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Govt. to import onion through Nafed
New Delhi: The Central government has decided to import onions through the National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) following sudden spurt in prices, which are touching a high of Rs18-25 a kg in retail markets and are at Rs10 and Rs15 a kg in the wholesale markets.

The government has also ordered subsidised sale of onion at all Mother Dairy outlets for Rs11.25 per kg.

In normal times at this time of the year, onions cost about Rs 4-16 a kg in retail and Rs6-8 a kg in wholesale.

Although there had not been a shortfall in area coverage and production of onion, an official said the market arrivals had been delayed due to heavy rains in Nashik. The high levels of humidity had also spoilt the stored onion, thereby reducing the availability in the markets.
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Left to discuss foreign equity in retail with Govt.
New Delhi: Communist parties say they will discuss foreign investment in retail trade with the government even though they feel such a step is not in the country's interest according to a top Marxist leader.

The party is mainly concerned about the effect the step would have on employment.

Prakash Karat general secretary of the Communist Party of India Marxist said the issues the Left parties will like to deliberate with the government on allowing foreign investment in retail trade include the international experience and the impact of such a move on countries like China.

Karat made it clear that the policies pursued by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, as mandated by the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), was not binding on his party or his party-led government in West Bengal.

He said the country was facing an agrarian crisis and desperately needed funds. He said UPA should not commit the same mistake as NDA regime of ignoring the farm sector.
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Indian textile exporters gain at China's expense
Mumbai: After EU and US imposed a restriction on ten apparel items exported by China, the biggest gainer in the "bra wars" has been India.

With Chinese products out in the US and the EU, made-in-India skirts and blouses are on high demand in these markets resulting in a 20-per cent increase in the export of these items in the last three months, compared with the corresponding period of the last year.

The EU and US imposed restrictions on Chinese imports after the influx of imports of products from China, including bras, pullovers, men's trousers, blouses, T-shirts, dresses, flax yarns, cotton fabrics, bed linen, and table and kitchen linen - led to a job cut of 13-per cent in the textiles sector in the EU. The US also imposed higher tariff on these items.

Exporters say rising demand for blouses and skirts has helped Indian apparel exporters post a 16 per cent growth in September against 11 per cent in August.

The Office of Textiles Exports of America date (OTEXA) shows that India exported 710.39 million metres of apparel in June, 715.96 million metres in July and 730.50 million metres in August. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia and Vietnam also stood to gain.

Should the trend continue the worth of Indian apparel exports will go up to Rs35,000 crore from Rs30,000 crore by the end of 2005-06. The combined export of blouses, skirts and T-shirts stood at Rs9,000 crore last year.
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India second most preferred nation in textiles
New Delhi: According to a CII study India has emerged the second most preferred alternative after China in textiles and is seen as a "one-stop shop" for retailers and apparel companies looking for a reliable destination for their sourcing solutions.

China has a growing domestic market, which consumes seven per cent of the total textile production. Chinese buyers too are not keen on making China a one-stop sourcing destination for textiles due to the uncertainties arising out of the safeguards, quotas and revaluation of Yuan, it said.

Indian still needs to improve on the economic and infrastructure fronts. It needs to improve its labour laws, develop world-class infrastructure and build international scale of operations, CII said.

Buyers and suppliers will have to adapt to more drastic changes in future trade as compared to the first phase of the post-quota regime, the study said.
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Fortune slams India on not getting basics right
New Delhi: A report in Fortune magazine has slammed India for its bad government and inadequate infrastructure that prevents the country from matching China's economic growth.

The magazine said the ills of India stemmed from slow disinvestment of PSUs, high tax rates and lack of labour reforms that came in the way of India attaining the same pace of growth as China. The article is to be published in its October 31 issue.

The article said China's economic miracle was achieved by getting the basics right while India has blundered in what is obviously required.

The magazine said that though India and China had the same per capita income in early 1990s and started economic reforms at the same time, the "per capita income in China is more than twice what it is in India, and China takes in 12 times as much foreign investment."

The problem with India, Fortune said, is "bad government and an almost wilful disregard for the fundamentals of developmental economics."
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Telecom Dept's criticised for transferring officers
New Delhi: The Indian Telecom Service Association has criticised the Telecom Department's move to recall more than 1,000 central Government officers above the rank of joint secretaries from the BSNL and the MTNL. These include 80 officers in the rank of CGMs heading state-level telecom services and about 700 general managers serving as district telecom heads.

The government decided to withdraw the officers from BSNL and the MTNL to privatise these vital services.

As part of the strategy, options were invited from these officers, which offered inferior service conditions like two to three stage lower grades and no assurance on pension or career progression resulting in huge financial loss for them.

They have also been asked to join the grade held by them five years back losing the promotions and service rendered to the government resulting in a loss of about 50 percent of the financial benefits for the rest of their service, the statement said.
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