Index of Eight Core Industries: 6.8% growth in Feb 2012; coal +17.8%, natural gas -7.6%.
The Index of Eight Core Industries (weight 37.90% in the IIP) was 145.6 in February 2012, up 6.8% year-on-year, with sectoral February movements: Coal +17.8%, Crude Oil +0.4%, Natural Gas -7.6%, Refinery Products +6.2%, Fertilizers +4.1%, Steel +4.3%, Cement +10.8%, Electricity +8.0%; cumulative April-February growth was 4.4% (data provisional).

Rule-based multilateral trade: BRICS urge resisting protectionism and preserving development focus in global trade negotiations.
BRICS trade ministers urged promotion of international trade while preserving WTO consistent policy space, condemned trade distorting agricultural subsidies harming LDCs, and committed to resisting protectionism. They reaffirmed pursuit of an early, development centred conclusion to the Doha Round within the single undertaking, rejected plurilateral initiatives that compromise transparency and inclusiveness, and endorsed a rule-based multilateral trading system. Ministers also agreed to coordinate positions in multilateral fora, strengthen UNCTAD's role, and enhance intra BRICS cooperation on customs, trade facilitation, investment promotion, SMEs, trade data, e commerce and intellectual property to increase higher value added trade.

Marine product export growth highlights rising seafood production and targeted grant support for fish processing infrastructure.
Marine product exports showed higher US dollar value growth while seafood production registered a rising tonnage trend; annual grant-in-aid disbursements under the Scheme for Technology Upgradation/Modernization/Establishment of Food Processing Industries for fish processing are reported for successive years and an updated year-to-date figure, and these particulars were furnished in a parliamentary written reply by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries.

De-notification of SEZs requires refund of duty benefits where availed and validity extensions are considered case-by-case.
De-notification of SEZs has been approved subject to refund of any duty benefits availed; reasons cited include economic downturn, poor demand, labour shortages and tax burdens. Overall 587 SEZs received formal approval, 380 were notified and 154 were exporting. Approval validity requires implementation within three years; extension requests are considered by the Board of Approval case-by-case with Development Commissioner recommendations. SEZ rules and procedures are periodically reviewed based on stakeholder inputs.

Minimum export price status maintained; government continues export promotion support and APEDA schemes for basmati rice exports.
The Department of Commerce, via APEDA, provides financial assistance to eligible registered exporters, conducts trade delegations and Buyer Seller Meets, and maintains the Basmati Development Fund to promote basmati rice exports; there is currently no proposal to abolish the minimum export price, and supplied export volumes to Iraq indicate a rising trend.

Trade remedy measures support domestic industry by using WTO consistent investigations and measures to ensure a level playing field.
The Directorate of Trade Remedy Measures was proposed to support Indian industry and exporters, especially MSMEs, by using WTO consistent trade remedy instruments to ensure a level playing field; its functions include anti dumping and anti subsidy/CVD investigations, anti circumvention measures, litigation support before tribunals and courts, and stakeholder workshops and seminars.

Export promotion measures expand market access and financial support for fruit and vegetable exporters, boosting global shipments.
The document reports annual quantity and value trends for fresh vegetable and fruit exports and describes export promotion through APEDA financial assistance and Ministry of Commerce schemes (including Market Development Assistance, Market Assistance Initiatives, ASIDE, Vishesh Krishi and Gram Upaj Yojana, Focus Product/Market Schemes and Town of Export Excellence), supplemented by trade delegations, buyer-seller meets, and investments in post harvest infrastructure and quality management to expand market access and stabilize export performance.

Freedom of transit under GATT challenged over customs detention of medicines; consultations led to regulatory revision agreement.
India sought consultations under the DSU over EU detention of Indian generic medicines, alleging violations of freedom of transit under Article V of GATT and TRIPS Articles 41-42; consultations produced an interim settlement in which the EU accepted the principle that mere transit and an applicable patent do not alone justify customs suspicion, and agreed to reflect this in a revision of its customs regulation. India also sought consultations with Turkey over safeguard measures on cotton yarn alleged to conflict with the Agreement on Safeguards, with consultations held and further Turkish response awaited.

State Trading Regime for iron ore requires canalization through designated agencies, tightening export oversight and compliance.
Export regulation distinguishes handling of iron ore by grade: high-grade iron ore exports are through MMTC Limited and 100% Export Oriented Units, low/medium grades are under the Open General Licence. Chrome ore/concentrate and manganese ore exports are canalized through MMTC Limited, with manganese also through MOIL. The Foreign Trade Policy places higher-Fe iron ore within a State Trading Regime via MMTC, and the feasibility of a nodal agency interim accounting mechanism is under examination to tighten export regulation and compliance.

Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN advancing market access and services commitments following exchange of revised offers.
Negotiation and implementation of regional trade instruments with ASEAN focus on expanding tariff and service-market access through bilateral and multilateral accords. India has executed a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with one partner and an Agreement on Trade in Goods with ASEAN. Ongoing negotiations concern an Agreement on Trade in Services at the exchange-of-offers stage, aimed at additional market access for exporters, competitive sourcing for manufacturers, increased investment flows, and professional access in services sectors.

Subsidy schemes for marine processing support modernization and infrastructure to boost export competitiveness and value addition.
A structured subsidy framework administered by the Marine Products Export Development Authority supports export promotion by financing processing modernization and infrastructure development across discrete streams-dried fish facilities, chilled fish facilities, technology upgradation for value addition, ice plant construction/renovation, tuna processing machinery, refrigerated transport, cold storages, and insulated fish boxes-each with objectives, percentage based or capped assistance, and scheme specific conditions including one time availability, investment minima and export obligations for notified value added products.

Export data: state-wise fish export trends and ASIDE-funded pre processing centre disclosures affecting export readiness.
State-wise exports of dried and fresh/chilled marine products are reported with quantities and values across successive fiscal years, showing aggregated national totals and provisional recent-year figures; separately, a Common Pre-processing Centre at Sakthikulangara, Kerala, approved under the ASIDE scheme, is described with specified annual central fund releases and years with no disbursement to support hygienic pre-processing and women's working conditions.

Distribution licensee status enables SEZ developers to sell surplus power to domestic areas subject to duty and regulator approval.
SEZ developers may transfer surplus electricity to Domestic Tariff Areas subject to application to the Development Commissioner, consultation with agencies under the Electricity Act, 2003, and payment of duty as applicable on import of such power. A developer of a notified SEZ is deemed to be a distribution licensee for distribution purposes. Pricing for supplies to non-processing areas or DTA must be agreed with the relevant regulator, and duty rates will be notified in the customs tariff after consultation with power-sector regulators and the Ministry of Commerce.

Finance Bill 2012 broadens taxable transfers, introduces GAAR, negative list service tax, and adjusts excise and customs duties.
Finance Bill 2012 broadens taxable scope and anti avoidance reach by redefining property and transfer to include rights in or in relation to Indian companies and all modes of disposition, introduces a statutory GAAR, expands transfer pricing to specified domestic transactions and APAs, tightens withholding and onus provisions for share capital and non resident payments, enlarges reopening powers for overseas assets, and reforms service tax by adopting a negative list charging regime with new compliance, audit and recovery mechanisms; excise and customs rates and procedural sanctions are recalibrated across sectors.

Export promotion for apples facing infrastructure constraints; government schemes and incentives aim to boost overseas shipments.
Low global share of Indian apple exports is linked to strong domestic demand, deficient cold chain and transport connectivity. The government employs multiple export promotion schemes administered through commodity boards, Export Promotion Councils and APEDA-including Market Development Assistance, export infrastructure grants and targeted programmes-to provide financial assistance, mount trade delegations and organize buyer-seller meets. APEDA has financed integrated packhouses and Controlled Atmosphere storage through grants to a state horticultural corporation to enhance post harvest capacity and support export growth.

Export promotion of spices through quality, technology and training measures to boost global market supply and compliance.
Spices Board operates export promotion measures emphasizing technology upgradation, quality certification, in house quality control, market development and spice park R&D, accompanied by extensive training and laboratory capacity building to control contaminants and enhance industry analytical skills, and reports increased overall spice export volumes with itemised commodity shipments.

Export promotion measures bolster agri-exports through APEDA financial schemes, Basmati Development Fund and market outreach.
The Government presents policy support to sustain and expand agricultural exports through Export Promotion measures: incentives under Plan schemes, financial assistance administered by APEDA for eligible registered exporters, the Basmati Development Fund for basmati trade needs, and market-development activities including trade delegations and Buyer-Seller Meets to facilitate market penetration and boost agri-exports.

Export promotion of Virginia tobacco through exhibitions and trade delegations to build market trust and competitiveness.
Tobacco Board, an autonomous body under the Government, promotes exports of Virginia tobacco by participating in international exhibitions and leading trade delegations to demonstrate product quality, cost competitiveness, and consistent supply; it acts as a facilitator for exports of unmanufactured tobacco and tobacco products and also invites foreign delegations to promote export opportunities.

Tariff reduction: preferential duty-free access for least developed SAFTA members and lowered peak duties for non-LDC partners.
India narrowed its sensitive list for Least Developed Country SAFTA partners and granted zero basic customs duty on items removed from that list, while also reducing the peak tariff for Non Least Developed Country SAFTA partners, aiming to extend preferential market access and encourage progressive liberalisation among member states.

Export assistance for apple exporters via APEDA grants supports development of packing and cold-storage infrastructure.
Private exporters and government agencies, including HPMC and JKHPMC, carry out apple exports. APEDA provided financial assistance to registered exporters and funded HPMC projects for integrated packhouses at multiple locations and Controlled Atmosphere stores, each detailed by project cost and APEDA contribution to develop packing and cold-storage infrastructure for exports.