1.   

Commerce department pushes new RBI Governor for priority sector lending to exports

As new RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on Wednesday took a slew of measures to prop up the rupee as well as provide boost to exports in the medium term, the commerce and industry ministry is hopeful the central bank will also bring banks lending to outbound shipments under priority sector lending norms. It has asked the new governor to expedite this process for both Indian and foreign banks. The demand has come at a time when exports registered a double digit growth in July after two straight months of contraction.

2.   

‘Expensive credit renders exports less competitive’

Expensive credit is rendering Indian exporters less competitive, said A K Tripathy, Joint Secretary at the Union Commerce Ministry. Speaking at a meet on ‘WTO Trade Facilitation Agreements and FTA Challenges’ organised by CII, Tripathy said, “To handle it, the Commerce Ministry has been successful in taking the Finance Ministry onboard to engage with RBI to work out a package for the export sector.”

3.   

Industry, government must collaborate to boost food safety: Tariq Anwar

Tariq Anwar, minister of state for food processing industries, has urged the industry, academia and government to collaborate in the larger interests of the food safety and food security in the country. While speaking on the inauguration of a day-long summit on food safety hosted jointly by TUV SUD and ASSOCHAM here on Thursday, the minister urged for technological intervention in agriculture and food processing industry.

4.   

‘US could help stabilise India-Pak relationship’

Fresh from his trip to India, Congressman Ami Bera hoped that the United States would help stabilise the relationship between India and Pakistan. Talking to the media on his just concluded India trip, the Indian-American Congressman from California hoped that in addition to discussing the India-Pak ties, Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and the US President Barack Obama at a meeting in Washington later this month would also discuss the Afghan situation post 2014.