Textiles Minister to Open 73rd India Int'l Garment Fair
Organized jointly by AEPC and IGFA, and supported by leading apparel bodies like GEMA, CMAI, and GEAR, the fair has grown into a global platform for showcasing Indian garments. This edition will spotlight 361 exporters from 12 states across 9,375 sq. mtrs. of exhibition space. Major participating states include Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Haryana.
The fair will welcome buyers from 79 countries, including major sourcing destinations like the USA, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Brazil. Two daily fashion shows will take place from 1–3 July in Hall No. 1, featuring collections for the Spring/Summer 2026 season.
Shri Sudhir Sekhri, Chairman of AEPC and IGFA, noted that IIGF continues to strengthen India's presence in global fashion markets. 'India's RMG exports grew by 12.8%, reaching USD 2882.9 million in April–May 2025. The fair will support MSMEs in scaling their exports and connect them with global buyers looking for sustainable, quality-driven sourcing alternatives,' he said.
IIGF 73 places a strong focus on Western markets, aligning its product offerings with the latest global fashion and retail needs. Since its launch in 1988, IIGF has served as a critical link between Indian exporters and international fashion retailers, held biannually for Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer collections.
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Business Standard
9 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Ball in Washington's court on India-US interim trade pact before July 9
With India setting its red lines on key issues in sectors such as agriculture and dairy for the proposed interim trade agreement with the US, the ball is now in Washington's court to finalise the deal, sources said. They said if issues are settled, an interim trade pact could be announced before July 9, which marks the end of the 90-day suspension period of the Trump tariffs announced on April 2 on dozens of countries, including India. "India has drawn its red lines... now the ball is in the US court," they said. In February, the two countries announced starting negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA). They fixed a deadline to conclude the first tranche or phase of the BTA by fall (September-October) this year. Before that, the two sides are locking to finalise an interim trade pact. On April 2, the US imposed an additional 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods but suspended it for 90 days. However, the 10 per cent baseline tariff imposed by America remains in place. India is seeking full exemption from this 26 per cent tariff. "If the proposed trade talks fail, the 26 per cent tariffs will come into force again," one of the sources said. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal last week stated that India does not enter into any trade agreement based on deadlines and will accept the proposed trade deal with the US only when it is fully finalised, properly concluded and in the national interest. FTAs are possible only when both sides get benefitted and it should be a win-win agreement, he has said. "National interest should always be supreme. Keeping that in mind, if a deal is made then India is always ready to deal with developed countries," Goyal had said on July 4. The Indian team returned from Washington last week after holding talks with the US on an interim trade pact. Differences are also there on steel, aluminium (50 per cent) and auto (25 per cent) tariffs. India has hardened its position on giving duty concessions to the US on agriculture and dairy products as both are sensitive subjects. India has never opened the dairy sector in any of the previous trade pacts signed. US President Donald Trump last week said his administration is sending letters to the first batch of 10-12 countries, sharing details of reciprocal tariff rates and the entire process could be completed by July 9. His comments came amid increasing suspense in India on whether New Delhi and Washington would be able to firm up a much-anticipated trade deal before the US president's tariff deadline ends. He has, however, not named the countries. The president has stated that the reciprocal tariffs would come into effect from August 1. While the US is looking at duty concessions in sectors like certain industrial goods, automobiles (electric vehicles particularly), wines, petrochemical products, dairy, and agriculture items such as apples, tree nuts, and alfalfa hay; India may look at duty cuts for labour-intensive sectors like apparels, textiles, gems and jewellery, leather, plastics, chemicals, oil seeds, shrimp, and horticulture products. The US is India's largest trading partner from 2021-22. During 2024-25, the bilateral trade in goods stood at $131.84 billion ($86.51 billion worth of exports, $45.33 billion of imports and $41.18 billion trade surplus). India's merchandise exports to the US rose 21.78 per cent to $17.25 billion in April-May this fiscal year, while imports rose 25.8 per cent to $8.87 billion. The two-way trade in services expanded from $54.1 billion in 2018 to an estimated $70.5 billion in 2024. India is also a key destination for American businesses such as professional, scientific, and technical services, manufacturing, and IT. The US accounts for about 18 per cent of India's total goods exports and over 6 per cent in imports and about 11 per cent in bilateral trade. India received $70.65 billion between April 2000 and March 2025, making Washington the third largest investor. In 2024, India's main exports to the US included drug formulations and biologicals ($8.1 billion), telecom instruments ($6.5 billion), precious and semi-precious stones ($5.3 billion), petroleum products ($4.1 billion), gold and other precious metal jewellery ($3.2 billion), ready-made garments of cotton, including accessories ($2.8 billion), and products of iron and steel ($2.7 billion). Imports included crude oil ($4.5 billion), petroleum products ($3.6 billion), coal, coke ($3.4 billion), cut and polished diamonds ($2.6 billion), electric machinery ($1.4 billion), aircraft, spacecraft and parts ($1.3 billion), and gold ($1.3 billion).
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
With Manchester and Amsterdam services, IndiGo boards the long-haul flight to chase its ‘global airline' ambitions
After establishing dominance in Indian skies and building a dense short-haul international network over 18-plus years, the country's largest airline IndiGo has finally forayed into the long-haul segment, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the carrier's evolution. Early July, the airline started flying non-stop to Manchester and Amsterdam from Mumbai, a milestone in its ambition to become a global airline by 2030 with its 'internationalisation strategy' as a key cornerstone. The plan involves product development to serve specific markets, building a global network by growing mid- and long-haul operations and deepening codeshare partnerships with global airlines, and inducting long-range narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, and all that while maintaining cost leadership. IndiGo—for long seen as a classic low-cost carrier (LCC)—is shaping into what its chief executive Pieter Elbers likes to call a 'fit-for-purpose' airline—one with varied product offerings in line with the demands of specific market segments, instead of the typical budget airline. Over the past year, IndiGo launched a tailor-made business class product—IndiGo Stretch—on select domestic routes, and a loyalty programme. The airline felt that there were sizable market segments within India where these offerings would work well. And beyond that, these were also part of the groundwork for the carrier's log-haul operations. On its just-launched long-haul flights—currently using damp-leased Boeing 787-9 aircraft from Norse Atlantic—IndiGo has hot meals and in-flight entertainment included for all flyers. It is also offering the international version of its Stretch product complete with complimentary alcoholic drinks service, choice of three-course hot meals, some free amenities, and even lounge access. And this could very well be the broad template for IndiGo's long-haul operations. 'I don't think our product here is what one can label or classify as an LCC or a ULCC (ultra-low-cost carrier) product. We have hot meals and baggage included. So, it's a fit-for-purpose product and operation. For a nine-hour or 10-hour flight, we choose to have a product where food is included, instead of going through all the complexities of selling it on board. Does it mean that we have to do it all across the network, and for our five and six-hour flights? No, not at all. The fit-for-purpose for 10 hours looks different than that for four or five or six hours,' Elbers told The Indian Express after IndiGo's inaugural Mumbai-Manchester flight. 'I believe very much that IndiGo should be a fit-for-purpose airline. That means that the hundreds of routes we operate in the nation itself should have a very cost compelling basis, and with that, a very attractive price. But some of the other routes in the nation, like its busiest, might need something more, and that's why we started with IndiGo Stretch. And the same goes for these European flights. It's fit for purpose and a value-for-money proposition. It's going to be very competitive with some of the fares offered by our competitors. And importantly, it's a direct connection,' the IndiGo CEO added. IndiGo sees significant potential in the international segment, given that Indian airlines account for 45 per cent of India's international air passenger traffic, while overseas carriers account for around 55 per cent. When it comes to India-Europe passenger traffic, overseas carriers have an even higher share of around 70 per cent, some of which is up for the taking, believes IndiGo. As part of its 'internationalisation strategy', IndiGo plans to induct extra-long-range narrow-body Airbus A321 XLR aircraft starting this year and wide-body Airbus A350 planes from 2027 to operate medium- and long-range international flights. With the A350s, IndiGo should be in a position to launch non-stop services between India and North America. But Elbers—a former KLM CEO whose nearly three years at IndiGo have been focused on internationalisation—does not want to wait for its own long-range aircraft to fuel its international expansion. He and the airline are in a hurry to emerge as trailblazers on a number of long-haul routes. Therefore, IndiGo decided to enter the long-haul market using damp-leased planes. IndiGo's agreements with Norse Atlantic are for six Boeing 787-9 wide-body aircraft, one of which has been inducted and is operating the thrice weekly Mumbai-Manchester and Mumbai-Amsterdam services. The remaining five jets will be inducted over the course of this year and early next year. Over the past two to three years, IndiGo has expanded its international network by adding destinations in regions including Central Asia and the Caucasus, Southeast Asia, and Africa using its narrow-body fleet. Europe, where Air India is the only Indian carrier that operates direct flights, was expected to be the next frontier for IndiGo. According to Elbers, the fact that 65 per cent of the world's population lives within the range of IndiGo's existing narrow-body fleet underscores the potential of international expansion within this radius and beyond. In addition to Manchester and Amsterdam, IndiGo will be adding another eight international destinations in the current financial year (2025-26), growing its international network to 51 destinations. It intends to launch services to London, Copenhagen, Athens, Siem Reap, and four undisclosed Central Asian destinations. Barring Athens, the destinations in Europe and the UK are expected to be operated using the Norse Atlantic aircraft that IndiGo is taking on damp lease. Flights to Athens will be operated using the Airbus A321 XLR aircraft that IndiGo expects to start inducting in the current financial year. Siem Reap and the new destinations in Central Asia are likely to be operated using IndiGo's mainline fleet of Airbus A320 family jets. 'When it comes to building the international network the opportunity is enormous and we have indeed demonstrated that with Central Asia, and even some places in Southeast Asia. But the way I would like to see the network developed is we start to expand the range step by step. You will continue to see a lot of new routes in, let me call it the region, Southeast Asia, Gulf…So, we are expanding the density of the regional international network, and at the same time continuously expand the borders of that network and stretch the scope of where we fly,' Elbers said. IndiGo also sees its codeshare partnerships with other international carriers as a tool for network development as it would help the airline study the traffic flows and demand and plan its own long-haul network densification over the coming years. Specific to IndiGo's foray into Europe and the UK is the carrier's recently announced partnership with Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France-KLM, which will help it offer connections to other points in Europe and the US from points that IndiGo would be flying to in Europe. 'I think partnerships, until a few years back, were very much foreign airlines flying to India and then putting their passengers on our domestic network, benefiting from IndiGo's enormous domestic network. I think we are now making it much more reciprocal. So, for example, KLM has 30 destinations in India connecting on their flights from some major Indian cities. Now, we're going to have connections on KLM from Amsterdam. With Virgin (Atlantic), same story. We'll have connections with Virgin here in Manchester itself. So, it's going to be more reciprocal now, and it's surely going to help the further development of our network,' Elbers said. The reporter was in Manchester at IndiGo's invitation for the launch of the airline's Mumbai-Manchester non-stop service. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Hans India
14 minutes ago
- Hans India
Felicitation ceremony for 7-star and 5-star rated mines to be held on Monday
The Indian Bureau of Mines will host a grand event at the Rajasthan International Centre here on Monday to felicitate the performance of 7 & 5-star rated mines nationwide for the year 2023-24, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Mines on Sunday. During the event, three 7-star rated mines and 95 5-star rated mines for the year 2023-24 are scheduled to be honoured. The program evaluates mining operations nationwide within the Sustainable Development Framework, which primarily aims to drive inclusive growth while safeguarding the social, economic, and environmental welfare of present and future generations. Union Minister of Coal & Mines G. Kishan Reddy will be the Chief Guest, and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Union Minister of State for Coal & Mines Satish Chandra Dubey will be present as distinguished guests of honour. Sanjay Lohiya, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mines, will also be present at the occasion. The Star Rating of Mines, conceptualised in 2014-15, has garnered widespread acclaim within the mining community for fostering a positive and competitive environment among mine operators. The recognition bestowed by the Union Minister and the national-level acknowledgement of performance have greatly motivated miners to improve their functioning, bringing tangible benefits to the mining industry as well as the local communities, the statement added. Meanwhile, the Coal Ministry has launched RECLAIM – a community engagement and development framework for mine closures, with the aim of improving both landscapes and local livelihoods. The framework constitutes a key step toward ensuring a just and sustainable transition for communities that have developed alongside mining operations over decades. The framework, referred to as RECLAIM, serves as a structured guide for inclusive community engagement and development throughout the mine closure and post-closure phases. It offers a practical, step-by-step approach to institutionalising community participation in the transition process.
