The forum provided a platform for over 150 stalwarts from the textile, clothing and apparel retail industry as well as representatives from the ministry of textiles to debate and offer industry perspectives on the state of regulatory framework, growth prospects, opportunities for domestic and international market and key challenges faced by the industry.

A research report released at the event estimates that:women’s wear apparel market is growing at a higher rate of 12 per cent than men’s wear at 9 per cent to reach 43 per cent in 2020. The Indian domestic textile and apparel market size is expected to grow at 11 per cent CAGR to reach Rs 656,000 crore by 2020.

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/national.asp?id=361&yr=2010

A leading quality and safety partner for many of the world’s best-known brands, has announced the launch of CPI, a global certification programme for current and future practitioners of quality and compliance in the consumer goods industry. It is an excellent opportunity for personnel in QA / QC and CSR domain of the apparel industry to get an additional qualification get certified by Britain-based City and Guilds.

The programme will be held on September 8 in Gurgaon. Dr Darlie Koshy, director general and CEO of Institute of Apparel Management, has consented to be the chief guest.

AEPC chairman Premal Udani, Dr A.K.G. Nair, group director of Pearl Academy of Fashion, and Mr Sanjay Gulati, managing director of Modelama Exports, will be the guests of honour. CPI’s chairman William Quilindo and chief executive officer David Ho will be attending as special invitees.

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/national.asp?id=359&yr=2010

Prepared by a leading think tank Indicus Analytics, The India Health Report 2010 was released by the Minister of State for Health, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi at a CII function. Releasing the Report, Minister stated that right to life is very basic & so is the right to health. He addressed that “ Equal opportunity for all to health”. The minister stated that the release of the report is a great beginning; however the next step would be to create a team of specialists and experts that will work to find solutions from the report.

CII Chairman of National Committee on health, Dr Trehan said that this report is a reminder of where we are and also provides a kind of checklist of the gaps that needs to be addressed. Mr Ninan, Business Standard, reinforced on skewedness of Public Private expenditure in India. 80% of the healthcare spending is on 20% population and vice versa.

The India Health Report has consolidating various facets of health sector in India such as access to healthcare, major inputs such as infrastructure availability, human resources, water & sanitation, nutrition, the role of government, issues relating to ethics and reforms in health sector.

Indians have inadequate access to quality healthcare, and this is particularly true for the poor, those residing in rural areas, STs and women. According to the Report, about 7–8 per cent of households are pushed below the poverty line because of expenses incurred on healthcare. There are critical gaps in infrastructure especially with respect to the presence of healthcare centres and well-trained staff.

The India health Report also states that the contribution of the private sector in terms of the availability of hospital beds has gradually increased from about 28 per cent in 1973 to about 61 per cent in 1996. Indicus estimates this to have reached about 78 per cent in 2009.

Source:http://www.cii.in/NewsRoom.aspx?enc=SO0wa+TYDvk3FXKFO1bn1Q==

The minerals industry has been working with key stakeholders including the NSW Farmers Association,
the Irrigators Council of NSW and Regional Development Australia to ensure that there is more information about water for the community and the resources and agricultural sectors.

NSW Minerals Council CEO Dr Nikki Williams said it was important that decisions about land use are made scientifically.

“We’ve been committed to this study for some time now because we recognise the benefits of having more information about water in this region,” Dr Williams said.

“Members of the community in the Namoi catchment area have some very specific concerns about the water resource.

“Just like the community, we support the need for more data in the Namoi catchment to ensure that developments can be assessed against the facts on a case-by-case basis. That’s why resource companies with interests in the region have backed this study with $3 million in funding.

“The information generated by this Study will add to the community’s existing knowledge and the extensive mapping and monitoring of underground aquifers already undertaken by mineral explorers.

Source: http://www.nswmin.com.au/Media-Speeches-and-Info/Media-Releases/default.aspx

The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) Chief Executive, Ms Belinda Robinson, said the new portal provides an open and transparent understanding of the industry’s water usage, monitoring, and analysis.

“The publishing of this data demonstrates the industry’s commitment to respond to landholder concerns and the industry expects the availability of this data will improve the community’s acceptance of our operations.

“Adverse impacts from CSG activities upon groundwater are very unlikely and manageable however extensive monitoring and analysis programs are being undertaken to establish baseline data and mitigate identified impacts.

Source: http://www.appea.com.au/images/stories/Media_Centre/100901_qld_groundwater_monitoring_portal.pdf

“Australia has some of the highest rates of food inflation in the entire OECD and we have Coles and Woolworths controlling 80% of the Australian grocery market with a death grip around the throat on our nation. It’s unacceptable for this to be allowed to be ignored by government any longer”, said Mr Driscoll.
“As most Australians now finally realise, the Coles-Woolworths juggernaut is no longer just about food either. Under their many guises and linked corporate entities they are peddling and controlling the petrol bowsers, pubs and bottle shops, department stores, pokie machines, hardware shops and the list marches on, ever centralising power and revenue.

“In my dealings and lobbying of the Rudd-Gillard federal government on behalf of our sector over the recent term of the federal Labor government, we have seen plenty of smoke screens, but precious little that would ever do any real good to increase competition, back local famliy owned businesses and also drive down prices for consumers. Glib slogans, “watch” websites and associated bells and whistles have taken the place of any genuine policy direction.

“On the other hand I’ve had a number of conversations with Tony Abbott and also his senior Shadow Ministers over the last 12 months and I believe we have people there who are genuinely concerned about this issue and are actually prepared to work towards a practical and pragmatic solution in the national interest. The time for talk alone must now stop.

“I obviously implore the three regional and rural independent MP’s in Bob Katter, Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor to support those who our sector believe will most aggressively support real action on creating real downward pressure on retail prices for consumers, support Australian family owned small businesses, including farmers and producers and help break down the overwhelming control of the Australian retail sector that is currently in the hands of Coles and Woolworths and their associated corporate powerbrokers,” said Mr Driscoll.

Source: http://www.unitedretailfederation.com.au/media_releases/2010

The campaign which is in the early stages of development is not intended to name and shame Australian printing companies; the primary target of the campaign is printing industry clients who bypass Australian printing companies in favour of offshore print providers.

Printing Industries CEO Philip Andersen said the campaign is being designed to identify entities in government and corporate Australia that place print work offshore and to educate them about the capabilities of the local printing industry and the importance of giving local industry an opportunity to bid for the work.

“Printing Industries acknowledges that we operate in a global environment and that not all printing that is commissioned in Australia will be done onshore. Some will inevitably be done offshore for a host of reasons,” he said.

“Indeed Printing Industries recognises and has promoted the value of business models where local printers developed relationships with offshore companies to better compete in the global environment.

“Our China in focus initiative was developed with the specific aim of assisting Australian printers form strategic alliances with their Asian counterparts. Thus, if in certain circumstances the printing or some elements of print production process had to be done offshore, then they could at least secure a portion of the overall revenue stream.”

Mr Andersen said another core component of the Print in Australia campaign would be to ensure that tender documents do not suggest or stipulate where the printing should be sourced from.

“Printing Industries believes that it is the prerogative of the tenderer to determine how they can best submit the most competitive tender. How or where the production is done should not be a tender requirement,” he said.

Source: http://www.printnet.com.au/news_items/print_in_australia_clarification_2_september_2010.html

“Whirlpool’s decision to expand its operations and build a new state-of-the-art facility to produce premium cooking appliances is encouraging news for manufacturing. The company says this $120 million investment will replace its existing plant and create an additional 130 jobs in Cleveland.

Manufacturers continue to face new tax and regulatory burdens that create a high level of uncertainty. Whirlpool’s announcement is welcome news as our nation braces for new unemployment numbers this week.

It is critical that lawmakers in Washington put policies in place that will strengthen our nation’s competitiveness and allow our economy to grow. The NAM continues to advocate for its ‘Manufacturing Strategy for Jobs and a Competitive America,’ a comprehensive plan for pursuing policies that allow manufacturers to compete in the global market.

To learn more about the Strategy, please visit www.nam.org. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Administration to ensure many more manufacturers can continue to invest in innovation, the American worker and our economy as Whirlpool has done.”

Source: http://www.nam.org/Communications/Articles/2010/09/Manufacturers-Whirlpool-Announces-New-Tennessee-Plant-That-Will-Spur-the-Economy.aspx

“The most concerning fact is that for the second straight Labor Day, national unemployment remains well above 9 percent, and there are few indications people will go back to work anytime soon,” said NAM President John Engler. “Americans want jobs, but proposals that expand government, increase taxes and impose new regulations will make business in the United States less competitive. These proposals will stifle the already weak recovery and destroy manufacturers’ ability to create jobs.”

According to the “Labor Day 2010” report, manufacturing has the potential to produce long-term opportunities for U.S. workers more than any other sector of the economy.

“To the extent that there is a bright spot in the economy, it comes from manufacturing,” said Engler. “Production has risen since economic growth returned in the second half of last year, and manufacturers started hiring back some employees this year. We also saw a strong rebound in U.S. exports, which was very good news for manufacturers who account for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. exports.”

“We have had four consecutive quarters of economic growth, but much of the increase was temporary in nature,” said NAM Chief Economist David Huether.“More than half of the upturn in the economy over the past year was from business restocking inventories. Now, with inventory-to-sales ratios back to reasonable levels, this source of growth will likely fade.”

In looking at specific legislation, laws and regulations that could magnify the uncertainty that afflicts the economy – if poorly handled – the following could have a significant impact on American workers:

• Expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts
• The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed new regulatory regime to control greenhouse gas emissions and raise energy costs
• Government implementation of the new health care law, with its numerous mandates on employers, insurers and consumers as well as a myriad of unintended consequences
• Failure to achieve an ambitious trade agenda necessary to ensure and expand global market share for U.S exporters
• Labor policies, such as the Employee Free Choice Act, that could rob the U.S. economy of its dynamic growth potential

In June 2010, the NAM released its “Manufacturing Strategy for Jobs and a Competitive America” to address fundamental challenges facing the U.S economy. The NAM’s “Labor Day 2010” report outlines these policies as a way to strengthen growth, employment and wages.

Source: http://www.nam.org/Communications/Articles/2010/09/NAM-Report-Examines-Impact-of-Anti-Labor-Policies-on-Working-Men-and-Women.aspx

The accommodation, cafes & restaurants sub-sector was flat in August while retail trade contracted once again. The expansion in activity in communication services, wholesale trade and finance & insurance, largely due to employment growth, wasn’t enough to lift the sector’s overall performance. A slump in supplier deliveries and selling prices particularly impacted personal & recreational services and health & community services.

Australian Industry Group Chief Executive, Heather Ridout, said: “The continuing sluggish performance of the services sector reinforces Ai Group’s view of the ongoing patchiness of the recovery in the broader economy. Although there are some promising signs among the services sub-sectors, the sector as a whole is yet to feel the full benefits of the gradual re-emergence of private sector demand.”

Commonwealth Bank Senior Economist, John Peters, said: “The latest Australian PSI® readings are consistent with the latest national accounts, which revealed retail spending by consumers (roughly 40% of total household spending) edged up by just 0.3% in the June quarter. In contrast, the non-retail areas of household spending expanded by 2.3% in the same period.

“We think that households, buoyed by ongoing labour market strength, a falling unemployment rate, and gifted with real wage increases, and likely rising asset prices in the year ahead, will become more confident and relaxed about the future. They will thus become increasingly less jittery about balance sheet repair, and will boost their spending levels and the breadth of their purchases,” Mr Peters said.

Source: http://www.aigroup.com.au/