Page 8 - Dpiit

PM GatiShakti effective mechanism for fast-tracking infra: DPIIT official

The PM GatiShakti initiative is an effective mechanism for fast-tracking infrastructure projects and bringing socio-economic area-based development, an official statement said on Thursday. The remark was made by Special Secretary (Logistics) in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Sumita Dawra during a regional cooperation and integration conference, organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 5-7. The objective of the conference was to explore ways to integrate an area-centric approach with economic corridor development (ECD) and strengthen regional cooperation. The commerce and industry ministry statement said that while global pioneers were brought together by ADB to brainstorm over broadening the scope of its ECD framework for regional cooperation, the special secretary highlighted that India has already operationalised the initiative for infrastructure development. PM GatiShakti NMP, a GIS data-based digital ..

AI-driven planning is Gati Shakti's new frontier, says DPIIT official

"Comprehensive examination and collaboration are crucial before moving forward. A systematic approach is being developed to involve the private sector in Gati Shakti"

'E-commerce policy in final stages; to be presented before top-level'

The proposed national e-commerce policy being formulated by the commerce and industry ministry is in the final stages and no new draft policy will be issued now for seeking views of stakeholders, a senior government official said. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on August 2 held a detailed discussion with representatives of e-commerce firms and a domestic traders' body on the proposed policy. In that meeting, a broad level of consensus emerged among the concerned stakeholders on the proposed policy. "Now no draft policy will come. That exercise is over now. We are just getting a final sign off, the official, who did not wish to be named, said, adding there will be a presentation of the proposed policy at the top level of the government. On data localisation, the official said that the e-commerce companies would have to follow the law of the land. Earlier the ministry had issued two draft national e-commerce policies. The 2019 draft proposed to

11 industrial corridors being developed across the nation, says Centre

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has sanctioned and released funds amounting to Rs 9,899.89 crore for the industrial corridor project

PLI scheme incentive disbursement likely at Rs 13,000 crore in FY24

Separately, Singh noted that the Centre is working to modify the scheme for sectors that have not performed as expected

Disbursement under PLI scheme to hit Rs 13k crore this year: DPIIT secy

The government is expected to disburse about Rs 13,000 crore to eligible firms seeking benefits under the production linked incentive (PLI) schemes, even though an exercise is going on to tweak the scheme for those sectors which have not yet picked up well, a top official said on Friday. Secretary in the Department for promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh said that from the current year onwards, the disbursal number will be significantly larger. The disbursals "I think will go to about Rs 13,000 crore this year", he told reporters here. The government disbursed only Rs 2,900 crore till March 2023 out of Rs 3,400 crore claims received under the scheme so far. The scheme was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors such as telecommunications, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, speciality steel, food products, high-efficiency solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery, drones and pharma with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh ...

Govt to come up with 60 QCOs to curb imports of sub-standard goods

The government will come up with 60 quality control orders (QCOs) this year for products such as consumer goods, rubber, paper and light engineering items with an aim to contain imports of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing, a senior government official said on Friday. Secretary in Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh said they are issuing these orders "fairly extensively" and so far 33 QCOs for over 127 products such as ACs, refrigerators, pipes, and safety valves have been issued. "Right now, we are processing 60 new QCOs in association with BIS. These are crucial not only for the safety of consumers but also to improve quality standards," he told reporters here. Speaking at the media briefing, Joint Secretary in DPIIT Sanjiv said these orders are issued for goods like smart meters, nuts, bolts and fasteners. Violation of the law can attract a penalty of up to two years of imprisonment or with fine of at least Rs 2 la

DPIIT undertaking exercise to measure cost of regulations in states

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is undertaking an exercise to assess the cost of regulations in states with a view to improving further the ease of doing business, an official said. Through this, the official said, states will get an insight into reforms which they can bring to improve the business climate for industry. For this, DPIIT officials held a meeting in June with all selected survey agencies for assessing the cost of regulation. The session was scheduled to provide orientation/brief to the overall project coordinator/key persons from all regions. Citing examples, the official said seeking a number of papers and delays in giving approvals or clearances cost to the industry. "The exercise is aimed at reducing this cost," the official added. The department is taking a series of measures to reduce the compliance burden of the industry and improve the ease of doing business. It has removed or simplified thousands of obsolete provisions and

DPIIT to help states simplify provisions to facilitate ease of business

The Centre will help states in simplification, rationalisation or decriminalisation of provisions with a view to promoting ease of doing business and living in the country, a top government official said on Thursday. Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh said that Parliament passed a bill which seeks to promote ease of business by decriminalising minor offences through amendments in 183 provisions of 42 Acts. "We will do this in the future as well...We intend to follow with an inter-ministerial working group which will look at other provisions where further simplification, rationalisation or decriminalisation is possible and we are intending to do the same exercise at the state level by providing guidance to the states as well," he told reporters here. He said that there will be many more rounds of this exercise with the overall objective of promoting ease of doing business and ease of living. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment

DPIIT hosts Vietnamese delegation to promote bilateral cooperation in Infra

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has hosted a delegation from Vietnam to promote bilateral cooperation in the infrastructure and logistics sector, an official statement said on Wednesday. The five-day visit of the delegation from July 31 to August 4 is a follow-up to an Indian delegation's visit in March. Around 80 participants, including Vietnamese delegates from various logistics and supply chain companies and associations, had fruitful discussions on both days, the DPIIT said. A direct shipping route between India and Vietnam is a potential area of interest for both sides, it said, adding, investment opportunities in industrial parks and greenfield industrial smart cities such as Dholera Special Investment Region can be explored by Vietnamese businesses. "Investment opportunities in modernisation and monetisation of infrastructure at 85 locations in Tier-I and Tier-II cities under public-private partnership mode, could be explored by the ...

Govt rolls out quality norms for nuts, bolts to curb sub-standard imports

The government on Monday said it has issued mandatory quality norms for nuts, bolts and fasteners to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing of these products. A notification in this regard was issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on July 21. These items under The Bolts, Nuts and Fasteners (Quality Control) Order, 2023, cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark, the notification stated. Now, manufacturing, storing and sale of non-BIS certified products are prohibited as per the BIS Act, 2016. Violation of the provision of the BIS Act can attract imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for the first offence. In case of second and subsequent offences, the fine will increase to a minimum of Rs 5 lakh and extend up to 10 times the value of goods or articles. "It will come into effect six months from the date of publicat

Bank of India launches three dedicated centres for startups under DPIIT

Bank of India on Monday launched three dedicated centres for startups and plans to have 12 such centres with a Rs 500 crore loan book by the first year of operations. The three centres are located in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. They are intended to facilitate the government's goal of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and comes under the initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Under DPIIT's initiative, more than 93,000 startups have been registered and are technically eligible for loans of Rs 1-10 crore. The bank has already sanctioned almost Rs 12 crore to seven startups which are in the tech, restaurant and manufacturing space, its Managing Director Rajneesh Karnatak told PTI. Further, Karnatak said the bank has already identified nine more cities with large pool of startup clusters and over the next 12 months, it will have 12 such dedicated centres. The bank hopes to fund at least 200 such companies and have around Rs 500 cror

Regulate street food vendors to impose quality standards: DPIIT secretary

The government is looking at ways to regulate street vendors so that some quality standards are imposed on street food, Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Thursday. He said that though it is a "tough" call to take, but it needs to be looked at. Addressing FSSAI's Global Food Regulators Summit here, he sought inputs from other countries about their regulations for street food vendors. He said one has to look at whether a financial penalty or compounding is sufficient or a more stringent provisions like imprisonment is required for violating the regulations. Many of foreign tourists here would hear or notice that the best food in India is served on the street by street food vendors. "Therefore, street vendors also need to be regulated...but how heavy-handed should that regulation be. Should we imprison somebody, if the standards are below the standards specified by FSSAI?," Singh said. Food Safety and Standard

DPIIT appoints nodal officers to help MSME, retailers onboard ONDC

The Centre has appointed nodal officers in all the states with a view to encouraging startups, MSMEs, and retailers onboard the government's initiative open network for digital commerce (ONDC), an official said on Thursday. ONDC is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) which aims to build an open, interoperable network on which buyers and sellers can transact without needing to be present on the same platform. It is neither an application, nor platform, intermediary or software but a set of specifications/provisions designed to promote open, unbundled, and interoperable open networks. It offers small retailers an opportunity to provide their services, and goods to buyers across the country through an e-commerce system, where buyers will be able to purchase the products, which are sold on any platform. The official said that the nodal officers in every state would drive dedicated and customised programs for startups, MSMEs, retailers an

Ministry sanctions new quality control orders on potable water bottle

Bureau of Indian Standards and DPIIT have initiated the development of 64 new quality control orders to cover 317 product standards including portable water bottles and flame-producing lighter

DPIIT identifies 106 companies from 30 countries for strategic investments

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has identified as many as 106 companies across sectors from 30 countries under its strategic investment targets initiative, an official said. The initiative is aimed at promoting investments in the country. The initiative was recently discussed during a meeting convened by the Commerce and Industry ministry with industry and exporters. "An outreach was conducted through the ministry and meetings and video conferences are being set-up with leadership of these companies," the official said, adding that under the initiative, there is also a plan to engage with people of Indian origin (PIO). The government is taking a series of measures such as reducing the compliance burden, easing foreign direct investment norms, rolling out of logistics policy, announcement of production-linked incentive scheme for 14 sectors, and easing procedures through the national single window system to promote investments into the country. T

GST Council to clarify on TCS liability of e-commerce suppliers on ONDC

The GST Council on July 11 is expected to clarify on the TCS liability of suppliers engaged in e-commerce trading through Open Network Digital Commerce in cases where multiple operators are involved in a transaction. ONDC or Open Network for Digital Commerce is a new initiative of the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT). So far, there is no clarity on who should be liable for TCS compliance under GST laws. Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) law, every e-commerce operator is required to collect TCS at the rate of 1 per cent of the taxable value of goods/services sold through its platform. Sources said the Law Committee, comprising Centre and state tax officers, has recommended to the Council that in a situation where multiple e-commerce operators (ECOs) are involved in a single transaction through ECO platform, the TCS compliances is to be done by the supplier-side, who finally releases the payment to the supplier. ONDC's open network operates in two

Govt discusses opportunities in toy sectors with industry, global players

The government on Saturday held detailed discussions with domestic industry and global players about huge business opportunities in the Indian toy sector. The meeting was organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in collaboration with the Toy Association of India. The meeting brought together prominent global and domestic toy manufacturers, retailers, associations, and government officials to discuss the burgeoning opportunities in the domestic toy sector, an official statement said. The session was chaired by DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, who said that the sector is poised to grow exponentially over the coming years. Toy exports have jumped 240 per cent since 2014 and imports dipped by 52 per cent during the period, it said. Singh said that bolstered by a population of about 350 million under the age of 15, the potential for the toy industry and manufacturers in the country is huge. Speaking at the meeting, Sanjiv, Joint Secretary DPI

Private players to get limited access to GatiShakti masterplan: DPIIT

The government will sit and look at various dimensions, especially with respect to information that is sensitive

Centre working on quality control norms for home appliances: Report

The appliances have been grouped into six categories based on their usage and each category will have a separate Quality Control Order