AP signs 21 MoUs to foster tribal development
The partnerships focus on a wide range of areas, including agriculture, forest produce marketing, tourism promotion, and creation of livelihood opportunities for tribal communities.
Araku coffee: Tata Consumer Products signed an agreement with the Girijan Co-operative Corporation (GCC) to brand and market organic Araku coffee, giving the product a significant boost in the national market.
Expansion of Araku coffee: Besides, ITC has partnered with the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Paderu, to expand coffee plantations by 1,600 hectares. This adds to the existing 4,010 hectares in which ITC already cultivates coffee with local farmers.
Coffee Board partnership: The Central Coffee Board signed an MoU with ITDAs to expand coffee cultivation, improve the quality of coffee beans, and promote sustainable farming practices in tribal regions. Rubber cultivation: The Central Rubber Board has tied up with the ITDA of Rampachodavaram to promote rubber cultivation and develop the required infrastructure in the area.
Most of the other agreements are aimed at marketing tribal and forest products:
The GCC has partnered with Haathi Services LLC to sell tribal products, including Araku coffee, in countries like the USA. This will help GCC launch its retail operations in the United States.
Retail partnerships: Trifed and the AP-GCC will jointly establish retail showrooms across India to market tribal products and create employment opportunities. These showrooms will also feature Araku coffee kiosks.
Local market support: Agreements were also signed with the GCC and MEPMA to establish Araku coffee kiosks statewide, which will be run by local DWACRA women. Homestay development: To promote tourism, OYO Homes and Homee Huts have partnered with the government to set up homestays in tribal areas. The AP Tourism Forum also came forward to develop a tribal tourism circuit to improve employment opportunities.
Skill development: The Maarpu Society signed an MoU to focus on instilling moral values in tribal students.
The other agreements include partnerships with Subco for setting up a red cherry fruit ripening and processing unit in Chintapalli, and with Frontier Marketing and Easy Mart to market products made by tribal women in rural areas. The Equip organisation has signed an MoU to develop infrastructure for turmeric production and processing, while the ISB will work with the government to help tribal women's groups sell seasonal forest products.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Crores spent, but will Chennai's roads ever be people-friendly?
The ideal pedestrian-friendly stretch? Often touted as the Non-Motorised Transport policy ideal, the Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza, from Panagal Park to Thanikachalam Road Signal, was launched in 2019, transforming a two-way shopping street to a one-way street, prioritising pedestrians. "As per an impact assessment we conducted, the feedback from citizens has been positive, and the need to create more footpaths has led to the recent budget announcement to develop 200 km of footpaths across the city. A walk through the plaza in the evening reflects a rise in sales, land value, and a sense of safety. Compared to the earlier stretch choked with vehicles, the current space is thriving," Venugopal added. That said, not all users of this stretch, including Jaisingh, think that the implementation and maintenance have been flawless. "Even though the government has spent crores to build Pondy Bazaar as a pedestrian-friendly space, there is a lack of civic sense needed for the space. The area is often littered and cars are parked in no-parking zones, even after the government has spent huge amounts to build the Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP) facility here," he said. "In the adjoining Ranganathan Street and Usman Road, walking has become chaotic, due to shops encroaching on the footpath. Even after repeated complaints on the GCC helpline, no action has been taken to remove these encroachments. The issue is further exacerbated by low-lying utility cables," he added. CAG's Sowmya, too, agrees. "While it is pedestrian-friendly, street vendors were relocated to a complex built by the GCC. The lack of visibility of this complex has reduced pedestrian footfall, leading to dwindling sales for them. Further, due to a lack of enforcement, there are concerns with parking as well. Lesser street parking and disuse of the Multi Level Car Parking have transferred the burden of car parking to nearby residential areas." She added that Chennai Unified Metropolitan Authority's upcoming parking policy could address these woes. The dream of building 'Complete Streets' The arrival of the Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza led to the birth of the Complete Streets Project, another experiment devoted to a better tomorrow. The project aims to build city streets that have a lifespan of at least 30 years. By design, it prioritises walking, cycling and public transport use while being inclusive spaces for women, children, the elderly and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Characteristics of the Complete Street include wide and continuous footpaths, pedestrian crossings, conveniently designed bus stops, seating arrangements, ramps for accessibility, designated on-street parking, organised street vending and scaled carriageways. These stretches will have dedicated ducts underground for electricity lines, telecommunication cables and gas pipelines and redesigned stormwater drains. "The Complete Streets Project was launched in 2020 under the World Bank Chennai City Partnership Project, which is currently underway at key stretches," Venugopal said. Works are currently progressing under this project, bringing together various departments that manage utilities, sewage, and stormwater drains, so that these roads are not dug up soon. The roads Complete Streets is targetting include MC Road, Royapuram, Race Course Road, Guindy, and Tollgate Road, Thiruvottriyur. KNK Road in Nungambakkam, taken up for development under the Complete Streets Project, is expected to be completed by August 25, 2025. Similarly, the MC Road in Royapuram should be completed by December 2025, the Race Course Road, Guindy by May 2026 and Tollgate Road in Thiruvottriyur by May 2026. The Harrington Road idyll and the problem it's facing Another attempt at a solution that needs to be highlighted in the mostly well-maintained, wide pavements of Harrington Road in Chetpet. The project, although not an official Complete Streets or NMT project, was an initiative of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), which took inputs from residents of the Harrington Road Association. The maintenance of this stretch is currently undertaken by Urbaser, a private contractor under the civic body. The road follows many principles of Complete Streets, such as spacing for utility cables and has agreed on a compromise when it comes to the width of the road to accommodate a wider pavement. Suhasini, a member of the Harrington Road Association, said, "People outside the association never understood the rationale behind wide pavements. This was done keeping in mind the numerous schools here. Further, we also kept the disabled in mind when submitting our designs to the GCC. Kerbside parking was also incorporated, but has turned out to be insufficient and paid parking is not feasible, as it is a residential street." However, she added that maintenance of the road is turning out to be a hassle. "Two-wheelers parking and riding along the footpath have forced us to place plant pots between the bollards. Further, granite slabs on the footpath are often damaged by the electricity board when they undertake various repairs, putting pedestrians at risk," she said. The road ahead What does the future then have in store for the city? While the Complete Streets projects are set to change a few prominent localities, awaiting such a change to sweep across Chennai will take ages. "Urban planners need to have an empathy-based approach as opposed to a vehicle-centric approach in designing public spaces. We also need to keep in mind those who do not have the privilege to walk around freely, like senior citizens or Persons with Disabilities, to enhance the pedestrian experience," said Gayatri, who visits the city often. The GCC is taking efforts to maintain the existing 179 km of footpaths in the city and also develop new specialised footpaths under the recently implemented Chennai Comprehensive Mobility Plan. "Presently, we are developing footpaths in school corridors, namely, Avvai Shanmugham Salai, Conran Smith Road and Padmavati Salai, keeping the safety of students in mind," the Bus Route Roads Superintending Engineer of the GCC said. "Further, we will also develop 200 km of footpaths at Rs 200 crore, in line with the announcement made during the Demands for Grants Assembly Session in March 2025." He added that the GCC also plans to repair existing footpaths in the city by spending Rs 2367.14 lakh in two phases. But that alone will not do. "Apart from infrastructural development, enforcement in all forms, especially speed limits, is the immediate solution to reduce fatalities. This again needs to be paired with better public awareness, so that lives are not at stake on the road," CAG's Sowmya underlined. Till then, Jaysingh and others will have to keep their eyes and ears wide open while staying surefooted all the time.
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
Negotiations for India-Oman trade pact concluded: Govt
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The government on Tuesday said negotiations for India-Oman comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA), which would help boost bilateral trade and investments, have been concluded. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said India has signed 15 free trade agreements (FTAs) and six preferential trade agreements to date. 'Negotiations for India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) have been concluded," he said. The talks for the agreement, officially termed as CEPA, formally began in November 2023. In such agreements, two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on a maximum number of goods traded between them. They also ease norms to promote trade in services and attract investments. Oman is the third-largest export destination for India among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. India already has a similar agreement with another GCC member, the UAE, which came into effect in May 2022. 'This is expected to be offset in the medium to long term by increased trade volumes, investment flows, enhanced competitiveness of Indian exports, and overall economic growth," he said. He said FTAs are negotiated with the endeavour to deliver a comprehensive, balanced, broad-based and equitable agreement based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity. 'It also ensures a level-playing field for Indian exporters vis-a-vis their competitors in the trading partner countries," the minister said, adding that to protect the interests of the domestic industry, FTAs provide for maintaining sensitive, negative or exclusion lists of items on which limited or no tariff concessions are granted. In addition, in case of surge in imports and injury to the domestic industry, a country is allowed to take recourse to trade remedial measures such as anti-dumping and safeguards on imports within the period as mutually agreed to by the parties under these agreements, Prasada said. In a separate reply, he said India has signed five free trade agreements (FTAs) with its trading partners since 2020. It included Mauritius, the UAE, Australia, European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the UK. For the India-Australia trade pact, he said exports have increased 14 per cent and 8 per cent in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively. In another reply, he said the Department of Commerce is engaging in negotiations and reviews on trade agreements on an ongoing basis. Before entering into new FTA negotiations, a Joint Study Group is set up to study the feasibility of the proposed FTAs or an independent study is conducted, including their impact on the domestic industry. The government ensures that wide stakeholder consultations are held at all stages of the negotiations. This includes the pre-negotiation phase, each round of negotiations, and the post-conclusion phase, during the implementation of the agreements. Through these sector-specific consultations, domestic sensitivities and interests of farmers, MSMEs, are carefully considered during the negotiations. The aim of FTAs is to generate benefits for industry, farmers, MSMEs, and create job opportunities. 'FTAs are negotiated with the endeavour to deliver a comprehensive, balanced, broad-based and equitable agreement based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity. It also ensures a level playing field for Indian exporters vis-a-vis their competitors in the trading partner countries," he said. PTI RR TRB (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 12, 2025, 16:15 IST News agency-feeds Negotiations for India-Oman trade pact concluded: Govt Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
India imposes port restriction on certain jute based goods imports from Bangladesh
The Government of India has imposed new restrictions on the import of certain jute-based goods from Bangladesh. The decision, issued through a government notification by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on August 11, 2025, amends the existing Import Policy under the ITC (HS), 2022 Schedule 1, and takes immediate effect. According to the notification, items including bleached and unbleached woven fabrics of jute or other textile bast fibres, twine, cordage, rope, cables made of jute, and sacks and bags of jute will no longer be allowed entry into India through any land port along the India-Bangladesh border. Instead, these imports will be permitted only through the Nhava Sheva Seaport in Maharashtra. Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals By Vaibhav Sisinity View Program Finance Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4 By CA Himanshu Jain View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program "Imports from Bangladesh shall not be allowed from any land port on the India-Bangladesh Border. However, it is allowed only through the Nhava Sheva Seaport," the notification reads. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You might be interested Undo The DGFT notification stated that the restrictions are being enforced under the powers given by the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, and in continuation of earlier measures announced in May and June 2025. While the order does not specify the reasons behind the latest move, such measures are often linked to quality control, trade balance concerns, or safeguarding domestic industries from competitive pricing pressures. The notification makes it clear that other terms and conditions from the previous order, Notification No. 21/2025-26 dated June 27, 2025, will remain unchanged. Live Events The order, signed by Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary to the Government of India and Director General of Foreign Trade, is effective immediately, meaning any shipments of the affected goods will have to comply with the new port restriction without delay. The jute sector has historically been a sensitive area in Indo-Bangladesh trade relations, with both countries being major producers and exporters of jute products. Bangladesh competes with India in the textile sector and now with a 50 per cent US tariff on India, it will have a major advantage on textile exports to the U.S. The India-Bangladesh trade in 2023-24 stood at USD 12.9 billion. In 2024-25, India's exports to Bangladesh stood at USD 11.46 billion, against imports of USD 2 billion.
