Free trade agreement to expand services and investment access between India and New Zealand across agriculture, technology and professional mobility.
Negotiations to conclude a bilateral Free Trade Agreement within eight-to-ten months are intended to expand market access and investment between India and New Zealand, with core emphasis on services (IT-enabled services, financial services, tourism, education), facilitation of professional mobility through mutual recognition and working holiday schemes, and targeted cooperation in agri-processing, post-harvest technologies and cold-chain logistics, alongside collaboration in pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, textiles, film and clean energy.

Import of sensitive items increases while share in total imports falls, with shifts toward crude edible oils and varied commodities.
Import of sensitive items increased in April-January 2011 compared with the corresponding period of the previous year while their share in gross imports fell slightly; gross imports overall rose during the same interval.

Export Doubling Strategy seeks to double merchandise exports through sectoral targeting, market diversification and policy support.
The Government's Export Doubling Strategy sets aggregate and sectoral export expansion targets over a three year horizon, prioritizing engineering goods, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, agricultural and marine products, and petroleum. It pairs sector targeting with market diversification toward Asia, Africa and Latin America and with value chain upgrading in established markets. The plan stresses technology and R&D promotion, brand and quality upgrades, continued incentive schemes, preferential market access, transaction cost reduction, increased plan support and strengthened trade infrastructure as necessary support measures.

Export growth outpaced import growth, narrowing the cumulative trade deficit and highlighting stronger export performance year on year.
Exports rose substantially year on year in March 2011 and for April-March 2010-11, while imports increased at lower rates; provisional Dollar and Rupee aggregates and percentage growths are provided. Oil and non oil imports both increased, with non oil imports showing higher percentage growth; overall, the cumulative trade deficit for April-March 2010-11 narrowed compared with the prior year.

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor node designation expands infrastructure investment; central funding and manufacturing zone plans announced for Rajasthan.
Designation of Jodhpur Pali Marwar as the second node of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor establishes regional infrastructure and investment priorities, with Central funding committed for the Neemrana-Bhiwadi road and Aerotropolis proposals advanced to the Civil Aviation Ministry. The state will undertake due diligence in land acquisition. Parallel initiatives include one proposed Mega Leather Cluster in Rajasthan, Central funding for a Jodhpur FDDI, and the first National Manufacturing and Investment Zone located in the state, supported by Central vocational and placement linked skill programmes.

Market diversification expands India-Latin America engagement to deepen institutional cooperation and improve market access.
Inclusion of new markets from Latin America and the Caribbean is central to India's trade diversification under the Focus: LAC programme, which emphasises deepening institutional cooperation, improving market access and strengthening economic infrastructure. The Ministerial visit to Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina is framed as a mission to advance bilateral and multilateral coordination, promote manufacturing-led employment growth, and expand exports and imports through enhanced institutional mechanisms and preferential arrangements.

TRIPS-plus measures outside multilateral framework unacceptable, India opposes ACTA-style enforcement and defends TRIPS compliance.
India rejects TRIPS-plus measures adopted outside the WTO multilateral framework and objects to proposed agreements with TRIPS-plus enforcement provisions such as ACTA. India affirms its patent laws balance rights and public interest and conform with TRIPS. It reported diplomatic progress on transit seizures of generic medicines and noted international agreement to begin negotiations for legal instruments to protect generic resources, traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, supported by the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library as a tool to prevent misappropriation.

Trade deficit with China prompts focus on export market access and provincial cooperation to expand Indian exports.
Concern over a persistent trade deficit with China and recognition that China's Five Year Plan shift toward a consumer driven economy present strategic openings for Indian exporters; policy emphasis on market access, export promotion, services and engineering contracting to capitalise on rising Chinese domestic consumption and provincial cooperation to facilitate investment and sectoral trade expansion.

Trade and infrastructure cooperation: restoration of cross border rail, port access and trade concessions to boost bilateral commerce.
Restoration of abandoned cross border rail links and enhanced trade infrastructure were agreed, coupled with India's offer of buyer's credit and a renewed line of credit for Bangladeshi projects; commitments included construction and upgrading of Land Customs Stations and Integrated Check Posts, expansion of tariff concessions and quota access, removal of countervailing duties on specified exports, port use assurances, and coordination on standards and accreditation to enable mutual recognition of certification.

Tariff-free quota for apparel exports expanded, enhancing duty-free market access and promoting bilateral trade.
India and Bangladesh agreed measures to enhance trade and economic cooperation, including an increased tariff-free quota for apparel exports, removal of Countervailing Duties on jute exports, facilitation of Indian private investment, and strengthened border infrastructure with Land Custom Stations, Integrated Check Posts and border haats coordinated by a Working Group on Infrastructure. The package also includes BSTI upgrading and training, project implementation under a Line of Credit, bridge construction assistance over the Feni river, rice supply options, and proposed port access to support trade and regional development.

SME integration in global supply chains drives US India collaboration to improve logistics infrastructure and trade facilitation.
Integration of SMEs in global supply chains is advanced through a bilateral India-US cooperation framework that emphasizes linking U.S. and Indian SMEs with larger firms, improving logistics infrastructure and services in India under a Technology Trade Agreement proposal, and promoting public private and technological collaboration. Institutional implementation is to proceed via the India US Trade Policy Forum and its Focus Groups, with annual ministerial reviews, biannual deputy reviews, and at least biannual Focus Group consultations to advance initiatives and address issues.

Export growth momentum boosts national trade targets and prompts a final strategy paper to double exports.
Exports for 2010-11 showed substantial expansion with engineering goods as the largest component and strong growth across petroleum products, gems and jewellery, drugs and pharmaceuticals, garments, cotton yarn and fabrics, and agricultural and allied products; labour intensive sectors remained dynamic while iron ore exports declined. The figures are provisional and linked to a draft strategy aiming to double exports, with a final strategy paper to be published on the Department of Commerce website to pursue the stated export target.

E-filing support expanded for service tax assessees with national helpdesk, certified facilitation centres and automated password recovery.
Measures establish an ACES Service Desk with ticketing and escalation to L1/L2/L3, operationalised Certified Facilitation Centres to file and digitise documents on behalf of taxpayers, and online Learning Management Software and user manuals. Range Officers can update email IDs and regenerate TIPIN/passwords; taxpayers must provide xml files with complaints; and account lockout and automated password recovery via registration number and security question will be implemented.

Buyer's Credit under NEIA expands medium to long term financing to overseas buyers, improving competitiveness of Indian project exporters.
Buyer's Credit under NEIA permits sovereign and government owned overseas buyers to receive deferred payment financing for projects from India, with the export bank extending credit directly to overseas buyers without recourse to Indian exporters, and credit insurance obtained through the export credit agency with the premium borne by the project exporter.

Buyer's Credit under NEIA enables deferred financing to sovereign buyers to enhance competitiveness of Indian project exports.
Introduction of Buyer's Credit under NEIA provides deferred-payment export financing by enabling sovereign and government-owned overseas buyers to receive credit directly for import of Indian projects without recourse to exporters. The facility pairs a credit provider with export credit insurance under NEIA, with the insurance premium borne by the project exporter, and offers medium to long-term tenors with longer periods available in deserving cases.

Indirect Tax Ombudsman powers to resolve taxpayer complaints via conciliation, mediation and award-based settlement.
Approval was granted for seven regional posts of Indirect Tax Ombudsman with supporting staff to receive taxpayer complaints on indirect tax matters, facilitate settlement by conciliation and mediation with Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax departments, and, where appropriate, resolve disputes by issuing an Award under the approved Guidelines to strengthen grievance redressal and administrative transparency.

Service tax amendments revise valuation, timing and compliance rules for domestic, exported and imported taxable services.
Amendments revise valuation, timing of tax liability, and procedural rules by updating the Service Tax (Determination of Value) Rules, Point of Taxation Rules and Service Tax Rules, and by modifying rules on taxation of services provided from outside India and export of services, with consequential changes to earlier notifications to harmonise eligibility, compliance and documentation requirements.

Data exclusivity challenged as harmful to generics; government opposes TRIPS plus enforcement internationally and seeks safeguards.
The government opposes data exclusivity for pharmaceuticals and agro chemicals as beyond TRIPS obligations, arguing it would delay generics; India has pursued WTO consultations and bilateral talks with the EU over detention of Indian generics, raised concerns about TRIPS plus provisions in instruments like ACTA, and is coordinating inter departmental measures. Concurrently, the state is strengthening IPR administration through increased filings, funding and posts, international patent office access agreements, and a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library to protect and document indigenous formulations.

Access to medicines: India vows to protect affordable drug availability amid IPR challenges and expanding trade agreements.
India commits to preserve affordable access to life saving medicines by defending the role of generic manufacturers against multinational pressures within a robust intellectual property regime, while pursuing trade and development engagement with Africa-including Focus Africa, Team 9, preferential trade agreement negotiations, and the Pan Africa e network-to support health, education, and South-South economic cooperation.

Excise and customs tariff amendments change valuation, exemptions and compliance obligations after the budget.
Post-budget notifications dated 24 March 2011 amend customs and central excise law to adjust levy, valuation and compliance: customs exemptions from special CVD and revised effective duty rates; central excise tariff changes including reduced tariff value for branded readymade garments, expansion of MRP-based duty, effective excise rates across chapter ranges and duty on mobile handsets; administrative measures introducing centralized registration for certain miners, amendments to Cenvat Credit Rules, inclusion of labels as packing material for SSI relief, quarterly return obligations for concessional-duty units, and exemption for manufacturing waste when concessional notifications apply.