13-Mar-2020: Wings India 2020 launched in Hyderabad
Wings India 2020, the biennial civil aviation and aerospace event was launched today at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad. The event is being organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation along with Airports Authority of India and FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry). More than 100 exhibitors, over 20 states and over 500 delegates are participating in the flagship event of Civil Aviation.
Shri K T Rama Rao, Minister for Industries & Commerce, IT, Electronics & Communications and Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Government of Telangana, Shri Malladi Krishna Rao, Health and Tourism Minister, Government of Puducherry, Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India, Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI and Shri Anand Stanley, Chairman FICCI today inaugurated ‘Wings India 2020’ on the theme of ‘Flying For All’.
Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said that India is poised to become the epicentre of growth for this sector. She added that Civil aviation is extremely important for any developing economy and every entity in the civil aviation ecosystem has to work in tandem, almost in perfect coordination to make sure air traffic is safe and secure. She further said that ‘Wings India 2020’ is a platform for all stakeholders to come together to work towards ensuring the growth of the sector.
Shri Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India said that the rapid expansion in India’s airport and air navigation structure will fuel the huge business and tourism opportunities in India.
Dr Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI said that a scaled-down version of Wings India 2020 was conducted with only B2B conference & the public display was cancelled. With necessary precautions of screening public with the scanners, hand sanitizers, distancing & the use of Namaste, we seem to be effectively showing the way of how one can conduct a safe conference and strike the right balance.”
FICCI-MoCA- Deloitte ‘UDAN 4.0+ knowledge paper on the changing landscape of Indian aviation sector under regional connectivity scheme’ was also released during the event. A panel discussion on ‘Capacity Building- Airlines and Airports’ was held which saw active participation of global CEO’s and industry experts. The day also witnessed air shows by Indian Air Forces’ Mark Jeffery Team and Sarang Team.
The Aerobatic show showcased the Extra 300L by Indian Air Forces’ Mark Jeffery Team and ALH Dhruv helicopters by Indian Air Forces’ Sarang Team on 12th March 2020. Embraer E195, Honda Jet HA420, Diamond DA42, Cessna 182T, Cessna 206, Bell 505, Dornier 228 were on static display. The first day of the event bore positive response with many companies showing interest in collaborations and business acquisitions. With respect to the business opportunities, first day of the event initiated discussions and conversations from airlines, exhibitors and companies to recognize and celebrate the excellence, triumphs and innovations of key stakeholders within the Aviation industry.
6-Mar-2020: Competition Commission of India organises Fifth Edition of National Conference on Economics of Competition Law
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) today organised the Fifth National Conference on Economics of Competition Law at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister was the Keynote Speaker at the Conference.
Dr Debroy, in his Keynote Address, said that the issues of competition extend beyond the ambit of competition law. Functioning of markets and the extent of competition are predicated on the institutional structure and system of laws that undergird markets, he said while adding that there are elements in several statutes in India that inhibit competition Economic reforms, he emphasised, have been about markets and increasing competition. Nonetheless, while entry has been eased in manufacturing pursuant to economic liberalisation, barriers still exist in services and agriculture, he pointed out.
Referring to the structure-conduct-performance framework, he mentioned that market structure and market shares do not provide complete picture of competition. He further alluded to the inherently dynamic nature of markets, and also underlined the need to account for the level of evolution of markets in India in comparison to markets of the developed economies. Recognition of these differences are important for the application of competition principles, he emphasised. Finally, he advised against looking at markets and conduct as the two extreme outcomes of perfect competition and a monopoly. Allowing for various strategic market interactions in oligopolistic markets would help harness innovation for consumer welfare. Self-regulation by industry could preclude the need for regulatory intervention. Government or the CCI needs to step in when the requisite action is not taken by the industry. In this context, he alluded to Kautilya’s Arthashastra, during which markets used to function by self-compliance rather than government’s intervention.
Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairperson, CCI, in his Special Address, emphasized the need for antitrust to match the economic realities of the time. In digital markets, enforcement priorities and remedies should generate optimal deterrence of anticompetitive conduct while preserving the incentives for innovation, he said. Highlighting the Commission’s currently ongoing advocacy initiatives, Shri Gupta mentioned that seventeen legislations/rules/regulations were undergoing an assessment from the competition perspective to identify inadvertent policy-induced restrictions on competition, if any. On the combination review front, around 30% of the cases notified to CCI this year were under the recently introduced deemed approval system of Green Channel, he apprised while adding that the Commission hopes that this channel will promote a speedy and transparent process for approval of combinations as also to create a culture of self-compliance.
In her opening remarks, Dr Sangeeta Verma, Member, CCI, emphasized that the discipline of economics provides a common enforcement framework to global competition authorities but the application of this economic framework is constrained by national contexts, the level of economic development and the market realities. Referring to the e-commerce market study conducted by the Commission, she stressed on the importance of market studies for facilitating an evidence-based approach to antitrust policy. According to her, market studies would go a long way in achieving better market outcomes and mitigating potential competition concerns without the need of antitrust intervention.
The Conference, in addition to the Inaugural Session, included two technical sessions where researchers presented papers on economic issues in competition enforcement and competition issues in digital markets, a Plenary session on ‘Competition for the Market’, chaired by Chairperson, CCI and a Special Session on Economics of Contemporary Antirust Issues.
4-Mar-2020: India Pharma & India Medical Device 2020 Conference to be held from 5 -7 March at Gandhinagar
The Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry- FICCI is organising India Pharma 2020 & India Medical Device 2020 Conference & Exhibition at Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat from March 5-7, 2020. The three day conference will be inaugurated by the Chemicals & Fertilizers Minister Shri Sadananda Gowda MoS (C&F), Shri Mansukh Mandaviya will also address the conference.
Theme of the event is “India Pharma: Meeting Challenges of Affordable and Quality Healthcare and India Medical Device: Promoting Affordable responsible and Quality Medical Device for Universal Health Care”
It aims to encourage innovations to further reduce the cost of quality healthcare for all and a platform to global investment community to connect with stakeholders in Medical Device Sector in India, Central and State Governments, leading business leaders and top executives from the industry ,academics and experts from the world.
The objective of this event is to promote consumer centric manufacturing by involving Medical Electronics, Devices, Health Diagnostics, Hospitals and Surgical Equipment etc. The event also aims at deliberations and technology demonstration towards constituting an ecosystem for empowering our Electronics Technology development and manufacturing base.
This year in the fifth edition, the event is being organised for the first time in the State of Gujarat, which is also the partner state for this event.
The Indian pharmaceutical market is the third largest in terms of volume and thirteenth largest in terms of value. India is the largest supplier of generic medicines globally. Similarly The Medical Devices industry in India is valued at USD 5.2 billion, contributes about 4-5 percent to the USD 96.7 billion Indian healthcare Industry.
During the event an Exhibition will also be held on Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices. More than 200 Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices companies will be participating in the Exhibition. Around 5,000 global pharmaceutical and biotechnology professionals will attend the 3-day Conference.