The Hindu Business Line : FICCI to hold workshops for entrepreneurs

The Western Region Council of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising a slew of programmes for creating general awareness and sensitising entrepreneurs. The federation will host three workshop-cum-seminars — on brand protection, SMEs in logistics and jewellery manufacturing and technology — in the coming months.

BRAND PROTECTION

As per FICCI records, the country has recorded a loss of almost $239 million due to piracy of intellectual property in the IT sector alone. The estimated loss to the FMCG market is around Rs 2,600 crore.

Counterfeiting accounts for around 5 - 7 per cent of world trade. Fake goods account for 40 per cent of automobile spare parts and the fake spare market is around Rs 4,000 crore. Spurious drugs to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore are sold every year in the country, reflects a FICCI survey.

"Counterfeit products pose a serious threat to the growing Indian economy. Crores of rupees are lost annually due to fake and counterfeit products. The Council has formed a Brand Protection Committee (BPC) to plug these loopholes that drain the growing Indian economy,'' said Dr Vaijayanti Pandit, Director, FICCI-WRC.

The BPC will strive to create awareness among public, the negative economic impact of counterfeit goods. The committee will open communication channels between stakeholders to generate awareness and stimulate action against these products. It will also try to bring into the notice of authorities, cases of infringements and IPR violations.

"In addition to sensitising customers and government authorities, FICCI will be setting up a mechanism by which these issues and problems can be addressed,'' said Dr Pandit.

The committee is organising a conference, ` Brand protection — Issues, challenges and problem solving mechanism', at Hotel Taj President, Mumbai, on August 1.

SMEs IN LOGISTICS

FICCI will organise a two-day seminar titled `SMEs in logistics: Enabling capabilities', with an objective to create a B2B networking platform for SMEs in the logistics sector. The event will provide an opportunity to highlight the issues plaguing the industry, said a FICCI press note. The two-day seminar is tentatively scheduled to begin on August 24.

FICCI-GEMS

The gem and jewellery industry is India's largest foreign exchange earner. Of the total world exports of 27.25 million carats of cut and polished diamonds, more than 70 per cent are from India.

To effect standardisation and quality enhancement, the Federation is planning to come out with a knowledge series, `FICCI-GEMS', on jewellery manufacturing and technology. FICCI-GEMS will focus on jewellery casting, diamond technology, electroforming, refining, laser and diamond identification. The knowledge series will be held in September.

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