India

A new report published by the World Bank says that doing business in India has gotten easier. The “Doing Business 2016” report ranks India 130 out of 189 countries in terms of ease of doing business, 12 spots higher than last year’s rankings. Making India an easy place to conduct business has been a primary focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Fibre2Fashion)
 
The government of India has extended duty incentives to several industries, including textiles, in an effort to boost exports. Government representatives say that the measures are intended to help Indian industries survive in an increasingly challenging global environment. The move has been praised by several trade groups, including the Tamil Nadu-based Indian Texpreneurs Foundation. (Fibre2Fashion)
 
A new report suggests that a push by the Indian government to encourage small-scale fabric production may be doing more harm than good. The report says that 98% of India’s nearly 5 million fabric mills are considered small businesses located in fragmented clusters that also struggle to keep up with the latest technology, affecting their ability to meet growing demands. Much of this production is sold to domestic consumers. (Fibre2Fashion)
 
Members of India’s Powerloom Workers Federation held a demonstration on October 3 demanding that a compensation agreement they reached earlier this year be fully implemented. The workers say that they were promised an increase in the per meter rate in a deal finalized in February. Despite this, many allege that the new rate has yet to be implemented. (The Hindu)