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Kunal Shah invests in OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s new venture

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Carl Pie, the Swedish entrepreneur, who announced his new venture in December 2020, has now received seed investment from India with Kunal Shah, Founder, CRED, adding Carl’s London based venture into his portfolio.

Kunal Shah, Founder Cred said, “Carl is working on a new consumer electronics company that I am sure will be a disruptor in the tech industry. I am excited to be part of this journey.”

Carl had already raised $7 million in seed financing round for his new venture from friends and private investors including Tony Fadell, Casey Neistat (YouTuber), Kevin Lin (Cofounder of Twitch), Steve Huffman (CEO of Reddit), Liam Casey (Founder and CEO, PCH), Paddy Cosgrave (Founder of Web Summit) and Josh Buckley (CEO of Product Hunt).

Carl Pei said, “Kunal is one of the sharpest people I know. I am proud and glad to have him as a friend, advisor and now also an investor. We are in advanced stages of our vision and are excited to introduce it to the world soon.”

Carl’s new venture will be officially announced on January 27th. Kunal has invested in multiple sectors through his career and this investment is in his personal capacity.

Coolpad announces exciting offers on products for Republic Day Sale

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Coolpad, an Indian smartphone brand established by Coolpad Technologies, has announced an exciting Amazon sale to mark the occasion of India 72nd Republic Day. The brand is offering huge discounts on its most-recently launched products. The sale will be live between 20th and 23rd Midnight January 2021.

During the sale period, customers can buy the newly-launched, sleek, and ultra-portable wireless earphones, the Coolpad Cool Bass Buds, originally priced at Rs 1,199, at a reduced price of Rs 999. Additionally, the Coolpad Cool 6, launched in October 2020, will be available at FLAT Rs 500 discount. The deal prices for the smartphone are6GB- Rs 12,499 and 4GB- Rs 10,499.Additionally, users will also get extra 10% off by paying with SBI credit cards.

Harsh Sharma, Online Marketing Manager, Coolpad India, said, “We are thrilled to announce the big Coolpad Republic Day Sale on Amazon. For this celebration, we are offering discounts on two of our most popular and current offerings – the Coolpad Cool Bass Buds and the Coolpad Cool 6. At Coolpad, our overarching goal is revolutionizing consumer technology by offering feature-rich products at cost-efficient price points. This sale is an extension of this goal, and we hope that customers enjoy discounts. A Happy Republic Day to all!”

Coolpad has made a successful run in the Indian smartphone market with the help of its innovative and value-driven offerings. With technology at the heart of all its products, the brand has already filed over 800 patents in the name of 5G. With its entry into the accessories market and launch of cutting-edge wireless earbuds, the brand has cemented its stance as the market leader in terms of continuous innovation.

Infinix offers attractive discounts on latest products at the forthcoming Republic Day sale

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As part of the upcoming Republic Day offer, the Chinese smartphone brand, Infinix, is selling its latest smartphone models, newly launched smart TVs and earplugs on Flipkart at unbelievable discounts. The offer includes Note 7, Zero 8i, Android 32” smart TV, Snokor iRocker Stix and Bass Drops, at exciting prices.

The sale will begin on 20th Jan and remain active till 24th Jan 2021. However, Flipkart Plus members can get early access to the discounts from January 19.

The Note 7 comes with a 48MP AI quad rear camera, ultra-power Helio G70 Octa-core processor and a long-lasting 5,000 mAh battery with an 18W fast charger that delivers up to 20 hrs of video playback. Powered by an Octa-core MediaTek Helio G70 processor, the smartphone is backed with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 64GB internal storage and operates on Android 10 XOS 6.1 Dolphin to guarantee a seamless, glitch-free, and connected usage experience for the users.

Note 7 is the first in its segment to come with a near bezel-less 6.95” pin-hole display with HD+ resolution and a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio for an immersive viewing experience.

The multitasking ZERO 8i is elegantly designed by taking inspiration from the Louvre’s “Diamond Glass” structure.  Operating on Android 10 with the latest XOS 7 skin and backed by 8GB DDR4 RAM with 128GB internal storage, the device comes with an array of top-notch features packed with an array of top-notch features including an ultra-powerful MediaTek Helio G90T 64 bit Octa-core processor, 48MP AI Quad rear camera with Ultra-steady Video mode backed by an advanced Vidhance video stabilization solution, and a massive 4,500 mAh battery with 33W fast charge support.

The revolutionary device is also backed by ARM Mali – G70 GPU, which is super clocked at 800GHz and MediaTek HyperEngine game technology to ensure tremendous efficiency in handling heavy games with intelligent networking and resource management.

Infinix’s TUV Rheinland-certified 32” & 43” ANDROID smart TV promises the best viewing experience with EPIC 2.0 picture Engine that uses algorithms to enhance the overall picture quality and improve the brightness, color, contrast, and clarity to deliver a vivid picture quality. Meanwhile, the Eye-Care technology implementation on it has been done at the LED panel hardware and software level to provide the safest viewing experience. Powered by Mediatek quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8 GB of ROM, Infinix Smart TVs come loaded with built-in Chromecast for seamless connectivity to your favourite video apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc. The TV comes with in-built Box speakers with Dolby Audio’s surround sound capabilities to separate sound channels for creating a cinematic surround sound experience.

The ultralight SNOKOR TWS iRocker Stix are equipped with 14.2mm Dynamic Bass boost driver, Type C Quick charging, Bluetooth v5.0 and multi-function button control for ease in Calling, Music & Voice assistant activation, among others. Meanwhile, the trendy wired Bass Drops earphones are equipped with 14.3mm Dynamic Bass boost driver and Built-in Mic with One Button Control for Music, Calling & voice assistant.

Diagnostic Flexibility at Your Fingertips with New, Versatile 12MP Diagnostic Display

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Barco, a global leader in visualisation technology, has released a new 12MP healthcare diagnostic display system for picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and breast imaging. The Nio Fusion 12MP display is a highly topical answer to changing expectations and standards in diagnostic workstations.

Rachel Coxon, Vice President Healthcare at Barco APAC said, “Expectations of how diagnostic displays will enhance workflows are increasing among radiologists. Workstations are now expected to be able to handle all modalities, including those used for images of highly dense breast tissue. Work environments are also becoming more flexible, in response to the growing home reading trend globally, including Asia. The Nio Fusion 12MP delivers diagnostic flexibility for both PACS and breast imaging, addressing today’s radiology and mammography landscape at cost-effective pricing.”

The Nio Fusion has a 12MP screen resolution, which makes it suitable for multiple PACS images and breast imaging modalities including breast tomosynthesis. The Fusion design eliminates the need for multiple portrait displays or complex installations. A Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM) function makes it possible to attach a second workstation to the display and switch between two computers at the touch of a button, simplifying scheduling and the management of the workstation fleet.

Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director, Barco India said, “The rising cases of new-age and chronic diseases have made us realise the importance of early diagnosis, regular screening and regular health check-ups. The radiology and mammography diagnostic landscape is constantly evolving, driven by the need for stricter regulatory & compliance standards and portability needs. Heavy workload & ergonomic stress levels coupled with the increasing complexity of cases, requires high resolution, accurate, calibrated colours and image quality to help reveal more details. The Nio Fusion 12MP addresses all these diagnostic workstation challenges effectively and at the same time is cost-effective with documented clinical advantages and a superior warrantied lifetime of up to 40K hours.”

The Nio Fusion 12MP is calibrated to meet the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard for greyscales, and Barco’s SteadyColorTM technology guarantees consistent, calibrated colors over time. The Nio Fusion 12MP model is thin, lightweight and was designed to mirror people’s natural field of vision to reduce head, hand and eye movements

Nio Fusion 12MP is driven by a powerful Barco MXRT display controller, offering radiologists a set of workflow support tools, such as SpotView and RapidFrame that also greatly increase diagnostic accuracy. It has also earned Barco’s Eco Product label after receiving an A+ ecoscore for enhancements in display power efficiency, the display’s compact and stackable packaging and regionally adapted content that lowers carbon footprint and waste.

Redmi is all set to launch its first gaming smartphone powered by Dimensity 1200

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The Chinese smartphone brand, Redmi, has come a long way since it moved from being just a line of smartphones to being a subsidiary of Xiaomi. Its product portfolio has expanded to include more products such as TVs and computers but smartphones are still the heart of the company.

Now, it has been reported that the first Redmi gaming smartphone is on the way and it will be powered by MediaTek’s new Dimensity 1200 chipset.

According to some media reports, a Weibo post by a Chinese leaker, Dimensity 1200 processor would power the first Redmi gaming smartphone.

Redmi’s General Manager, Lu Weibing, has also confirmed that it will indeed launch its first gaming flagship smartphone this year. He also revealed that the Dimensity 1200 will make its world debut in a Redmi phone, most likely the Redmi K40 series which is expected to launch soon. This means we should have two Redmi phones powered by the Dimensity 1200.

There is a lot we do not yet know about the Redmi gaming smartphone. For instance, will it be the first of a new series or will it launch under an existing series? We also do not know what the other specs are and what features it will have that give it an advantage over the other gaming smartphones in the market. We also do not know how soon it will launch.

Nevertheless, we expect the Redmi gaming smartphone to have a high refresh rate, though it might be an LCD and not an AMOLED display. We also expect a big battery capacity, super-fast charging, and possibly, extra features such as shoulder buttons.

The Dimensity 1200 is a 6nm chipset with four Cortex-A78 cores and four Cortex-A55 cores. It has a prime Cortex-A78 core that is clocked at 3.0GHz. It also has a Mali-G77 MC9 GPU which should be able to handle any game you throw at it but not as well as the Mali-G78 that is found in the Exynos 1080, Exynos 2100, and Kirin 9000/9000E chipsets.

74% of India’s Technology Companies to Increase Headcount by 14% in 2021: Talent Trends Report

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As the world recovers from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, India is emerging strong in the field of technology with a significant rise in tech investments. Professional recruitment services firm Michael Page India today launched the ‘Talent Trends 2021 Report’, with a focus on the technology and e-commerce sector, signalling a stable recovery in 2021 with recruitment across industries.

Due to breakneck automation and digital transformation across sectors and the ensuing requirement of backend support, the tech industry will continue to lead hiring activities in 2021.

In 2021, companies are looking to take advantage of the availability of Indian techies looking to return to India due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Varsha Barooah, Director of Michael Page India, says, “With the steady recovery of India’s economy and market, most tech companies are anticipated to increase headcount in 2021. We hope tech hiring will bring a degree of stability and serve as a catalyst for overall business recovery.”

According to the study, over 71% hiring managers felt that skills and experience are the most important criteria for hiring in the industry. Companies now are also open to considering talent remotely available. Jobs roles such as application architect backend engineer and chief technology officer will be in most demand. Additionally with the increase in the use of AR and mixed reality (MR) by e-commerce platforms and virtual gaming, we anticipate more professionals needed in this space and skills such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will gain more importance in 2021.

With the overall demand levels for tech roles improving to almost pre-COVID levels, employers will continue to compete for high potential professionals. Entrepreneurs with a stellar professional record who have been forced to close down their ventures during the pandemic, will also be back in the talent pool and available for key positions in growth start-ups.

Companies are also aware of the need to attract and retain talent in a competitive landscape. With mental health and wellbeing emerging as an important consideration when looking for a job in 2021, 47 % of the technology companies that participated in the study, are focussing on ‘remote/flexible work arrangements ‘as a key talent attraction strategy. Subsequently, the availability of growth opportunities features as an important factor of consideration for technology professionals when accepting a job offer in 2021.

In addition to recruitment insights and industry analysis on the technology market, the report also shares new insights across the Indian and Asia Pacific market for other sectors such as healthcare, BFSI and real estate supported by insights on digital readiness, organizational structure, flexible working, leadership, performance management as well as diversity and inclusion.

Harman Professional Solutions launches JBL Commercial in India for prosumers

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Harman Professional Solutions, a global leader in audio, video, lighting and control systems, including networked AV, today launched JBL Commercial for the India market. JBL Commercial fulfills the needs of a growing community of content creators and professionals looking for quality sound at accessible pricing.

The line of products will feature JBL Professional’s signature sound quality in products that will make content creation and professional presentation easier, efficient and elegant. The brand introduced its first range of products with two lavalier microphones- CSLM20 and CSLM20B, available on Amazon India.

“JBL Professional is an iconic audio brand that has been catering to the needs of professional communities for more than 75 years. There is now a growing section of consumers that are starting out as content creators and working professionals. For these promising and ambitious consumers, we are excited to introduce the JBL Commercial line in India. The two lavalier microphones- CSLM20 and CSLM20B are a starter kit for content creators and working pros looking to add a professional touch to their content and presentation,” said Aditya Todi, Senior Director – Sales & Marketing, Harman Professional Solutions, India and SAARC. “We are looking forward to launching a wide range of products this year that will truly elevate the experience of working and creating content.”

JBL Commercial CSLM20 omnidirectional lavalier microphone comes with a windshield and a comfortable earphone which makes it ideal for audio monitoring. So, whether you’re recording your next hit YouTube cover or making an Instagram video, you can monitor your sound, on the spot. The earphone also makes it an ideal mic for work-from-home professionals as it’s perfect for video and conference calls and compatible with most smartphones, laptops, PC/Mac, and tablets.

JBL Commercial CSLM20B is a battery-powered lavalier microphone with 3.5mm TRRS jack. Great for recording, podcast, interviews, vlogging, presentations, speeches, and more, it can capture audio all around with its 360 degrees omnidirectional audio pickup. It is compatible with smartphones, most DSLR cameras, mixers, amplifiers, and has the added convenience of an extra-long cable.

The JBL Professional Commercial mics are available today, exclusively on Amazon for a special launch price of Rs 999 each.

Fintech Startups to Watch Out for in 2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a booster shot for the country’s fintech sector, giving it the much-needed energy and growth trajectory to expand its footprint across the nation. The year-on-year growth in volume stood at 70% from 1.30 Bn transactions in December 2019 to 2.2 Bn in 2020, while the value of UPI transactions increased 105% from Rs 2.02 lakh crore in December 2019 to Rs 4.16 lakh crore in December 2020. We bring to you some of the fintech startups that have changed the market dynamics with their innovations.

Indifi Technologies

It’s a Gurgaon-based lending platform, enabling debt-financing for small businesses. It aims to substantially improve the experience for borrowers regarding credit access as well as speed and convenience of the loan process. Driven by the idea of expanding access to MSME financing in India, Indifi has emerged as an enabler for startups and small businesses seeking seamless access to funding. Indifi expands the envelope of formal lending by designing the right-fit credit products for MSMEs, improving the standard of risk assessment, and leveraging the supply chain linkages of MSMEs. Since its inception, Indifi has served numerous businesses with its large array of credit options. To take this vision forward, Indifi has launched industry-specific credit products that meet the working capital requirements of that segment. It has recently forayed into the pharma segment and these associations with Retailio and Marg ERP is another step to serve a larger base of customers in this segment.

ToneTag

ToneTag is driven to realize mobile experiences and interactions as a service. The technology uses sound waves to enable contactless, offline and proximity data communication on any device. Being a software element, it can easily be integrated into existing devices, making it highly compatible and accessible to everyone. Transactions are highly secure and frictionless, creating a seamless experience for users. ToneTag aims to revolutionize the payment ecosystem with a simple but robust technology. It has recently announced the success of its PoC, focusing on a contactless, sound wave-based payment service, in the regulatory sandbox set up by the RBI. The solution is set to redefine the digital payment space by creating a seamless experience for customers, enabling them to avoid the hassle of making cash as well as touch-based digital payments. ToneTag’s sound-based technology can enable it from any mobile phone, including feature phones used by more than 600 million Indians. Through this innovation, the company aims to bridge the last-mile financial inclusion in the country, enabling rural India – where smartphone penetration is low – to go cashless.

PhoneParLoan

Catering to thin-file customers in India and Bharat alike, PhoneParLoan is a mobile-first credit platform that extends loans to ‘New to Credit’ (NTC) customers alongside traditional retail borrowers. The novelty of PhoneParLoan is that it unifies the loan-application process to multiple lenders via lender API-integrations and solves the problem of borrowers struggling with multiple lending app downloads and trials to get a loan from one. Incorporated in 2019, the mobile-first platform has a strong focus on areas with low credit penetration including tier 2, tier 3 and tier 4 cities as well as rural regions. It has today simplified the lending for both lenders and their end-customers. PhoneParLoan has done it using its state-of-the-art, tech-driven approach that is both user-friendly and transparent. Some of its partners include Money-View, Bajaj Auto Finance, HDFC Bank, Credit Vidya, and Early Salary alongside others.

Cashfree

Cashfree is a full-stack payments solution. It helps Indian businesses accept and send money and is used by 50,000-plus businesses for vendor payouts, wage payouts, bulk refunds etc. It is the next generation payment gateway that is easy to integrate and supports instant refunds. Cashfree is also India’s leading API banking platform that lets businesses send money round-the-clock and instantly to bank accounts and cards with a simple API that can be integrated with their product, instead of uploading complicated files on their corporate banking portal. It also offers a split payment solution for marketplaces, a Bank Account Verification API and Auto Collect — a virtual account solution to match inbound payments to customers. Cashfree is integrated with major platforms like Shopify, Paypal, Amazon Pay, Google Pay and Ola money (wallet and postpaid both).

MediaTek launches 6nm Dimensity 1200 Premium 5G SoC

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MediaTek today unveiled its new Dimensity 1200 and Dimensity 1100 5G smartphone chipsets with unrivaled AI, camera and multimedia features for powerful 5G experiences.

The addition of the 6nm Dimensity 1200 and 1100 chipsets to MediaTek’s 5G portfolio gives device makers a growing suite of options to design highly capable 5G smartphones with top of the line camera features, graphics, connectivity enhancements and more.

JC Hsu, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications Business Unit said, “MediaTek continues to expand its 5G portfolio with highly integrated solutions for a range of devices from the high-end to the mid-tier. Our new Dimensity 1200 stands out with its impressive 200MP camera support and advanced AI capabilities, in addition to its innovative connectivity, display, audio and gaming enhancements.”

Key features of MediaTek Dimensity 1200 and 1100 5G chipsets include:

The Most Out of 5G Every Day: The Dimensity 1200 and 1100 pack a highly integrated 5G modem with MediaTek’s 5G UltraSave technology for big power savings. Both chipsets support every connectivity generation from 2G to 5G, in addition to supporting the latest connectivity features including 5G standalone and non-standalone architectures, 5G carrier aggregation (2CC) across frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD), dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), True Dual SIM 5G (5G SA + 5G SA) and Voice over New Radio (VoNR). The chipsets also integrate 5G HSR Mode and 5G Elevator Mode enhancements to ensure a seamless, reliable 5G connection across networks.

Flagship AI Multimedia: The Dimensity 1200 supports 200MP photos for stunning photography with its five-core HDR-ISP. It boasts staggered 4K HDR video capture for significantly greater dynamic range. The chipset integrates an updated version of MediaTek’s hexa-core AI processor (MediaTek APU 3.0), which has an enhanced multi-task scheduler that reduces latency and improves power-efficiency.

The Dimensity 1100 also packs impressive camera capabilities with its 108MP camera support, and integrates MediaTek’s existing APU 3.0 for high performance computing that’s also super power-efficient. Both chipsets support AI camera features including AI-Panorama Night Shot, AI Multi-Person Bokeh, AI noise reduction (AINR) and HDR capabilities. The chipsets also support new AI-enhanced video playback features including AI SDR-to-HDR.

Premium Performance: The Dimensity 1200 has an octa-core CPU designed with an ultra-core Arm Cortex-A78 clocked up to 3GHz for extreme performance, three Arm Cortex-A78 super cores and four Arm Cortex-A55 efficiency cores. With a nine-core GPU and six-core MediaTek APU 3.0, the Dimensity 1200 delivers a new level of premium performance. The Dimensity 1100 is designed with an octa-core CPU which includes four Arm Cortex-A78 cores operating at up to 2.6GHz and four Arm Cortex-A55 efficiency cores, along with a nine-core Arm Mali-G77 GPU. Both chipsets are manufactured on TSMC’s advanced 6nm process technology.

Incredible Displays: The Dimensity 1200 supports ultra-fast 168Hz refresh rates for a fast, fluid user experience. The Dimensity 1100 also supports cutting-edge displays with 144Hz refresh rates for ultra-sharp, zero-lag visuals. Both chipsets support MediaTek’s HyperEngine 3.0 gaming technologies, which includes 5G call and data concurrency for more reliable connectivity, plus multi-touch boost touchscreen responsiveness. The new chipsets also support ray tracing in mobile games and artificial reality applications for more realistic visuals, along with super hotspot power savings which let users go longer in between charges.

Dual-Link True Wireless Stereo Audio: Dimensity 1200 and 1100 both support Bluetooth 5.2, which lets users stream to multiple wireless devices simultaneously. The chipsets also support ultra-low latency true wireless stereo audio and LC3 encoding for higher quality, lower latency streaming audio that’s also very power-efficient to prolong the battery life of wireless earbuds.

Dimensity 1200 has already received TUV Rheinland certification for its 5G performance, with tests covering 72 real-world scenarios. The certification verifies that the chipset provides reliable, high-performance 5G connectivity and offers users high-quality 5G experiences across a wide variety of scenarios.

The first devices with the new MediaTek Dimensity 1200 and 1100 chipsets are expected to hit the market at the end of Q1 and beginning of Q2 this year.

RoDTEP of minimum 1.5% critical to India’s Electronics Exports: ICEA Study

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India’s electronics association ICEA, in collaboration with IKDHVAJ Advisers LLP, released a detailed report on RoDTEP for the electronics sector today.  ICEA is proposing a base rate for RoDTEP of at least 1.5% in the electronics category, based on the minimum assumption of logistics and power costs in manufacturing. Beyond this, individual products with high export potential attract a higher RoDTEP rate, based on the level of domestic value addition.

Driven by the need to boost electronics manufacturing, attract GVCs and large scale export-linked FDI, the electronics sector has become a central focus of government’s manufacturing policy. However, India suffers several disabilities vis-à-vis competing destinations such as China, Vietnam and Thailand, which make India’s exports uncompetitive. RoDTEP, which replaces the MEIS Scheme, is key to ensuring that Indian electronics exports regain the competitive edge. ICEA aims to make electronics India’s top export by 2025.

Globally, electronics is a US$2 trillion industry, dominated by exports from China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan etc. Electronics is amongst the largest traded commodities after oil. It provides India with a tremendous opportunity to become a global leader in exports. RoDTEP is critical since the government is targeting US$1 trillion in exports by 2025 as part of the US$5 trillion GDP objective. No country has reached the US$5 trillion mark without exports contributing at least 18-20%.  India is no different.

The Electronics RoDTEP Report represents an intensive study across six months for various products. It prioritizes electronics items based on current exports or future potential exports. Till recently, over 370 electronic items received MEIS between 2-4%.

Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman ICEA said, “RoDTEP is critical to address India’s deep disabilities vis-à-vis its competitors for boosting electronics manufacturing and making it India’s number 1 export by 2025. This needs to be an ongoing exercise to address the adverse impact on India’s competitiveness, of high taxes which remain unremitted.  An early finalisation of RoDTEP base rate and rates of priority products needs to be our immediate focus.”

The report also highlights the tremendous growth in electronics manufacturing and exports over the last three years. Electronics, which is India’s 9th largest exports, has shown the highest response (85% increase) to export stimulus between 2017-2020, from amongst the top 15 exports from India. The report further shows that several countries are already allowing remission of indirect taxes, levies and duties that are allowed under WTO. It identifies and unbundles indirect taxes for the purposes of remission. The rates estimated in the report identify the unremitted duties/taxes/levies at the Central, State and local level, borne by exported electronics products, including prior stage cumulative indirect taxes on goods and services used in the production of such products.

Based on credible inputs from the industry, the big ticket items considered for this study of RoDTEP in Electronics, are indirect taxes on transport and power, and embedded taxes on inputs. The IKDHWAJ team which conducted the study, was led by Dr. Jayant Dasgupta, former Indian Ambassador to the WTO,  Dr. Harsha Vardhana Singh, Former DDG, WTO & former Economic Advisor and Secretary TRAI, and Dr. Veena Jha, Economist and former Coordinator of UNCTAD’s India program who has worked with several multilaterals such as EU, WHO and ILO etc.