CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry led and industry managed
organisation. Founded over 111 years ago, it is India’s premier business association, with a direct membership of over 6300 organisations from
the private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and an indirect membership of over
90,000 companies from around 336 national and regional sectoral associations.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI)
FICCI has a nationwide membership of over 1500 corporates and over 500
chambers of commerce and business associations. FICCI espouses the shared vision of Indian
businesses and speaks directly and indirectly for over 2,50,000 business units. It has an expanding
direct membership of enterprises drawn from large, medium, small and tiny segments of
manufacturing, distributive trade and services.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and
Industry of India (Assocham)
Established in
1920, ASSOCHAM covers a membership of
over 100,000 companies and professionals across the country.
The Federation of Indian Export Organizations
(FIEO)
FIEO represents,
directly or indirectly, over 100,000 exporters across India. Exports by FIEO
members comprise a wide spectrum of products viz. Gems & Jewellery, Textiles, Garments,
Engineering Goods, Leather & Leather Products, Handicrafts, Chemicals and Allied Products,
Cosmetics, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, etc., as well as a wide range of Consultancy Services
covering Infrastructure, Engineering Industries, Cement, Leather, Paper & Rubber industries,
Agro-based industries, Small Scale industries etc., besides the larger services sector
like IT, entertainment (films/TV), super-speciality hospital services, general healthcare,
education, tourism etc. (The website includes a live chat link with buyers).
National Association of Software and Service
Companies (NASSCOM)
NASSCOM is the premier trade body
and the chamber of commerce of the IT software and services industry with over 1100
members, of which over 250 are global companies from the US, UK, EU, Japan and China. NASSCOM's
member companies are in the business of software development, software services, software products,
IT-enabled/BPO services and
e-commerce.
India Trade Promotion Organisation
(ITPO)
ITPO is the nodal
agency of the Government of India for promoting external trade.
Export Promotion Councils
There are at present eleven Export Promotion Councils under the
administrative control of the Department of Commerce and nine export promotion councils related to
the textile sector under the administrative control of Ministry of Textiles. These Councils are
registered as non -profit organisations under the Companies Act/Societies Registration Act. The
Export Promotion Councils perform both advisory and executive functions. These Councils are also
the registering authorities under the Export Import Policy, 1997-2002.These Councils have been
assigned the role and functions under the said Policy.
The Committee constituted to look into the aspects of rationalization of election procedure
of the Export Promotion Councils(EPCs) and the criteria to be adopted for their restructuring so
that they retain their relevance to the national export effort in the context of globlisation and
economic liberalization, has made recommendations to streamline and strengthening the functioning
of the EPCs. The Government has since accepted the recommendations of the Committee and issued
Model Bye-Laws and guidelines to all EPCs for adoption.
Commodity Boards
There are five statutory Commodity Boards under the Department
of Commerce. These Boards are responsible for production, development and export of tea, coffee,
rubber, spices and tobacco.
Indian Council of Arbitration, New Delhi
The ICA set up under the Societies Registration Act, promotes
arbitration as a means of settling commercial disputes and popularises the concept of arbitration
among the traders, particularly those engaged in international trade. The Council, a non-profit
service organisation, is a grantee institution of the Department of Commerce and is eligible for
assistance under the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme of the Department. The main
objectives of the Council are to promote the knowledge and use of arbitration and provide
arbitration facilities for amicable and quick settlement of commercial disputes with a view to
maintaining the smooth flow of trade, particularly, export trade on a sustained and enduring basis.
Export Inspection Council (EIC), New
Delhi
The EIC, an autonomous body, is responsible for
the enforcement of quality standards and compulsory pre-shipment inspection of the various
commodities meant for export and notified under the Export (Quality Control & Inspection) Act,
1963. It was set up under Section (3) of the Export (Inspection and Quality Control) Act, 1963. It
is headed by a Director. EIC is assisted in its functions by the Export Inspection Agencies(EIAs)
located at Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai alongwith a network of 42 sub-offices and
laboratires to back up the pre-shipment inspection and certification activities.
