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New Delhi: Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards 2012 (announcement)

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on December 23, 2012

Sangeet Natak Akademi announces for 2012…

Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award) is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram (a shawl), and atamrapatra (a brass plaque). The awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts and puppetry, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

Sankeet-Natak-Akademi-Award-2012

Who are the candidates ????

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University Hamburg: 10th South Asia Day 2012 – 10. Südasientag 2012 (10th November)

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on October 15, 2012

This year’s South Asia Day at the University of Hamburg is already the 10th in the series. Having established itself as a traditional yearly event, it offers Hamburg’s public the opportunity to gain information regarding not only the perspectives of South Asia but also regarding the increasing relevance of this dynamically developing region for Germany and Europe as a whole.

10. Südasientag an der Universität Hamburg

Termin: am Samstag, 10. November 2012, 13:00 bis 21:30 Uhr
Ort: Asien-Afrika-Institut der Universität Hamburg
Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, Flügel Ost, 20146 Hamburg

Ob Energieversorgung, Klimawandel, Gewaltentrennung oder die Rolle der Mittelschicht – seit dem Jahr 2002 bietet der Südasientag an der Universität Hamburg der Öffentlichkeit die Möglichkeit, sich über wirtschaftliche, politische, soziale und kulturelle Perspektiven des Subkontinents und die für Deutschland und Europa wachsende Bedeutung dieser sich dynamisch entwickelnden Region zu informieren. Am 10. November 2012 begeht der Südasientag sein 10-jähriges Jubiläum. Es ist eine der Veranstaltungen des Indien-Jahres in Deutschland – Days of India in Germany -, mit denen das 60jährige Bestehen diplomatischer Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und Indien gewürdigt wird. So ist auch Indien das Hauptland des 10. Südasien-Tages. Anlässlich des runden Datums organisiert der Arbeitskreis Neuzeitliches Südasien am Vortag, 9.November, und Vormittag 10. November eine akademische Tagung, deren Thema “Stadtentwicklung in Südasien” mit dem thematischen Schwerpunkt des 10. Südasien-Tages zusammenfällt. Im ersten Programmteil des 10. Südasien-Tages erörtern diplomatische Vertreter der Mitgliedstaaten der Südasiatischen Assoziation für Regionale Zusammenarbeit (SAARC) und Wissenschaftler in einer Podiumsdiskussion Probleme und Perspektiven der Stadtentwicklung auf dem Indischen Subkontinent, vor allem in den zu explodieren drohenden Mega-Cities. Das anschließende Programmteil beschäftigt sich mit der Entwicklung der Filmindustrie in den Ländern Südasiens. Den Besuchern südasiatische Spezialitäten angeboten und am Abend erwartet sie ein buntes Programm mit Tanz, Musik und Gesang.

Stadtentwicklung in Südasien

In keinem Teil der Welt wächst die Einwohnerzahl der Megastädte so schnell wie auf dem indischen Subkontinent. Droht eine soziale Katastrophe? Oder werden Empfehlungen des McKinsey-Berichts aus dem Jahre 2004 mit dem Ziel in die Wirklichkeit umgesetzt, das bisherige entwicklungspolitische Durchwursteln in der urbanen Entwicklung durch langfristige Planungen zu ersetzen, die eine urban verankerte Wirtschafts- und Bevölkerungszone entstehen lassen kann? Die Zentral- und Landesregierungen haben sich für die strukturierte Stadtentwicklung entschieden. Der Wettlauf mit der Zeit hat begonnen, sein Ausgang ist offen.

Die Perspektiven des weiteren Bevölkerungszuwachses sind besorgniserregend:

Land/Stadt: in 2000 und 2015
________________________________________
Dhaka/Bangladesch: 10,2 Mio. und 18,0 Mio.
Kolkata/Indien: 13,1 Mio. und 16,8 Mio.
New Delhi/Indien: 12,4 Mio. und 21,0 Mio.
Mumbai/Indien: 16,1 Mio. und 22,6 Mio.
Karachi/Pakistan: 10,0 Mio. und 16,2 Mio.

Zum Vergleich: In Indonesien wachsen die Megastädte in einem Zeitraum von fünfzehn Jahren um ein bis zwei Drittel der Bevölkerung. Demgegenüber registrieren wir in derselben Periode in China und Japan ein Wachstum in moderatem Tempo, z.B. Beijing von 10,8 auf 11 Millionen Bewohner und Tokyo von 34 auf 36 Millionen Bewohner. Das überdurchschnittliche Wachstum der Megastädte auf dem indischen Subkontinent geht auf die kontinuierlichen Wanderungsbewegungen aus den übervölkerten rückständigen, also stagnierenden Landstrichen in die urbanen Zentren zurück, die bald Heimstatt für die Hälfte der Bevölkerung sein werden. Die Umsetzung der Stadtplanung mit Satellitenzentren, Infrastruktur für Wasser, Strom, Verkehr, Gesundheit, Schule und Gewerbe/Industrie sowie umweltverträglicher Technologie kommt dem rasanten Zuwachs der Bevölkerung nicht nach. Immer noch droht der Kollaps. Komplizierte Naturbedingungen und lauernde Naturkatastrophen bedürfen besondere Baumaterialien und architektonische Qualitäten. Die internationale Studie “Mega-Cities and Global Change” vom April 2007 unterscheidet mit guten Gründen zwischen “armen” und “wohlhabenden” Mega-Cities – letztere zeichnen sich wie Tokyo durch eine angemessene eigene Produktionsbasis aus. Zukunftweisende Stadtplanung muss durch produktive ländliche Entwicklung ergänzt werden, um die gewaltigen Migrationsprozesse abzuschwächen. Die von Mahatma Gandhi ins Leben gerufenen Dorfbetriebe – “cottage industries” wiesen zu damaliger Zeit den Weg, reichen aber angesichts der zwischenzeitlichen Bevölkerungszunahme und Produktionswandel nicht aus. Neue Lösungen müssen gefunden und umgesetzt werden. Diplomatische Vertreter der am südasiatischen Staatenverband für regionale wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit beteiligten Staaten (SAARC) werden auf dem 10. Südasientag mit Wissenschaftlern die Überlebensfrage des Subkontinents und deren Bewältigung diskutieren.

Der Film in Südasien

Auf dem 10. Südasientag steht die beeindruckende und vielfältige Entwicklung der Filmindustrie auf dem Subkontinent, insbesondere von Bollywood, der größten filmproduzierenden Struktur der Welt auf der Tagesordnung. Die soziale Bedeutung des in mehr als einem Dutzend Sprachen des Subkontinents produzierten Films für den Zusammenhalt der Gesellschaft auf dem Subkontinent und ihre Entwicklung kann gar nicht hoch genug eingestuft werden. Die indische Filmproduktion geht auf den im Jahre 1912 und 1913 ur-aufgeführten Films “Raja Harishchandra” von Dhundiraj Govind Pahlke zurück. Die Filmindustrie hat wichtige, vielleicht entscheidende Impulse durch die im Jahre 1925 begonnene Zusammenarbeit mit dem Filmemacher Franz Osten von der Münchner Filmproduktionsgesellschaft Emelka sowie dem Rechtsanwalt und Hobbyschauspieler Himansu Rai erhalten, der auch in Bombay die ersten Filmstudios mit deutscher Technologie unter dem Firmennamen “Bombay Talkies” errichtete. Zum ersten Mal wurde 1937 ein indischer Film auf dem internationalen Filmfestival in Venedig gezeigt. Inzwischen ist der indische Film aus den Filmkinos in allen Teilen der Welt – auch im sogenannten Westen – nicht mehr weg zu denken. Sachverständige werden auf dem 10. Südasientag die kulturellen und künstlerischen Besonderheiten des Films in den SAARC-Ländern und seine Bedeutung für den Zusammenhalt der Gesellschaften, aber auch für die Verständigung zwischen den Völkern diskutieren.

Die Tagung “Stadtentwicklung in Südasien” findet am 9. November (Beginn 10:30 Uhr) und am 10. November 10:00 bis 12:00 Uhr statt.

RAUM am 09. November: Universität Hamburg, Excellenzcluster LiMA, Konferenzraum (R. 4028), Mittelweg 177, 20148 Hamburg, Eingang von Klein Fontenay, 4. Et.

RAUM am 10. November: Universität Hamburg, Asien-Afrika-Institut, Raum 222, Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, Flügel Ost (rechts vom Universitätshauptgebäude )

Organisation: Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Arbeitskreis Neuzeitliches Südasien, DGA, Koordinatorin: Prof. Dr. Tatiana Oranskaia.

Die Tagung wird gefördert durch den Deutschen Akademischen  Austauschdienst

(Quelle: 10/2012 – Asien-Afrika-Institut der Universität Hamburg)

SAT Flyer…

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New Delhi: 47 eminent artists get Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on October 9, 2012

Sangeet Natak Akademi

Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Award) is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram (a shawl), and atamrapatra (a brass plaque). The awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts and puppetry, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

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Updated Oct 09, 2012 at 05:15pm IST

New Delhi: Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and Santoor exponent Shivkumar Sharma were among the recipients of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowship and awards given to 47 eminent persons by President Pranab Mukherjee here on Tuesday. A total of 11 eminent persons in the field of music, dance and theatre were nominated for the Akademi fellowship for 2011, which included along with Khan and Sharma, flute legend Hariprasad Chaurasia, who could not make it to the function due to his prior engagements.

English: Amjad Ali Khan in concert at Kuthira ...

English: Amjad Ali Khan in concert at Kuthira Malika, Thiruvananthapuram  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Besides this, 36 eminent personalities and artists, including well-known film and television actor Vikram Gokhle, were conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi awards. Those conferred with the highest honour of Akademi fellowship received Rs 3 lakh, an angavastram and a tamrapatra. The eminent representatives of music, dance and theatre, who received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards received Rs one lakh, an Angavastram and a Tamrapatra.

Two of the Akademi Awardees Sundari Krishnalal Shridharani, an eminent threatre personality, who set up Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi and director and playwright Alakhnandan were given the award posthumously. Their family members received the awards on their behalf after the ceremony was over. Both of them passed away earlier this year after they were named for the awards.

The oldest living artist to receive the award was Kerala musician Thrippekulam Achuta Marar (91), who came on a wheel chair. Mukherjee got down from the stage to offer him the award. The youngest to get the award was 48 year-old Bharatnatyam dancer Narthaki Nataraj. Khan, who received the Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowship this time had earlier got the Akademi Award in 1989. He is a recipient of many prestigious awards, including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and the UNESCO award.

Mukund Lath, a leading thinker in cultural history, Mridangam artist Umayalapuram Kasiviswanatha Sivraman, famed Kathakali artist Kalamandalam Gopi, outstanding Bharatnatyam dancer Padma Subramanyam were also awarded the fellowship. Others who received the prestigious fellowship of the Akademi included Mohan Chandrasekaran for Carnatic violin, Rajkumar Singhajit Singh for his contribution to Manipuri dance, Karnataka dramatist Chandrasekhar Basavanneppa Kambara and a voice in contemporary Indian theatre Heisnam Kanhailal from Manipur.

The list of Akademi awardees included Shruti Sadolkar Katkar, who had given music in Amol Palekar’s movie Paheli, Marathe Venkateshkumar (both in Hindustani vocal), Gopal Chandra Panda (Odishi music), Pakhawaj artist Totaram Sharma, Pushpraj Ramlal Koshti (Hindustani Instrumental Music), J Venkatrama (Carnatic Vocal music), Elappulli Mahadevaiyer Submramaniam, Ayyagari Syamasundram and Sheshampatti T Sivalingam (all three Carnatic Instrumental Music).

In the dance category, the awardees included Narthaki Nataraj (Bharatnatayam), Manjusree Chatterjee (Kathak), Thonnakkal Peethambaran (Kathakali), Priti Patel (Manipuri), Alekhya Punjala (Kuchipudi), Malaysia born Ramali Ibrahim (Odissi), V K Hymavathy (Mohiniattam), Tanusree Shankar (Creative and experimental dance) and Karaikudi R Krishnamurthy (music for dance- Mridangam).

In the theatre category, three actors, including the noted theatre and film personality Vikram Gokhle got the award. The other two included Neena Tiwana and A R Srinivasan. Apart from Alakhnandan, who was awarded posthumously, another threatre director to get the award was Kirti Jain besides actor, director and stage designer R Nageswara Rao of Andhra Pradesh. Kamal Jain of the Allied Theatre Arts got the award for lighting. Jain had designed lighting for more than three hundred plays including Vijay Tendulkar’s legendary play ‘Ghasiram Kotwal’.

(Source: 10/2012 – IBNLive News)

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Official Press Release of 3rd October 2012…

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Inauguration Ceremony of M. Gandhi Bridge on 2nd Oct 2012 (143rd Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi)

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on October 2, 2012

photo documentary on the morning of 2nd October 2012 in Hanseatic City Hamburg…
The renaming of Hamburg’s water channel bridge front the new Elb-Philharmony building in the 1.8 million metropole Hanseatic City Hamburg (North Germany) shall remember visitors (Hamburg has annually 10 million tourists) and inhabitants that Gandhi was a ‘bridge builder’ and to connect different nations in a peacfully way as Germany is doing  since May 2012 with the “Days of India in Germany” to celebrate 60 years of Indo-German diplomacy -http://www.imcradio.net/daysofindiaingermany
.
Consul General, Ms. M. Subashini and students of Blankenese School (Hamburg), Hamburg’s Senator for Culture Ms. Barbara Kisseler addressing the audience, the plaque to be placed on the bridge being unveiled and Members of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Initiative…

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2nd Oct.: International Day of Non-Violence = Happy Gandhi Jayanti 2012…

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on October 1, 2012

Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), political and ...

Gandhi Jayanti is a National Holiday celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , the “Father of the Nation” who is commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi or Bapu. He was born on October 2, 1869.

Hence Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated every year on 2 October. It is one of the three official declared National Holidays of India and is observed in all Indian states and union territories. Other two being the Independence Day (August 15) and the Republic Day (January 26).

The United Nations General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that the 2nd of October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

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2nd October 2012: 143rd Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi + International Day of Non-Violence & Peace

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on September 26, 2012

Letter of invitation referring the occasion of the celebration of the 143rd Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and the International Day of Non-Violence and Peace.

The celebration will take place on the 2nd of October 2012 at 1900 hrs in the Albert Schaefer Hall, Handelskammer, Adolphsplatz 1, 20457 Hamburg.

You are requested to attend the event on the 2nd of October 2012 with your family and also to inform all those known to you.

For further details you may like to contact Mahatma Gandhi Gedenkintiative in Hamburg at the address given below.

Mahatma Gandhi Gedenkintiative
Mützendorpsteed 46
D-22179 Hamburg
Tel: 040-64202836
Email: mkmahatamagandhi@gmail.com

Inauguration Cerremony on the morning of 2nd October 2012

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Consul General, Ms. M. Subashini and students of Blankenese School (Hamburg), Hamburg’s Senator for Culture Ms. Barbara Kisseler addressing the audience, the plaque to be placed on the bridge being unveiled and Members of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Initiative…

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7-15 September, 2013: INDIA WEEK Hamburg

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on September 17, 2012

The dates for the next “India Week Hamburg” have been finalized in September 2012. The next edition (after 2008, 2009 and 2011) will take place from 7th to 15th September 2013 and will co-incide with the “IGS – Internationale Gartenschau” (International Garden Show). – Source: GIRT Hamburg

Further details will be worked out and shared with other players soon.

India-Week-Logo-2013

Hochspezialisierte Ingenieure und ungelernte Tagelöhner, farbenfrohe Saris und tiefschwarze Jeans, der Lärm Mumbais und die Stille des Himalaya – Indien fasziniert uns mit seinen Gegensätzen. Hamburg widmet 2013 wieder eine India Week seiner schon lange bestehenden Freundschaft mit diesem spannenden Land. Vom 7. bis 15. September 2013 stellen unterschiedliche Akteure neun Tage lang Tradition und Gegenwart Indiens vor. Der Blick richtet sich dabei besonders auf die Themen „Stadtentwicklung und Lebensqualität“, „Urbanisierung“, „Smart Cities“ und „Architektur“. Ein abwechslungsreiches Programm wartet auch 2013 auf Besucher und Organisatoren. (Quelle: Hamburg.de)

Keep yourself updated on IMC’s specific Facebook page ! – Thank you.

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The 66th Independence Day of India 2012 (15th August) in Hanseatic City Hamburg…

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on August 15, 2012

General Consulate of India (Hamburg) invited
for an evening of Indian Dance on 11th August 2012…
with celebrating the 66th Independence Day of India 2012

… and pls take notice: “Days of Indian in Germany 2012/2013″ - http://www.imcradio.net/daysofindiaingermany

(© 08/2012 – photos with courtesy to Consulate, Generale of India, Hamburg)

Artists/Dancer: Anja Grover* (BharatNatyam), P.T. Narendran (BharatNatyam) in yellow, Gudrun Maertins (Odissi) in green and Katja-Shivani* (Bharat Natyam)…

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*) belong to Kalamitra Dance Group (see last 5 pictures)

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Press Releases: Ninth World Hindi Conference (July 17, 2012)

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on July 17, 2012

(07/17/2012 – New Delhi) – The 9th World Hindi Conference (WHC) is scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 22-24 September, 2012. A media launch for the conference will take place on 18th July, 2012 from 1500 hrs onwards at The Ballroom, Hyderabad House, New Delhi. The conference logo and the conference website will be launched on this occasion by Minister of State for External Affairs Smt. Preneet Kaur.

Organisation of World Hindi Conferences began more than three decades ago when the 1st World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur from 10-12 January, 1975 under the aegis of Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti, Wardha. In all, eight World Hindi Conferences have been held so far in different countries such as India (1975 and 1983), Mauritius (1976 and 1993), Trinidad & Tobago (1996), U.K. (1999), Suriname (2003), USA (2007).

Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India is the nodal Ministry for coordinating the work relating to the 9th World Hindi Conference. A Steering Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Minister of State for External Affairs Smt. Preneet Kaur. Six sub committees have been formed to deliberate on various aspects of the conference. In South Africa an organizing committee has been formed under the patronage of the High Commissioner of India Shri Virendra Gupta. He is being assisted by the Consulate General of India and Indian Cultural Centre, Johannesburg. Hindi Shiksha Sangh a voluntary Hindi organization in South Africa is the local partner for the conference.

The main theme of the conference is ‘Bhasha Ki Asmita Aur Hindi Ka Vaishvik Sandarbh’.

The programme of the conference includes nine academic sessions, cultural programmes and exhibitions on various aspects of Hindi including IT applications in the field of Hindi. An exhibition on the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi will also be put up by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi. The venue of the conference will be Sandton Community Centre, Johannesburg. In view of Mahatma Gandhi’s long association with South Africa and the deep influence Gandhiji’s life had on Dr. Nelson Mandela, the main venue of the conference has been named as Gandhigram, plenary hall as Nelson Mandela Sabhagar and other halls for academic sessions have been named as Shanti, Satya, Ahimsa, Neeti and Nyaya. A well equipped media centre will be set up for the use of media persons and appropriate arrangements for briefing will be made at the venue. Information about the registration for the conference and other details can be obtained from the conference website once it is launched.

Contact persons for any information/clarification on the subject:

Ministry of External Affairs New Delhi

Shri Anup Kumar Mudgal
Joint Secretary[AD]
Tel: 23014114
Fax: 23014743
Email:jsad[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in

Mrs. Suniti Sharma
Deputy Secretary[Hindi]
Tel: 23013889
Fax:23010393
Email:dshindi[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in

Shri Binod Kumar
Asstt. Dir.[OL]
Tel: 23013528
Email:asstdirhindi[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in

High Commission of India Pretoria
T.Armstrong Changsan
Deputy High Commissioner
Tel: 00-27-12-3425398
Fax:00-27-12-3425310
Email:dhc[at]hicomind[dot]co[dot]za

(Source: July 17, 2012 – meaindia.nic.in)

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The Tribune: India, EU to begin talks on free trade agreement (06/24/2012)

Posted by ElJay Arem (IMC OnAir) on June 24, 2012

by Ashok Tuteja (Tribune News Service)

(New Delhi, June 24) – Their is still a big question mark on whether the much-anticipated Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) will fructify this year. India and the EU will hold talks on Tuesday in Brussels to resolve differences over the pact that is expected to give a major boost to bilateral trade between the two sides.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma will hold substantive discussions with EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht to explore the possibility of signing the accord as early as possible, according to Joao Cravinho, EU Ambassador to India. The two sides would also review the progress made in the talks under way since 2007. The India-EU summit in February this year had set a deadline of the year-end for concluding the pact.

Asked if the accord could come through this year, Cravinho was quite evasive, saying ”both sides will need to make a trade off…I think it is within grasp.”

Indications are that Sharma and Gucht would deliberate on issues like opening of services sector, which still remain unresolved.

Cravinho expressed his disappointment over what he called New Delhi increasing protectionism by raising already high tariff on car import, erratic cotton exports policy and insisting on higher domestic content by foreign telecom manufacture in India.

“The EU is committed as a whole to trade liberalisation. However, there are some protectionist measures like the rising car tariffs in India, the country’s back and forth policy on cotton exports and the domestic content requirement in manufacturing of telecom equipment which need to be resolved,” he said.

As part of the bilateral investment and trade agreement, the EU has been pitching for opening up automobiles, wines and spirits as part of the free trade agreement that is being negotiated between India and EU. However, the two sides are yet to arrive at a consensus on these critical issues as Indian automobile industry feels that this would hurt the domestic manufacturers.

India has, traditionally, kept automobiles in the negative list under free trade agreements with other countries like Japan, Malaysia, Korea, ASEAN and Singapore. The EU, meanwhile, is reluctant to open up movement of professionals from India to the EU under Mode 4 to ensure job creation for its own people. Besides, the grouping has also been raising non-trade issues like human rights, child labour and environment during the ongoing negotiations for a broad based agreement.

According to Cravinho, the European Commission has also mandated that the objective of the negotiation should be to push for a single investor treaty with India, instead of several bilateral investor treaties that India currently has with some EU nations. The European Commission has already indicated to India that it was now looking at a single investor treaty.

“This was not part of the investment agreement when we started in 2007. However, the mandate for a single investor treaty has widened the investment negotiations,” he said, adding that though this will take several years before it comes into practice. This seems to be the fallout of the Indian government’s recent move to retrospectively tax overseas transactions involving Indian assets in the Vodafone tax case.

India and the EU have been negotiating the FTA for the past five years. It was initially expected to be concluded in 2011. But differences on the level of opening of the market have hampered the progress on the negotiations. However, the two partners are now working at concluding a deal by the end of 2012. The EU as an economic bloc is India’s largest trade partner.

The objectives

  • India and European Union will resume talks in Brussels on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to resolve differences over the pact that is expected to give a major boost to bilateral trade between the two sides
  • The two sides will review the progress made in the negotiations under way since 2007
  • They will explore the possibility of signing the accord as early as possible
  • Will also deliberate on issues like opening of services sector, which still remain unresolved
  • The India-EU summit in February this year had set a deadline of the year-end for concluding the pact

Single investor treaty

The European Commission has also mandated that the objective of the negotiation should be to push for a single investor treaty with India instead of several bilateral investor treaties that India currently has with some EU nations. The Commission has already indicated to India that it was now looking at a single investor treaty.

(Source: 06/24/2012 – The Tribune | Tribune News Service)

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