April, 16-30, 2016

During the Performance Audit Report on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) tabled in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the CAG of India observed a curious trend…; while developers approached the Government for allotment of land for an SEZ, a few years later this same land is asked to be de-notified, the reason being the failure of the SEZs to generate both business and employment. It is high time that the State Government monitors them and takes control of the excess land, provided at a concessional rate of Re. 1 per acre per year for 25 years, as the same story is repeated for other SEZs too. The audit revealed that in the six states – Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal – 52 SEZs involving 5,402.22 hectares of land (14%) got de-notified and the land in question got diverted for other commercial purposes. With creativity and multiple products being its core strength, the ‘people-centric’ Community Crafts Exports, Delhi (with 150 machines), is offering a wide range of products which includes home furnishing, tees, accessories, and now kidswear… Team Apparel Online meets the founders of this company having strong roots in South Africa. The issue also gives coverage to Birla Cellulose’s fluid innovation LIVA’s participation as the official partner at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) held in New Delhi recently. Besides the above, our regular columns of Mind Tree, Fashion Trends, Industry Wire, Resource Centre, Export Statistics, etc. make the issue worth reading.