Daily Current Affairs

India’s share in world food grains market based on export values stands at 7.79% in 2022 (GS Paper 3, Economy)

Why in news?

• Recently, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha gave information about India’s share in the world food grains market.

 

India’s exports of foodgrains:

• India’s share in the world food grains market, based on the exported values in 2022, was 7.79% (Source: ITC Trade Map calculations based on UN COMTRADE and ITC statistics).
• India’s exports of foodgrains have registered a steady growth in last few years which is reflected in the increase in India’s share in world foodgrain exports from 3.38% in 2010 to 7.79% in 2022 as per UN COMTRADE statistics. 

 

Export promotion:

• The Government has taken several steps at State/ District levels to promote exports of agriculture products, including foodgrains.
• State-specific Action Plans have been prepared and State Level Monitoring Committees (SLMCs), Nodal Agencies for agricultural exports and Cluster Level Committees have been formed in a number of States. Country and product-specific action plans have also been formulated to promote exports.
• The Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), a statutory body under the administrative control of Department of Commerce, has been providing financial assistance to the exporters of agricultural and processed food products, including foodgrains, under components such as Development of Export Infrastructure, Quality Development and Market Development under its scheme namely “Agriculture & Processed Food Export Promotion Scheme of APEDA”.
• APEDA assists exporters in promoting exports by organising buyer-seller meets (BSMs); participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions; taking up the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and Market Access issues with the importing countries; and regular interactions with the Indian Missions to tap export opportunities in various countries.

 

EPFs:

• Further, Export Promotion Forums (EPFs) for Rice and Nutri-Cereals have been set up under the aegis of APEDA.
• The EPFs strive to identify and anticipate developments pertaining to production and exports of these products, reach out to stakeholders across the entire production/ supply chain of exports and make recommendations for necessary policy interventions and other measures to promote exports. 

 

FPO:

• Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) have been established for the purpose of leveraging collective economies of scale in the production and marketing of agriculture and related products. This helps lower the average cost of production, hence increasing competitiveness in foreign markets.

 

Intellectual Property Rights Policy Management framework covers 8 types of intellectual property rights

(GS Paper 3, Economy)

Why in news?

• Recently, the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha gave information about types of intellectual property rights covered under IPRPM Framework.

Types of IPRs covered:

• There are following types of intellectual property rights covered under Intellectual Property Rights Policy Management (IPRPM) framework:

1. Patents,
2. Trade mark,
3. Industrial Designs,
4. Copyrights,
5. Geographical Indications,
6. Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Layout Design,
7. Trade Secret, and
8. Plant Varieties.

 

About Intellectual Property Rights Policy Management (IPRPM) framework:

• The framework was launched in the form of National IPR Policy 2016 encompassing all IPRs into a single vision document setting in place an institutional mechanism for implementation, monitoring and review of IP laws.
• The policy has seven objectives designed for creating an environment that encourages innovation and creativity by providing stronger protection and incentives for inventors, artists, and creators. There are several measures undertaken to achieve the given objectives.
• Among measures taken are compliance and timeline reduction in IP filing and disposal, fee rebate for Startups, MSMES, Educational Institutions and expedited examination for certain categories of applicants.   

 

Objectives and activities undertaken under the National IPR Policy:

• Appropriate amendment in IPR Laws and Rules improving procedural requirements in processing of applications to speed up grant and disposal.
• Modernisation & Digitisation of IP offices improvement in functioning and performance of IP Offices as well as streamlining workflow processes.
• Scheme for Facilitating Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) to encourage filling of Patent applications by Startups.
• Expedited Examination for certain category of applicants, such as Start-ups, small entities, women inventors for expeditious grant of Patents.
• Awareness initiatives and Programs for stakeholders with an intent to inculcate importance of protecting their IPR at an early stage in the business development cycle.
• National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM), a flagship program to impart IP awareness and basic training in educational institutes.
• National Intellectual Property (IP) Awards are conferred every year to recognize and reward the top achievers comprising individuals, institutions, organizations and enterprises, for their IP creations and commercialization.
• Patent Facilitation Programme has been revamped to scout patentable inventions and provide full financial, technical and legal support in filing and obtaining patents.
• Expand Knowledge Capacity & Skill Building: To promote the study, research, and development of IPR in higher educational institutions, IPR chairs have been set up across the country under the Scheme for Pedagogy & Research in IPRs for Holistic Education and Academia (SPRIHA). Currently, 37 IPR Chairs are incorporated.
• Commercialization of IP:  Technology Innovation Support Centres (TIS) have been set up in various Central and State Universities and State Council for Science & Technology across the country for supporting IPR education, boosting IP filings and enhancing IP commercialization.

 

Startup Scheme for Women

(GS Paper 3, Economy)

Why in news?

• Recently, the Union Minister for Women & Child Development, gave a written reply in the Lok Sabha about Startup Scheme for Women.

 

Startup India initiative:

• The Government launched ‘Startup India initiative’ on 16th January 2016 with an aim to build a stronger ecosystem for nurturing India’s startup culture that would further drive our economic growth, support entrepreneurship, and enable large-scale employment opportunities.
• It assists in strengthening women entrepreneurship, through policies and initiatives, and creation of enabling networks.
• Under this initiative, entities are recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as startups.
• As on 31st December 2022, a total of 86,713 startups have been recognized by DPIIT in over 660 districts with at least one startup from every State and UT of the country. Out of these, over 46% of them have at-least one-woman director.

 

Measures taken to promote women entrepreneurship in the country:

• To promote flow of both equity and debt to women led startups, 10% of the fund (Rs 1000 crore) in the Fund of Funds for Startups Scheme operated by SIDBI is reserved for women led startups.
• Virtual Incubation Program for Women Entrepreneurs were conducted to support 20 women-led tech startups with pro-bono acceleration support for 3 months.
• A webpage dedicated to women entrepreneurs has been designed on the Startup India portal. The page includes various policy measures for women entrepreneurs by both Central and State Governments.
• Awareness and Capacity Building Workshops for women: The department conducts various workshops with a specific focus on women entrepreneurs. The workshops include deliberation on various topics and successful entrepreneurs share their entrepreneurial journeys.

 

Various programs undertaken under Startup India initiative, which are gender neutral, are as under:

Startup India Action Plan:

• An Action Plan for Startup India was unveiled on 16th January 2016.
• The Action Plan comprises of 19 action items spanning across areas such as “Simplification and handholding”, “Funding support and incentives” and “Industry-academia partnership and incubation”.
• The Action Plan laid the foundation of Government support, schemes and incentives envisaged to create a vibrant startup ecosystem in the country.

 

Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme:

• The Government has established FFS with corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore, to meet the funding needs of startups. DPIIT is the monitoring agency and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is the operating agency for FFS.
• The total corpus of Rs. 10,000 crore is envisaged to be provided over the 14th and 15th Finance Commission cycles based on progress of the scheme and availability of funds.
• It has not only made capital available for startups at early stage, seed stage and growth stage but also played a catalytic role in terms of facilitating raising of domestic capital, reducing dependence on foreign capital and encouraging home grown and new venture capital funds.

 

Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS):

• The Government has established the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups for providing credit guarantees to loans extended to DPIIT recognized startups by Scheduled Commercial Banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Venture Debt Funds (VDFs) under SEBI registered Alternative Investment Funds.
• CGSS is aimed at providing credit guarantee up to a specified limit against loans extended by Member Institutions (MIs) to finance eligible borrowers viz. DPIIT recognised startups.

 

Regulatory Reforms:

• Over 50 regulatory reforms have been undertaken by the Government since 2016 to enhance ease of doing business, ease of raising capital and reduce compliance burden for the startup ecosystem.

 

Ease of Procurement:

• To enable ease of procurement, Central Ministries/ Departments are directed to relax conditions of prior turnover and prior experience in public procurement for all DPIIT recognised startups subject to meeting quality and technical specifications.
• Further, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Startup Runway has been developed which is a dedicated corner for startups to sell products and services directly to the Government.

 

Support for Intellectual Property Protection:

• Startups are eligible for fast-tracked patent application examination and disposal.
• The Government launched Start-ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) which facilitates the startups to file applications for patents, designs and trademarks through registered facilitators in appropriate IP offices by paying only the statutory fees.
• Facilitators under this Scheme are responsible for providing general advisory on different IPRs, and information on protecting and promoting IPRs in other countries.
• The Government bears the entire fees of the facilitators for any number of patents, trademark or designs, and startups only bear the cost of the statutory fees payable. Startups are provided with an 80% rebate in filing of patents and 50% rebate in filling of trademark vis-a-vis other companies.

 

Self-Certification under Labour and Environmental laws:

• Startups are allowed to self-certify their compliance under 9 Labour and 3 Environment laws for a period of 3 to 5 years from the date of incorporation.

 

Income Tax Exemption for 3 years: 

• Startups incorporated on or after 1st April 2016 can apply for income tax exemption.
• The recognized startups that are granted an Inter-Ministerial Board Certificate are exempted from income-tax for a period of 3 consecutive years out of 10 years since incorporation.

 

International Market Access to Indian Startups:

• One of the key objectives under the Startup India initiative is to help connect Indian startup ecosystem to global startup ecosystems through various engagement models.
• This has been done though international Government to Government partnerships, participation in international forums and hosting of global events.
• Startup India has launched bridges with over 15 countries (Brazil, Sweden, Russia, Portugal, UK, Finland, Netherlands, Singapore, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Croatia, Qatar and UAE) that provides a soft-landing platform for startups from the partner nations and aid in promoting cross collaboration.

 

Faster Exit for Startups: 

• The Government has notified Startups as ‘fast track firms’ enabling them to wind up operations within 90 days vis-a-vis 180 days for other companies.

 

Startup India Hub:

• The Government launched a Startup India Online Hub on 19th June 2017 which is one of its kind online platform for all stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in India to discover, connect and engage with each other.
• The Online Hub hosts Startups, Investors, Funds, Mentors, Academic Institutions, Incubators, Accelerators, Corporates, Government Bodies and more.

 

National Startup Advisory Council:

• The Government in January 2020 notified constitution of the National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.
• Besides the ex-officio members, the council has a number of non-official members, representing various stakeholders from the startup ecosystem.

 

Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS): 

• Easy availability of capital is essential for entrepreneurs at the early stages of growth of an enterprise. The capital required at this stage often presents a make-or-break situation for startups with good business ideas.
• The Scheme aims to provide financial assistance to startups for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market entry and commercialization. Rs. 945 crore has been sanctioned under the SISFS Scheme for period of 4 years starting from 2021-22.

 

National Startup Awards (NSA):

• National Startup Awards is an initiative to recognize and reward outstanding startups and ecosystem enablers that are building innovative products or solutions and scalable enterprises, with high potential of employment generation or wealth creation, demonstrating measurable social impact.
• Handholding support is provided to all the finalists across various tracks viz. Investor Connect, Mentorship, Corporate Connect, Govt. Connect, International Market Access, Regulatory Support, Startup Champions on Doordarshan and Startup India Showcase, etc.

 

States’ Startup Ranking Framework (SRF):

• States’ Startup Ranking Framework is a unique initiative to harness strength of competitive federalism and create a flourishing startup ecosystem in the country.
• The major objectives of the ranking exercise are facilitating states to identify, learn and replace good practices, highlighting the policy intervention by states for promoting startup ecosystem and fostering competitiveness among states.

 

Startup India Innovation Week:

• The Government organises Startup India Innovation week around the National Startup Day i.e. 16th January.
• The goal was to bring together the country's key startups, entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, funding entities, banks, policymakers, and other national/international stakeholders to celebrate entrepreneurship and promote innovation.