Free Trade Agreements: impact evaluation and protective measures influence manufacturing policy and tariff adjustments domestically.
Impact assessment of FTAs is continuous and begins before negotiations, using internal studies and Joint Study Groups with industry and ministries. FTAs employ protective measures including sensitive/negative lists restricting tariff concessions and allow anti-dumping and safeguards in case of import surges harming domestic industry; joint review mechanisms monitor implementation. To address an inverted duty structure, the Union Budget reduced basic customs duty on certain items as a policy response.

Export Promotion Mission to devise comprehensive foreign trade policy with greater state involvement to meet trade targets.
Establishment of an Export Promotion Mission to design a comprehensive policy framework for promoting foreign trade, explicitly aimed at integrating State governments into implementation and achieving targets set under the Foreign Trade Policy.

Trade facilitation measures streamline customs clearance and expand export incentives to boost competitiveness and reduce border delays.
Negotiation of a multilateral Trade Facilitation framework and domestic measures aim to simplify and expedite cross border movement of goods. The Foreign Trade Policy provides targeted incentives and market support schemes, the Interest Subvention Scheme was broadened and its rate increased for additional export lines, and 24x7 customs clearance has been expanded at major air and seaports for specified consignments including factory stuffed export containers and consignments with Free Shipping Bills.

Foreign Direct Investment approvals and regulatory dispositions issued for multiple sectoral proposals after FIPB review.
FIPB actions on Foreign Direct Investment applications included approval of fourteen proposals covering amalgamations, equity issuances, downstream investment, increases in foreign equity, NR to NR transfers and conversion of warrants; six proposals were rejected, seven deferred, three advised as not requiring FIPB approval, one returned pending court order, and one withdrawn, with sectoral classifications and whether funds were already brought in or repatriable noted.

Public stockholding protections: India conditions Trade Facilitation Agreement support on a permanent multilateral solution safeguarding domestic food procurement.
India conditioned consent to bringing the Trade Facilitation Protocol into force on securing a permanent solution for public stockholding for food security, arguing that existing domestic support rules-based on outdated reference prices and a fixed ceiling-threaten legitimate procurement for public distribution, constrain farmers' minimum returns, and must be resolved time bound alongside other Bali deliverables before the Protocol is adopted.

Monetary policy keeps repo and CRR unchanged, trims SLR and lowers HTM ceiling to support credit expansion.
Policy repo rate remains at 8.0% and CRR at 4.0%; SLR reduced by 50 basis points to 22.0% of NDTL from the fortnight beginning August 9, 2014. Liquidity support via overnight repos (0.25% of bank-wise NDTL) and 7- and 14-day term repos (up to 0.75% of system NDTL) continues; reverse repo stays at 7.0% and MSF/Bank Rate at 9.0%. The RBI stresses a vigilant stance to achieve CPI inflation of 8% by Jan 2015 and 6% by Jan 2016, and lowers the HTM ceiling for SLR securities to 24% of NDTL to facilitate credit expansion.

Export promotion measures expand consignment imports for certification and provide market support under MDA and MAI schemes.
Financial assistance for participation in international fairs and buyer seller meets is provided under the Market Development Assistance (MDA) and Market Access Initiative (MAI) schemes. The Foreign Trade Policy permits import of diamonds on consignment for certification/grading and re export by specified agencies, and increases limits on personal carriage of gems and jewellery for overseas exhibitions and export promotion tours, facilitating temporary importation and certification.

Index of Eight Core Industries shows sectoral production shifts, with electricity and cement leading while some energy outputs decline.
The Index of Eight Core Industries (base 2004 05; weight 37.90% in IIP) for June 2014 stood at 163.9 with positive year on year and quarter to date growth. June movements: notable increases in Electricity and Cement, strong gains in Coal, modest rises in Steel and Refinery Products, a marginal increase in Crude Oil, and declines in Natural Gas and Fertilizers. Monthly and cumulative indices and growth rates are provided by sector, with sectoral weights noted and a proviso that data are provisional and revised where prior period figures were updated.

Import duty increase on dry rubber accompanies an expert committee for a national rubber policy and trade safeguards.
Domestic natural rubber pricing is influenced by supply-demand dynamics and international factors; NABARD cost estimates and RSS4 price trends inform policy. The Government increased the import duty on dry rubber and established an Expert Committee to develop a National Policy on Rubber covering production, marketing, trade, imports and taxation, while retaining natural rubber on FTA exclusion lists and preserving recourse to anti-dumping and safeguard measures against injurious import surges.

Special Products designation may protect apple tariffs, but such protection applies only after a concluded Doha agreement.
Import tariff on apples is constrained by the existing bound rate under WTO commitments, making unilateral increases unlikely; the Doha mandate permits developing countries to self-designate Special Products for protection of food and livelihood security, but such treatment takes effect only after a concluded agreement, and apple will be considered for designation once the Department undertakes the post-Doha identification exercise.

Export assistance for agricultural exporters is delivered via grants and duty credit scrip, supporting infrastructure and market access.
APEDA and the Department of Commerce provide targeted export assistance through infrastructure, market development, quality and transport support, supplemented by MDA and MAI grants; export incentives for eligible agricultural products are issued as duty credit scrip under schemes such as VKGUY, FPS, FMS and IEIS, with major export councils and industry bodies among recurrent beneficiaries.

Export target for textile products supported by incentive schemes, duty free import relief and enhanced interest subvention.
The Ministry set an export target for textile products and confirmed continued reliance on export promotion instruments including the Focus Market, Market Linked Focus Product, Focus Product and Duty Drawback Schemes; duty free import relief via EPCG and Advance Authorisation; an increased Interest Subvention benefit for certain textile products; and an enhanced duty free entitlement for specified inputs to support readymade garment exports.

Special Economic Zones designation expands to agro-based food processing, enabling SEZ fiscal concessions for exporters.
The government has formalised an Agro-based Food Processing sector within the SEZ framework by G.S.R. 540(E), enabling SEZ developers and units to receive fiscal concessions and duty benefits under the SEZ Act, 2005 and Rules for the export of processed agricultural and food products.

Cost-based pricing recommendations for petroleum aim to reform sector governance through consolidation, separation, and subsidy rationalisation.
The cost-based study recommends cost-based pricing for upstream companies and OMCs, consolidation of operations across the three OMCs, separation of refinery and marketing functions, establishment of a coordination mechanism for capacity expansion, reduction of kerosene entitlement under the public distribution system, tax reforms affecting the sector, and measures to encourage cleaner energy sources.

Manufacturing policy measures expand tax incentives and market access to stimulate sectoral growth via industrial corridors and FDI facilitation.
To address manufacturing contraction the Budget 2014-15 proposes fiscal and policy measures including extension of a ten-year tax holiday for new power undertakings; facilitation of low-cost long-term foreign borrowings; promotion of foreign direct investment in selected sectors; permission for manufacturing units to sell via retail and e-commerce without extra approvals; creation of a National Industrial Corridor Authority to coordinate corridor development; an investment allowance for qualifying machinery investment; and rationalisation/reduction of excise and customs duties on specified industrial inputs and machinery.

Indirect tax revenue growth signals higher provisional receipts for the April-June quarter, with service tax showing stronger performance.
Provisional indirect tax revenue collections for April-June 2014 rose 4.5% over the same quarter in the prior year, with total receipts increasing from Rs. 1,08,639 crore to Rs. 1,13,570 crore. The release provides quarter wise disaggregation by tax head-customs, central excise and service tax-showing service tax growth while customs and central excise recorded marginal year to date declines, and reports the percentage of the 2014-15 budget estimate achieved to date for interim fiscal monitoring.

Foreign direct investment approvals, rejections and deferrals issued for diverse sectoral proposals with conditional compliance requirements.
FIPB considered FDI proposals and issued approvals, rejections and deferrals: nineteen proposals were approved permitting share transfers, equity subscriptions, increases to foreign equity (including up to 100% in permitted sectors), LLP investments and AIF participation across sectors; six proposals were rejected for seeking post facto regularisation or non compliant investments; seven proposals were deferred for further scrutiny, covering delisting for full foreign ownership, business acquisitions, post facto transfers, print media equity increases and proposed foreign participation in civil aviation and defence assembly.

Trade relations with neighbouring countries strengthened through tariff liberalisation and institutional trade agreements to expand commerce.
India maintains a trade surplus with SAARC members while engaging in large bilateral trade with China that shows a significant deficit; China is the largest partner and Myanmar trade is supported by border arrangements. An ad hoc SAFTA working group targets reductions in the 'sensitive list' with a proposal to lower peak tariff rates substantially, and institutional measures-bilateral MoUs, Joint Economic Group meetings, India Myanmar border committees and the India ASEAN Trade in Goods framework-are expected to strengthen trade relations and facilitate regional tariff liberalisation.

Services export incentives: duty credit scrip tied to net foreign exchange, plus market assistance and annual Services Conclave.
The Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14 grants specified service providers a duty credit scrip equivalent to 10% of free foreign exchange earned, with entitlement determined on the basis of net foreign exchange earned from 18 April 2013; the Department of Commerce also funds export promotion councils under Market Access Initiative and Market Development Assistance schemes and has institutionalised an annual Services Conclave to address export bottlenecks.

FTA impact evaluation establishes safeguards, sensitive lists and joint review mechanisms to protect domestic industry from import surges.
Impact evaluation of Free Trade Agreements involves pre-negotiation feasibility studies and stakeholder consultation through Joint Study Groups to identify vulnerabilities. FTAs provide for sensitive/negative lists limiting tariff concessions and preserve recourse to trade remedies such as anti-dumping and safeguards for injury from import surges. Each agreement establishes a joint review mechanism to monitor implementation.