over 20 years from lowering barriers.
Wen said, China is ready to work with India to increase the scale, and expand the scope of bilateral business cooperation.
India and Saudi Arabia on Friday, agreed to increase investments in each other's country through joint ventures to enhance economic cooperation. Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Saudi Arabian Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah bin Ahmed Zainal Alireza, agreed to regular exchange of business delegations to sensitise the businesspersons in both the countries.
The government on Tuesday decided to cancel the examination for appointment of postmen held on July 14 to hold it in all local languages including Tamil.
Enthused by the success of US President Barack Obama's visit, India said on Tuesday it is time to 'seriously consider' a trade-opening agreement with America, similar to the ones entered with the ASEAN and South Korea.
The deal was signed between Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara in Tokyo.
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