India's millet standard gains recognition in Rome
The terms of reference for the same were finalized at the 11th Session of the Codex Committee on Cereals, Pulses and Legumes (CCCPL11) held in April 2025.
CCEXEC88 critically reviewed the works chaired by India on the new standards of fresh dates as recommended by the 23rd session of Codex Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV23) held in February this year.
The Executive Committee appreciated the efforts of the CCFFV and India in finalizing these standards and endorsed them for further approval at the 48th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC48) scheduled for November 2025.
India will also serve as co-chair in new work proposals to develop standards for fresh turmeric and fresh broccoli. India actively participated in discussions on the monitoring framework for the Codex Strategic Plan 2026–2031, where SMART Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were finalized for endorsement at CAC48. According to the ministry, the country recommended that monitoring indicators should be outcome-based, measurable and considered. India also informed about its capacity building programme for neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste etc., which has been recognised by FAO. It is noteworthy that India has been chairing the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) since its inception in 2014. India also encouraged less active Codex member countries to utilize the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) for mentorship and twinning programmes. Drawing from its successful CTF-supported training and capacity building initiatives with Bhutan and Nepal, India proposed the inclusion of such training efforts as indicators toward achieving strategic goals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
4 days ago
- Mint
US, Gulf Pressure to Fully Disarm Hezbollah Puts Lebanon on Edge
(Bloomberg) -- Lebanon had been hoping this summer would see the return of tens of thousands of expats and tourists to the crisis-hit Mediterranean nation, spending money in resorts and restaurants and attending festivals such as a famed one in an ancient Roman city. But halfway through the season, the country is again teetering on the brink of conflict — one that could see a return to violence and instability after months of nascent recovery. New President Joseph Aoun is under pressure from the US and Gulf nations to completely disarm Hezbollah, and the Iran-supported militant group has made clear it won't back down without a fight. Hezbollah, previously Tehran's most powerful proxy militia, sustained heavy losses in a fierce battle with Israel last year and US President Donald Trump's administration has presented Lebanese leaders with ideas for completing the group's dismantlement, according to Tom Barrack, the US envoy to the country. The US has told Aoun it's willing to serve as an intermediary if he moves forward with disbanding Hezbollah as an armed group, Barrack said. That includes continuing to help enforce an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire part-brokered by the US in November. At the same time, Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have told Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam — both in their first years in office — that funds for reconstruction and investment Lebanon needs to help recover from that conflict and a previous financial crisis are contingent upon a timetable-bound plan to fully disarm Hezbollah, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The Gulf countries — who have eased travel restrictions after years of bans — want Lebanon to restructure its banking sector and crackdown on corruption as well — with the aim of controlling the country's vast cash-based informal economy, the people said. But the end of Hezbollah as an armed non-state actor, giving the Lebanese government a monopoly on the use of force, are key, Barrack said. 'Gulf countries have said 'if you do these things, we will come to the south of Lebanon, and we will fund an industrial zone, renovation and jobs,'' he said, referring to the region of Lebanon worst impacted by last year's war. 'Not talk, but actually do it.' The governments of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Aoun and Salam appear eager to meet the demands, and the PM said Tuesday the government has told the military to present a plan by the end of this month to dismantle all non-state armed groups by the end of 2025. Aoun, the country's former army chief, mentioned Hezbollah specifically when he made a similar pledge during a ceremony last week marking Army Day. But Hezbollah, a fixture of Lebanese politics and civil life for decades, remains defiant. It issued a statement on Wednesday saying it would treat the government's decision on disarmament as 'nonexistent' and accused Salam of committing a 'grave sin' by pursuing a 'surrender strategy' in the face of 'ongoing Israeli aggression and occupation.' Naim Qassem, the group's new leader after the Israeli assassination of long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah last year, said Tuesday that Hezbollah 'won't engage on disarmament just because the U.S. or a certain Arab country is seeking and applying all the pressure it can muster' — a veiled reference to Saudi Arabia. He threatened to resume missile attacks against Israel — which Hezbollah began shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks that triggered the war on Gaza — if it continues to 'widen its aggression' against Lebanon. Israel, which still occupies five positions inside Lebanon, struck a vehicle in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border on Thursday, killing five people, after bombing 10 southern sites the day before, according to Lebanon's official news agency. Hezbollah, which has a political wing that's represented both in parliament and Salam's government, has sought to use Israel's actions to rally its Shiite Muslim base. Qassem warned them that relinquishing the group's weapons would leave them exposed to threats from both Israel and Sunni Muslim extremists in neighboring Syria. 'Despite Hezbollah's huge military losses it can still be a spoiler in Lebanon,' said Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Program. 'It does not need many resources to intimidate and threaten its opponents.' Barrack told reporters the Lebanese government's fears about causing conflict by trying to force Hezbollah to disarm were understandable, suggesting that perhaps one solution would be to incorporate elements of Hezbollah into the Lebanese army. But he made clear this is a problem for Beirut, saying that if the Lebanese government doesn't disarm Hezbollah 'America is not going to come in and put Marines on the ground to do that for you.' The US has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization since 1997. The situation is further complicated by Hezbollah being now 'managed a lot more closely by the Iranians' and a major decision like disarmament 'can't be taken autonomously from Iran,' according to Michael Young, a commentator and senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. The issue should be on the table in any further talks between Iran and the US about Tehran's nuclear capabilities. A similar standoff over Hezbollah's arms culminated in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafic Al-Hariri, who led the rebuilding of the country with Gulf and Western support after the end of a civil war in 1990. Gulf states collectively gave Lebanon at least $9 billion between 1963 and 2022, according to a 2023 study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. But this figure excludes loans, investments and humanitarian and development aid which have been substantive over the years. For example, the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development said in its 2024 report that Gulf states underwrote about $1.8 billion worth of loans to Lebanon between 1974 and 2024. 'The kingdom does not want to invest in a black hole,' said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi author and commentator close to the royal court referring to the present situation in Lebanon. --With assistance from Dana Khraiche and Fiona MacDonald. More stories like this are available on
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Economic Times
PE firms pushing their portfolio companies to open GCCs in India
Private equity firms, including KKR, Blackstone and Warburg Pincus, are pushing their portfolio companies to set up global capability centres (GCCs) in India. Over the last five years, investments by such companies have increased fourfold, making this a new growth segment within GCCs, data showed. One in three mid-market GCCs set up in India in the past few years has been by a PE-backed firm, said Zinnov, a technology and GCC consulting firm. According to data from ANSR, which helps companies set up GCCs, mid-market GCCs accounted for 59% (around 118) of the GCCs incorporated in India in the last four years (about 200) and PE-backed GCCs at around 77 had a 65% share of the mid-market facilities. "What sets PE-backed GCCs apart is the urgency and clarity of purpose," said Vikram Ahuja, cofounder of ANSR, which has helped set up more than 170 GCCs globally. "With compressed investment timelines and value creation at the core, these centres are designed from day one to deliver outcomes, whether it's accelerating product development, enhancing Ebitda, or driving platform transformation," Ahuja said. Software-as-a-service, cloud, IT security, and banking, financial services and insurance are the top industry verticals that have seen investment by PE-backed said it has helped build more than two dozen such GCCs backed by PE firms in India. The mid-market segment, comprising companies with annual revenue of $100 million to $5 billion, has emerged as a sweet spot as the companies are agile, ambition-led and structurally lean, with India teams often plugged directly into global decision-making, Zinnov managing partner Nitika Goel said."These GCCs are not auxiliary operations. They are fast becoming value creation engines - delivering on transformation mandates, product velocity and measurable business outcomes across the PE portfolio," Goel that recently made investments GCCs include Blackstone-backed Lumina CloudInfra, Brookfield Business Partners-supported CDK Global, BlackRock's Commvault, ABC Fitness owned by Thoma Bravo and Thomas H Lee Partners-funded BazaarVoice. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. End of an era: The Maggi Man who rebuilt Nestlé India bows out In a flat market, are REITs the sweet spot between growth and safety? India's last cement IPO did not work. Can JSW Cement break that curse? The airport lounge war has begun — and DreamFolks is losing Stock Radar: APL Apollo Tubes stock fails to hold momentum after hitting highs in June; what should traders do? Multibagger or IBC - Part 18: This auto ancillary started with wheels. It now also powers wind & war Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus Transformation underway & no tariff threat: 6 large-caps power stocks with an upside potential of up to 36%
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
7 days ago
- Business Standard
Inaugural India-New Zealand defence strategic dialogue held in Delhi
The inaugural edition of India-New Zealand Defence Strategic Dialogue was held here on Tuesday with an aim to discuss security perspectives and further bolster bilateral cooperation, officials said. The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (International Cooperation), defence ministry, Amitabh Prasad and Head of International Branch, Ministry of Defence, New Zealand, Kathleen Pearce. "Both nations expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defence cooperation and identified means to enhance the existing areas of collaboration, especially in the fields of training, capability building, defence industry, maritime security and multinational cooperation," the Indian defence ministry said. The co-chairs also articulated steps in the direction of emerging areas of cooperation and issues pertaining to global commons, officials said. "The Indian side complimented New Zealand for its successful command of CTF-150 in which five Indian Navy personnel were also deputed as staff. Both sides also discussed ways to build up ongoing White Shipping Information Exchange towards enhancement of information sharing," the defence ministry said in a statement. India-New Zealand Defence Strategic Dialogue was constituted under an MoU signed between the two countries in March 2025, a significant milestone in intensifying defence relations. India and New Zealand engagements span a wide spectrum of cooperation political, defence and security collaboration, capacity building and education. These developments reflect mutual trust, shared democratic values, the deep-rooted people-to-people ties and a mutual love for cricket that binds both nations. As part of the official visit to India, Pearce also called on Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi on August 4. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
