The concept of cross-border e-commerce is catching up and the ‘Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras (DNKs)’ being opened at the grassroots level in nearby India Post offices across the country are expected to play a pivotal role in facilitating medium, small and micro enterprises, start-ups, traders, rural artisans etc. to conveniently and directly export their products without having to rely on complex supply chains.
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This facility, provided under the provision of the new Foreign Trade Policy 2023, was highlighted at the inaugural session of the Conference on Demystifying Trade and Investment organised by the CII Northern Region at its headquarters in Chandigarh on Tuesday.
Canada’s Consul General in Chandigarh Patrick Hébert addressing a Conference On Demystifying Trade & Investment, organised by CII Northern Region, at its hedquarters in Chandigarh, on Monday.
Photos By: LifeInChandigarh.com & CII NR
The conference brought together industry leaders, policy makers, and experts to deliberate on the pivotal role standards play in enhancing India’s exports, and the essential preparations required by the industry to seamlessly integrate into the global supply chains.
An initiative of the India Post and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), hundreds of DNKs are already operational and opening of 3,000-4,000 more has been fast tracked.
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The aim of setting up DNKs is to provide ease of booking and transmission, electronic filing of Postal Bill of Export and customs clearance, while ensuring visibility and transparency in the whole process.
The DNKs work in a ‘hub-and-spoke model’ with Foreign Post Offices (FPOs) to facilitate cross-border e-commerce. Their integration with e-marketplaces/aggregators will ensure end-to-end logistic support to the exporters registered on such e-marketplaces.
The government is encouraging exporters to leverage technologies such as UPI, e-Rupee, and the robust e-commerce infrastructure in the country to expand the reach of Indian products worldwide. Goods up to value of Rs 5 lakh can be exported through this channel.
The move comes in the backdrop of declining exports amid slowing global trade, and India looking for new avenues of exports and exploring new markets for its goods and commodities.
Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Som Prakash (centre) poses with panellanists at the inaugural session of the Conference On Demystifying Trade & Investment, organised by CII Northern Region, at its hedquarters in Chandigarh, on Monday.
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash, the chief guest, highlighted various measures taken by the central government to facilitate and spur growth in exports in line with the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making India a developed country by 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of its independence.
With a view to reduce dependence on imports and realize India’s vision of becoming AatmaNirbhar, the central government has introduced Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for 14 key sectors to spur indigenous production, and enhance exports, he said.
Continuing with measures aimed at enhancing Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), Som Prakash informed the audience that the Government of India has reduced 39,000 compliances. Recently, various Acts have been amended and 183 provisions across 42 Central Acts administered by 19 ministries have been decriminalized.
Further, he mentioned that the Centre’s initiatives such as the PM Gatishakti and National Logistics Policy, aimed at drastically reducing the cost of logistics from 40 per cent to 10 per cent are bold measures in this direction. More than 24 sectors will be selected for implementation of the Logistics Policy, he added.
Addressing the gathering, Canada’s Consul General in Chandigarh Patrick Hébert, despite the persistent irritants in Indo-Canadian relations, and Canadian government having called a pause to the negotiations over a free trade pact with India in the run up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to India to participate in the G20 summit, expressed confidence over the successful conclusion of Early Progress Trade Agreement, which will be a precursor to the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
He noted with satisfaction that the trade between the two countries is growing at a fair clip. The economies of the two countries are mutually complimentary. India is currently focusing heavily on green and clean energy and agri foods sector and Canada has the requisite expertise to help India in these areas. Artificial intelligence and data analytics are other technology areas in which the two countries can collaborate, he added.
Hébert stressed that Canada offers an attractive destination for investments since it opens the doors to several lucrative markets globally with the country having free trade agreements (FTAs) with 50+ countries, which make up for more than a half of the global GDP.
He cited a recent tie-up between a Canadian company and Mahindra & Mahindra Limited which will have a direct positive impact on the agriculture sector, especially the problem of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and other affected states.
The Saskatchewan, Canada based Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. earlier this year signed a MoU with Mahindra and Mahindra Limited to bring the SMART Seeder MINI-MAX™, and related technologies, to Indian farmers with a goal of helping eradicate stubble burning, reduce input costs, boost crop production, enhance water conservation, and protect agricultural soils from further deterioration, caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers and extreme tilling.
Vrindaba Gohil, Commissioner of Customs (Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh), Customs Commissionerate – Ludhiana, encouraged businesses to take full advantage of various schemes floated by the central government to empower them to become competitive in the global market, like Manufacturing and Other Operations in Warehouse (MOOWR) scheme and Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) scheme, which streamlines customs procedures and is currently undergoing changes to enhance the efficiency of the supply chain further.
Informing the gathering that Certificates of Origin are now being issued by DGFT (Director General Foreign Trade) without charging any fees to facilitate trade and exports, Utpal Kumar Acharya, Joint DGFT – Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir & Leh Ladakh, also urged exporters to take advantage of the one-time Amnesty Scheme to address default on export obligations.
He encouraged traders and exporters to keep themselves updated on various new developments and regulations on relevant websites of the central government and also keep sending their written feedback for consideration by the government so that necessary amendments, if found necessary, can be made from time to time.
Earlier, welcoming the delegates, Amit Thapar, Chairman, CII Northern Region Task Force on Exports, and President of Ganga Acrowools Limited, emphasized the need for the manufacturing sector to be ready to produce world-class products at world-class prices, or run the risk of closure of businesses. In the process of manufacturing there cannot be any compromises on safeguarding critical issues of health, safety and the environment, he added.
The inaugural session was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Non-Tariff Barriers: Going beyond just Technical Standards’, exploring the impact of varying quality standards, improving national quality infrastructure, sustainability in Non-Tariff Measures, and the challenges posed by comprehensive free trade agreements (FTAs).
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