The government has reduced the budget allocation for Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) to Rs 700 crore in 2019-20 FY compared to previous FY where the allocation stood above 1000 crore.

According to government data, shared by the Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani in Rajya Sabha, the allocation was 2013.00 while in 2018-19 it took a jump of Rs 287 crore and reached at 2300 crore and in 2019-20 it fell by 1600 crore to settled at 700 crore.

The present version of the scheme i.e. Amended TUFS (ATUFS) was launched in January 2016 to adopt innovative new technology in all the sub-sectors of textiles industry except Spinning by way of one time Capital Investment Subsidy (CIS) for eligible benchmarked machinery for a period of seven years from 2015-16 to 2021-22. The scheme aims to promote ease of doing business in the country, achieve the vision of generating employment and promoting exports through “Make in India’’ with "Zero effect and Zero defect" in manufacturing and promoting domestic textile clusters. Every eligible individual entity is entitled for reimbursement of CIS under this scheme as per the rates.

ATUFS is implemented through i–TUFS portal which is an end-to-end solution with features like Automatic UID generation upon registration of subsidy applications, submission of documents through digital signatures, geo-tagged and time stamped photographs of machinery, tracking of claims etc.

Multi-brand luxury Indian fashion retailer Ensemble added an exclusive shop-in-shop at its Mumbai boutique recently. As per Fashion Network, the store will house women’s traditional wear brand Jayanti Reddy.

The store launched with the brand’s Couture ‘21’ collection. The collection features handwoven textiles embellished with hand embroidery in jewel tones. Reddy plays with proportion to introduce a modern twist into her traditional wear and collared blouses with oversized ruffles are paired with embellished maxi skirts for a dynamic effect.

Designer Jayanti Reddy is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of her eponymous brand. Reddy recently launched a campaign to jointly celebrate the milestone and showcase her latest collection Couture ‘21.

Ensemble is also currently running a ‘Bridesmaid Edit’ curated multi-brand selection of spring/ summer wedding wear ensembles including draped modern-style lehengas and marigold embellished looks. The edit is designed to be a one-stop-shop for friends of the bride as the new wedding season kicks off.

Reliance Retail has accused e-commerce marketplaces of exploiting the complex legal structures to bypass the country's e-commerce rules which do not allow foreign capital in the inventory-based model.

At a meeting called by the commerce ministry, Reliance Retail's representatives said the Indian e-commerce policy does not allow foreign capital in the inventory-based model and foreign investment is allowed only in pure technical infrastructure/ platform that facilitates the meeting of buyer with sellers.

Such platforms cannot act as sellers themselves, directly or indirectly, they said, adding some foreign companies have used complex legal structures to exploit loopholes or used creative interpretation of the policy that violate the policy in spirit.

Such legal creativity includes creating a multi-level company structure to hide the real relationship between the marketplace entity and the sellers, they told the meeting.

The continued violation creates the doubts about legal sanctity of the policy especially in the mind of new e-commerce players and so it is imperative that the rules are clarified to an extent that these are not subject to such creative interpretation, the officials told the meeting.

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has partnered with Future brands to launch an exhaustive and immersive study into various gender narratives proliferating in Indian advertising and come up with insights for brands and agencies to move towards more responsible advertising.

Titled GenderNext, the study is expected to be released in September. It will be backed in terms of insights and funding from brands such as Nobel Hygiene, ITC-Vivel, Kellogg, Colgate, Diageo, Eureka Forbes and Mondelez.

Subhash Kamath, Chairman, ASCI, says, the study will focus on unravelling gender narratives in advertising, in line with cultural shifts in society and then come up with “actionable insights” to help advertisers and ad agencies to focus on “progressive, culturally-relevant and aspirational gender portrayal” in their ads.

Manisha Kapoor, Secretary General of ASCI, adds, a multi-enquiry framework will be adopted for this comprehensive study. There will be a semiotics and cultural decode of Indian advertising over time, across categories and regions. In addition, we will seek opinions of various stakeholders such as advertisers, ad agencies, creators, policymakers and gender experts. We expect GenderNext to be a seminal reference study on the depiction of gender in advertising.”

Ad clinics will also be conducted across 10 centres with consumers for their views and feedback on gender depiction in advertising. The study will focus on portrayal of women in ads in multiple categories such as personal care, beauty and fashion, gadgets, automobiles, financial institutions and education, etc.

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Raymond is introducing Virasafe, an anti-viral fabric, which is safe for every skin type including sensitive ones. As per reports, the fabric is effective against all viruses, bacteria and microbes and finish lasts upto 30 washes. The fabric finish is approved by USFDA and USEPA.

Raymond is the most preferred brand when it comes to clothes or readymade garments because of its assured quality, variety of designs which changes with the time still being traditional. Nearly three generations will vouch for Raymond’s quality and that’s why people prefer the most coveted brand.

The pandemic has proven to have far-ranging disruptive effects globally. The risk of infection is much higher and in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle during these trying times, Raymond has introduced a groundbreaking fabric with promise of overall protection from viruses, bacteria’s and microbes.

It is a sustainable technology and eliminates color and is certified by ISO. Raymond has a multi colour range of collections and good fabric for exclusive look and many more specially summer collection.

E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal has launched a new e-store for Holi running offers with upto 70 per cent off on festival essentials such as colors, water guns and pichkaris, inflatable pools, readymade food items like dry fruits and sweet packs.

As per Retail4Growth, the store is designed for easy shopping experience and lists products in three main categories including top sellers, party essentials and home care products. While offering an expanded range of products at multiple value price points, the e- store provides an experience similar to shopping in a local bazaar to its users.

Snapdeal is also running discounted prices on protective covers for cars and furniture- so that nothing comes in between its users and holi fun.

Snapdeal is an Indian e-commerce company based in New Delhi, India. The company was founded in February 2010 by KunalBahl and RohitBansal, alumni of The Wharton School and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi respectively.

Designer Pooja Singhal’s has launched her Spring/Summer 2021 collection “Parwaaz.” Inspired by the strength and endurance of a woman, Parwaaz embodies the same attributes as power, freedom, beauty, and confidence. The collection includes simple yet elegant silhouettes with motifs inspired by nature in pastel hues like pink, yellow, green, and powdered blue.

The delicate interpretation and take on the Kantha Embroidery from Bengal with sequined embroidery inspired by nature create a distinct visual on each ensemble. Think of it as a free bird or wildflowers. All these elements are reimagined and given a new life in this beautiful collection.

Designer Pooja Singhal is a fashion aficionado who followed her interest in multiple capacities as an interior designer, merchandiser, visual artist, and more for a major part of her life. Pooja always believes that she has a strong eye for fashion and that eventually saw her fulfill her long-standing dream of having a multi-designer store at Central Market in New Delhi. Founded in 2017, Amoha is the brainchild of Pooja Singhal that showcases the exquisite culture-rich and contemporary designer labels from across the country under one roof.

Jaipur-based home furnishings brand Bella Cassa has roped in Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor as an investor and brand ambassador to widen its reach. As per Economic Times, through this partnership, Kapoor will co-create and endorse the indigenous brand’s new collection and will be entitled to a part of the company’s equity.

In February, the actor had made her first ever investment in a health beverage startup Naturedge Beverages owned by the Baidyanath Group. Kapoor also co-owns ethnic apparel brand Imara with Flipkart-backed Universal Sportsbiz (USPL).

Bella Casa Fashion and Retail Ltd (BCFRL) manufactures and distributes home textile products such as bedsheets and quilts.

Bella Casa has an annual production capacity of about 12 million pieces and sells through 3000 offline retailers, flagship online platform and e-commerce players such as Flipkart, Amazon and Ajio.

According to a TechSci Research report, the home furnishing market in India was projected to cross Rs 40,000 crore by 2020, with a 9.5% year-on-year growth.

As per new e-commerce rules, foreign e-commerce goods and services providers operating in India will have to retrospectively segregate sale prices of goods or services on the site and commissions so as to distinguish between the heads on which equalisation levy becomes applicable.

As per an Economic Times report, companies will also have to segregate inventory of resident and non-resident sellers on their platforms. For example, a website operating on a marketplace model could list goods from both Indian and foreign sellers, but based on the new amendment, the intention appears to exclude the sales price of goods of Indian sellers from the ambit of the levy, says Rohinton Sidhwa, Tax Partner, Deloitte India. Since sale prices would belong to the resident seller but commissions that the foreign platform charges would belong to the foreign entity, equalisation levy would apply on the latter and local taxes would apply on the former. In case of market places or aggregators which don't own inventory, the systems or ERPs will have to segregate inventory from resident and non-resident sellers, added Pranav Sayta, National Leader-International Tax, EY India.