India’s Ranking in Global Innovation Index



India’s Ranking in Global Innovation Index 

            “The Global Innovation Index” (GII) is a publication brought out by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as co-publishers, and their Knowledge Partners. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was their knowledge partner from India for the year 2015. India’s position in the GII rankings during current year and last three years is as under:
Year
2015
2014
2013
2012
India’s Ranking
81
76
66
64
           
The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2015 covers 141 economies around the world and uses 79 indicators across a range of themes. The rankings are based on data collected during earlier years and thus do not truly reflect the status in the country in 2015. For example, the data for India’s overall R&D spending pertains to the year 2010, and the significant amount of spending done by Industry and Government on R&D in last 5 years has not been captured and does not get reflected in the ranking. The GII Report itself states that there are certain areas where data could not be captured because of the non-availability of standard international indicators, and even if some of these areas have produced good innovation advantage for a country like India, it does not translate into ranking.  At the same time, the Report states that India still needs to implement substantial reforms in its innovation policy in order to further improve its innovation performance.
            Though India’s ranking for the year 2015 stands at 81 as against 76 in 2014, this is not a true reflection of the status in the country in 2015. The Report itself identifies India as the top economy in GII rankings in Central and Southern Asia and also as one of the middle income group countries which is narrowing the gap in the innovation quality due to improved quality in higher education institutions. The GII 2015 report states that over the years, India has developed a stable foundation for scientific, technological, and business education by setting up centers of excellence such as the Indian Institutes of Science (IISC), the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The Report further notes that the strength of scholarly publications from India has been a key proponent for driving innovation capacity. The Report acknowledges that India has leapfrogged, leaving others in its category behind, in areas like mobile networks, information technology, and broadband. This revolution in communications has affected a pace of knowledge creation and dissemination in the economy that is unprecedented in Indian history. It has helped to transform innovation-driven entrepreneurship from the point of aspiration to the point of reality for the people of India.
                        The Government has taken various measures for promotion and growth of scientific research in the country. These measures include successive increase in plan allocations for Scientific Departments, setting up of new institutions for science education and research, creation of centres of excellence for research and facilities in emerging and frontline S&T areas in academic and national institutes, establishment of new and attractive fellowships for both research students and scientists, recent substantial revision of fellowships for research students, strengthening infrastructure for Research and Development (R&D) in universities, encouraging public-private R&D partnerships, recognition of R&D units and national awards for outstanding R&D for industries and setting up of Technology Business Incubators and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centers.
The GII: 2015 also recognizes the strides being made by India in this regard. The report states, inter alia, that Government of India has “established an aligned Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. This is a step forward. With the intervention of the government and the private sector, the level of innovation in Indian industry is also growing and more and more Indian SMEs are coming forward to invest in collaborative R&D.” Citing an example, the report further states that public-private partnership platforms such as the Global Innovation and Technology Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, are opening up opportunities for Indian companies to join with their foreign counterparts and develop products and technology through joint R&D programmes. The report also acknowledges that “In India’s most recent Union budget presented in February 2015, the government placed considerable emphasis on rapid development in the SME sector by addressing the funding issue. It has created a fund of Rs. 20,000 crore with a credit guarantee of Rs. 3,000 crore for entrepreneurs in this sector. In addition, it set aside Rs. 1,000 crore for a Techno-Financial, Incubation and Facilitation Programme to support all aspects of start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology-driven areas. The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises has launched Intellectual Property Facilitation Centres in different parts of the country with the aim of creating an intellectual property culture within SMEs by looking at protection, capacity building, information services, and counselling and advisory services regarding IPR.”
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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Foreign Investment 
During the Prime Minister’s visit to the UK in November, 2015, commercial deals of over 9 billion Pounds between India and UK were announced. It was also agreed that the City of London should play an important role in channelling investment into infrastructure projects in India including in the Railway sector. Investors from Canada including Pension Funds of Canada have also shown interest in making investment in different sectors in India.

During the last 18 months, the Government has taken various measures for bringing investments in the country like opening up Foreign Direct Investment in many sectors; liberalizing FDI norms and improving ease of doing business in the country.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. 
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Export of Meat 
   There are 64 Abattoirs-cum-Meat Processing Plants/stand alone Abattoirs and 38 meat processing plants registered with Agricultural Processed Export Development Authority (APEDA) in the country at present.

The quantity and value of meat exported from the country during each of last three years and the current year, product and country-wise is given below.  As per Foreign Trade Policy of the Government, meat export of beef which covers cows, oxen, bulls and calves is prohibited and is not allowed.

(i)        EXPORT OF MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS:
Quantity in MT/Value in US$ Million               

2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
(Upto Sept.)
COMMODITY
Qty
VALUE
Qty
VALUE
Qty
VALUE
Qty
VALUE
BUFFALO MEAT
1076103
3201.14
1365643
4350.38
1475540
4781.18
59884
1889.98
OTHER MEAT
194
0.43
268
0.55
262
0.44
-
-
PROCESSED MEAT
796
1.73
508
1.29
405
2.29
27
0.91
SHEEP/GOAT MEAT
15287
78.35
22608
115.37
23614
135.71
1250
72.75
Grand Total
1092380
3281.65
1389027
4467.59
1499821
4919.62
61161
1963.64

(ii)          Country-wise (top five) export of meat
Quantity in MT/Value in Rs.Crore    
COUNTRY
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16               (Apr to Sep)
QTY
VAL
QTY
VAL
QTY
VAL
QTY
VAL
VIETNAM
302556.15
5129.19
524483.90
10976.18
633939.42
13210.11
208533.10
4586.80
EGYPT
71295.33
1257.20
107825.72
2033.33
128082.00
2574.03
80948.00
1659.03
MALAYSIA
115360.03
1943.71
121713.22
2356.42
130876.81
2586.03
69623.90
1381.61
SAUDI ARAB
73852.09
1301.22
80432.32
1691.79
80844.87
1844.36
33315.75
805.49
IRAQ
24738.20
352.99
29992.00
526.77
23602.54
406.16
24665.46
449.18
Others
504571.47
7862.86
524565.87
9578.52
502459.96
9506.88
194604.77
3762.94
Grand Total
1092373.26
17847.17
1389013.03
27163.01
1499805.59
30127.56
611690.98
12645.04

           

As per Foreign Trade Policy of the Government, export and import of live camel is ‘restricted’ and meat of the camel is ‘free’.   However, no export of meat of camel during the last three years and the current year (Upto September, 2015) has been made.
This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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Merchandise Export 
Total merchandise exports during the last years and current year is as below.

       (US$ Billion)

2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2014-15 (April-October)
2015-16   (April-October) (Provisional)
Export
300.4
314.4
310.3
187.29
154.3
% Growth
-1.8
4.7
-1.3
 …….
-17.6

The value of exports country, commodity/sector-wise are available in the DGCI&S publication in CD form namely ‘Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade of India’ Vol. I (Exports). Such CD’s are regularly sent to Parliament Library by DGCI&S, Kolkata.

            During the period  exports as % share of GDP are 16.4%,16.8% and 15.1% respectively. In value terms, the merchandise trade deficit has decreased from US$ 86.27 Billion in Apr-Oct 2014 to US$ 77.76 Billion for the same period in 2015. The major sectors which are showing fall are petroleum products, telecom instruments ,plastic raw materials, organic chemicals, bulk minerals and ores silver, inorganic chemicals, consumer electronics, pulses, project goods fresh fruits, dye intermediates, railway transport equipments, parts other crude minerals, surgicals, tin and products made of tin, books, publications and printing.

The main reasons for the fall in exports are:-

(i) The major global slowdown during 2014 and 2015 which  has impacted Global Trade and India’s Trade adversely. (ii) World Economic Outlook forecasts for import  has  been revised specially from emerging markets and developing economies from 3.5% to 1.3% for the year 2015.(iii)Moderate but uncertain recovery in the US Economy.(iv) The significant slowdown includes the Chinese Economy (v) Sharp fall in Crude and Petroleum product prices,(Brent crude declining from about USD 98 per barrel last year to USD 47.57 at present).(vi) fall in other commodity prices (Gold prices fell by 7.2 % high grade copper by about 26% in last one year (vii) Currency Fluctuations

This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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Ban on Import of Steel 
Indigenous steel manufacturers and their associations have requested the Government to notify several steel products, having direct bearing on human health and / or critical to safety and security of construction, housing and infrastructure, under the Mandatory Quality Certification Mark Scheme of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to prohibit import of sub – standard steel products. Import of steel during the last three years and the current year is tabulated as below.
Quantity in Ton / Value in Million USD
COUNTRY
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16 (Apr. to Sept.)
qty
val
qty
val
qty
val
qty
val
CHINA P RP
1770193
1495.33
1120649
976.29
3756649
2713.35
1842450
1116.16
KOREA RP
1858259
1744.12
1539746
1414.33
2240827
1818.87
1684414
1002.66
Others
14819136
10376.08
8920721
6719.23
10653873
7809.81
6332018
3787.27
Grand total
18447588
13615.53
11581116
9109.85
16651349
12342.03
9858881
5906.09
The Government does not maintain import data based on the quality of Steel. The Government reviews the data on import of steel including import of seconds and defective quality steel from time to time and takes necessary measures to make quality steel available to the consumers. The Government has already issued two Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Orders in March, 2012 thereby notifying 16 steel products under the Mandatory Quality Certification Mark Scheme of Bureau of Indian Standards. Notifications of steel products under this scheme to protect interests of the domestic steel producers & consumers are taken as per need.
Further, the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance vide its Notification No.28/2015 -Customs (ADD) dated 05.06.2015 has imposed anti – dumping duty on import of Hot Rolled Flat Products of Stainless Steel of 304 Grade from China, Korea RP and Malaysia.
This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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Development of Industries 
            The project proposals received from different states were already decided by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and projects were approved to the extent of financial allocation for taking up new projects under “Modified Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (MIIUS)”. 26 projects have been approved. Hence,   no proposal is pending in the Department. Two project proposals were received from Madhya Pradesh and both have been approved. 
           
            The Department intends to take up a few additional projects under MIIUS and has requested for proposals vide letters dated 26.05.2014 and 20.08.2015 from those states which have not submitted any proposal.  On the request of the department, six additional project proposals have been received from different states. So far, no project proposal has been received from Uttar Pradesh.

            The state-wise/ UT-wise details of pending proposals are as below. These project proposals are being evaluated by the Department.

(Rs in Crore)
No.
Name of the Project
State
Project Cost
Date of Submission
Central Grant sought as per DFR
1
Proposed Upgradation of Industrial Estate, Dimapur
Nagaland
14.66
September 2015
13.19
2
Proposed Up Gradation of Infrastructure in Tarapur Industrial Area
Maharashtra
109.45
July 2015
12.50
3
Proposed Up Gradation of Infrastructure in Miyawadi Industrial Estate in Surat District
Gujarat
43.37
October 2015
12.75
4
Proposed Up Gradation of Infrastructure in Sayakha Industrial Area, Bharuch District
Gujarat
361.26
October 2015
28.06
5
Proposed Up-Gradation  of Infrastructure in Dahej Industrial Area, Bharuch Dist.
Gujarat
281.88
October 2015
29.56
6
Proposal Treated Effluent Collection treatment and disposal system for Micro and Small Scale Industries in Danilimbda
Gujarat
112.75
November 2015
27.50

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. NirmalaSitharaman in a written reply in LokSabha today.
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National Rubber Policy 
The Government of India constituted an Expert Committee on 16 June 2014 mandated to examine issues related to rubber production, development, consumption and exports and suggest a National Policy on Rubber in the interest of both the growers as well as consumers. The Expert Committee consisted of experts and stakeholders of rubber industry including representatives of relevant Ministries and Departments of the Central Government, State Governments of Kerala and Tripura, Rubber Board, Associations of NR growers, Associations of rubber based industries including manufacturers of tyres, latex, block rubber, synthetic rubber and academic & research oriented institutions in the government and the non-governmental sector. The final draft of the Policy has been received from the Committee.

Import of NR has increased during the recent years. The main reasons for the increase in import are relatively low prices of NR, especially block rubber, in the world market; non-availability of the material in domestic market and irregular market arrivals. However, the Government has made following revisions in import policy of NR in order to protect growers:

- DGFT vide Public Notice No. 81 (RE-2013)/2009-2004 dated 9 January 2015 reduced the export obligation period to six months for NR from the date of clearance of each consignment under Advance Authorisation/DFIA Scheme.

- Basic customs duty on dry forms of NR was raised from “20% or Rs 30 per kg whichever is lower” to “25% or Rs 30 a kg whichever is lower” vide Customs Notification No. 28/2015 dated 30 April 2015.

This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. 
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Export of Rice 
The details of export of rice, for Basmati as well as Non-basmati, in terms of quantity and value during last three years and the current year, are as under.

Quantity in Ton; Value in US $ Million
Year
Basmati
Other than basmati
Total Rice
 Quantity
 Value
 Quantity
 Value
 Quantity
 Value
2012-13
3459829
3564.04
6687851
2651.97
10147680
6216.01
2013-14
3754102
4864.89
7136191
2925.16
10890293
7790.05
2014-15
3698927
4516.28
8278233
3336.84
11977160
7853.12
2015-16 (Apr to Sep)*
2084170
1916.67
3442609
1254.64
5526779
3171.31

As per Foreign Trade Policy, the export of non-Basmati rice is permitted freely from privately held stocks.            Country wise data for export of rice is as below: .

Quantity in Ton; Value in US $ Million
COUNTRY
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
(Apr to Sep)*
 Quantity
Value
 Quantity
Value
 Quantity
Value
 Quantity
Value
SAUDI ARABIA
824366
752.67
965536
1195.43
1148997
1294.19
598001
527.16
IRAN
1120412
1210.56
1532120
1918.60
1004718
1167.87
361474
319.17
BANGLADESH
31435
15.52
661096
251.23
1269161
451.11
194406
63.42
UAE
496715
380.10
373430
313.56
519758
439.93
415537
313.52
SRI LANKA
4340
2.70
6115
3.78
667414
293.30
39369
16.93
IRAQ
218215
204.85
236358
283.44
275752
284.51
253015
213.55
KUWAIT
203466
217.37
202801
265.68
199754
270.83
122779
141.80
BENIN
577616
240.93
1169040
488.00
601688
250.86
356282
125.44
YEMEN REPUBLC
227809
189.14
211507
223.33
253172
243.68
87770
57.05
SENEGAL
854598
267.93
652021
195.79
765515
226.60
500827
135.35
OTHER COUNTRIES
5588708
2734.23
4880269
2651.21
5271231
2930.24
2597319
1257.91
GRAND TOTAL
10147680
6216.01
10890293
7790.05
11977160
7853.12
5526779
3171.31

This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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Trade Between India and Africa 
India’s total trade with Africa increased from US$ 12 billion during 2005-06 to US$ 72 billion in 2014-15. During this period, exports from India to Africa increased from US$ 7 billion to US$ 33 billion and imports from Africa to India increased from US$ 5 billion to US$ 39 billion.

During the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit, the Government of India announced India’s offer for concessional credit of US$ 10 billion over the next 5 years to African Countries to strengthen India-Africa partnership, in addition to the US$ 7.4 billion concessional credit programme committed by India since the 1st India Africa Forum Summit in 2008. The Governments of African countries will propose projects in areas/sectors where they would seek concessional credit from Govt. of India. In the past, such projects have broadly covered sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, power transmission, water supply and so on. Government of India emphasised that at the ministerial meeting of the WTO in November at Nairobi, India and Africa must ensure that a permanent solution on public stock holding for food security and special safeguard mechanism in agriculture for the developing countries should be achieved.

This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. 
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Index of Eight Core Industries (Base: 2004-05=100) October, 2015 

1.         The summary of the Index of Eight Core Industries (base: 2004-05) is given at the Annexure.
2.         The Eight Core Industries comprise nearly 38 % of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stands at 175.4 in October, 2015, which was 3.2 % higher compared to the index of October, 2014. Its cumulative growth during April to October, 2015-16 was 2.5 %.
Coal
3.         Coal production (weight: 4.38 %) increased by 6.3 % in October, 2015 over October, 2014. Its cumulative index during April to October, 2015-16 increased by 4.5 % over corresponding period of previous year.
Crude Oil
4.         Crude Oil production (weight: 5.22 %) decreased by 2.1 % in October, 2015 over October, 2014. Its cumulative index during April to October, 2015-16 increased by 0.03 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Natural Gas
5.         The Natural Gas production (weight: 1.71 %) declined by 1.8 % in October, 2015. Its cumulative index during April toOctober, 2015-16 declined by 2.1 % over the corresponding period of previous year.



Refinery Products (93% of Crude Throughput)
6.         Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 5.94%) declined by 4.4 % in October, 2015. Its cumulative index during April toOctober, 2015-16 increased by 2.4 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Fertilizers
7.         Fertilizer production (weight: 1.25%) increased by 16.2 % in October, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to October,2015-16 increased by 9.2% over the corresponding period of previous year.
Steel (Alloy + Non-Alloy)
8.         Steel production (weight: 6.68%) declined by 1.2 % in October, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to October, 2015-16 declined by 0.5 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Cement
9.         Cement production (weight: 2.41%) increased by 11.7 % in October, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to October, 2015-16 increased by 2.6% over the corresponding period of previous year.
Electricity
10.       Electricity generation (weight: 10.32%) increased by 8.8 % in October, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to October,2015-16 increased by 4.7% over the corresponding period of previous year.

Note 1: Data are provisional. Revision has been made based on revised data received for corresponding month of previous year in respect of Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Product, Steel, Cement and Electricity. Accordingly, indices for the month October, 2014 have been revised.
Note 2: Release of the index for November, 2015 will be on Thursday, 31st December, 2015.


Annexure
Performance of Eight Core Industries
Yearly Index & Growth Rate
Base Year: 2004-05=100


INDEX
Sector
Weight
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Apr-Oct 2014-15
Apr-Oct 2015-16
Coal
4.379
139.7
141.5
148.1
150.0
162.7
143.0
149.4
Crude Oil
5.216
111.0
112.1
111.4
111.2
110.2
110.1
110.1
Natural Gas
1.708
164.4
149.7
128.1
111.5
105.8
106.1
103.9
Refinery Products
5.939
129.7
133.7
172.5
175.0
175.6
172.3
176.5
Fertilizers
1.254
103.4
103.8
100.2
101.8
101.7
100.3
109.5
Steel
6.684
157.7
174.0
181.1
201.9
209.0
210.4
209.3
Cement
2.406
164.2
175.2
188.7
194.5
205.4
203.2
208.6
Electricity
10.316
138.1
149.3
155.3
164.6
178.2
181.6
190.3
Overall Index
37.903
138.4
145.3
154.7
161.2
168.0
166.2
170.3



GROWTH RATES (in %)
Sector
Weight
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Apr-Oct 2014-15
Apr-Oct 2015-16
Coal
4.379
-0.2
1.3
4.6
1.3
8.5
9.0
4.5
Crude Oil
5.216
11.9
1.0
-0.6
-0.2
-0.9
-0.9
0.03
Natural Gas
1.708
10.0
-8.9
-14.5
-13.0
-5.1
-5.5
-2.1
Refinery Products#
5.939
3.0
3.1
29.0
1.5
0.3
-1.7
2.4
Fertilizers
1.254
0.0
0.4
-3.4
1.5
-0.1
-1.1
9.2
Steel
6.684
13.2
10.3
4.1
11.5
3.5
7.6
-0.5
Cement
2.406
4.5
6.7
7.7
3.1
5.6
8.2
2.6
Electricity
10.316
5.6
8.1
4.0
6.0
8.2
10.8
4.7
Overall Index
37.903
6.6
5.0
6.5
4.2
4.2
5.6
2.5

#Refinery Products’ yearly growth rate of 2012-13 is not comparable with other years on account of inclusion of RIL (SEZ) production data since April, 2012.


Performance of Eight Core Industries
Monthly Index & Growth Rate
Base Year: 2004-05=100

INDEX
Sector
Coal
Crude Oil
Natural Gas
Refinery Products
Fertilizers
Steel
Cement
Electricity
Overall Index
Weight
4.379
5.216
1.708
5.939
1.254
6.684
2.406
10.316
37.903
Oct-14
158.4
113.6
107.6
180.5
105.1
211.9
185.7
184.9
170.0
Nov-14
174.0
111.0
106.2
181.3
104.4
195.8
190.8
174.6
166.2
Dec-14
186.0
113.4
109.4
186.2
108.5
207.9
211.2
175.7
172.7
Jan-15
185.0
112.6
108.5
185.7
111.6
218.9
217.2
175.7
174.8
Feb-15
185.9
101.5
95.8
166.0
97.5
195.9
205.7
164.8
161.5
Mar-15
220.4
113.9
107.2
182.5
96.9
217.3
217.4
175.9
177.8
Apr-15
156.0
106.6
100.9
161.3
87.3
201.3
213.6
176.0
162.4
May-15
156.5
112.5
107.8
186.0
101.8
231.7
221.3
194.0
178.6
Jun-15
148.1
109.5
102.9
183.9
105.3
221.1
215.0
181.8
171.2
Jul-15
134.7
110.7
99.0
176.2
111.3
206.3
209.7
190.3
168.0
Aug-15
139.0
112.8
107.2
185.1
119.0
197.5
197.2
194.3
169.6
Sep-15
143.2
107.4
103.9
170.3
119.4
197.5
195.8
194.4
166.8
Oct-15
168.4
111.3
105.6
172.5
122.1
209.4
207.4
201.1
175.4


GROWTH RATES (in %)
Sector
Coal
Crude Oil
Natural Gas
Refinery Products
Fertilizers
Steel
Cement
Electricity
Overall Index
Weight
4.379
5.216
1.708
5.939
1.254
6.684
2.406
10.316
37.903
Oct-14
16.4
1.0
-3.9
4.2
-7.0
14.2
-1.2
13.7
9.0
Nov-14
14.5
-0.1
-2.9
8.1
-2.8
1.3
11.3
10.2
6.7
Dec-14
7.5
-1.4
-3.5
6.1
-1.6
-2.4
3.8
3.7
2.4
Jan-15
1.7
-2.3
-6.6
4.7
7.1
1.6
0.5
2.7
1.8
Feb-15
11.6
-1.9
-8.1
-1.0
-0.4
-4.4
2.7
5.2
1.4
Mar-15
6.0
1.7
-1.5
-1.3
5.2
-4.4
-4.2
1.7
-0.1
Apr-15
7.9
-2.7
-3.6
-2.9
0.0
0.6
-2.4
-1.1
-0.4
May-15
7.8
0.8
-3.1
7.9
1.3
2.6
2.6
5.5
4.4
Jun-15
6.3
-0.7
-5.9
7.5
5.8
4.9
2.6
0.2
3.0
Jul-15
0.3
-0.4
-4.4
2.9
8.6
-2.6
1.3
3.5
1.1
Aug-15
0.4
5.6
3.7
5.8
12.6
-5.9
5.4
5.6
2.6
Sep-15
1.9
-0.1
0.9
0.5
18.1
-2.5
-1.5
10.8
3.2
Oct-15
6.3
-2.1
-1.8
-4.4
16.2
-1.2
11.7
8.8
3.2


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FDI in E-Commerce Sector 
As per the extant FDI policy, FDI up to 100% under the automatic route is permitted in companies engaged in e-commerce provided that such companies would engage only in Business to Business (B2B) e-commerce. Further, it has been decided an entity will be permitted to undertake retail trading through e-commerce under the following circumstances:

(i) A manufacturer is permitted to sell its products manufactured in India through e-commerce retail.

(ii) A single brand retail trading entity operating through brick and mortar stores, is permitted to undertake retail trading through e-commerce.

(iii) An Indian manufacturer is permitted to sell its own single brand products through e-commerce retail. Indian manufacturer would be the investee company, which is the owner of the Indian brand and which in manufactures in India, in of value, at least 70% of its products in house, and sources, at most 30% from Indian manufacturers.

The Government, with a view to simplify and liberalise FDI policy and to ensure that India remains increasingly attractive and investor-friendly investment destination, undertakes stakeholders consultations with concerned Ministries/ Departments, Apex Industries Chambers and other organizations. Consultations, in this regard, were held with the stakeholders including States and industry representatives.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. 
*********

Setting up of NIMZs 
Government has granted “in-principle” approval to a total of 20 National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs). Of these, 12 NIMZs are located outside the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) region. These are:

(i) Nagpur in Maharashtra;
(ii) Tumkur in Karnataka;
(iii) Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh;
(iv) Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh;
(v) Medak in Telangana;
(vi) Kolar in Karnataka;
(vii) Bidar in Karnataka;
(viii) Gulbarga in Karnataka;
(ix) Jajpur in Odisha;
(x) Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu;
(xi) Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh; and
(xii) Jhanshi in Uttar Pradesh.

Out of these NIMZs, the Government has granted final approval to the NIMZ at Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh on 6th October, 2015

Under phase-I of the DMIC project, 8 Investment Regions have also been accorded ‘in-principle’ approval of Government for setting up as NIMZs as per guidelines approved by the Cabinet. These are:

i. Ahmedabad-Dholera Investment Region, Gujarat
ii. Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Park city near Aurangabad, Maharashtra
iii. Manesar-Bawal Investment Region, Haryana
iv. Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana Investment Region, Rajasthan
v. Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow Investment Region, Madhya Pradesh
vi. Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad Investment Region, Uttar Pradesh
vii. Dighi Port Industrial Area, Maharashtra ; and
viii. Jodhpur-Pali-Marwar Region in Rajasthan

The Government of India has approved a fund of Rs. 17,500 crores as a Revolving Corpus for development of trunk infrastructure in the DMIC region. The Government of Japan has announced their financial support for DMIC project to an extent of US$ 4.5 billion in the first phase for projects with Japanese participation through a mix of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) lending.

Apart from twenty NIMZs which have been accorded “in-principle” approval and in which one has been accorded final approval, the Government has received three more proposals for setting up of NIMZ outside the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor region from Government of Gujarat (Two) and Government of Tamil Nadu (One). The concerned State Governments have been requested for further clarifications/ details about these proposals.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. 
*********

National Manufacturing Policy 
The National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) notified by the government on 4th November, 2011 identifies employment intensive industries like textiles and garments; leather and footwear; gems and jewellery, food processing.

It is estimated that approximately 4,50,00,000 people are employed directly in the textile sector; 25,00,000 people in leather sector; 34,00,000 people in gems & jewellery sector; and 65,00,000 in food processing industries.

Under the Indian Leather Development Programme, existing employees in shop-floor operations in the Indian Leather sector, in both organized and unorganized sector, are provided skill upgradation training irrespective of their educational background. In the Food Processing Industries sector two institutes namely National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management and Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology under Ministry of Food Processing Industries are conducting short-term training in various areas of food processing for industry personnel, entrepreneurs, self-help groups, youth etc. In the Textiles sector, to address the trained manpower needs of textiles and related segments including Handicrafts, Handlooms, Sericulture, Jute, Technical Textiles etc, by developing a cohesive and integrated framework of training based on the industry needs, Ministry of Textiles launched the Integrated Skill Development Scheme for the Textiles and Apparel Sector including Jute and Handicrafts Scheme in 2013.

The Government has recently launched the scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to provide outcome based skill training in various sectors.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. 
*****

Trade Share of India with BIMSTEC Countries 
The trade share of India with the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand for the financial year 2014-15 is as under:-
S. No
Country
2014-15
Export
(in US $ Millions)
% share (w.r.t. total export)
Import
(in US $ Millions)
% share (w.r.t. total import)
1
Bangladesh
6,451.47
2.08
621.37
0.14
2
Bhutan
333.94
0.11
149.87
0.03
3
Myanmar
773.24
0.25
1,231.54
0.27
4
Nepal
4,558.77
1.47
639.91
0.14
5
Sri Lanka
6,703.72
2.16
756.17
0.17
6
Thailand
3,464.83
1.12
5,865.88
1.31

            The Framework Agreement on BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed in February 2004.  The Framework Agreement includes provision for negotiation of FTA on goods, services, investment and economic cooperation amongst the member countries. The Member countries of BIMSTEC have constituted the Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) to carry forward the negotiations in accordance with the Framework Agreement. So far 20 Rounds of negotiations have been held. 
This information was given by the Minister of State(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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