13th Ministerial-level meeting of the India-United States Trade Policy Forum (TPF) (GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- India and the United States held the 13th Ministerial-level meeting of India – United States Trade Policy Forum (TPF) in Washington, DC recently.
- Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai co-chaired the meeting.
Highlights of the 13th India – USA TPF 2023 discussions are as follows:
- They appreciated that bilateral trade in goods and services continued to rise rapidly and reached about $160 billion in 2021 while recognizing that significant potential remains unfulfilled and expressed their mutual desire to further enhance engagement with the goal of continuing to increase and diversify bilateral trade.
- India appreciated the resumption of inspections by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and asked the U.S. side to also resume inspections of new facilities and non-priority areas at the earliest.
- They welcomed the finalization of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) design. The collaboration between India and the United States to expedite the TED trials will ensure that the TEDs are effective in minimizing the impact of fishing on sea-turtle populations and restore the market access for India’s export of wild caught shrimp.
- India highlighted its interest in restoration of its beneficiary status under the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences program. The United States noted that this could be considered, as warranted, in relation to the eligibility criteria determined by the U.S. Congress.
- They acknowledged the constructive engagement of the Services Working Group under the Trade Policy Forum and noted that the movement of professional and skilled workers, students, investors and business travelers between the countries contributes immensely to enhancing bilateral economic and technological partnership.
- They acknowledged the ongoing discussions on a Social Security totalization agreement and supported intensifying the work to achieve early outcomes in the matter.
- They encouraged their regulatory bodies to engage in discussions on exchanges of knowledge, capacity building, and recognition of qualifications to further enhance trade in professional services. The Ministers also noted that greater co-operation in the Fintech sector. They also discussed the potential of digital health, particularly telemedicine services as an element in continuity of care during the health emergencies.
Creation of a new TPF Working Group on Resilient Trade:
- Reflecting their shared objective of deepening and broadening the U.S.-India trade relationship, theylaunched a new TPF Working Group on Resilient Trade.
- This new Working Group will enable officials to deepen bilateral dialogue on a range of issues that can enhance the resiliency and sustainability of the trade relationship so that it is better able to withstand current and future global challenges.
At the 2024 TPF Ministerial meeting, the Resilient Trade Working Group will initially focus on the following areas:
- Deepening engagement on trade facilitation, which is particularly relevant to the construction of durable and sustainable supply chains. They welcomed plans for a dedicated working session on trade facilitation in the coming months, including on digitization of customs procedures, and that officials will also identify additional areas for future cooperation;
- The importance of benefitting workers and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth, including cooperative engagement to promote labor rights and workforce development;
- Expanded dialogue on good regulatory practices and pursuing cooperation in areas of mutual interest with an initial focus on respective procedures for developing rules and regulations in advance of the next TPF Ministerial meeting;
- The role that trade can play in contributing to environmental protection and responses to common sustainability challenges including issues related to mobilization of sustainable finance and scaling up of innovative clean technologies. Further, both sides may also engage on issues of mutual interest related to circular economy approaches and promotion of sustainable lifestyle choices;
- Additional means of strengthening the resilience in our global supply chains, especially in the critical sectors that underpin our economies, as well as further work on these issues in coordination and cooperation with our trusted partners.
Way Forward:
- They concluded by directing the TPF Working Groups to reconvene quarterly, either in person or virtually, and identify specific trade outcomes to ensure that trade relationship begins to reach its full potential.
- They will hold an inter-sessional TPF meeting by mid-2023 and agreed to reconvene the TPF at the Ministerial level before the end of 2023.
First time in India, FSSAI notifies comprehensive regulatory standards for Basmati Rice
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- For the first time in India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has specified the identity standards for Basmati Rice (including Brown Basmati Rice, Milled Basmati Rice, Parboiled Brown Basmati Rice and Milled Parboiled Basmati Rice) vide Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023.
Standards:
- As per these standards, Basmati rice shall possess natural fragrance characteristic of basmati rice and be free from artificial colouring, polishing agents and artificial fragrances.
- These standards also specify various identity and quality parameters for basmati rice such as average size of grains and their elongation ratio after cooking; maximum limits of moisture, amylose content, uric acid, defective/damaged grains and incidental presence of other non-basmati rice etc.
About Basmati rice:
- Basmati rice is a premium variety of rice cultivated in the Himalayan foothills of the Indian sub-continent and is universally known for its long grain size, fluffy texture and unique inherent aroma and flavour.
- Agro-climatic conditions of the specific geographical areas where Basmati rice is grown; as well as the method of harvesting, processing and ageing of the rice contributes to the uniqueness of Basmati rice.
- Due to its unique quality attributes, Basmati is a widely consumed variety of rice both domestically and globally and India accounts for two thirds of its global supply.
Way Forward:
- Being a premium quality rice and fetching a price higher than the non-basmati varieties, Basmati rice is prone to various types of adulteration for economic gains which may include, among others, undeclared blending of other non-basmati varieties of rice.
- The standards are aimed at establishing fair practices in the trade of Basmati rice and protect consumer interest, both domestically and globally. These standards will be enforced w.e.f 1st August, 2023.
CMPDIL Invents New Dust Control Technology
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- In order to minimize and control the fugitive dust in mining areas, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) has invented a “System and Method for Controlling Generation and Movement of Fugitive Dust”.
Applications:
- This system can be used in mines, thermal power plants, railway sidings, ports, construction sites wherein coal or other minerals/fugitive materials are stored under open sky.
- Apart from reducing the dust generation from open sources, it will also provide noise attenuation.
Fugitive dust:
- Coal/Lignite PSUs under the Ministry of Coal consistently strive to produce quality coal in an environmentally responsible manner to meet the country's energy needs.
- To prevent or mitigate air pollution caused by coal mining and allied activities, coal/lignite PSUs are adopting various measure.
- Fugitive dust is a form of particulate matter that contributes to air pollution that is generated from various sources which are exposed to air and not discharged into the atmosphere through a confined flow stream.Working mechanism:
- The present invention relates to the synchronized application of windbreak (WB) and vertical greenery system (VGS) for reducing generation and dispersion of fugitive dust. The WB and VGS are erected in the upwind and downwind direction with respect to the fugitive dust source(s) respectively.
- The WB reduces the speed of the wind approaching towards the source and hence, it reduces the intensity of the ambient air to pick up dust while blowing over the source.
- The VGS acts as a filter and reduces the quantity of the residual dust moving along with the wind towards the receptors in the down-wind direction. Therefore, there is a significant reduction in the concentration of the dust in the ambient air at various receptors located in the down-wind direction.
