The Ministry of Textiles in a landmark initiative to strengthen public health and safety, has notified the Medical Textiles (Quality Control) Order, 2023. The Quality Control Order (QCO) is set to take effect on October 1, 2024. This regulation establishes stringent quality standards for critical medical textile products, including sanitary napkins, baby diapers, reusable sanitary pads, and dental bibs. The introduction of mandatory certifications under this QCO is aimed at ensuring that these products consistently meet essential quality benchmarks. Compliance with these standards will be legally required, with non-compliance potentially leading to fines and other penalties. Recognizing the challenges faced by small-scale enterprises, particularly Self-Help Groups (SHGs), the government has exempted them from the requirements of this QCO. Disposable Sanitary napkins and baby diapers are essential consumer products that play a vital role in safeguarding human health and the environment while disposing of them. Consequently, it is crucial that all mandatory testing related to public safety and satisfaction is incorporated into their manufacturing and import processes. The notified specifications (IS 5404:2019 for sanitary napkins and IS 17509:2021 for disposable baby diapers) cover critical performance criteria such as pH levels, hygiene testing, bacterial and fungal bioburden, biocompatibility evaluations, and biodegradability. Notably, there is a strong emphasis on testing for phthalate levels in baby diapers, as these chemicals can pose risks to both the users and the environment. The implementation of the QCO is part of the government's comprehensive strategy to enhance the quality and safety of essential consumer products. Following the enforcement date of the regulations, all products falling under this QCO will require a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) license for manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, hiring, leasing, storing, or displaying products for sale. This crucial measure is designed to ensure that widely used products adhere to the highest safety standards, safeguarding both children and adults.
Source: PIB
The withdrawal of benefits given to India under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), trade barriers, investments, and engagements under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) are some key topics expected to be discussed in the upcoming India-US commercial dialogue and CEOs forum, industry experts said. Following the previous round of commercial dialogue held in New Delhi in March 2023, the upcoming ministerial-level talks will be held in Washington next week, with commerce minister Piyush Goyal and his US counterpart Gina Raimondo co-chairing the meetings. Indian industry, especially exporters and industry bodies will be closely watching the developments. "As a body of traders, we are closely monitoring the totalization agreement. During the last visit of Raimondo to India, the issue of statutory deductions and social compliance, which the industry complies with, was raised," said Ajay Sahai, director general & chief executive at the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO). “On the GSP front, we are hopeful that some progress will be made, although, with US elections around the corner, it might be a little early to think about this request to materialize. Additionally, we have requested the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) to expedite approvals for certain pharmaceutical plants, which was discussed during previous engagements,” he added. In 2019, the US withdrew GSP benefits for India. Indian exporters have sought the restoration of GSP benefits, which allow some developing countries duty-free access to developed nation markets. India and the US are also negotiating a totalization agreement (SSA) to exempt Indian short-term visa holders from having to pay social security tax contributions in the US. Meanwhile, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), spearheaded by the US, aims to improve economic cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region and is structured around four pillars – trade, supply chain resilience, clean economy, and fair economy. India has signed agreements under the clean economy and fair economy pillars and is an observer in the trade pillar. Sahai added that India is also seeking US approval to allow wild shrimp and fish exports. India's merchandise exports to the US have risen 54.4% from $54.3 billion in calendar (CY) 2018 to $83.8 billion in CY 2023. In the services sector, too, India's exports to the US experienced a notable increase, rising from $28.9 billion in CY2018 to $36.3 billion in CY2023, a growth of 25.6%. Meanwhile, US exports to India have seen good growth, with merchandise exports growing from CY$33.2 billion in CY2018 to $40.1 billion in CY2023, reporting a 20.8%. US services exports to India rose from $25.2 billion in CY2018 to $29.9 billion in CY 2023, reflecting a growth of 18.7%. "India has seen significant growth in its exports to the US, particularly in merchandise, while the US has experienced more moderate growth in its exports to India," said Ajay Srivastava, a former trade official and founder of economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). "The increasing US trade deficit with India, particularly in merchandise, highlights the growing imbalance in trade between the two countries. The overall increase in bilateral trade underscores the deepening economic ties," he added. In the 2024 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, prepared by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), there are 15 pages dedicated to trade barriers (for US companies to do business in India), much higher than other developing economies like Mexico (6), Vietnam (7), South Africa (6) and Turkey (10).
‘High-tariff country, with lot of trade barriers’ "India is a high-tariff country, with a lot of trade barriers from the perspective of US-based companies who want to set up supply chains. While some of these issues have been addressed, a large number remain," said a trade expert, who earlier advised the government. "When you meet for the Commercial Dialogues, you are not only talking trade but also trade barriers, attracting investment, IPEF and supply chain where India has made commitments. These would be the core issues of the upcoming discussion," the person added, requesting anonymity. A spokesperson of the ministry of commerce and industry didn't respond to emailed queries.
Source: Live Mint
India ranks third in the annual Asia Power Index, released by an Australian think tank, surpassing Japan on the back of strong post-COVID 19 economic growth, while China's power appeared to plateau just below the United States. The Sydney-based Lowy Institute has put the U.S. at the top of its Asia Power Index with a score of 81.7, followed by China with a score of 72.7, India (39.1), Japan (38.9), Australia (31.9) and Russia (31.1). The Index ranks 27 countries and territories in terms of their capacity to shape their external environment — its scope reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. The index has cited economic growth, future potential, and diplomatic influence as key factors for India's rise. However, it has pointed out that New Delhi's clout remains below the potential promised by its resources. "India has shown remarkable post-pandemic economic recovery, contributing to a 4.2- point rise in its economic capability. India's massive population and strong GDP growth reinforce its standing as the world's third-largest economy in PPP terms," the think tank has said. It has been noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has garnered greater international recognition. The think tank has said India's non-aligned strategic posture has allowed it to navigate complex international waters effectively. It has said India's participation in dialogues as well as its leadership in the Quad has allowed New Delhi to play a significant role in regional security dynamics, albeit outside of formal military alliances.
Source: The Hindu
Share Under the 100-day programme of the Ministry of Textiles, an international conferences-exhibition titled ‘Viksit Bharat- Technical Textiles for Sustainable Growth & Development’ was organized by Ministry of Textiles on 6th and 7th September in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) at New Delhi, India under its flagship scheme National Technical Textiles Mission. The event was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh. The inaugural session was also attended by Minister of State for Textiles, Shri Pabitra Margherita and Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Ms. Rachna Shah and Chairman, ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, Dr. S Somanath. While inaugurating the conference, the Minister emphasized on increasing importance of man-made fibres and technical textiles in all spaces of life, both at the global and domestic level. The 2-day event comprised of 6 panel discussions focused on the areas of employment, innovation, social impact, quality and standard, and the future direction of the technical textile industry. A CEO roundtable session, chaired by the Union Minister of Textiles, was also held on the Day-1 of the event. The event witnessed significant participations from government representatives, industry leaders, representatives of research organizations and Startup founders. The Minister stated that the Government is fully dedicated in the development of the technical textiles industry of India and has taken various steps such as launch of National Technical Textiles Mission, PLI Scheme for MMF Fabric, Apparel and Technical Textiles, etc. Highlighting the key initiatives taken under the NTTM mission, the Minister stated that 156 research projects have been sanctioned including development of Carbon fibers and other Specialty fibers. Under the Mission, 06 guidelines have been launched for providing support and financial assistance for upgrading the laboratory facilities in Prominent Educational Institutions, for enhancing skill development through industry and academia collaboration, for providing internship to students for bridging the gap of academia and industry, to Government Research Bodies/institutions for research and development in the sector, to facilitate indigenous production/assembly of machinery for upgrading the technology in the sector, and to commercialize new ideas/techs in the sector by creating a startup eco system in the Country. 11 Start-Ups under the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) were launched during the Conference. The approved Start-Up projects are focused on key strategic areas of composites, sustainable textiles, medical textiles, and smart textiles. A grant of approx. INR 50 Lakhs is being provided to each of these Start-Ups, under the ‘Grant for Research & Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles (GREAT)’ scheme of NTTM. The GREAT scheme was launched in August 2023 with the aim to develop the Startup Ecosystem in Technical Textiles in India. The guideline focus on supporting individuals and companies to translate prototype to technologies & products including commercialization.
Source: Orissa Diary
The Centre on Wednesday emphasized on the need of harsh penalties and cracking down heavily on the nexus of people engaged in illicit trade and activities across the country. “Punishment is necessary, and it is important to instill fear in the minds of perpetrators that harsh penalties are in store for them if they engage in illicit trade activities,” said Ravneet Singh Bittu, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries & Minister of State for Railways. Addressing the 10th edition of FICCI-CASCADE’s - ‘MASCRADE 2024’, Bittu asserted that co-ordination between various enforcement agencies is key to overcome the battle against the nefarious elements ruining our economic growth. “Together, we build resilient economies, fostering global collaboration to combat these threats with robust initiatives. Let’s safeguard Bharat’s future together,” he added. He further stated that the opinions and views of FICCI CASCADE’s report will help the government to come down heavily on illicit trade activities. Special Secretary to the Government of India and Member (Compliance Management), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Rajiv Talwar, said, “CBIC is serving as the fulcrum in the movement against counterfeit goods and smuggling. We have built a technology-driven risk management portal with very wide capabilities that help us predict possible smuggling operations. CBIC field officers are making on an average 60 detections a day with the help of this portal.” Talwar added that over 3,000 people have been arrested in the last 15 months and foreign products worth Rs 40 crore were seized. FICCI CASCADE Chairman Anil Rajput said consumers have and will continue to remain the prime focus group for both legal and the illicit players. In today’s technology-dominated landscape, artificial intelligence has assumed great significance and at present we are witnessing the positive impact of this technology on our businesses and society. “I believe that my mantra called the ‘SECURE’ framework which stands for Surveillance, Enforcement, Capacity Building, United Front against illicit trade, Rigorous Punishment, Entire Ecosystem built on simplicity- when looked at in totality, will provide a 360 degree addressal of the complicated issue of illicit trade and will also add value and significantly strengthen our strategy against this global menace,” he said. Director, Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, World Customs Organization Pranab Kumar Das, Director General, Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA) and Former Director General, FICCI and Think Tank Member, FICCI CASCADE Arun Chawla were present on the occasion. During the event, FICCI CASCADE, in association with the Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI), launched a report ‘Consuming The Illicit: How Changing Factors of Consumption Affect Illegal Markets in 5 Key Industries’ which pegs the size of illicit market in India at Rs 7,97,726 crore in 2022-23. Considering 5 key industries—FMCG (packaged goods), FMGC (personal and household care), alcohol, tobacco, and textiles & apparel—where illicit trade is undermining legitimate businesses, distorting competition, and significantly eating into government tax revenues, the report attributes the burgeoning size of the illicit market to heightened consumption of high-value branded, luxury, high-end, taxed goods and services, especially among the expanding aspirational middle class, both in rural and urban India.
Source: Daily Pioneer
India's cash incentives to boost domestic manufacturing have attracted over $17 billion of investment since the 2020 launch of the production-linked scheme, a government official said on Wednesday, amid efforts to reduce imports from China. The scheme, which offers 4-6% cash incentives on incremental sales to manufacturers, was launched across 14 sectors including electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and white goods. "The PLI scheme has been successful to attract investments and boost manufacturing," said Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. India has emerged as a global hub for electronics manufacturing, particularly smartphones, and is now the second-largest producer of mobile phones, he said, citing Apple's iPhone exports - exceeding $12 billion in the 2023/24 fiscal year ending March. The incentives have resulted in production worth about 11 trillion rupees ($131.6 billion) and nearly one million jobs over four years, he said. After reducing mobile imports from China by attracting global players like Apple, India now plans to produce more laptops, tablets, computers and servers, official sources said. On Tuesday, the government extended by three months the "import management system", launched in November 2023, which requires companies to register their laptop and tablet imports. "We have signalled to the industry that we want to cut imports particularly from China," one of the government official sources, said. India's IT hardware market, including laptops, is estimated at nearly $20 billion, with nearly $5 billion domestic production, according to Mordor Intelligence, a consultancy. India announced the new system for laptops, tablets, personal computers and servers after it rolled back an earlier plan to impose a licensing regime, requiring the likes of Apple , Dell and HP to obtain licences for shipments of imported laptops and tablets. In the first phase, the government has approved incentives for 27 IT hardware manufacturers including Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo to manufacturer in India, expecting production of about $42 billion over the next few years, government officials said. "India has a strong case for building its own laptop manufacturing capabilities," said Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank, noting that China contributed significantly to these imports worth over $9 billion in 2023/24. In India, rising incomes, expanding business activities and education have boosted demand for laptops and other devices, that favour local manufacturing. Among local electronics manufacturers, Dixon Technologies has qualified for the incentives scheme and hopes to meet 15% of India's domestic demand by the fiscal year 2025/26. "Dixon plans to create a capacity of 2 million units by FY26, which shall cater to 15% of India's total requirement," Prithvi Vachani, Executive Director at Dixon Technologies told Reuters. Dixon, that has separate pacts with global firms like HP to make laptops and computers in India, will secure manufacturing components locally "in times to come", Vachani added.
Source: Economic Times
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday called on Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties including in the area of fintech, renewable energy and climate action. During the meeting held on the sidelines of the 9th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of AIIB in Samarkand, Sitharaman suggested to the President of Uzbekistan that as tourism between India and Uzbekistan continues to grow, bilateral discussion on cooperation in fintech and a cross-border real-time payments system would benefit to students, tourists and businesses on both sides. Recognising the potential for further enhancing bilateral cooperation, the President appreciated India's proposals to collaborate in new areas such as digital technologies, and renewable energy in addition to strengthening traditional areas of cooperation, the finance ministry said in a post on X. Appreciating Uzbekistan's efforts towards sustainable development, she said both nations can explore ways to cooperate on green technologies and climate action initiatives.
Source: Economic Times
The Vietnam International Garment and Textile Industry Exhibition (VTG 2024) kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on September 25, attracting the participation of more than 380 enterprises from 12 countries around the world. The VTG 2024 has been taking place in parallel with the Vietnam International Textile and Apparel Accessories Exhibition (VITATEX), the Vietnam International Dyeing & Chemical Industry Exhibition (DYECHEM), and the Vietnam International Footwear Machinery and Material 2024 (VFM). On display at these expos are a wide range of cutting-edge technological advancements from footwear machinery to computerised sewing machines, as well as eco-friendly dyeing solutions, with the aim of further accelerating transformation in footwear production and helping the Vietnamese textile and garment industry to meet the EU's strict environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. A number of seminars will be held during the four-day event, focusing on technological advancement, automation and sustainability in the Vietnamese textile and garment industry, the circular economy, global supply chain integration, and Vietnamese economic prospects for the footwear industry. According to the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), the nation’s textile and garment export turnover during the eight-month period reached US$28.32 billion, up 6.19% against the same period last year.Along with major export markets like the United States, Europe, Japan, the Republic Korea, and China, there are emerging markets such as ASEAN, Russia, and Canada, opening up bright prospects ahead for local firms to boost exports.
Source: VOv
The exhibition, which took place on 11-13 September at the Istanbul Expo Center showed how green production is at the centre of Türkiye's textile and apparel industry's expansion strategy. As the apparel and textiles industry is Türkiye's largest employer the green transformation is at the top of the agenda with the apparel sector eyeing a long-term export target of $40bn and textiles eyeing $20bn. The three-day event was organised by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB) presented 539 exhibitors to 24,591 visitors from 117 countries.
Attendees explored the five halls featuring a wide product range of woven goods, knitwear, denim, accessories, prints and yarns as well an extensive seminar and workshop programme covering topics such as autumn/winter trends, digital product passports and the circular value chain. Plus, a keynote speech by European Climate Pact Ambassador Marwa Zamaray on preparing for sustainability regulations. "Texhibition Istanbul offered a great opportunity not only to establish commercial contacts but also to introduce Türkiye's innovations and creative solutions in the field of textiles to the world. We once again showed the power of Turkish textiles to buyers from all over the world and took them on a spectacular journey in the textile world. "Our Texhibition Istanbul fair will continue to contribute to sustainable growth in the textile industry and attract all parties from all over the world to Türkiye in the coming period,” said M. Fatih Bilici, vice chairman of the board ITHIB and chairman of the Texhibition executive committee. The show's organisers explained that with annual exports of $12bn, the Turkish textile sector ranks fifth among global textile exports and is the second largest supplier to the EU. In order to increase its competitive advantages, Türkiye believes it is essential to take innovative steps towards sustainability and digitalisation. Projects such as GreenTIM, the digital information platform for export companies regarding European Green Deal regulations, and EcoTIM, managing the sustainability infrastructure for member companies in cooperation with universities, the industry and sustainability ecosystem stakeholders, have been commissioned by Türkiye's Exporters Assembly for this purpose. Türkiye describes itself as being at the centre of textile production, thanks in part to its ability to manufacture high-quality products efficiently and cost-effectively. It has integrated production capacities that can cover all stages of production in the textile and clothing sector. With modern manufacturing facilities, a well-trained labour force and a strong focus on innovation, Türkiye has developed a diverse range of textile products that are in demand both domestically and internationally.
Source: Yahoo Finance
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has called for the revival of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC, to strengthen regional cooperation in South Asia. He made the appeal during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at its headquarters in New York on Wednesday, the Chief Advisor’s Press Wing said in a statement. The two leaders highlighted the need to enhance bilateral cooperation, with Yunus suggesting that restoring SAARC could be an effective starting point. He also sought Pakistan’s support for the initiative. Sharif offered his backing and recommended a gradual approach to reviving the regional platform. He urged both countries to “open a new page” in their relations, emphasising the importance of renewed collaboration. Sharif expressed Pakistan's interest in investing in Bangladesh’s textile and leather sectors, while Yunus proposed the launch of youth exchange programmes between the two nations. They also discussed resuming foreign secretary-level talks and reactivating the joint commission. Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain attended the meeting.
Source: BD News
