Latest news with #AjaySrivastava
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Oil, inflation not immediate worries
NEW DELHI: Govt is drawing comfort from its diversified oil purchases but is keeping close tabs on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for nearly a fifth of global oil consumption, in the wake of the US attack on Iran. The Strait - which serves as the primary export route for Persian Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iraq - is crucial not just for crude supply - but also cargo headed to West Asian markets. Amid the threat of disruption by Iran, govt sources indicated that other routes will be explored. With Brent spiking to $90 a barrel, the margin of the oil companies selling petrol and diesel will get eroded but is unlikely to result in changes in pump prices due to the recent excise duty related changes. Although Opec may impact the overall calculations, India is estimated to have imported more oil from Russia this month than the combined quantity of shipments from West Asia. India's strengthening of ties with Russia on crude purchases post-Ukraine conflict are expected to come to its aid to ensure that there is no disruption, sources said. Beyond oil, there may be concerns on gas as large quantities come from the Gulf region. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Wrinkle Cream Keeps Selling Out At Costco (Find Out Why) The Skincare Magazine Undo Besides, the price of piped cooking gas and CNG are linked to these and may impact the overall cost dynamics for industry too. Given that retail inflation in May had moderated to an over six-year low of 2.8%, price increase is not an immediate worry, but its future trajectory will weigh on policymakers, apart from adding to the already high levels of geo-political uncertainty. For trade, war risk insurance is seen to be a challenge, including its availability and pricing. "Overall demand will take a hit. There is massive uncertainty," said Fieo director general Ajay Sahai. "Simultaneously, the situation in nearby Red Sea is deteriorating. Following Israeli airstrikes on Houthi forces on June 14-15, tensions have escalated, placing India's westbound exports at fresh risk. Nearly 30% of India's exports to Europe, North Africa, and US East Coast transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is now increasingly vulnerable. If security conditions force shipping to reroute via the Cape of Good Hope, delivery times could increase by up to two weeks, sharply raising costs for Indian exporters," added Ajay Srivastava of GTRI, a trade research body. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Proposed dilution of local content rules may hurt Indian telecom firms, benefit MNCs: GTRI
New Delhi: Major dilutions to local content rules for the telecom sector under the Public Procurement Order could negatively impact Indian firms by giving greater access to multinational corporations (MNCs) in government contracts without manufacturing in India, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative ( GTRI ) . The GTRI in a note further said that the move will benefit major foreign MNCs active in the Indian telecom component industry. Earlier this month, on June 3, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) initiated a public consultation to revise its Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) (PPP-MII) Order for the telecom sector. The consultation, open to industry comments until July 3, proposes a series of technical adjustments to the existing local content (LC) framework -- changes that could have far-reaching consequences for the sector's future. "Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is moving to relax local content norms for government telecom procurement -- a shift that could favour multinational corporations (MNCs) like Cisco and Ericsson while undermining Indian manufacturers who have invested in domestic production and innovation," GTRI's note added prepared by former Indian Trade Service Officer, Ajay Srivastava said. It added that MNCs are "lobbying India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ease local content (LC) requirements, as they struggle to qualify as Class-I local suppliers for government telecom tenders." India's current PPP-MII policy, which was first updated in October 2024, mandates that any firm seeking preference in government telecom tenders must meet a minimum 50 per cent local content threshold. Srivastava added in the note that in order to qualify as a "Class-I" supplier and enjoy pricing and selection advantages, firms must demonstrate that at least 50 per cent of a product's value is sourced or manufactured in India which has become a difficult task for MNCs. The PPP-MII policy applies to 36 key telecom product categories -- including routers, ethernet switches, GPON devices, media gateways, customer premises equipment (CPE), satellite terminals, telecom batteries, and optical fibre and cables. Under the current PPP-MII framework, several exclusions apply to the calculation of local content. Imported parts routed through Indian resellers, royalties, overseas technical fees, and refurbished products do not count toward Indian value addition. Design and software work performed in India is permitted, but the value generated is capped, with restrictions in place to prevent companies from inflating LC percentages purely on the basis of R&D activities while continuing to import most hardware components. Srivastava added in the note that global majors are finding it "difficult to meet these thresholds." He further added that the underlying issue is that most of the work performed in India is done on an outsourcing basis for their foreign parent companies. The parent companies retain ownership of intellectual property (IP) and earn the bulk of profits. Highlighting the impact of policy change, GTRI note said that the move will put Indian telecom firms -- who have made long-term investments in Indian-based manufacturing, R&D, and IP development -- at a severe disadvantage. "Such Indian firms would face the prospect of losing market share to foreign MNCs whose products remain largely imported and foreign-owned," the GTRI note added. It further points out that dilution of standards would discourage Indian firms from investing in genuine IP creation, as Class-I status could now be achieved simply through superficial assembly or software wrapping of imported goods. "India's telecom sector would remain reliant on foreign technologies, with little strategic control," the GTRI note added.
India Gazette
16 hours ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Proposed dilution of local content rules may hurt Indian telecom firms, benefit MNCs: GTRI
New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): Major dilutions to local content rules for the telecom sector under the Public Procurement Order could negatively impact Indian firms by giving greater access to multinational corporations (MNCs) in government contracts without manufacturing in India, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) . The GTRI in a note further said that the move will benefit major foreign MNCs active in the Indian telecom component industry. Earlier this month, on June 3, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) initiated a public consultation to revise its Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) (PPP-MII) Order for the telecom sector. The consultation, open to industry comments until July 3, proposes a series of technical adjustments to the existing local content (LC) framework -- changes that could have far-reaching consequences for the sector's future. 'Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is moving to relax local content norms for government telecom procurement -- a shift that could favour multinational corporations (MNCs) like Cisco and Ericsson while undermining Indian manufacturers who have invested in domestic production and innovation,' GTRI's note added prepared by former Indian Trade Service Officer, Ajay Srivastava said. It added that MNCs are 'lobbying India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ease local content (LC) requirements, as they struggle to qualify as Class-I local suppliers for government telecom tenders.' India's current PPP-MII policy, which was first updated in October 2024, mandates that any firm seeking preference in government telecom tenders must meet a minimum 50 per cent local content threshold. Srivastava added in the note that in order to qualify as a 'Class-I' supplier and enjoy pricing and selection advantages, firms must demonstrate that at least 50 per cent of a product's value is sourced or manufactured in India which has become a difficult task for MNCs. The PPP-MII policy applies to 36 key telecom product categories -- including routers, ethernet switches, GPON devices, media gateways, customer premises equipment (CPE), satellite terminals, telecom batteries, and optical fibre and cables. Under the current PPP-MII framework, several exclusions apply to the calculation of local content. Imported parts routed through Indian resellers, royalties, overseas technical fees, and refurbished products do not count toward Indian value addition. Design and software work performed in India is permitted, but the value generated is capped, with restrictions in place to prevent companies from inflating LC percentages purely on the basis of R&D activities while continuing to import most hardware components. Srivastava added in the note that global majors are finding it 'difficult to meet these thresholds.' He further added that the underlying issue is that most of the work performed in India is done on an outsourcing basis for their foreign parent companies. The parent companies retain ownership of intellectual property (IP) and earn the bulk of profits. Highlighting the impact of policy change, GTRI note said that the move will put Indian telecom firms -- who have made long-term investments in Indian-based manufacturing, R&D, and IP development -- at a severe disadvantage. 'Such Indian firms would face the prospect of losing market share to foreign MNCs whose products remain largely imported and foreign-owned,' the GTRI note added. It further points out that dilution of standards would discourage Indian firms from investing in genuine IP creation, as Class-I status could now be achieved simply through superficial assembly or software wrapping of imported goods. 'India's telecom sector would remain reliant on foreign technologies, with little strategic control,' the GTRI note added. (ANI)
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Telecom policy shift may hit Indian firms: GTRI flags risk from easing of local content rules, warns of MNC dominance
Major relaxations proposed in local content rules for the telecom sector under the Public Procurement Order could undermine Indian manufacturers and favour multinational corporations (MNCs), the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said in a new report. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has initiated a public consultation process, open till July 3, to revise the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) (PPP-MII) Order for the telecom sector. The consultation proposes technical amendments to the existing local content (LC) framework that could significantly reshape participation in government telecom procurement. 'Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is moving to relax local content norms for government telecom procurement – a shift that could favour multinational corporations (MNCs) like Cisco and Ericsson while undermining Indian manufacturers who have invested in domestic production and innovation,' the GTRI said in a note prepared by Ajay Srivastava, a former Indian Trade Service officer, as quoted ANI. The PPP-MII policy, updated last in October 2024, mandates a minimum 50% local content threshold for firms to qualify as 'Class-I' local suppliers and gain preference in government procurement. GTRI noted that foreign telecom MNCs are lobbying DoT to dilute these norms as they are struggling to meet the existing criteria for Class-I suppliers. To be eligible, firms must demonstrate that at least 50% of a product's value is sourced or manufactured in India. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cuối cùng, chơi miễn phí game chiến thuật hay nhất 2025! Sea of Conquest Phát ngay Undo The policy applies to 36 key telecom product categories including routers, ethernet switches, GPON devices, media gateways, CPE, telecom batteries, optical fibre and cables. The policy excludes imported parts routed through Indian resellers, royalties, overseas technical fees, and refurbished products from the local content tally. Although design and software work performed in India is allowed, the value is capped to prevent firms from inflating their LC percentage through back-end R&D while continuing to import most hardware. 'Global majors are finding it difficult to meet these thresholds,' the note said, adding, 'Most of the work performed in India is done on an outsourcing basis for their foreign parent companies. The parent companies retain ownership of intellectual property (IP) and earn the bulk of profits.' GTRI cautioned that easing the LC rules could discourage Indian firms that have made long-term investments in domestic R&D, IP, and manufacturing. 'Such Indian firms would face the prospect of losing market share to foreign MNCs whose products remain largely imported and foreign-owned,' the note said. The think tank also warned that lowering LC standards could promote superficial assembly or software wrapping of imported products just to claim Class-I supplier status, rather than genuine localisation. 'India's telecom sector would remain reliant on foreign technologies, with little strategic control,' the GTRI note added. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Steel min order on standards could hurt MSMEs; fear of losses, plant shutdowns: GTRI
A recent steel ministry order mandating BIS standards for imported semi-finished steel and their raw materials is causing concern among MSMEs. Effective June 16, the rule threatens losses and plant shutdowns as many businesses have shipments en route that may not comply. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Ind'l Goods/Svs 1. Bhushan Power and Steel lenders move SC for review of JSW Steel decision The steel ministry 's latest order on sectoral standards could hurt MSMEs dependent on semi-finished imports, as they now fear heavy losses and potential plant shutdowns, think tank GTRI said on said that the steel ministry's June 13 order has expanded India's quality control regime to ensure that not just BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) licensed products are imported in the country, but also the input/raw materials used to make them conform to the relevant Indian standards issued by order came into applies to shipments with a bill of lading dated June 16 onward."The rule has triggered fears of massive losses and plant closures among MSMEs that rely on imported semi-finished steel . Many have already paid for shipments now deemed non-compliant," the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) per the order, not only should finished/semi-finished steel products comply with Indian Standards (IS), but also the raw materials or inputs used to make change applies to all steel and steel products covered under Quality Control Orders (QCOs). Importers have to ensure that input materials such as slabs, billets, or hot-rolled coils that are used to make BIS-certified steel in the foreign factory also need to adhere to the relevant BIS standard."India's sudden expansion of its steel import rules has sparked fears of major losses among small manufacturers. Industry groups say the new order gives businesses no time to comply," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava added that importers now risk seeing their shipments declared non-compliant, even if contracts were signed months ago and goods are already in said that critics, too, have questioned the feasibility and need for this certification for upstream suppliers can take six to nine months, yet the Ministry has enforced the new traceability requirement with only three days' notice and no stakeholder consultation, he added.
