India eases export norms for leather sector to boost competitiveness
In a move aimed at enhancing ease of doing business and reducing compliance burdens, India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has announced major procedural relaxations for leather exporters.
Through Notification No. 15/2025-26 dated May 26, 2026, the DGFT has lifted port restrictions, permitting the export of finished leather, wet blue leather, and EI tanned leather from all ports and Inland Container Depots (ICDs). Previously, such exports were allowed only from specified ports.
India's DGFT has removed key procedural hurdles for leather exporters. Exports of finished, wet blue, and EI tanned leather are now allowed from all ports and ICDs, and CLRI testing requirements have been scrapped. The move aims to reduce compliance costs, benefit MSMEs, and boost India's export competitiveness in the global leather market following stakeholder consultations.
Additionally, the mandatory testing and certification requirement by the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) for exporting various processed leather categories has been scrapped. These measures, initially introduced to differentiate between raw and value-added leather, have been deemed redundant following the removal of export duties and clearer distinctions in product types.
The decision, made after consultations with the Council for Leather Exports, CLRI, and key stakeholders, is expected to streamline procedures, lower transaction costs, and particularly benefit MSME exporters. It also aligns with India's goal of strengthening its position in the global leather value chain.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Hans India
ICDS mobile handset tender sparks controversy over ‘lack' of transparency
Hyderabad: The Telangana Women and Child Welfare Department (TGWC&WD) has become embroiled in controversy following the issuance of a tender for the procurement of mobile handsets intended for Anganwadi supervisors under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). According to sources, while the Central Government directed the provision of smartphones to Anganwadi supervisors under the ICDS scheme, and several states have successfully implemented this through transparent and competitive tendering processes, the Women Development and Child Welfare (WDCW) Department of Telangana appears to have handled its tender in a manner that raises serious doubts. This suggests the process may have been skewed to benefit a select few, rather than serving the public interest. Speaking to The Hans India, ICDS sources revealed that at least two complaints have reached the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), raising serious questions regarding the tender process. The complainants argue that established norms for public procurement mandate fairness and transparency. A critical requirement is that technical specifications should be generic and non-restrictive, enabling all eligible Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to participate. This fosters a level playing field, promotes healthy competition, and ultimately leads to the most favourable pricing, thereby safeguarding public funds. However, the current tender reportedly deviates significantly from this principle. The technical specifications appear to have been exclusively aligned to suit Samsung products, and, compounding the issue, the specific brand and model (A06 (4+64)) have been explicitly mentioned in the tender document. This raises considerable concerns about the fairness and intentions of the tendering authority. Adding to the red flags is the alleged deliberate avoidance of a pre-bid meeting. Such meetings are considered a basic responsibility of any tendering authority, particularly for tenders of this magnitude. They provide a crucial platform for OEMs and potential bidders to voice concerns, seek clarifications, and ensure equitable participation. Despite being a mandatory procedural step, the department reportedly chose to entirely skip this meeting, which complainants suggest indicates a clear intent to compromise transparency and equal opportunity. Furthermore, despite multiple written representations from various OEMs raising legitimate concerns, the department has reportedly remained completely unresponsive, a stance described as inexplicable and worrying. Critics suggest that this tender may have been designed not for the benefit of the public or the ICDS scheme, but rather to serve vested interests. In light of these concerns, two mobile manufacturing companies were among those who have formally complained to the CMO, urging the tender's cancellation. 'We strongly urge that this tender be cancelled and re-issued, following transparent and non-restrictive procurement norms. Public funds should be utilised in the interest of the people, not for selective advantage — not as a formality, but as a meaningful mandate,' they asserted. Key red flags identified •Brand lock = competition blocked: Mentioning a specific brand and model effectively excludes all other potential bidders, nullifying any scope for fair competition. •Unrealistic 10-day deadline = OEM exclusion: Imposing a short 10-day window for such a large-scale tender appears designed to hinder the participation of other eligible players. •Testing with non-GeM registered firms: Allowing product samples from companies not registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is a direct violation of procurement norms. •Minutes of Meeting (MOM) instead of mandatory Purchase Approval Certificate (PAC): Uploading a Minutes of Meeting without the required Purchase Approval Certificate (PAC) — especially one not signed by the Finance Department — is cited as a serious procedural lapse.
NDTV
2 days ago
- NDTV
World's Top 10 Sustainable Universities In QS Global Rankings 2026
QS Rankings 2026: The QS World University Rankings, released on Thursday featured the top institutions around the world, evaluated on various parameters such as Sustainability Scores, Employability rate, Research and Discovery etc,. The United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) continue to dominate the overall rankings across all categories. Sustainability Score, which assesses an institution's performance in managing sustainability-related risks and opportunities shows how the top institutions have worked towards environmental, social and governance cause. Here are the top 10 Institutions according to the QS World University Rankings along with their sustainability scores: Number one on the overall rank list is the United State's Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a sustainability score of 93.8. Imperial College London of United Kingdom secured the second overall rank, earning a sustainability score of 98.3. Stanford University, from the United States secured the third overall rank with a sustainability score of 95.4. University of Oxford from the United Kingdom acquired the overall fourth position, earning a sustainability score of 77.9. Harvard University from United States secured the fifth position overall with a sustainability score of 77.8. University of Cambridge from United Kingdom secured the sixth overall ranking with a sustainability score of 78.4. ETH Zurich from Switzerland got the seventh overall rank, with the highest sustainability score of 99.6 among the top 10 institutions. National University of Singapore, Singapore secured the eighth overall rank among the top institutions of the world with a sustainability score of 90. UCL university from the United Kingdom secured the ninth overall rank with the second highest sustainability score of 98.5 among the top 10 institutions. California Institute of Technology, United States secured the 10th position overall with a sustainability score of 79.2. Several top-ranked institutions in the QS World Rankings 2026 may have relatively low sustainability scores when compared to lower-ranked universities. This suggests that they may lag in areas such as reducing carbon footprints, managing resources and waste, promoting ethical practices, ensuring transparency, and fostering positive relationships with students, staff, and the broader community.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Sitharaman calls for speedy closure of investigations, easier GST registration process
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday called for speedy closure of investigations, measures to prevent tax evasion and wrongful input tax credit claims, and underlined the need to make the 'GST registration process easier, seamless, and more transparent' for taxpayers. Chairing a conclave with senior field officers from Customs, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), she also stressed on the need for zone-specific action plans to improve upon various parameters such as GST registration, processing of refunds, and handling taxpayers' grievances. The wide-scale evasion under the GST regime, the need to reduce the gap between detection and recovery during investigations featured as the key discussion points in the meeting of officers from the Central. More technology-linked and risk-based compliance measures were also stressed upon during the meeting, officials said. As per the Ministry, GST audit coverage rose to 88.74 per cent in FY 2024-25. Detected GST evasion stood at Rs 2.23 lakh crore in FY25, with voluntary payments totalling at Rs 28,909 crore. Customs and GST officers were asked to undertake analysis on detection and recovery and to seek solutions to reduce the gap between detection and recovery, a statement from the Ministry of Finance said. 'The CBIC was urged by the Finance Minister to expedite the processing of GST and Customs refunds to ensure timely redressal and ease of doing business, especially for MSMEs and exporters,' it said. Officers have been urged to reduce dwell time at seaports, airports, and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) for both imports and exports, with emphasis on faster cargo clearance. The Union Finance Minister also directed the central GST formations to launch targeted awareness campaigns among taxpayers, trade associations, and industry bodies about mandatory documentation required for GST registration, particularly those related to the principal place of business. 'This, the Union Finance Minister emphasised, would help reduce rejections and delays in registration and enable faster processing of applications,' the statement said. Ahead of the conclave, field officers were asked to submit details regarding pending refunds, investigations, adjudications, litigation along with the number of frauds and recoveries. In a series of missives sent to the field officers last week, the CBIC and CBDT had sought detailed information regarding the pendency claims, pending refunds, frauds, investigations and the cases stuck in litigation. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) will host a similar session with its field officers on June 23. Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 13 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there. ... Read More
