Index of Eight Core Industries rose 6.8% in November 2011 with mixed sectoral performance led by electricity and cement.
The Index of Eight Core Industries (weight 37.90% in IIP) stood at 141.1 in November 2011, with a monthly growth rate of 6.8% and cumulative April-November growth of 4.6%. Electricity and cement led monthly expansion while crude oil, natural gas and fertilizers declined. Data are provisional and subject to revision; detailed monthly indices, sector weights, and growth computations are provided in the annexure, and certain refinery throughput was excluded where not reported.

Export promotion of agricultural products through government incentive schemes enhances market access and targets export growth.
Government policy seeks to stimulate agricultural exports through a Strategy Paper for doubling exports, using reported country-level and commodity-wise export values as a baseline. Operational measures comprise incentives and institutional support administered by Commodity Boards, Development Authorities and Export Promotion Councils, notably MDA, MAI, ASIDE, Vishesh Krishi and Gram Upaj Yojana, Focus Product and Focus Market Schemes, Town of Export Excellence, trade delegations and Buyer-Seller Meets to enhance market access and promote export growth.

Approval validity for SEZs under the Rules allows Board extensions and fiscal incentives support export promotion and infrastructure development.
The SEZ Act, 2005 promotes exports, investment, employment and infrastructure. Approvals issued to Developers are valid for three years under the SEZ Rules, 2006 and may be extended by the Board of Approval on request. Fiscal concessions and duty exemptions are inbuilt in the Act as incentives to support export promotion and infrastructure creation.

Minimum export price reduction for non-basmati rice enables private exports from EDI ports without explicit quantitative restrictions.
Reduction of the Minimum Export Price (MEP) for non-basmati rice lowered the price floor to restore international competitiveness, and a later executive decision authorised exports through all Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ports by private parties from privately held stocks without any explicit quantitative restriction or MEP, replacing the earlier constrained, notified consignments mechanism.

Export promotion of aqua products increases competitiveness through MPEDA assistance, species-specific support, and market diversification.
The Government, via MPEDA, implements export-promotion measures for aqua products including sea freight assistance, a logo scheme, duty-free import of specialized inputs, solicitation of overseas trade enquiries, and subsidies for hatcheries, PCR labs, scampi farming and related R&D and training; it promotes Litopenaeus vannamei culture and organic aquaculture. Annexed species- and country-wise tables report recent-year frozen shrimp exports by quantity and value, showing shifts in species composition and principal destination markets that together evidence export performance and market distribution.

Engineering exports central to trade strategy, with policy measures and market schemes to strengthen competitiveness.
Engineering exports are central to trade strategy, requiring market diversification, technological advancement and policy support. The Government emphasises the Special Focus Market Scheme, amendments to the Foreign Trade Policy, and trade facilitation measures-including a task force and action report to reduce transaction costs and upgrade infrastructure-to enhance competitiveness. An awards programme recognised exporters who maintained strong performance after the global downturn, and survey data underscores the engineering sector's substantial contribution to factories, capital, employment and industrial output.

Corporate fraud investigation criteria prompt SFIO expansion and legislative strengthening to improve probing and prosecution reach.
SFIO investigates corporate misconduct that is complex, multi-disciplinary, involves substantial public interest by scale or persons affected, or where investigation can improve systems; the Ministry has advanced legislative changes in the Companies Bill, created additional posts, and is establishing regional offices to expand reach and monitor prosecutions.

Export Doubling Strategy expands sectoral incentives and market access while streamlining export procedures and trade normalisation.
The government adopts a coordinated export doubling strategy focused on sectoral product priorities, targeted market expansion, technology and brand enhancement, and complementary policy instruments. The Annual Supplement to the Foreign Trade Policy adds temporary sectoral duty credit schemes, expanded focus market and product benefits, market linked product extensions and EDI integration to streamline authorisations. A task force on transaction costs recommended multiple reforms for implementation to reduce export transaction costs. Phased bilateral trade normalisation with a neighbouring country is planned through transition from a positive to a negative list and eventual removal of the negative list. The paper also details concluded FTAs and ongoing negotiations.

National Manufacturing Policy promotes NIMZs and PPP financing to expand industry and jobs under investor friendly reforms.
The national manufacturing policy creates National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZs) as greenfield integrated industrial townships governed by Special Purpose Vehicles and autonomous industrial township structures, financed through central viability gap funding and PPPs, with sector and location neutral incentives (except for green technology), supported by measures to improve SME finance and enable cluster self organisation across the country.

Tariff standstill rejected: India opposes freezing customs duties and urges retention of a development centric WTO agenda.
India rejects proposals to freeze customs duties, warning that a tariff standstill would curtail developing countries' policy space and upset negotiated tariff reduction formulas. It opposes dilution of WTO flexibilities on agricultural export restrictions and taxes, stresses the need to preserve Special and Differential treatment, and urges retention of the Doha development agenda with transparent, inclusive negotiations prioritising Least Developed and vulnerable economies.

Foreign exchange hedging restrictions: cancellation of forward contracts barred and deliverable-only hedges tightened for importers and dealers.
Forward contracts booked by residents and by Foreign Institutional Investors, once cancelled, cannot be rebooked though rollovers remain permitted; past-performance hedging for importers is reduced to 25 percent of the computed limit and all such contracts must be fully deliverable with exchange gains on cancellations not passed to customers. Cash/tom/spot client transactions must be for actual remittance/delivery only and cannot be cancelled or cash-settled. Authorised Dealers face reduced Net Overnight Open Position limits and intra-day positions must not exceed approved NOOPL, with ongoing Reserve Bank review.

Development dimension demands retention of special treatment for LDCs, urging duty-free quota-free access and renewed Doha negotiations.
BRICS and SAARC ministers coordinated to preserve the development-centred WTO negotiating framework, urged conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda based on multilaterally agreed mandates, and insisted on protecting the development dimension of special treatment for LDCs. They called for implementation and notification of Duty Free Quota Free schemes for LDC export interests, proposed a fast-track accession route for Afghanistan and Bhutan, and endorsed enhanced interbank cooperation including local-currency credit lines to facilitate intra-group trade.

Special Economic Zone approvals and de-notifications emphasise duty-benefit refund obligations for developers.
Special Economic Zone establishment requires state recommendation and central approval; as reported, no Bihar recommendation is pending. There have been 582 formal approvals, 382 notified SEZs and 148 exporting SEZs, with private investment predominant. De-notification is permitted on developer request subject to refund of duty benefits where availed; 39 de-notifications were approved subject to such refunds, prompted by economic conditions and tax changes including imposition of MAT and DDT.

Food export restrictions: lift humanitarian export controls for UN purchases while preserving WTO-consistent national policy space.
Agreement committed to removing food export restrictions and extraordinary export taxes on food procured for non-commercial humanitarian purposes by the World Food Programme and to refrain from imposing such measures in future, while India emphasised that WTO-consistent policy space to address domestic concerns must be preserved.

Advisory bodies in commerce coordinate export policy and intergovernmental trade dialogue, reinforcing national trade advisory mechanisms.
Three advisory bodies in the commerce department coordinate export policy, intergovernmental trade dialogue, and foreign trade strategy: the Export Promotion body provides policy and infrastructural support through inter ministerial coordination; the Intergovernmental Trade Council sustains Union State dialogue with ministerial and administrative representation; and the Board of Trade advises on Foreign Trade Policy to advance export objectives.

Export target uncertainty may impede meeting goals despite market diversification policies and inflation containment measures.
Government emphasises a multi pronged approach with policy measures for market diversification and product diversification to reduce reliance on uncertain developed markets; monetary actions to contain inflation are cited as complementary support, while external uncertainty may impede attainment of the annual export target.

Interest subsidy scheme for electricity distribution conditioned on state reforms to improve network efficiency and fiscal viability.
The Scheme provides interest subsidy on loans to public and private DISCOMs for distribution network improvement outside existing programme coverage, conditions subsidy on reform-linked preconditions and progress, appoints Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd. as nodal agency, and allocates an aggregated interest subsidy outlay to cover subsidy payments, nodal agency charges and related expenses for schemes sanctioned during the specified sanctioning period.

Marine product export performance shows broad growth led by frozen shrimp and vannamei expansion, boosting foreign exchange earnings.
India's marine exports for April-September 2011 amounted to 312,904 tonnes, showing 0.12% volume growth alongside about 19.9% growth in rupee earnings and 23% growth in US dollar earnings. Frozen shrimp, led by a rapid increase in vannamei production, was the principal driver of value growth and higher unit realisations. Market shifts included strong gains to the United States and South East Asia, continued EU dominance by value, and declines to China and the Middle East; a weaker rupee supported better foreign currency realisations.

Export incentive measures for leather sector expand duty-free inputs and duty credit scrips to promote exports.
The Indian Leather Development Programme funds capacity modernisation, technology upgradation, environment management and human resources development. Under the Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14 the leather sector is a Focus Sector, with measures including duty-free import of critical inputs linked to prior export realisation, duty credit scrips for notified leather products and finished leather, zero-duty EPCG for capital goods imports, and a status-holder incentive scrip for capital goods under actual user conditions.

Export ban on pulses continues with specified exemptions; export policies reviewed to protect domestic availability and prices.
Export of pulses has been banned since 27 June 2006 subject to limited exemptions, including kabuli channa, authorised organic pulses under an annual cap, and exports permitted to specific countries by DGFT; occasional ad hoc permissions have been given for certain regional markets. The Government reviews and may modify export policy to ensure domestic availability and reasonable prices. Onion exports are currently permitted subject to Minimum Export Price, though temporary bans have been imposed previously.