Noida Apparel Export Cluster

Apparel Park

'CITY OF APPARELS'

Yogi Adityanath

Lok Bhawan,Lucknow - 226001

No. G-711/CM-2/2020Date: 13 Nov. 2020

Message

I am happy to know that the Noida Apparel Export Cluster, Noida is publishing

the next edition of its magazine 'Sutradhar'.

The Textile sector is a sunrise sector of our economy with enormous potential

for employment generation, investment and growth. Over the last few years, the

growth of the sector has been very impressive.

To sustain and further enhance this growth rate, it is necessary for the

industry to strive for introduction of latest technology and increase its scale of

operations. I am confident that this publication will provide a suitable platform to

the stakeholders to increase the activities in this sector.

My best wishes for the entire endeavour.

(Yogi Adityanath)

CHIEF MINISTERUTTAR PRADESH

Message

I am glad to know that Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) is going to

publish the next edition of its garment sector related magazine Sutradhar. NAEC

plays pivotal role for overall development of garment industry in Noida and nearby

areas. Apparel Park being established at Yamuna Expressway will certainly give

new dimensions to the garment sector in the region.

Our Govt. is fully committed for the development and expansion of the

industrial sector and expoprt in the state. Single Window System has been

introduced for the same including MSME which provides employment to around

120 million people, the 2nd largest after agriculture. Under this system, permission

to establish MSME unit within 72 hours would be issued to entrepreneur.

Good wishes to NAEC for publishing the Sutradhar and their mission of

developing garment sector.

(Satish Mahana)Minister

Industrial Development Department

Room No.: 74-74 A Main Building U.P. Secretariat,

Lucknow

Date: 7 Dec. 2020

Satish Mahana

Message

I am happy to note that Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC} is publishing

the 'Sutradhar' and hope that the magazine would be useful for all stakeholders,

government officials and others. NAEC is actively engaged in development of

Readymade Garment Sector in the Noida region. The upcoming Apparel Park

at Yamuna Expressway, G.B. Nagar, U.P. in collaboration with YEIDA and NAEC

would generate the employment to a large number of people and would be an

important destination of the Readymade Garment Industry in the State.

I wish all success to NAEC for publication of the 'Sutradhar'.

(Alok Tandon)Infrastructure & Industrial

Development Commissioner

Alok Tandon, IAS

Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 209, 'C' Block, – Lok Bhawan

U.P. Secretariat,Lucknow

DO Letter No. 316/IIDCUP/2020Date: 23 Nov. 2020

Message

It gives me immense pleasure to note that Noida Apparel Export Cluster

(NAEC), the prominent body in garment sector is publishing the next edition of its

magazine Sutradhar. I hope that the publication will bring the usefull information

of the garment industry.

I wish NAEC for all the success in coming years.

(Dr. Arun Vir Singh)Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Arun Vir Singh

Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority

Greater NoidaDistt. Gautam Budh Nagar, UP

5

I wish to convey the genuine appreciation and sincere gratitude

of all the members of NAEC for the continuous, timely and effective

steps and efforts being taken by Uttar Pradesh Govt. under the

dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath Ji to

combat the Novel COVID-19 epidemic. Further, it is praiseworthy

that the marathon and sensitive steps taken by the Uttar Pradesh

Government for return of the labourers from the different parts of

the country have not only yielded results but is also highly appreciable. Noida (Distt. Gautam Budha

Nagar) is well known as City of Apparel of the country and having approximately 3,000 Readymade

Garment (RMG) production-cum export units which are in operation and employing approximately

ten lakh workers. These units manufacture RMG for export and domestic approx of Rs. 25,000 crores

annually for which the credit goes not only to RMG exporters & Cluster members but also to the local

administration and the Govt. of U.P who have always supported and stood by us.

The NAEC Apparel Park at Sector-29, Yamuna Expressway which is likely to come up soon with the

blessings of our Hon’ble Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath Ji. The process of land allotment to the NAEC

Members has been started by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA)

and Dr. Arun Vir Singh, CEO, YEIDA has assured for giving possession of the land within around 6

months after that the establishment of the NAEC Apparel Park would speedily on.

The matter regarding establishment of Textiles Testing Laboratory (TTL), developing Noida as

Garment Export Hub/ Fashion Hub and inclusion of Noida in the list of Town of Export Excellence

(TEE) under the scheme of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Govt. of India are also being

taken up with the authorities by the NAEC. Yours co-operation in our mission to develop the region

a world-class RMG destination is solicited.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year !

From the desk of President NAEC...

Lalit Thukral

• Cluster Concept and Approach 08• Society of Noida Apparel Export Cluster Managing Committee 09• Gratitude 10• Members opinion about Noida Apparel Export Cluster 10• NAEC Apparel Park – A Dream Project 14• NEWS LETTER 16• Covid-19 Pandemic & Noida Garment Industry 18• Noida – An Industrial City of Modern Lifestyle 19• Employment and Export Promotion schemes of

Union Govt. under implementation 20• 2020-2021 Union Budget (Textile Sector highlights) 22• E- Invoicing under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) 23• Rs. 29.87 lakh cr. Stimulus Package cum Relief Measures to

boost Indian Economy affected by COVID – 19 Pandemic 30• "Crafted by Ideas, exceled by passion, Earned by Sweat,

Shows the way to Success" 31• Notifications/ Gadgets/ Rules & Regulations/ Government Orders 32• Noida – A well-known destination of Garment Industry 34• US-China Trade War & Covid-19 Pandemic 36

– Affects & Opportunities for India.

• New Labour Codes 39• Ground Water Management – A Hoilistic Overview 42• Survival - Post Pandemic What Garment Manufactures Need to Know 44• GSP Termination by USA – Impact on Indian Apparel Export 46• The Skill of Creativity 48• 65th India International Virtual Garment Fair 50• Aditya Birla Group’s Birla Cellulose Number 1 in

Canopy’s Hot Button Report ‘20 52

ContentContent

8

Cluster Concept and Approach The Cluster approach instituted in 2000 as a

part of the United Nation’s Humanitarian Reform Process (HRP). It was an important step towards more effective humanitarian coordination to improve and enhance collective efforts for better productivity, quality, time management and output. The aim of cluster approach is to strengthen system-wide preparedness to respond to a set mission. It is

also considered to increase the quality at competitive cost with which a company can compete effectively both at national and international level. Clustering provides firms with access to more suppliers and specialized support services, experienced and skilled labor pools and the inevitable knowledge leakage that occurs where people meet and to discuss the business activities.

NEED OF CLUSTER IN RMG SECTOR AND ITS MISSION

Noida in District Gautam Budh Nagar has a concentration of Apparel Industry and known as a well-known Readymade Garment (RMG) hub. Keeping in view the benefit of cluster concept and approach a need to have a cluster for RMG sector was felt. Accordingly, Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) came into existence during 2007 with following elaborated objectives:

• To focus on development of infrastructures for the apparel Industry in the region. Pursue the Union & State govt. to provide the space to Apparel Manufacturers in the form of an Apparel Park and also accessories and fabrics manufacturers /suppliers for smooth supply of raw materials to the Apparel Manufacturers.

• To provide Institutions for manpower development to cater to the specialized needs of the Apparel Industry.

• Enhancement and strengthen the representative character of the Association.

• To ensure effective utilization of the labor and capacity of production by close coordination

• Effective use of specified machines kept ideal after manufacturing the garment of particular type by the other member exporters.

• Better coordination with Govts. (State and Central) to ensure awareness of government schemes and procedure for their implementation, overseas trade information etc.

• Technology up gradation.

• Exchange of information about foreign consumption patterns/ trends.

• Sharing mistakes and lessons learnt which can make the difference between a successful export push and a failed bid.

• Providing contacts and sharing of networks.

• To form a platform for overseas trade shows, events etc.

• Learning from experts and relevant government agencies on Export subjects of common interest such as Export Finance, Insurance, Compliance etc.

• To undertake projects in collaboration with the governments and other relevant agencies for development and expansion of RMG sector and exports.

• To develop the Noida’s Readymade Garment Sector at the International level.

9

The Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) came into existence in 2007 and at present have over 350 esteemed and active members with a reach to over 600 exporters of Noida. The Cluster has become a source of strength in terms of knowledge, motivation and trouble reliever for the apparel exporters of Noida and nearby areas. Apart from expanding the base, NAEC since its beginning has been actively associated for development and expansion of

RMG sector in the region. Major achievement of NAEC are declaring the district, the City of Apparels under ODOP by UP Government, upcoming of much needed NAEC Apparel Park at Yamuna Expressway etc. Besides, the process of inclusion of the city in the list of Town of Export Excellence (TEE), the ambitious scheme of Govt. of India for export promotion is on.

Registered Office: A-50, Sector-6, Noida-201301 Tel.: 0120-4127729

NOIDA APPAREL EXPORT CLUSTER

Noida Apparel Export Cluster Managing Committee

Lalit ThukralPresident

Anil PeshawariVice President

Rajeev BansalGeneral Secretary

Sunil BhargavaAddl. Secretary

Ashok ManchandaTreasurer

Rajeev MehtaMember

Rajeev SharmaMember

Office BearersBrijesh Srivastava

Asstt. SecretaryDr. R. D. Singh

ConsultantAakash Sangwan

Media Manager

Members opinion about Noida Apparel Export Cluster

Dear Friends.Century worst COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the country. During the crisis there was all urgent need to provide support to affected people in the form of distribution of food, dry ration, medical aid etc. on humanitarian ground. Our special thanks to Shri Neeraj Prakash esteemed Cluster member and President, Shri Sai Samiti, Noida who started community kitchen and distributed around 4,000 food packets daily to the people with the support of district administration during the crisis time.I, also on behalf of Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) highly appreciate and thankful to all its members for rendering their valuable support to us for the social cause to public & workers amid pandemic. I am quoting the name of few of them with a special thanks and hope for the same post pandemic.

• Shri Harish Ahuja • Shri Virender Uppal • Shri Vinod Kapur• Shri Vinit Sethi • Shri R. K. Sahu • Shri Hemant Ruparelia• Shri Rajat Kumar • Shri Ashish Gujral • Shri Satish Gupta• Shri Anuj Goel • Shri Roshan Baid • Shri Rohit Aggarwal• Shri Nitin Sabharwal • Shri Dheeraj Jha • Shri Suneet Kharbanda• Shri Niraj Pugalia • Shri Gautam Maheshwari • Shri Naresh Sadh• Shri Anand • Shri Uttam Shroff

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year 2021!

I came in touch with NAEC during the lockdown & I must say since then the experience has been fantastic, NAEC & especially Mr. Thkural has worked & working day in out for all members, he is just a call away. NAEC has WhatsApp group which very informative & helping everyone in all the aspects, NAEC has organized many webinars with different

relevant authorities which again helped industry to grow in this difficult time. I will wish all the best to all the members of the group & looking forward to continuous support. Thanks to Mr. Thukral once again.

Sanjay JanghalaVice PresidentMaral Overseas Ltd.

10

Rajeev BansalGeneral Secretary

It has been a wonderful experience under NAEC. The supports & guidance has been overwhelming. The kind of problems we all have faced during this pandemic is known to everyone, NAEC under the leadership of Shri Lalit Thukral Ji has stood by the entire apparel industry like a strong pillar. NAEC created an unmatched balance between

the governing bodies & the apparel industry. As a member I feel that, may it be any kind of situation but NAEC & Lalit ji always come forward to bring out a suitable solution.

Amit AgarwalaProprietorCuddles India

I would like to thank NAEC & special thanks to Mr. Lalit Thukral for their efforts during this epidemic.• Efforts for getting special

permissions during lockdown.

• Bridged gap between Members Exporters & Authorities for hassle free operations.

• Helped Members Exporters for financial recoveries from customers.

• Organised Virtual fair for continuous marketing.

Thank you very much Lalit ji … we feel proud to be a part as NAEC family.

Rakesh KapoorDirector Vishesh Apparels Pvt. Ltd.

Noida Apparel Export Cluster has always been doing exemplary work from the very beginning for the upgradation,

development and expansion of the garment sector in Noida. The work carried out by the Cluster under the honourable and absolutely worthy president Shri Lalit Thukral during COVID-19 is applaudable. The issues such as seeking Govt. permission for operating garment units, manufacturing of Medical products like PPE, Mask etc. and relaxation on different issues were of great relief to the exporter fraternity during the lockdown. More importantly myself and Shri Lalit Thukral had taken up the

issue of honouring of the export orders placed by the buyers before pandemic, aiding through the process of release of the payments etc. through the Foreign Media helped in sorting out of such matters. I once again would like to thank Shri Lalit Thukral and the team of NAEC for their constant support and handwork making them truly admirable!

Neeraj PrakashDirector Strange Exports Pvt. Ltd.

11

22nd March 2020: A voluntary Janta curfew was announced nationwide. While many scrambled to complete shipment deadlines, the threat of a longer lockdown was imminent. As announced on 24th March we entered a 2 week lockdown. Optimism still ruled to an extent. We renegotiated deliveries, placated worried customers but it was not to be. The lockdown was extended and panic started to set in. The plight of the Indian export industry was unenviable to say the least. Helpless in the face of cancellations, delays and discounts there was extreme uncertainty about the future. It was at such a time when certain individuals stood up to help and defend the collective. Mr. Lalit Thukral singlehandedly took on the task of getting the fraternity together, dispensing invaluable advice and rallying all his might to liaise between the export industry and the government. NAEC as a body of Noida exporters had always been a representative of our interests. However this was never more evident than the few months that loomed over us like dark clouds. Starting

from helping units switch over to safety masks and PPE kits, urgent approvals to operate units and get much needed passes for relevant PPE manufacturing units to providing much needed guidance at every stage, NAEC and Mr. Thukral tirelessly and selflessly, worked behind the scenes. A beacon of hope coupled with

cautious encouragement, drove us out of our reverie and led us to deal with the new normal. I cannot list the many achievements of this body in the short time span. Be it industry oriented or humanitarian grounds where he got us together and in partnership with the Noida Authority organised multiple food and grain donations to help the poor in these destitute times. Eventually when lockdown were lifted, NAEC helped us

steer through the various mechanisms that needed to be in place. Interpretation of new government regulations, dealing with reduced workforce and maintaining safety levels, Mr. Thukral was just a phone call away for any of us in need. There is no doubt that times have been tough. Many have faced unprecedented losses and grapple with issues waiting for things to stabilise. It is in such moments that he has given us the courage and the hope to reinvent, restructure and revitalise ourselves to face the current situation.A thousand Kudos and our humble gratitude is all we can express towards Mr. Lalit Thukral and NAEC for standing by us! Here’s to better days and an end to this Pandemic that has plagued us this year. Let’s look forward to the next year and May God give our fraternity the strength and courage to overcome every challenge that has been thrown our way.

Hemant RupareliaManaging DirectorStrawberry Studio Exports Pvt. Ltd.

12

The lockdown taught us that even if there is a difficult situation, we should stand united to face it. Lalit ji and the Cluster did a tremendous job in helping the garment exporters in each and every possible way whether in reopening the factories, getting the transport arranged, raw materials, sanitisation etc.

"UNITED WE STAND DIVIDED WE FALL" Three Cheers for Noida Cluster.

Punit Chowdhary Sales DirectorPriya Global

March' 20 was a spell none of us would like to look back to... The fear of Covid and the uncertainty end of Lockdown became a nightmare for us exporters. The industry was at the door step of disaster with factories shutting down one by one. The initiative by Noida Cluster led by Lalit appeared God sent. The speed at which the factories become functional again surprised us all.

I would like to convey our gratitude and I pray this effort and help continues to prevail and wish the cluster the best.

Mrs. Sonya MalikDirector, Auric Merchandising Services (P) Ltd.

NAEC led by Mr. Lalit Thukral is an institution which is beyond comparison to any organisation from Textile Industry. It is one of the most sincere and honest institutions which works with utmost sincerity. Our industry has faced enormous difficulties during the COVID times and NAEC has stood by every manufacturer for every

situation possible in these testing times. Be it selling our cancelled stocks to arranging a very successful event of Virtual exhibition through AEPC led by the president of NAEC, Mr. Lalit Thukral. Their charitable attitude to

help our backbone of the industry which is our workers was icing on the cake as it gave them confidence

to support the industry once the lockdown was over, which was the biggest trust our workers developed due to NAEC led by Mr. Lalit Thukral. A very sincere thanks to Mr. Lalit Thukral who selflessly works towards a great cause to help our industry. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

Abhinav Mehani Director, Priti Wears

This is good to know about Sutradhar, we pray this will be successful and mark its own presence as Noida Cluster has achieved in past few years. It may enlighten the path for the people as Cluster did in this pandemic situation. Personally I will be very thankful to Noida Cluster team for helping us in this critical time and give us the right information about the situation changing every day.

We tried and helped people as much as we could with the help of Noida Cluster as well. My sincere regards and thanks to respected Mr. Lalit Thukral for his great guidance and help. Undoubtedly he is a great leader and on top of that a nice human being with a gold heart.

Rashish BhanManaging Director Rashish Enterprises

13

14

The establishment process of long awaited and much needed Apparel Park at Sector–29, Yamuna Expressway, Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P

is speedily on. Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) is continuously and vigorously pursuing various matters at different levels of UP & Union Govt. The allotment letters to NAEC members who had applied for the industrial plots have been issued by the YEIDA and the possession of the industrial plots to these members will commence soon.

Apparel Park, the dream project of NAEC, is the product of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between YEIDA on behalf of UP Govt. and NAEC in February’ 2018. This park having an investment of Rs. 8,500 Crores (approx.) will be in 200 acres (approx.) with around 100 RMG production units, Common Facilities Centers (CFCs) and Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) Zero Discharge etc. along with all requisite modern infrastructures. More importantly training to the local people in nearby villages will also be arranged through Apparel Training Design Centre’s (ATDCs) with the support of Integrated Skilled Development Scheme (ISDS) of Ministry of Textile, Govt. of India and the trained persons would be provided employment in the garment production units in the park with transport facility.

Shri Lalit Thukral, President, NAEC has many round of the meetings with Shri Siddharth Nath Singh, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister of Handloom & Textiles, Govt. of UP, Shri Alok Tandon, IAS, Industrial Development Commissioner & Chairman, YEIDA, Shri Rama Raman, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Handloom and Textile, Shri Navneet Kumar Sehgal, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, MSME & Export Promotion and other senior

officers of State Govt. to discus and finalize the land subsidy, layout plan of the park with required widen road etc. and he is in continuous touch with them. The layout plan with widen roads, lanes etc. of the park as desired by NAEC has been finalized by YEIDA. The issue of 30% land subsidy has also been shorted out in a meeting taken by Shri Siddharth Nath Singh, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister of Handloom & Textiles, Govt. of UP on 22.01.2020 at Lucknow and as per new directives, applicants will have to pay 70% of the land cost where as 30% will be borne by YEIDA once the units become functional within the stipulated time which will be reimbursed to YEIDA by UP Handloom and Textile Department directly. The next agenda of the NAEC is to expedite the possession of plots to the allottee, establishment of common ETP etc. YEIDA will provide 1.25 acre free land for developing Common Facility Centre’s (CFCs) excluding the land required for Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP). However, the land for common ETP would be provided by YEIDA on demand from NAEC. Internal & external infrastructure like Developed Land, Road Network, Fire Fighting Network, Sewage Collection System, Electrical Distribution, Street Lights, Landscaping, Police Chowki, Bank/ Financial Institutions, Logistics Stands/ Govt. Transport, Kiosk etc. would be developed and provided by the YEIDA for the park.

The Apparel Park which will provide employment to around 5.0 lakhs people more than 60% of them would be women. The park is expected to produce readymade garment worth Rs. 20,000 crores (approx.) and earn valuable foreign exchange of around Rs. 14,000 crores annually for the country. Certainly, the Apparel Park would be a Milestone for the garment industry not only in Uttar Pradesh but in the Country. It will open new avenues for the garment sector.

NAEC Apparel Park— A Dream Project

CTAApparelsPvt.Ltd.P 26 to P 29, HPDA Textile Center,

Pilkhuwa -245304, Hapur, U.P

Email : Website :cta@ctaapparels.com

Equipped with latest state-of-the-art global technology

Capacity to process 2 million meters of fabric per month

Capacity to dye and print both knitted and woven fabrics

along with yarn

Dedicated staff for QMS (Quality Management System)

Scientiic and robotic equipment with the latest and

most upgraded processes

Use of sustainable energy produced from the solar plant

Handling dyeing and printing work for many leading

American and European brands

The unit is very easily accessible and is in the vicinity of

Delhi NCR region

Forplantvisit/enquiries,pleasecontact :

Mr.SunilGarg: Mobile - 9810036547

Mr.ManishTandon:Mobile - 6396049634

www.ctaapparels.com

16

NEWS LETTERIn view of Covid-19 Pandemic, video conferencing/

vertual mettings over the physical meetings were preferred as a precautionary measure. NAEC had

several zoom meetings with the senior officials of State as well as Union Govt. to discuss various aspects of Pandemic on the Garment Industry and bring the industry related

issues in to their notice with suggestion to sort out them and also for better cooperation for the social initiatives of NAEC to give relief to the affected people. The brief resume of important meetings organized by the NAEC during the period is as under: -

> President Meeting with Cluster Members on 03-05-2020Shri Lalit Thukral, President NAEC organized the Zoom meeting with NAEC members. The objective of the meeting was how to deal Covid-19 Pandemic and implement various directives/ instructions and precautionary measures issued by Union as well as State Govt. to combat the pandemic. In the meeting around 100 RMG entrepreneurs participated. The important initiatives taken by NAEC for the RMG sector like issuance of movement pass, Govt. permission for starting production in the unit and also production of PPE kits, close coordination with District

Administration and senior govt. officials, non-payment of monthly wages during lockdown period, layoff procedure, relief in the form of providing drinking water bottle food packets to the locals and Pravasi Mazdoor etc. were also briefed in the meeting.

> Video Conferencing of Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Smt. Ritu Maheshwari, IAS, CEO Noida with NAEC members on 09-05-2020

This zoom video conferencing was organized by NAEC. In the meeting Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Dr Mahesh Sharma explained about how to enhance body immunity through natural way, ayurvedic medicines/ kadha, use of masks, frequent hand washing, proper sanitization of workplace as well as home. Smt. Ritu Maheshwari, IAS, CEO explained in detail the participants about Do & Don’t during the pandemic. SOPs and Govt. guidelines to implement various govt. orders and notification, precaution and restriction in containment zones, importance of uploading and use of Arogya Setu app

and other issues. At the end of the meeting a question & answer session was also organized. About 150 NAEC members participated in the video conferencing. The VC was quite useful and informative for our members.

17

NEWS LETTER > President Meeting with Cluster Members on 17-08-2020

Shri Lalit Thukral, President NAEC conducted a Zoom meeting on 17-08-2020 to brief about the important industrial and social work as well carried out by the

NAEC during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shri Thukral appraised the work like movement pass for the members and workers, payment of wages during closing period of units, permission for starting the work in production units and production of PPE kits, bringing the problems of exporters in to the notice of Hon’ble PM, Finance and Textile Minister, Govt. of India and senior officials for their solution, perusing the foreign buyers and buying houses for honoring the export orders and release the

pending payment, providing of drinking water bottles, food packets, medical assistance to the covid affected people and arrangement made for return of the pravashi

majdoors to their native places, providing jobs to the Pravasi Majdoors in RMG units along with their travel arrangement and one month free ration, associating NAEC with noted film celebrity Shri Sonu Sood in rehabilitation of Pravasi Majdoor, close coordination with senior officials etc. Shri Thukral also appreciated and thanked the cluster members for their whole support in pandemic period. Members also applauded Shri Thukral and NAEC for commendable work.

> Zoom meeting in association with the District Administration on Mission Shakti on 19-10-2020

NAEC and G.B. Nagar District Administration jointly organized a zoom webinar on 19-10-2020 on implementation of work plan of Mission Shakti drawn by UP Govt. for the Sukraksha, Samman and Swavlamban of women and girls. Smt. Ritu Maheshwari, IAS, CEO, Noida, Shri Suhas LY, IAS, District Magistrate and Ms. Neha Sharma, ACEO, Noida, officials of Noida addressed the exporters about the Mission Shakti and implementation of its different components and their publicity.

India is passing through a century worst crisis due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s economic and trade scenario have

been shattered by the Pandemic. The garment industry of Noida region has also been affected in term of production, market (domestic as well as export) and employment. Production and trade activities are almost standstill for three months, from April, 2020 to June, 2020 after coming and spreading of Covid-19 in the country. Export of the readymade garment from India have been all time low during the first quarter of financial year 2020-2021 and fallen by 62% (Rs. 10,955.42 Crores in rupees term) compare to Rs. 29,008.41 Cr. in the same period of corresponding year.

NAEC had played important role actively since beginning of Covid-19 and involved in social and trade activities to recede the effect of the pandemic on Garment Sector. Shri Lalit Thukral, President, NAEC had been in touch with Hon’ble Chief Minister of UP, Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji, Hon’ble Handloom and Textile Minister, Shri Sidharth Nath Singh Ji and had regular meetings/ discussions with concerned senior officials of Govt. of India, UP Govt. and district administration. The Cluster had arranged drinking water bottles, biscuits, food packets, ration, medical help etc. to around One Lakh affected people of Noida and nearby areas. In addition to support the mission of State Govt. to provide the employment to the Parvasi Mazdoors of UP in the State itself, NAEC in coordination with State Govt. and District Administration sent job offer letters to around 65,000 Parvasi Mazdoors to work in the readymade garment units in Noida. These Parvasi Mazdoors were also contacted over mobile and whatsapp. To address the residence problem of these Pravasi Majdoor who will work in the Cluster, NAEC has sent feelers to UP Govt. that the Cluster is willing to take their 3000 available homes on rent for Pravasi Majdoors. In this move readymade garment

exporters will share maximum portion of the rent whereas workers will have to pay nominal rent. The request of NAEC is under active consideration of State Govt./ Noida. In fact, NAEC has always been very active towards social responsibilities. In this direction to support the appeal of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi Ji regarding the ban of single use plastic, one lakh eco-friendly cotton carry bags were distributed free of cost to the general public by the NAEC which was appreciated by Hon’ble Union Minister of Textile, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani Ji, Hon’ble Handloom and Textile Minister, Govt. of UP, Shri Sidharth Nath Singh Ji, senior officials of UP Govt. and the district administration.

On trade and export front, Shri Lalit Thukral had taken up various issues like free movement passes to the workers, entrepreneurs and other related persons were arranged and distributed during lockdown period, permission to operate the garment production units during COVID-19 lockdown period was obtained from the District administration, State Govt. permission to start the manufacturing of medical products like Personal Protection Equipment’s (PPEs), Masks etc., by garment production units of Noida region and these units are manufacturing the medical products, honoring the export orders and release of pending payment of exported garments by the buyers with the concerned authorities, buyers and buying houses, making Packing Credit Clearance more fast, time bound export refund like Duty Drawback, GST etc.

NAEC has proposed to go long way for the rehabilitation of Parvasi Mazdoors and re-employment in garment production units of Noida region. We are planning to associate with noted Bollywood celebrity Shri Sonu Sood actively with NAEC for rehabilitation of Parvasi Mazdoors and their re-employment in garment production units of Noida region.

Covid-19 Pandemic & Noida Garment Industry

18

NOIDA - An IndustrIAl CIty of Modern lIfestyle

19

Noida a well planned city located in district Gautam Budh Nagar is an ideal choice of living and industrial development. New

Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA), the executive body is fully committed to provide civic amenities to its residents and industry friendly support to the entrepreneurs. The Authority ensures sorting out of the problems of the public on priority and making all efforts to make the city modern. Beautification and cleanliness are the major mottos of the Authority. With the effective and vigorous monitoring various development programs schemes etc. have been implemented in the time bound manner and targets achieved.

Significantly NOIDA has taken all necessary measures to combat Covid-19 Pandemic. The important work carried out during the pandemic is summarized below:1. Started 5 community kitchens. The food prepared

in these kitchens was distributed to poor/ helpless/ mazdoors at more than 165 locations. Around 60.00 lakhs food packets were distributed. Two mobile teams were also deployed in these kitchens with a task to ensure delivery of the food packets in emergency.

2. Roti bank was started. Roties for the bank were collected from the different societies during the period from 12.04.2020 to 07.06.2020. 18.20 lakh roties were distributed along with Sabji Dal cooked in the community kitchens to more than 3.50 lakh needy people.

3. The sanitization work in the city was undertaken,

twice a week to control the spread of corona virus. 4. Setting up of the 24x7 Call Centre to address the

problems of the public. Similarly, Doctor on Call Service was also created for health problem of the people.

5. Setting up of 19 shelter homes with the facilities of food, bath etc. for the needy people.

6. Meal on Wheel scheme was introduced with 5 NRMC busses for the supply of food & ration.

7. A New App and Helpline No. were created for home delivery of the groceries dairy products etc. for the people.

8. The zoom meetings of CEO & senior officials of the Authority with the entrepreneurs were also organized during lockdown period. In the meetings the details of government orders, notifications etc. their SOP/ guidelines, importance of Arogya Setu App, do & do not during pandemic, precaution and restriction in containment zone etc. were briefed.

NEW INITIATIVES• To support the appeal of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri

Narendra Modi Ji regarding the ban of Single use Plastic to control the pollution more than one lakh Eco-Friendly bags provided by the Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) were distributed free of cost to the public. 100 Eco-Friendly Bag Banks were also established. Bag distribution is a continuous process.

• To make the City plastic free and clean a joint program of Safaigiri is organized in every Sunday in which officials of various departments and people visit the area and remove plastic & other waste.

Mrs. Ritu Maheshwari an IAS officer of 2003 batch of Uttar Pradesh Cadre is Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Noida. Prior to current assignment she was the District Magistrate of Pilibhit, Ghazipur, JP Nagar, Ghaziabad and holding senior position in various departments. Mrs. Maheshwari, a B.Tech, disciplined officer is known for proficiency and as strict administrator. Under her leadership Noida city has made new record of achievements and has been awarded several prestigious awards like Best Climate Smart City Award, Best City under Silver Category Award etc.

20

Employment and Export Promotion schemes of Union Govt. under implementation

• Additional 10% Capital Investment Subsidy (CIS) incentives for garmenting and made-ups units in addition to 15% CIS already availed.

• Incentive under Merchandised Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) has revised from 2% to 4%.

• Basic Custom Duty has increased from 10% to 20% wrt Textile products to boost Make in India and indigenous production.

• Special Package of US$ 31 Bn to boost employment and export under textile sector.

• Technology Up gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) has been amended to modernize the textile units and now the scheme is known as ATUFS.

• Duty Drawback through Rebate on State Central Levies for garments and made ups at notified rate.

• Lifting the export ban of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) coveralls with monthly quota of 50 Lakh.

The revised classification of MSMEs on the basis of Investment and turnover is as under.

> Micro – Investment Rs. 1 crore and Turnover Rs. 5 Crore

> Small - Investment Rs. 10 crore and Turnover Rs. 50 Crore

> Medium - Investment Rs. 50 crore and Turnover Rs. 250 Crore

A) Ministry of Textile, Government of India is in the process of formulating a New Textile Policy–2020 with a vision to develop a competitive textile sector which would be modern, substantial with special focus on manufacturing and export of Apparels, Garment, Technical textile etc. It will strive to place India as manufacturing and exporting hub globally. It will also to grow and develop ongoing economic measures. Garment manufacturers and exporters expect the new policy to encourage the sector.B) New Export Policy (NEP) of UP State is under preparation under the dynamic leadership of Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji, Hon’ble Chief Minister. The entreprenuer export friendly NEP would be entrepreneurs and export friendly for 5 years from 2020 to 2025. The need of NEP felt in view of upcoming Asia’s biggest Jewar International Airport, proposed Film city at Yamuna Expressway and passing of Delhi-Mumbai–Amritsar–Kolkata Industrial Corridor (DMAKIC) through UP, availability of the geographical and climatical traditional diversified products, traditional skill, youth power. The NEP aims to increase the export from UP to the level of 3.00 Lakh Crore annually from the existing Rs. 1.20 Lakh Crores during the span of 5 years. Currently the share of State in total country’s export is less than 5%. Sources reveal that government

is planning to give Special Economic Package (SEP) to the export potential districts, 25% more FAR to export units, establishment of Central–State Co-ordination Cell, Geographical Indication (GI) Cell, Business Facilitation Forum, setting up of District Level Export Promotion Council and Jila Niryat Bandhu under NEP. Besides, financial assistance to exporters on transportation cost, market promotion, market research, certification, preparation of quarterly export possibilities report with data analysis, organizing of State level annual Export Conclave, hand holding support and other incentives to promote export are also expected in new export policy. Sources say that State government would submit the proposal to Union Government under Champion Services Sector Scheme to promote the products and their export. Significantly, the incentives, concessions proposed in the existing export policy would continue along with the NEP in future project. NEP is in final stage of preparation and it will be implemented through UP Export Promotion Bureau after its clearance from the State Cabinet which is expected soon. NAEC strongly believe that NEP would give relief to the exporters and promote exports from the State. NAEC heartly welcome the above step of the State Government and thanks to Hon’ble CM.

GOOD NEWS

22

2020-2021 Union Budget(Textile Sector highlights)

Total budget allocation Rs. 3514.79 Cr. was made for textile sector in the Union Budget of 2020-21 against budget allocation of Rs. 4831.48 Cr. earmarked during 2019-20. The allocation for some important schemes/ components for the year 2020-21 are as under:

• Amended Technology Up Gradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) Rs. 761.90 Crore• Integrated Processing Development Scheme (IPDS) Rs. 50.00 Crore• Scheme of Integrated Textile Park (SITP) Rs. 80.00 Crore• Pradhan Mantri Paridhan Rozgar Yojna (PMPRY) Rs. 223.00 Crore• Integrated Skilled Development Scheme (ISDS) Rs. 150.00 Crore• Development of Silk Textiles Rs. 810.00 Crore

Highlights of Readymade Garments (RMG) Export

India's RMG export declined by 91% in April, 2020 (US$ 126.31 Mn) compared to April, 2019 and 14% in August, 2020 (US$ 1083.80 Mn) due to COVID-19 Pandemic. However, RMG export grew by 10.22% (US$ 1190.14 Mn) in November, 2020. Cumulative RMG export of the country in Dollar terms during 1st half of

2020-21 (April-September 2020) declined by 30.25% and was US$ 4783.51 Mn. Worthwhile to mention that the Readymade Garment Sector alone provided employment to 12.90 Mn workers directly and shared more than 45% in the total textile export basket of the country.

Year wise India's RMG export for last three years is tabulated below:

Apparel Export

Year In Rupee Crore In US $ Million

2017-18 1,07,739 16,722

2018-19 1,12,827 16,156

2019-20 1,09,841 15,509

Source: DGCI&S. Figures are rounded up.

23

E- Invoicing under the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

The GST Council in its 38th Meeting held on 10.10.2019 approved the E-Invoicing template and mechanism for implementation with effect

from 1st April’ 2020. To increase the tax collection and stopped misuse/ fraud in availing GST Input Tax Credits (ITC) etc. the mechanism of E-Invoicing has been introduced by the government. In fact, E-Invoicing for Electronic invoicing is the process of generating authenticated invoices from the GST portal in accordance with the prescribed processes. The facility is mandatory for specified categories of taxpayers for all B2B transactions and optional for B2C transactions. As per the Notification No. 70/2019-CT dated 13 December’ 2019, E-Invoicing would be mandatory for all registered taxpayers whose aggregate turnover exceeds INR 100 crores. The turnover should be looked on an aggregate basis (PAN level) and not with respect to the GSTIN on the taxpayer.

To familiarize with the process E-Invoicing would be made available for use on a trial basis in two Phases,

1st Phases - Taxpayers having turnover more than INR 500 crores and 2nd Phases – Taxpayers having turnover more than INR 100 crores. The portal i.e. Invoice Registration Portal (IRP), meant fo r execution of E-Invoicing is managed by the GST Network (GSTN). E-Invoicing would generate huge data for GST for analysis. E-Invoicing is expected to rationalize compliance mechanism and result in significant time saving due to real – time data transmission. The success of the system is significantly dependent on the seamless transfer and processing of data between IRP, GST and E-way bill portals which ought to translate into eliminating duplication and lower compliance efforts by the taxpayers. Taxpayers would be able to unleash the benefits of the E-Invoicing only if it results in actual savings in costs, time and efforts.

Undoubtedly the introduction of E-Invoicing by the government is the right steps in right direction to enforce compliance in transparent and time bound manner.

Integrated Processing Development Scheme (IPDS)

– Notification & Highlights

In the NAEC Apparel Park proposed at Sector-29 Yamuna Expressway, one common Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) with Zero Liquid Discharge

(ZLD) would be established for the common use of the garment production units. The ETP would be set-up in the park with the support of Ministry of Textile Government of India scheme viz, Integrated Processing Development Scheme (IPDS), the highlights of the scheme are: -

> Govt. Notification: REGD. No. D.L,-33004/99 EXTRAORIDINAY - PART–I-Section 1, RESOLUTION dated 07.12.2017.

> Validity: 01.04.2017 to 31.03.2021 (Four Years) > Eligibility: The textile units/ apparel production units

working in the cluster. > GOI grant: 50% of project cost with ceiling limit of

Rs. 75.00 Cr. This grant does not cover land cost.

> Other Funding Agencies: State Govt., Bank Loan & Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

> Funding Pattern: Project cost shall be shared by MOT, State Government, beneficiaries (SPV) & bank loan in the ratio of 50:25:15:10 respectively. 15% SPV contribution would be through equity.

> Government of India Grant (50% of project cost with ceiling of Rs. 75.00 Cr) would be released in the ratio of 35:30:20 in four installments.

Since it is not feasible for small and medium entrepreneurs to set up individual ETP in view of huge cost therefore Ministry of Textile Government of India has offered this scheme to give relief to them. NAEC is taking up the issue of establishment of the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) with Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in the proposed Apparel Park at Yamuna Expressway with the concerned authorities.

24

25

26

27

28

RECOGNITIONS

30

Rs. 29.87 lakh cr. Stimulus Package cum Relief Measures

to boost Indian Economy affected by COVID – 19 Pandemic

PARTICULAR LAKH CRORES

Pardhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) (Announced in March’20) 1.92

PMGKP- Anna Yojna (Announced in March’20) 0.82

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan – 1.0 (Announced in May’20) 11.03

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan – 2.0 (Announced in May’20) 0.73

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan – 3.0 (Announced in November’20) 2.65

RBI Package (Announced from Feb’20 to October’20) 12.72

Union Govt. announced stimulus package/relief measure of total cost of Rs. 29.87 lakh crore in March, May and November’ 2020

to revive the economy, industrial sector severely affected because of COVID-19 Pandemic. A big chunk, in fact the largest, worth Rs. 12.71 lakh crore of the economic package belonged to the various

measures given by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) till October 2020. These relief measures are towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ visioned by Hon’ble Prime Minister. The highlights of the stimulus package of Rs. 29.87 lakh crores which is 15% of gross country's GDP are summarized below:

The important components pertaining to industries including Readymade Garment Sector & MSME under the said stimulus package are, Infuse of liquidity through collateral free loans, Rs. 50,000 crore equity infusions for MSMEs through Fund of Funds, wearing of EPF contribution of employer and employee (24%) for new employees with a maximum limit of 1,000 employees and employees' contribution (12%) if new employee are more than 1,000 in one EPFO registered company by government

for 2 years w.e.f. 01.10.2020, additional loan up to 20% of outstanding credit with a tenure of 5 years including one year moratorium at low interest (scheme will be available till 31.03.2021), providing of Line of Credit (LOC) by Export Import Bank (EXIM) to the exporters, providing of production linked incentive (PIL) etc. The stimulus package is expected to give relief to the RMG exporters suffered from the pandemic and will be a right step to make country Atmanirbhar amid and post COVID-19 times.

31

"Crafted by ideas, exceled by passion, earned by sweat,

shows the way to success"

Today women entrepreneur constitute 10% of the total number entrepreneurs in the country, not a huge number but definitely encouraging

.It is often considered that women are better at building long term relationships which benefits a business tremendously and it is also said that women are more likely to better understand customer perspective.

Boskey Seth founder and director of Rahul Fashions Pvt. Ltd. (RFPL) a high fashion readymade garment manufacturing and exporting company which have won various plaudits from far and wide for its innovative and stylish designs. A graduate from Salford University, U.K. have started her company independently in 2010 with an annual sales of 10,000 USD and with her passion backed by performance it is now a multimillion dollar company. Even after various challenging reforms

and changes in the Indian economy after 2016, RFPL is continuously trying to touch new heights of growth by expanding 40% year by year ever since.In view of growing global demand for fashion, we try to make the garments for women in which they can feel comfortable and stylish and at the same time each garment we manufacture is an attempt to empower women in their own field.RFPL caters and exports to Worldwide Clients based in countries such as Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, France, Peru, Chile and Australia. We at RFPL also got opportunity to serve Celebrity Brands like EH (Elizabeth Hurley Beach Wear) and Kendall & Kylie (Hollywood) which opened our doors to new Horizons.

I run this company with all my heart and every garment which I design tells a story because that is how I reach out to worldwide women wearing it. My work is my passion, it gives me immense pleasure to go and create something new every time.

Boskey Seth, Founder & Director Rahul Fashions

“

”

MEMBER SUCCESS STORY

32

Notifications / Gadgets/ Rules & Regulations/ Government Orders

Sr. No. ITC HS Codes Description Export Policy Policy ConditionFollowing Personal Protection Equipments(PPEs) exported either as part of kits or as individual items

1. Medical Coveralls of all Classes/Categories (Except Surgical drapes, isolation aprons, surgical warps and X- ray gowns)

Prohibited

Medical Coveralls such as Surgical drapes, isolation aprons, surgical wraps and X-ray gowns are freely exportable

2. Medical Coveralls for COVID-19 Restricted Monthly export quota of 50 lakh units of Medical coveralls for COVID - 19

207A

901850

901890

9020

392690

621790

630790

3. Medical Googles Restricted Monthly export quota of 20 Lakh units of Medical Goggles

4. All masks other than Non-medical/non-surgical masks(cotton, silk, wool, polyester, Nylon, Rayon, Viscose – Knitted, Woven or Blended)

Prohibited

Non- medical /non- surgical masks (cotton, silk, wool, and polyester, Nylon, Rayon, Viscose Knitted, Woven or Blended) are allowed freely for export.

5. 2/3 Ply Surgical Masks Restricted Monthly Export Quota of 4 Crore 2/3 Ply surgical masks

6. Nitrile/NBR Gloves Prohibited

7. Face Shields Free Face Shields are freely exportable

1. Ministry of Commerce & Industries Department of Commerce Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Government of India has made to amendments in Export Policy of Personal Protection Equipment / Masks

• Notification No. 21/2015-20 New Delhi, Dated: 28th July, 2020 issued Notification regarding Amendment in Export Policy of Personal Protection Equipment/ Masks

2. Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Deptt. of Commerce, Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Govt. of India, New Delhi vide their Trade Notice No: 19/2020-21 Dated 21st July’ 2020 has issued Procedure for Export of samples of PPE Medical Coveralls for COVID-19. As per procedure, Export of quantity up to 50 units of ‘PPE medical coveralls for Covid-19’ samples per IEC per country will be

allowed & the items description in the application must specify “PPE medical coveralls for COVID–19 Samples”. The other details of the procedure have been mentioned in the said trade notice.

3. Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (Tax Research Unit), Govt. of India is in the process of review of Custom Duty exemption notifications. Accordingly,

33

the Ministry of Finance vide their letter No. 341/04/2020-TRU New Delhi Dated 21st July’ 2020 had sought suggestions from all the stakeholders/ public at large to provide their suggestions online.

4. Extension of Interest Equalization Scheme on Pre and Post Shipment Rupee Export Credit RBI vide its Notification No. RBI/2019–20/231 DOR. Dir. BC. No. 69/04.02.001/2019-20 – dated May 13’ 2020 has notified the extension of interest Equalization Scheme for pre and post shipment Rupee export credit, with same scope and coverage for one more year i.e. up to March 31, 2021. The extension shall take effect from April 01’ 2020 and end on March 31’ 2021.

5. Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) has been approved by the Union Cabinet on 20.05.2020 with a corpus fund of Rs. 41,600 crores to combat COVID–19 crises. Salient features of the schemes are: > Provision of fully guaranteed additional funding

of up to Rs. 3.00 Lakh crore to eligible Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), eligible business enterprises and interested MUDRA borrowers. The amount of GECL funding to eligible MSME borrowers is up to 20 per cent of their outstanding limits/ term loans (In case of banks and FL’s/ NBFCs) up to Rs. 25 crores, i.e., up to Rs. 5 crores as on 29th February’ 2020.

> The eligibility criteria of ECLGS currently include, inter-alia, Outstanding loans of up to Rs. 25 crores as on 29.02.2020, Borrower account should have been equal to or less than 60 days past due as on 29.02.2020 & annual turnover of up to Rs. 100 crores.

Government is also intended to include individual loans given for business purposes within the ambit of ECLGS subject to condition such loans should full fill the eligibility criteria of ECLGS, increase the annual turnover ceiling from Rs. 100 crores to Rs. 250 crores in line with the increased ceiling of loans outstanding and the revised definition of MSMEs issued by the M/o MSME and to increase the upper ceiling of loans outstanding as on 29.02.2020 for being eligible under the Scheme from Rs. 25 crores to Rs. 50 crores.

6. Parliament passed bills on 3 Labor codes during monsoon session 2020. Now 44 labors law would be categorized in 4 codes viz., Wages, Social Security, Industrial Relations and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Codes. The highlights of the bill are: - > Appointment Letter to the workers would be

mandatory at the time of hiring > Mandatory annual health check-up of the workers > Digital payment of the wages etc. to the workers > Worker would be treated at par with regular

workers > Fixed term hiring would be legalized and single

license for all contract hiring would be allowed. Social Security net of ESIC and EPFO to widen opening up for all workers and self-employed

> 50% of the penalty in case of accident to go to the workers along with other dues

> Migrant workers to get journey allowance once in a year to visit native place

> Firms with up-to 300 employees will not seek Government approval for retrenchment.

Database on migrant workers through Law would be made to help better targeting, skilled mapping, utilization of the government schemes including PDS by the workers. Moreover, now Inspector to be now made as Inspector-cum-Facilitator. Introduction of Random, Web-Based Inspection System to remove Inspector Raj.

7. Government of UP in the direction of Ease to Business for setting up new Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) notified the much awaited UP MSME (Establishment and operation Simplification) Act, 2020. Earlier, entrepreneurs required 80 No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from 29 departments, and had to apply to each NOC separately causing to complete lengthy procedure and enormous delay in establishment and operation of their units. Now a Single Window System would be set-up for the purpose and power connection up-to 20KW and industrial plot up to 1,000 sq mtr would be provided to the entrepreneurs within 72 hours and 48 hours respectively by electricity department and Noida Authority. Entrepreneur will be had to make an application through a Declaration of Intent to the District Level Nodal Agency (DLNA) which will have to issue an acknowledgement within 72 hours of receipt of the application. On the basis of acknowledgement, one will be able to establish the unit. The physical inspection by the government can happen only after 1,000 days from the acknowledgement, the notification states. Government has constituted two high level committees under the Chairmanship of District Magistrate and Chief Secretary to implement and monitor this act. UP government order no. 468/18-2-2020-12 (Laghu Udyog)/2019 issued by Chief Secretary Government of UP may be referred for more details.

34

Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) has a mission to develop and establish Noida as well-known place and destination for the garment industry so that it could be recognized both at National and International level. The upcoming NAEC Apparel Park at Sector-29, Yamuna Expressway is one

of the important attempts in this direction. NAEC is actively pursuing the followings important projects for expansion of RMG sector in Noida region.

Noida –A well-known destination of Garment IndustryI) Developing Noida as a City of Fashion

After declaring Gautam Budh Nagar District, as City of Apparels in January 2018 by the UP Govt., the process of development of garment sector has got momentum. Long awaited and much needed NAEC Apparel Park at Sector-29, Yamuna Expressway in collaboration with Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) is being established. In addition, MSME department has also approved One Textile Testing Laboratory (TTL) and its establishment process has been started.

The leading garment entrepreneurs and designers have their manufacturing units and offices in the district. NAEC suggested that an infrastructure having showrooms of reputed garment brands manufacturing units, office of designers, buying houses, conference hall with a provision of organizing daily free of charge fashion shows is required to be established in the District. This will give an opportunity to the garment entrepreneurs and designers to showcase their products for promotion. General public particularly young

generation will also be aware about the new trend of the fashion through this type of the infrastructure which would on the pattern of center existing in Milan (Italy) and Paris (France). It has been observed that now choice of clothes/ dresses of the public is being shifted from need based and people are now crazier to latest fashion and quality. Keeping in need of the garment sector and to explore the domestic as well as global market it would be appropriate that district be developed as City of Fashion for which above infrastructure is required to be established. The issue regarding developing the district as City of Fashion was discussed Shri. Lalit Thukral along with the leading designers and readymade garment manufacturers with Smt. Ritu Maheshwari, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Noida. Smt. Maheshwari appreciated the idea of City of Fashion and assured all support from the authority. NAEC is pursuing the matter. Worthwhile to mention that developing the district as City of Fashion would be first of its own kind in country which will benefit both general public and garment entrepreneurs.

35

II) Formulation of District Export Plan for Readymade Garment and Inclusion of Noida in the list of Town of Export Excellence (TEE)

NAEC with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GOI, Industry Department, MSME, Export Promotion of UP state is in the process for formulation of District Readymade Garment Export Plan (DRMGEP) for G.B. Nagar District. Side by side efforts are also being made to include the Noida in the list of Town of Export Excellence (TEE) for Readymade Garments (RMG)/ Apparels. The list of TEE is being prepared by the DGFT. NAEC is rendering all sort of the support to the DGFT in this endeavour. Unit wise RMG export data of district G.B Nagar are

being collected for the DGFT. With the formulation of the District Readymade Garment Export Plan and inclusion of the G.B Nagar in the list of TEE, new avenues would open for export of RMG from the district which will ultimately generate more employment and valuable foreign exchange earnings and the district will be eligible for many export promotions schemes of Govt. of India i.e. Central Assistance of States, Market Access Initiative etc. in addition to the support for strengthening infrastructure, simplifying rules & procedures and developing production infrastructure relating to design, R&D packaging, logistic support as well as to provide awareness and information about international marketing. Naturally this will pave the way for more export from the district.

III) Establishment of Textile Testing Laboratory (TTL)

With the consistent efforts of NAEC, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh has declared District Gautam Budh Nagar a “City of Apparel” under One District One Product (ODOP) scheme in January 2018. This step of the government has paved the way to accelerate the development and expansion of garment sector in the district. Under ODOP scheme Government of UP vide letter No. 1095/18-4-2018-18 Vividh)/17T.C.-III Dated 6th November’ 2018 of Industry Department provides support to established Common Facility Centers (CFCs) and Textile Testing Lab (TTL) is one of them. The scheme will be implemented and operated through Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) having minimum 20-25 members of which 2/3 should be from the respected field. Maximum cost of

the project of the CFC is Rs. 15 cr. of which Govt. of UP will support 90% and rest 10% has to be shared by the SPV. Since Noida does not has Testing Lab exclusively for textile and textile products as such it is proposed to avail benefit of the scheme and set up one Textile Testing Lab in Noida. In this process series of meeting were held with the senior officials of MSME, Industry department, District Magistrate etc. The TTL would be accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and would test the textile products meant for Domestic sale as well as Export. The proposed TTL would be of great relief to the garment entrepreneurs not only of the district but also of the region where they will get the testing facility at nominal rates and they will also save their time. TTL would be operated through SPV at No Profit and No Loss basis.

36

The US and China trade war began in 2018 is the result of continues trade conflict between the two world’s top economies. Currently

US is number one economy with US$ 21 Trillion accounting more than 25% of the global economy followed by China with 13.60 Trillion US$ having 15% of the world economy. US claims that China has manipulated its currency and it is almost impossible for American companies to compete with Chinese counterpart. Besides, US also accuses China for unfair trade practices which lead the enormous expand of its (US) trade deficit with China, theft of

Intellectual Property (IP). American trade deficit with China is around 50% followed by 10% with Germany. America has the total deficit of US$ 566 Billion in goods and service sectors with US$ 300 Billion IP deficit. American President Donald Trump from very beginning (since 1980) has been advocating to reduce US trade deficit and promote domestic manufacturing saying that US was being ripped off by foreign trading partners. Trumps believes that in current era of the liberalization and in globalization other countries particularly China is being benefited at the cost of loss of America.

US-China Trade War & Covid-19 Pandemic - Affects & Opportunities for IndiaImposing of tariff of 25% on US$ 50 Billion Chinese good in July’18 in two phases i.e. in July and August 2018 followed by another tariff imposition on Chinese products worth of US$ 200 Billion in September’18 by the US is the actual beginning of the trade war between the two countries. In fact, US launched this trade war to pressure China to implement significant changes in its (Chinese) economic system that facilitate unfair Chinese trade practice, limited America access in Chinese markets, forced American Transfer of Technology, theft of IP and subsidies to state run enterprises. In response of US measure Chinese Govt. has accused the Trump

administration of engaging in protectionism and retaliated by imposing tariff on US products of more than US$ 100 Billion. The effect of US-China Trade war on China is not known because in the country the things are not properly made available because of the censorship. However, US’s GDP and export have been down by 0.3% and 1.7% respectively and American

38

entrepreneurs find themselves in uncomfortable state. In China there is general perception that US is trying to curve it’s (China) rise as a global economic power.

The trade war has affected Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) specially in the service and

goods sector like electronic, textiles etc. export given that China is its top trading partner Although all the ASEAN countries are losing business, changing trade partners from trade war can attract displaced opportunities. India, the dialogue partner of ASEAN and member of ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) has also been directly or indirectly affected in many areas from trade war like weakning of Indian Currency as investor became critical about Indian market, impacted equity market, expansive growing of import because of weaking of the rupees. These all factors make it hard for India to sustain competitiveness by reducing cost. Termination of the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) by US from June’19 further aggregated the problem affecting export to US from India. US is a top destination of apparels export for India with export worth US$ 4.4 Billion annually, accounting 27% of India’s total Apparel Export which was US$ 16.2 Billion in 2019. Apparel accounts for 8% of India’s total export to USA.

Despite of adverse impact on India’s export on account of

US China trade war there will be opportunities for India because of further conflict of US with China over spread of Covid-19 pandemic and US Presidential election scheduled to be held at the end of 2020. In this direction following possibilities and action from Indian Govt. may be helpful to covert trade crisis into trade opportunities:

• India can become self-dependent.

• Trade war has created a gap in the US and Chinese markets. India can fill up that market void.

• Initially India was not able to export many items to the US due to the cost disadvantage but the imposing of the tariff on Chinese products by the US open the export opportunities for India.

• India should put tactical and diplomatic pressure to convince the US administration for resumption of GSP in the backdrop of presidential election in US.

• India can double it apparels export by implementing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with US, UK, EU, Australia. Currently Indian apparel industry has duty disadvantage of 12.5% being overall average tariff in US and on certain items like MMF based apparel’s which India is promoting is extremely high as 28%. Hence, steps are needed for the FTAs with US and above other countries.

39

once a year. At the same time, many provisions have been brought to make entrepreneurs' business easier.In the current law, the amount of the fine would go to the government's account in the event of

an accident, but in the new law, the victim will get 50 per cent of the amount of the penalty.For the first time in the history of 73 years, such changes have been made in the labour law, which will prove beneficial for both employers and workers. The wage code has already been notified. The old 29 rules have been integrated into these four codes.After Lok Sabha, now three labour bills passed in Rajya Sabha

1) Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code 2) Industrial Relations Code 3) Code On Social Security

The government is compassionate about migrant labourers. Now a provision is being made to prepare a data bank of migrant labourers. It is being arranged that the travelling allowance should be given by the employer once a year to the migrant labourers to go to their original place of residence.1) Industrial Relations Bill - 2020Companies with less than 300 employees will be able to lay off without approval - now companies in which the number of employees is less than 300 will be able to lay off employees without getting permission from the government. Till now, this provision was only for companies with less than 100 employees. Now, this limit has been increased in the new labour code.Layoffs or shutdowns will be allowed to the same organization whose employees have been less than 300 on average every day in the last 12 months. The government can also increase this minimum number by issuing a notification.Apart from this, this bill says that no worker working in any organization can go on strike without giving notice 60 days in advance. Currently, this period is for six weeks.

Under the new Labour Codes, there has been talking of giving minimum wages and social security to the 500 million organized,

unorganized and self-employed workers in the country. The government will also create a social security fund for 40 crore people working in the unorganized sector. With the help of this fund, people working in the unorganized sector will get the benefit of death insurance, accidental insurance, maternity benefit and pension.

Its purpose is to provide universal security coverage. The new labour law talks about giving women equal salaries as men. The definition of Working Journalist will also be changed. It will also include journalists from digital and electronic media.Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code Bill 2020 (Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code Bill 2020) has also changed the rule of leave policy.Under this, after 180 days of work, instead of 240, labour becomes entitled to leave. According to this code, if an employee will get hurt at the worksite. He will be got at least 50 per cent from the fine from the principal employer. Overall, there has been an effort to create a safe environment for workers.The ESIC and EPFO facility is being expanded in the Social Security Code. The facility of ESIC will now also be available to workers, gigs, platform workers working in the unorganized sector.The definition has been changed for migrant workers. If a worker comes from other states and his salary is less than 18 thousand, then he will be included in the category of migrant workers or migrant labourers. Migrant workers will get the benefit of all government schemes.The government has decided to create a database for migrant workers. The employers of migrant labourers will have to give them travel allowance once a year to go home.The new labour bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha. With the new labour law, both organized and unorganized workers of the country will get a variety of new facilities. It will be mandatory to give an appointment letter to all the workers. Their salary will have to be paid digitally. Health check-up of all workers has also been made compulsory

Satendra Singh, CMDLEGAL INFOSOLUTIONS PVT LTD

Regd. H.O.: BE-243, G.F., Avantika, Ghaziabad. Corp. Off.: The Ithum IT Park, Suite # 007, 3rd Floor, Tower–C,

Plot No.-40 A, Sector-62, NoidaNew Labour Codes

40

2) Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Bill - 2020 (Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code)This bill will give exemption to companies so that they can provide jobs for most people on a contract basis. Also, the contract can be extended any number of times and for any time. No limit has been set for this. That provision has also been removed, under which any existing employee was prohibited from being converted into a contract worker.Working hours (working hours) for women will be between 6 am to 7 pm. If work is being done after 7 pm, then the company will be responsible for safety.No employee can work more than six days in a week. Double that day's money for overtime—no appointment without an appointment letter.3) Social Security Bill - 2020 (Code On Social Security 2020)Now a year will be able to get gratuity - Social Security Code 2020 (New Security Code 2020) has been told in the new provisions that people who will get jobs on a fixed-term basis. They will also have the right to get gratuity based on that day. There is no need to complete five years for this. If put in easy words, those working on

contract basis will get the benefit of gratuity along with their salary. How long is the contract?If the employee fulfils certain conditions of the job, gratuity will be paid to him under a prescribed formula in a guaranteed manner. According to the current system, if a person works in a company for at least five years, then he is entitled to gratuity.For the last few years, there was a constant demand from the working unions that five years is too much time in new ways of doing jobs. It should be done for a year or three years. After this, this amendment is being done.What is Gratuity – In addition to salary, pension and provident fund, gratuity is also given to employees working in the same company for a long time. Gratuity is the reward received by an employee from the company.Under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972-Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, it benefits every employee of the institution where more than ten employees work. If the employee changes the job, retires or leaves the job due to any reason but meets the rules of gratuity, then he gets the benefit of gratuity. The rules of this code are to be created now; after the states have made the rules, they will be implemented effectively.

The industrial growth of the country has been increased manifold in the past few decades. This growth has not only acted as a catalyst

for various innovations and brought a lot of career opportunities, but also helped in increasing the GDP, as well as attaining the developmental goals of the country. On the one hand the industrial development has many major pros but on the other hand it has also led to various consequential issues out of which pollution being at the top. In industrialized countries, environmental regulation and new technologies are reducing the environmental impact per unit produced, but industrial activities and growing demand are still

putting pressures on the environment and the natural resource base. A major concern of the day is water crisis, pollution and depletion of ground water.

India has a monsoon type climatic conditions and the average annual rainfall of North India is good with which there is a good potential of capturing the rainwater through rain water harvesting structures which can be either manmade or natural. Ponds acts as natural discharge and allows water percolation into the soil but from the past two decades, a number of new industries and factories has been established in India. Sometimes the waste generated from these factories has been dumped into the ponds,

GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT

-A HOILISTIC OVERVIEW

42

lakes and rivers without treatment which in turn reduces the rate of percolation of Rain water into the earth. Another activity which has affected water percolation is the construction of underground basements in buildings. Moreover the roots of the nearby trees tend to remain comparatively shallow which affects the water cycle. Some water intensive units have installed water treatment systems that are not sufficient to treat all the effluent that has been discharged from the industry. As a result the effluent is discharged directly into drains without treatment which not only deteriorate the quality of water but also hampers the life of aquatic plants and animals. It can also be seen that some industrial units seeking for NOC for abstraction of ground water usually declares partial quantity of water requirement and generated effluent in order to save the capital investment which otherwise will be used in establishment of water and sewage treatment systems. As a result the untreated effluents go directly into the drains without treatment causing industrial water pollution. Also the consent to establish certificate issued by SPCB is provided to industries without considering the production capacity, proposed machines and process of the applicant industry. It is also seen that some industries install under capacity air pollution control devices which are not sufficient to treat the smoke produced which ultimately results into uncontrolled release of smoke into the air.

It is the need of an hour to look out for different ways to prevent and reduce water pollution in order to grow sustainably. The industries and the builders should be restricted to construct the building on non permissible area and rest open area should be

open to earth not open only to sky. In rural areas, sewage treatment plant should be developed and constructed away from village pond area in order to keep the pond clean and water away from getting mixed with the sewage & effluents. The units should be provided a chance to declare their actual water consumption as an amnesty scheme to form effective effluent treatment and water management policy. It is estimated that consumptive use of most of industries remains 20% to 30% of total water requirement in the process. The effluent generated in the industries should be treated and recycled by captive and/or independent unit or in cluster which may lead to save about 70% to 80% of water which otherwise going waste. This process will result reduction of pressure on ground water by 70% to 80%. It should also be noted that the effluent treatment should be carried out by trained manpower with responsibility.

It’s the time when we should start considering the effluent treatment industry as an independent industrial sector and focus should be given on training of manpower under skill India program which may result into generation of employment opportunities for youth. It’s the time when all industries should come forward for declaration of their actual water requirement in respect of quantity so as to enable the policy maker for effective workable and viable water treatment system. Recycling of treated waste water for multiple use of drawn water should be promoted which can results into sharp reduction of discharge. It will also help in reduction of ground water withdrawal which ultimately reduces the pressure on precious Ground water resources.

Er. DEEPAK JAIN,Mechanical Engineering(Pollution Control and Mechanical Systems),

Proprietor - NEER(A Consultancy

Organization engaged in the field of environment &

water management)

43

44

The garment industry like many others will need to bring in certain changes in the post pandemic phase. The Indian garment industry will need to

gear itself to fight the economic consequences that the coronavirus has brought with it. Garment manufacturers need to maximize their internal capabilities and focus on building their efficiencies in line with current requirements. This will enable them to survive and work with the changed scenario post pandemic.Post Covid, it is critical that fashion and apparel manufacturers pay close heed to the requirements of hygiene, sanitization, minimum touch operations and

social distancing. A typical garment manufacturing unit is likely to have many unsafe zones, right from the raw material storage to dispatch area. In traditional set ups there is hardly any scope for social distancing as there is no comprehensive and systematic layout or planning done. It is critical that a unit is now rehauled and redesigned keeping in mind the guidelines given by the Indian government as well as pragmatic challenges. While the process requires a deeper study of premises and customized execution, these typical drawing can be used to understand the alterations to start with.

Guidelines for running garments factories under Covid-19 Machine manufacturers also share their suggestions which are incorporated based on requirements and core products manufactured by a unit.

1. sign denotes ‘Restricted Entry’ at 3 different places

2. sign denotes ‘Seats Not in Use’ at 2 different locations within the cutting room

3. sign means ‘Modular Partitions’ are required at 9 different locations

4. sign means ‘Partition Screening’ is required at 4 locations

5. sign denotes ‘Signage and Graphics’ need to be pasted at 7 locations

Survival - Post Pandemic What Garment Manufactures Need to Know

KISHORE MOTWANIConsultant (Technical)Mobile #: +91-98100-12879Email: kmotwani_intagartek@yahoo.co.inWebsite: www.intagartek.in

45

5. sign denotes ‘Dehumidifier’ needs to be installed at 3 locations

Therefore, recommendations are given to all zones/departments by studying their respective needs.

“We will now start seeing some solid innovation. It’s under intense pressure that zones are formed."

- Anisha Singh, She Capital” Unquote

The current scenario may look dismal at times but only those who will adapt will survive. We need to keep our health and spirits high and march on!

The author is Founder and MD of Intagartek (India) Pvt Ltd , a consulting firm for Garment & Allied industries. He has over 30 years’ experience in the field and has set up more than 400 garment & allied manufacturing units in India and Abroad with specialization in plant layout and work flow. In fact, he had initiated Plant Layout as a subject in leading Fashion Institutions and trained many students for same.

Sanitization and HygieneTherefore, recommendations are given to all zones/departments by studying their respective needs.

Intagartek India Pvt Ltd has undertaken and incorporated design changes as per post Covid requirement in few running units. Put this next to second drawing

1. sign denotes the need for ‘Foot Operated Liquid Dispenser at 9 different places

2. round sign denotes the need for 6 HEPA-filter-based air purifiers

3. round sign means 2 ‘Glove Dispensers’ are required in cutting room

4. round sign means 2 ‘Face Mask Dispensers’ are required

46

United States of America (USA) has formally terminated India’s eligibility for Generalized System of Preference (GSP), a duty free import

scheme from 05.06.2019. India has been availing benefits & biggest beneficiary of the GSP since 1975 which allow duty free import by US from India. The objective of the GSP instituted in 1971 under the aegis of United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is to create smooth trading at concessional zero tariff imports from under developed / developing

designated countries including India to 13 developed or wealthy countries viz. Australia, Belarus, Canada, the European Union, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States of America. These 13 countries grant GSP to designated / beneficiary countries. The products covered under GSP are agricultural, handicrafts, textiles, jewellery etc. and other generally specialized products of the beneficiary countries, which are revised & renewed annually by the GSP granting countries.

India is the largest beneficiary nation of GSP Scheme and export goods worth US$ 6.35 billion to US and availed the total benefit of tariff exemption amounted to US$ 260 million. US is also the second biggest market for India’s export of Apparels and Textile products. Around 30% of the textile and apparel products exported from India are shipped to the USA. In value term of the total export from our country the impact of the GSP scraping by the US though may not be appeared so high but for small & medium apparel exporters already

facing many constraints with tough global competition from Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia and above all ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic etc. make the apparel export difficult & painful for them. It will not be out of place to mention that these apparel exporters operate on thin margin and for them export will become further more competitive. Worthwhile to mention that India has already slipped to the 40th position in global competitiveness as per the report compiled by World Economic Forum (WEF) recently.

GSP termination by USA appears to be is a result of uneasy trade relation between USA and India after assuming the power by Mr. Trump in 2016. US want greater market access in India for its (american) products especially Medical, Pharmaceuticals, Dairy, Agricultures etc. product India called the US move unfortunate but appears to be determined to face it firmly as it will have an impact hardly of 1 – 2% on some sectors and some places. Union Commerce Minister Shri Piyush Goyal said that India is now no more under developed country that will look for GSP type support from US. Indian govt. will build up export competitiveness in its own way and above all GSP benefits to developing countries are unilateral and non-reciprocal in nature. Besides, GSP can't be used for advancing USA’s trade interest and non-discriminatory benefits. As an immediate relief Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was asked by Shri Goyal to extend US $ 25 Billion (Rs. 1,73,150) line of credit for exporters and ensure that exporters get fund at interest rate not exceeding 2% above Libor.

GSP Termination by USA– Impact on Indian Apparel Export

47

The stand of our govt. on the US unexpected move on GSP is appreciable as in diplomacy counter action is often necessary to build bargaining leverage & to deter further bullying, after all business is business. But at the same time building up the competiveness through export friendly policies & schemes particularly for readymade garment & apparel to survive in the global market is absolutely necessary. In fact, short term, mid-term, and long term measures from the govt. are needed to combat the situation and give support & relief to the apparel exporters. Following steps are suggested for the consideration of govt.

• To make the provision of sufficient fund for line of credits for the exports and ensure exporters get funds and interest rate not exceeding 1% above Libor so as to make the export credit at competitive rate to the exporter.

• Loan in foreign currency at nominal rate may be made available to the exporters.

• Duty draw-back of pre GST era be restored.

• Similarly the raw material of the all type is required

to be kept out of GST slabs.

• New emerging country like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia etc. are posing tough competition to India in the export of readymade garment sector. Bangladesh’s RMG export is surpassing India and the main reason are low cost of production and their duty free access to EU and / of USA where is India only has 20% duty abatement for apparel export to these countries. Govt. of India should take up the issue of duty free access of apparels with these countries to give relief to indian apparel exporters.

• Similarly hassle free incentives / facilities on land, machinery, power, labour wages, transport / freight, raw material etc. are required to make export product cost effective and competitive internationally. Policies / Schemes may be formulated to give a relief to the exporters.

• Keeping in view severe strained relation of US with China because of current Novel COVID-19 pandemic Indian Government should diplomatically convince US Government to restore GSP.

48

In 2010, IBM conducted a research across 1600 CEOs over 60 locations to find out the single most important skill which will help the

companies survive and thrive into the next decade. Creativity was what most of the leaders voted for.More recently, in its January 2019 report, LinkedIn has rated creativity as one of the most important on job skills in demand. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Mark Cuban, one of America’s most successful businessmen and investors, said that he worries that many jobs people consider to be safe simply won’t exist in a few years due to automation and being able to think creatively will be key to survival. He added that personally he feels that there is going to be a greater demand for liberal arts majors that programming in a decade from now.

What is creativity?For a common man, creativity is often understood in terms of the ability to draw, illustrate or sketch well. More often than not, this understanding of creativity finds its roots in our early impressions in drawing or art classes when the teacher would call a person who could sketch and color well ‘creative’. And while that may be partially true, in today’s day and times, creativity is not limited to just the ability to illustrate your thoughts well but encompasses a much more exhaustive list of things.

As per the Oxford dictionary , creativity is defined as ‘ The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.’Some of the most creative ideas around us can be actually two existing technologies combined into one. The example of todays’ smart phones are actually a combination of already existing things and technology – the mobile phone used to make

and receive calls; the computer, which when connected to the internet gets

the world inside our homes and the good old camera used

for clicking pictures. The smart phone that we use

combines the features and technologies of these products and adds on the benefit of

convenience .Coming to think of it, how many

of us actually carry a camera in our bags to click

pictures anymore?Creativity is often the

differentiating factor in our day to day lives. How creatively can you

think of a solution to a problem; write about an issue to the client; tackle the

interviewers’ questions and numerous other such everyday cases require creativity.

Thinking out of the box and coming up with new more relevant ideas is the process and end result of creativity.

How do we enhance creativity?Given that the great minds living in our times have rated creativity as one of the most important skills

The Skill of Creativity Ms. Nidhi Bose

Sr. Consultant, Fashion Futures

49

to possess and thrive, it sure means that we need to think and act creatively. So how do we know whether we are creative and how do we get better at it? Try answering the question ‘How creative do you think you are? as honestly as you can.If we think we are not creative, the only person limiting the creativity is our own selves. Our creativity is often limited by our own thought process. It is a myth that creativity is only inborn and cannot be enhanced. The fact is that each one of us is creative and the real question is have we found out yet, what releases our innate creativity or not? As Vincent Van Gogh once said “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”To enhance creativity, subject experts recommend a lot of methods. Listed below are just a few, which are easy to practice and can be done on a fairly regular basis.

> Observe – Some of the most creative ideas can come up by simply observing things and people around us. Methods to do this can simply involve watching people around you and being curious about their lives. Some experts go an extra step and suggest eavesdropping into other’s conversations and gaining an insight about their lives. Yet others suggest trying to strike a conversation with absolute strangers. Whatever technique suits you, observation is a natural skill that each one of us possess and like any other skill, gets better with practice.

> Practise Randomness – while practice and randomness may sound like oxymorons, this is one thing that works wonders in enhancing your multidimensional thinking. Day dreaming has been proven to be a method to let your mind wander into random realms.

> One of the fun exercises that you can do right away is to come up with different words starting from the initials of your first and last name and try establishing a connection between them. Eg for Joseph Cherian I could come up with Jungle Cohort and then try and imagine how those could connect and draw up a mental picture of the same.

> Consciously thinking of words that do

not connect with each other on your daily commute, while walking your dog or even while brushing your teeth, trains your mind to think in diverse directions and is an excellent way to enhance creatively.

> Take risks – The famous author, psychologist, philosopher and proponent of lateral thinking Edward De Bono said ‘ “It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all. Taking risks may sound way easier than it actually is, research shows that

people who take risks are more creative than their counterparts who would rather not try something new. The logic behind it is, that with every failure that you may face, you are closer to gaining a new insight.

> Give fresh perspective a chance – wherever you are, whatever you do, giving fresh perspective, an untrained eye a chance is something that all of us must practise. As the 3 M president William McKnight puts it “Listen to anyone with an original idea, no matter how absurd it may sound at first. If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.”

Numerous other methods are available to enhance your creativity but the bottom line to remember is that the stone age didn’t end because they ran out of stones but that some one else came up with Bronze.

50

International Garment Fair Association (IGFA) has been organizing India International Garment Fair (IIGF) along with

major garment associations of India since 1988 twice a year – one for the Spring/Summer Season and one for the Autumn/Winter Season. 65th IIGF -Virtual Fair was organised by International Garment Fair Association in association with three major Garment Exporters' Associations vis-a-vis Garment Exporters & Manufacturers Association (GEMA), Gurugram, The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), Mumbai and Garment Exporters of Association of Rajasthan (GEAR), Jaipur.

During 65th IIGF, Noida Apparel Export Cluster (NAEC) has provided wholehearted support to IGFA in connection with Generation of participation from Noida & Greater Noida.

Department of MSME and Export Promotion of Govt. of Uttar Pradesh has extended financial support to IGFA and its participants under the One District One Product (ODOP) Programme. ODOP has provided subsidy in the participation charges to the participants and provided financial assistance to IGFA during 64th and 65th IIGF. ODOP has ensured that IGFA would continue getting financial support as well as to its participants in the future fairs also.

65th India International Garment Fair – the virtual fair was held from 15th October’20 to 30th November’20. The fair was inaugurated virtually by Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, IGFA along with Sh. Lalit Thukral, Vice Chairman, IGFA.

159 participants participated in the fair from all parts of India. 71 from Uttar Pradesh, 15 from Delhi NCR, 43 exporters from Rajasthan, 12 from Haryana, 11 from Maharashtra, 3 from Gujarat, 2 from West Bengal 1 each from

Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh participated in the fair.

A WhatsApp Group was made of the participants to sort out their day to day technical problems being faced by them with regard to the virtual platform. The details of the buyers who visited a particular stall along with their e-mail id were provided to the respective participants in their “Analytical Section”. Various Zoom Meetings were held with the participants and the suggestions received from them time to time have been incorporated in the platform to facilitate the participants. Even the suggestions received during the fair were also incorporated to facilitate the participants.

65th India International Virtual Garment Fair

(15th October, 2020 to 30th November, 2020)

51

1052 buyers and buying agents visited the course of the fair. Out of 1052, 857 buyers from 74 countries and 195 buying houses have visited the fair. These 857 buyers have visited 9512 stalls (i.e. on an average one buyer have visited 11.09 stalls, say 11 stalls), searched 4178 products page and connected 305 participants through WhatsApp. Likewise, 195 buying houses have visited 1902 stalls (i.e. on an average one buyer have visited 9.75 stalls, say 10 stalls), searched 805 products page and connected 135

participants through WhatsApp.

After the conclusion of the fair, IGFA team has gathered feedback from the participants that most of the participants have received more than 50 to 60 contacts of overseas buyers and they are in continuous contact with these buyers and hopeful of getting good business from these overseas buyers in near future.

A few photographs of the virtual fair is enclosed herewith.

52

Ranked No. 1 in this year’s Hot Button Ranking, Birla Cellulose of Aditya Birla Group has been accorded a ‘dark green shirt’ by the Canada-based

environmental not-for-profit Canopy Planet Society in the latest Hot Button Report 2020.

Birla Cellulose, the pulp and fibre business of the Aditya Birla Group, has again emerged number 1 globally in Canopy’s Hot Button Report 2020 for its continuous effort on the conservation of ancient and endangered forests. The top ranking in the environmental report reflects the company’s relentless attempt to improve sustainable wood sourcing practices, conservation of forests, innovations in development of next generation fibre solutions and transparency across its value chain.

“For Birla Cellulose, protection of ancient and endangered forests is extremely important. We believe rich biodiversity, sustainable forestry practices, and advancing conservation solutions can help fight climate change. Our collaboration with Canopy has motivated us to continually better our own benchmarks year on year in each of the focussed areas,” said Dilip Gaur, Business Director, Pulp and Fibre (Birla Cellulose) Aditya Birla Group & Managing Director, Grasim Industries Limited.

Along with the top ranking, Birla Cellulose has been accorded a ‘dark green shirt’ ranking, a first in the Hot Button Report 2020. A deeper shade of green ranking affirms better performance of the company in its implementation of its CanopyStyle commitments, with progress on next generation fibre solutions and the advancement of conservation in a critical landscape.

Canopy’s Hot Button Ranking and Report, a flagship annual publication by Canopy, is the primary fibre sourcing analysis tool for the fashion sector. The report evaluates global man- made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producers and ranks them based on their commitment to eliminate the use of ancient and endangered forests and other controversial sources in viscose and other cellulosic fibres, giving preference to textiles made from innovative fibres.

Aditya Birla Group is proud to have invested substantially in conservation solutions at the threshold of 70% - while maintaining opportunities for harvesting for First Nations and local communities in one of our sourcing areas. The report recognizes that Aditya Birla Group is a key stakeholder poised to use their significant influence to create socioeconomic and

ecological certainty. The recently published Canopy Style Audit has confirmed that the risk of sourcing wood from ancient and endangered forests or other controversial sources for Birla Cellulose remains low.

Birla Cellulose has a stringent wood sourcing policy: 100% of its wood comes from controlled sources complying to FSC®, SFI® or PEFC™ Standards. All its sites are FSC® CoC (Chain of Custody) certified. Providing forest to fashion transparency for sustainability-focussed brands in their value chain, Birla Cellulose’s traceability platform GreenTrack™ is one of the most widely used platform in the industry.

Birla Cellulose’s practice of sustainable forestry is demonstrated by the facts that the carbon sequestered due to net positive growth of its directly managed forests is more than the entire Scope 1 and 2 emissions of 12 global sites, based on an assessment carried out in 2019.

Currently, more than 320 global brands, with combined annual revenues of over USD$578 billion are looking to source from producers rated as low risk in the Canopy Hot Button Report. With 72% of global MMCF suppliers voluntarily undergoing audits to confirm and address any risk of sourcing from ancient and endangered forests, MMCF producers are adapting sourcing practices, indicating that the industry is going through a positive transition towards a more sustainably sourced and produced fibre. Circular product Liva Reviva, produced using industrial cotton waste, has caught the imagination of leading brands and is showing fast pick up in the market.

Link to The Hot Button Report: https://hotbutton.canopyplanet.org/company/aditya-birla/

For further details, visit www.adityabirla.com and www.birlacellulose.com

Aditya Birla Group’s Birla Cellulose Number 1 in Canopy’s Hot Button Report ‘20