RETAIL SECTOR
FDI: Just the facts, please
Whether foreign direct invesmtent in retail in India is good or bad should be judged by a reasoned debate based on facts, not hyperbole and exaggeration. Jacob John reports.
Consumers
November 2012

MARKETS
Welcome, foreign investors!
In search of new funds to keep the growth story alive, the Centre opens the doors to foreign investment a little further.
January 2012

SCALING INNOVATION
Areca leaf chappals seek market lift
Three and half decades after a scientist demonstrated the idea, chappals made with areca leaf sheaths have hit the market from Kerala.
Environment | Kerala
April 2011

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Varanasi weavers get GI protection
The country's latest Geographical Indication certificate offers some new hope - of putting the sheen and colour back in a vital piece of Indian heritage, and livelihoods linked to it.
November 2009

GLOBAL FINANCIAL REFORM
G20: The 'trillion' dollar magic trick
Of the $1.1 trillion global package, less than half is from new or guaranteed resources. Meanwhile issues of fundamental economic reform were left off the agenda.
Trade
April 2009

PUSHING SEZs
Paying no heed to groundswell of opinion
A range of criticisms raised at a recent seminar in Mumbai are a sufficient indication of the extent to which SEZs are being pushed as a government policy. Darryl D'Monte reports.
Government
September 2007

OPINION/ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Growing credibility gap
It is widely accepted that agricultural subsidies in developed nations are distorting global agriculture trade. And yet, Purdue University and the World Bank are cleverly using economic models and simulated 'welfare gains' to push for market access in developing nations. Therein lies a danger, says Devinder Sharma.
Devinder Sharma
April 2007

OPINION/WTO DOHA ROUND
Under pressure, India makes U-turn
At a two-day international seminar on "Saving Doha and delivering on development" that concluded at New Delhi on 13 March, India's Commerce Minister Kamal Nath provided ample evidence of India's willingness to go along with the rich and industrialised countries. The writing is on the wall, says Devinder Sharma.
Devinder Sharma
March 2007

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Traditional knowledge receives a boost
The government's recent traditional knowledge digital library will send data to patent offices abroad, so that indigenous knowledge that India abundantly has is not patented overseas.
E-Government | Biodiversity
January 2007

SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES
SEZs: Invitation to chaos?
A Marathi booklet published by the Pune-based National Centre for Advocacy Studies reveals a number of lesser known facts about the latest controversy in Indian development, Special Economic Zones.
Trade
November 2006

PATENTS AND LIVELIHOODS
Engineering crops, distorting trade
When technological change has the potential to put the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people at risk, it must be regulated differently from other products in a free market.
GE Crops | Agriculture Opinions
September 2006

SECURING HANDLOOMS
Darjeeling tea's lessons for handlooms
The central government launched the Handloom Mark scheme in June 2006. The idea is to popularise handloom products in domestic as well as international markets.
Livelihoods | Guest opinions
September 2006

GLOBALISATION AFTER 9/11
The 'Free trade' explosion
What could not be achieved through a multilateral trade regime, is now being pursued by the US through bilateral and regional deals. Devinder Sharma connects the dots.
Devinder Sharma
September 2006

ECONOMY
Does Jamnagar diesel equal Basmati?
Last year, Reliance Industries Ltd. had filed a geographical indications (GI) application for its Krishna-Godavari gas and Jamnagar petroleum products, despite the fact that the products are not characteristically attributable to geography. Varupi Jain finds that if RIL is granted the GI, it will gain exclusive benefits that it has no rightful claim over.
July 2006

EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES
The high cost of 'easy' foreign exchange
A new sop came into effect for net-foreign exchange earning businesses in designated export zones from February 10 -- a 15-year income tax holiday. But are the costs of the revenues foregone worth the claimed benefits of more investment and jobs? M Suchitra examines the reality and does not find a rosy picture.
Labour
March 2006

GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS
Basmati beset by debate and delay
More than a year after the application for recognising Basmati as a GI was filed, there is still no way to be certain if the grain on our plates is the real thing. As a result, a lot of the rice packed and sold in Haryana is called basmati, and traders in other countries too freely use the name. Varupi Jain reports.
February 2006

WTO AND INDIAN LAW
Let the WTO's will be done?
"GATT is a calamity if the Constitution of India has validity", said Justice Krishna Iyer. Sanjay Parikh agrees, noting that the lack of ratification by Parliament of decisions taken by India at the WTO dilutes the separation of powers, and also treads on States' jurisdictions. This could have far reaching effects on Indian legislation.
Combat Law #4.5 | Laws
January 2006

WTO HONG KONG MINISTERIAL
Much ado about nothing
For the sixth time in a row, the trade ministers of the developing world have been duped to believe that agricultural trade is for development. Despite making loud noises and fuming over injustice, the faulty framework that underlies the WTO remains very much in place, says Devinder Sharma.
Agricultural trade | Devinder Sharma
December 2005

SEED REGULATION
This Seeds Bill must go
The National Seeds Bill was recently studied by a parliamentary standing committee after being introduced in the Rajya Sabha late last year. The bill has provoked controversy because it is seen as seeking to shift control of seeds from farmers to seed firms. Kavitha Kuruganti provides a critique.
Trade | Agriculture policy | Guest opinion
August 2005

LOCAL ECONOMIES
The whole world's bhujia
A new study confirms that traditional production in small communities faces grave threats from globalisation. The security of employment linked to local consumption is eroded, and traditional knowledge too is being lost. This has particularly harsh consequences for women, N P Chekkutty finds.
Books
July 2005

PATENTS
Amended Patents Act: A critique
India's recent position on patents means that it is going to make its products extremely expensive and out of reach for its own people and their brethren within the developing world. B K Keayla critiques the direction the Indian government is taking with the new patent laws.
Laws
July 2005

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
GI protection: too little, too slow
The registration of Geographical Indications in the country has been slow to get off the ground. At a time when spurious rip-offs are abundant, the government isn't paying adequate attention to ensure speedier registration that would help tap the potential markets for India's rich bioversity. Varupi Jain reports.
June 2005

TRADE AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
Combating biopiracy - the legal way
Can something be 'novel' if it is already well known? Patent offices in some countries require only that the patented bits be novel in their own country, and completely ignored the knowledge of other nations. Countries like India that are rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge are seeking to end this biopiracy. Kasturi Das looks at the issues involved.
Biodiversity
May 2005

OPINION
Tsunami, mangroves and market economy
The Tsunami of 26 December did not invade several coastlines around the Indian ocean to the degree it did many others because of mangroves and coral reefs. Mangroves offer double protection, but India has seen their rampant cutting down in favour of tourism and shrimp farming, says Devinder Sharma.
Devinder Sharma | Forests | Tsunami relief
January 2005