Govt weighs shifting of patent office to Delhi

The government is considering shifting the office of Controller General of Patents, Design, Trademark and Geographical Indication from Mumbai to Delhi, Parliament was informed today.
"Yes. Only considering; however, no final decision has been taken as yet," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
She said the decision for shifting will be taken only after due consideration in view of administrative convenience.
"An assessment of multiple factors will be done before taking the final decision," the minister added.
The Controller General supervises the working of the Patents Act, the Designs Act, the Trade Marks Act, and also renders advice to the government on matters relating to these subjects.

In a separate reply on special economic zones, she said as many as 36 such zones are operational in Tamil Nadu followed by 25 each in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana.

In a separate reply, she said the EU has lifted the import ban on Indian mangoes in February.
"India has put in place a special inspection units for export of fresh fruits and vegetables to the EU in April 2014. European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office team visited India in September 2014 to verify our improved control systems," she added.
The minister added that the issue of lifting of ban on four vegetables has been taken up bilaterally with the European Commission.

In April last year, the 28-member European Union had temporarily banned the import of Alphonso mangoes and four vegetables from India from May 1, 2014.