AEPC’s Outlook, Role and Vision - Opinion

Born in 1978- Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) is a sponsored body under the Ministry of Textiles. Build and lived to its mandate of Apparel and Garments export promotions in India; it tells the saga of the bygone era.  From just being a quota monitoring entity, AEPC is today a powerful body for the promotion and facilitation of garment manufacturing and their exports. AEPC is endowed with the power to create myth, transcending moments of apparel export history as a narrative of extraordinary time. This body has recorded amazing kaleidoscopic breadth of events– witness of good and bad business environment. AEPC has often triumphant in the cause of promoting apparel export with the cooperation and stupendous talent of exports across India. Initially started with a just one office, with a passage of time it has grown to be the largest Export Promotion Council having membership of nearly 8000 from amongst large Corporate Houses, Star Trading Houses, Small & Medium Scale Units (SME), Trading Houses, etc. Out of the total membership of the Council, 85% constitutes the SMEs.

Kerala governement ‘Likes’ Netizen Police on FB

It seems the State government ‘Likes’ Netizen Police, a group on the Facebook.The group in the social networking site has become a movement strong enough to make the State Government take notice of it. The group has many stories of online frauds and cyber crimes that the State Government is now actively following them up.“Reports on the basis of complaints lodged at the group are being prepared, which will be forwarded to the cyber cell. Cases will be registered against those found committing online crimes,” Minister for Home Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told The Hindu.

India-EU BTIA Negotiations: What is India Asking For? - Opinion

 

At a time when the bilateral trade in goods between India and the European Union was € 40 billion, when India exported € 3.8 billion worth of services to EU, and when EU was India’s largest source of foreign direct investment; or in short when there were healthy trends in bilateral trade and investment between the two, the seeds of a High Level Trade Group (HLTG) were sown during the 2005 India-EU Summit to explore ways to give further boost to trade and investment between the duo. Different platforms were thought over during the brainstorming discussions by the HLTG. It was commonly agreed upon during the discussions that only after the removal of non-tariff obstacles to trade could the dream of strong trade ties be built. It was finally recommended that a broader platform for expanded trade ties be inculcated through the negotiations of a broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA). The India-EU BTIA talks have since then discussed issues related to trade in goods and services, sanitary & phyto-sanitary measures, intellectual property rights, technical barriers to trade, dispute settlement, customs and trade facilitation and procurement among others.

Bill providing reservation to SC/ST in promotions in govt jobs introduced in RS

A Constitutional amendment bill providing for reservation to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in promotions in the government jobs was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday amidst pandemonium. As soon as the House re-assembled after an hour-long adjournment, members belonging to Samajwadi Party trooped into the well shouting slogans against the reservation even as Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked the Minister of State for Personnel, V Narayanasamy to move the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill, 2012.On the other side, the BJP members continued to shout slogans demanding the Prime Minister's resignation on the alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks.Amidst the din, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House till 2 PM.

International Crude Oil Price of Indian Basket Rises on 04.9.2012 to US$ 113.97/BBL

The international crude oil price for Indian Basket as computed/published today by the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas increased to US$ 113.97/barrel (bbl) on 04.9.2012. The price was higher than US$ 113.09/bbl on 3.09.2012, the last trading day.In rupee terms also, the crude oil price rose to Rs 6329.89 per bbl on 04.09.2012 as compared to Rs 6270.84 per bbl on 03.09.2012. This was due to rise in price in dollar terms and rupee depreciation with rupee-dollar exchange rate on 04.09.2012 at Rs 55.54/US$ against Rs 55.45/US$ on 03.09.2012.

Agripreneurs and Producer Organizations

The concept of an “Agripreneur” is slowly gaining ground in the agriculture sector in the country. The term entrepreneur is quite familiar; so is the term agriculturist. The agripreneur is one who plays the role of an entrepreneur in the field of agriculture.The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural development (NABARD) is in the fore front of pioneering this concept. Its Assistant General Manager at Madurai, Sankar Narayan says that NABARD is actively working with farmers federations in Usilampatti and Chellampatti to transform agriculturists into agripreneurs.

India’s Foreign Trade: July, 2012

A. EXPORTS (including re-exports)

Exports during July, 2012 were valued at US $ 22442.96 million (Rs. 124546.75 crore) which was 14.80 per cent lower in Dollar terms (6.45 per cent higher in Rupee terms) than the level of US $ 26340.73 million (Rs. 116998.69 crore) during July, 2011.Cumulative value of exports for the period April-July 2012 -13 was US $ 97646.92 million (Rs 531602.74 crore) as against US $ 102848.24 million (Rs 459162.24 crore) registering a negative growth of 5.06 per cent in Dollar terms and growth of 15.78 per cent in Rupee terms over the same period last year.