A. Sakthivel has recently been appointed as the Chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), marking his fifth term at the helm of the organisation.
His reappointment highlights continuity in leadership at a time when India is seeking to enhance its global apparel export competitiveness.

About the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)

The Apparel Export Promotion Council was established in 1978 under the provisions of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.
It is the official body representing apparel exporters in India and functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

Objectives and Role

The primary objective of AEPC is to promote and support the export of Indian garments and apparel products in global markets.
It works to enhance the competitiveness of India’s apparel sector and acts as a link between the government, Indian exporters, and international buyers.

Organisational Structure

AEPC comprises a wide range of stakeholders, including:

• Representatives of the Central Government

• Apparel exporters

• Industry associations

• Other government bodies

Its governing body is led by an elected Chairman, supported by regional and sectoral committees, along with professionals and experts from the textile and apparel export sector.
This participatory structure ensures informed and balanced decision-making for industry development.

Key Functions of AEPC

Promotion of Apparel Exports

AEPC facilitates and promotes the export of Indian-made garments across global markets.

Market Research and Development

It conducts studies to analyse global fashion trends, market demand, and export opportunities.

Organisation of Trade Fairs

AEPC organises national and international trade fairs to showcase Indian apparel to global buyers.

Policy Advocacy

It serves as a liaison between the government and exporters, addressing policy issues and trade-related challenges.

Skill Development

AEPC provides training programmes and workshops to improve the skills of the workforce in the apparel sector.

Certification and Standards

The Council works to ensure that Indian apparel exports comply with international quality standards and certification requirements.

Data Collection and Dissemination

It collects and shares export statistics, industry reports, and market intelligence with stakeholders.

India International Garment Fair (IIGF)

AEPC organises the India International Garment Fair (IIGF) twice a year, providing a platform for over 300 exhibitors to display their products and innovative apparel designs to international buyers.

Headquarters

The headquarters of AEPC is located in Gurgaon, Haryana.

Conclusion

The Apparel Export Promotion Council plays a crucial role in strengthening India’s position in the global apparel market by supporting exporters, shaping policy, and enhancing industry capabilities.
The appointment of A. Sakthivel for a fifth term ensures experienced leadership in advancing India’s textile and apparel export growth.

Recently, on the occasion of the 79th Foundation Day of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Union Ministers launched the SHINE Scheme in New Delhi.
The scheme reflects the government’s emphasis on women empowerment through quality awareness and standardisation.

About the SHINE Scheme

SHINE stands for Standards Help Inform & Nurture Empowered Women.
It is a new initiative of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) aimed at placing women at the centre of India’s quality and standards ecosystem.

The scheme seeks to empower women by equipping them with knowledge of standards, safety, and quality, thereby enhancing both household well-being and economic resilience.

Objectives of the SHINE Scheme

• To empower women with practical knowledge related to product quality, safety, and standards.

• To spread awareness about BIS standards at the household and community level.

• To strengthen livelihoods and consumer protection through informed decision-making.

Key Features of the SHINE Scheme

• Structured Training Programmes: Women are trained through well-designed modules focusing on quality and safety standards.

• Grassroots Outreach: The scheme works in collaboration with NGOs, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and community organisations.

• Local Delivery: Programmes are delivered at the local level, ensuring accessibility and relevance.

• Community Impact: Awareness is spread within households, SHGs, and local communities, helping protect families and promote safer consumption practices.

Role of BIS under the SHINE Scheme

Through the SHINE initiative, BIS acts as a knowledge enabler, spreading awareness about:

• Product standards and certifications

• Safety norms

• Quality assurance practices

This approach helps integrate standards into everyday life rather than limiting them to industrial or regulatory spaces.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS): Key Facts

• Status: BIS is the National Standards Body of India.

• Legal Basis: Established under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.

• Objective: To ensure the harmonious development of standardisation, marking, and quality certification of goods and services.

Historical Background of BIS

BIS is the successor of the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), which was established in 1947.
ISI played a critical role in quality control and industrial efficiency during India’s early phase of industrialisation.

International Role of BIS

BIS represents India at major international standard-setting bodies, including:

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Administrative Details

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

• Headquarters: New Delhi

• Presence: Regional and branch offices across India

Significance of the SHINE Scheme

The SHINE Scheme is significant because it:

• Integrates women empowerment with quality infrastructure

• Promotes consumer awareness at the grassroots level

• Strengthens India’s culture of standards and safety from the household upwards

As countries across the world aim to shift towards cleaner and more sustainable manufacturing processes, biomaterials are emerging as a new frontier in materials engineering. This transition is especially significant in sectors such as plastics and textiles, where conventional petroleum-based materials are being reconsidered due to their environmental impact.

About Biomaterials

Biomaterials are materials of natural, synthetic, or hybrid origin that are specifically designed to interact safely and compatibly with various systems, including the human body and the environment.

They are derived wholly or partially from biological sources, or are engineered using biological processes, with the objective of replacing or interacting with conventional materials.

Key Features of Biomaterials

• Biomaterials are increasingly used across multiple sectors such as packaging, textiles, construction, and healthcare.

• They play a central role in modern biomedicine and bioengineering, especially in medical implants and tissue engineering.

• Their design is guided by application-specific demands and trade-offs, including strength, durability, flexibility, and biocompatibility.

• The field of biomaterials is highly interdisciplinary, combining knowledge from physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, materials science, and tissue engineering.

Materials Used in Biomaterial Development

Biomaterials can be developed using a wide range of materials, including:

• Metals

• Plastics

• Ceramics

• Glass

• Cells

• Living tissues

Classification of Biomaterials

Biomaterials can be broadly classified into three major categories:

1. Drop-in Biomaterials

• These materials are chemically identical to petroleum-based materials.

• They can be used in existing manufacturing systems without major modifications.

• Example: Bio-PET

• Key advantage: Easy integration into current industrial processes.

2. Drop-out Biomaterials

• These materials are chemically different from conventional materials.

• They require new processing techniques or end-of-life management systems.

• Example: Polylactic Acid (PLA)

• They are often associated with biodegradability and compostability.

3. Novel Biomaterials

• These materials offer entirely new properties not found in conventional materials.

• Examples include:

  • Self-healing materials

  • Bioactive implants

  • Advanced composites

• They hold significant potential for future technological and medical applications.

Recently, researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have used supercomputers to develop the first-ever simulation of ice formation that conclusively proves the Mpemba effect in water. This breakthrough provides strong computational evidence for a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for centuries.

What is the Mpemba Effect?

The Mpemba effect is a counterintuitive physical phenomenon in which a hot liquid cools or freezes faster than a colder liquid when both are placed under identical conditions.

This paradox challenges conventional understanding of thermodynamics, where colder substances are expected to freeze first.

Historical Background

• The phenomenon was first described by Aristotle in his work Meteorologica.

• It is named after Erasto Mpemba, a Tanzanian student who systematically reported the effect in 1969, drawing global scientific attention to it.

Proposed Explanations for the Mpemba Effect

Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain why hot water may freeze faster than cold water:

1. Role of Microbubbles

• Heating water leaves behind microbubbles or cavities.

• These microbubbles enhance convection and enable faster heat transfer as the water cools.

2. Evaporation

• Warmer water evaporates more rapidly.

• Evaporation removes heat because it is an endothermic process, similar to how sweating cools the human body.

3. Density and Convection

• Warm water is less dense than cold water.

• This promotes stronger convection currents, accelerating the loss of heat.

4. Presence of Frost in Cold Water

• Cold water may develop frost, which acts as an insulator.

• This insulation can slow down heat loss, delaying freezing.

5. Dissolved Compounds

• Heating may cause compounds like calcium carbonate to precipitate out.

• Their later dissolution can raise the freezing point of water, aiding faster freezing.

Recent Scientific Findings

• The recent simulation confirms that the Mpemba effect is real and reproducible at the microscopic level.

• Researchers also found that the Mpemba effect is not unique to water.

• Similar behaviour can occur during fluid-to-solid phase transitions in other materials as well.

Amid deteriorating air quality, the Delhi government has tightened vehicular pollution controls to curb emissions from road transport. As part of these measures, private vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not comply with Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission norms have been barred from entering the Capital. In addition, vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) are also restricted from entry.

Overview of Bharat Stage (BS) Emission Norms

Bharat Stage (BS) emission norms are India’s vehicular emission standards, designed to regulate air pollutants released by motor vehicles. These standards are aligned with European (Euro) emission norms and prescribe progressively stricter limits on pollutants through the adoption of cleaner fuels and advanced vehicle technologies. India has steadily upgraded these norms to address rising concerns over air quality and public health.

Institutional Framework and Objectives

The BS emission norms are framed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The primary objective of these norms is to control emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, which are major contributors to urban air pollution.

Evolution of Bharat Stage Emission Norms in India

In 1999, the Supreme Court of India mandated that all vehicles sold in the country must comply with Euro I or BS I standards, also known as the India 2000 standard. India subsequently progressed from BS I in 2000 to BS IV by 2017. In a major policy decision, the country skipped BS V and directly implemented BS VI in April 2020, resulting in a significant tightening of emission limits.

Further strengthening the regime, BS VI Phase-II norms were introduced in April 2023, making Real Driving Emissions (RDE) testing mandatory to ensure that vehicles meet emission standards under actual on-road conditions. The government is now planning to introduce BS VII emission norms by 2026–27 to further align India with global standards.

Delhi’s Early Adoption of Stricter Emission Norms

Delhi has a mixed fleet of vehicles conforming to different BS standards because it adopted stricter emission norms much earlier than the rest of the country in response to severe air pollution. The city implemented BS II norms in 2001, BS III in 2005, and BS IV in 2010, well ahead of nationwide timelines.

Key Features of BS VI Emission Norms

The BS VI emission norms impose substantially lower emission limits compared to earlier standards. Under BS VI, petrol vehicles are required to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by about 25 percent, while diesel vehicles must reduce hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides by around 43 percent, nitrogen oxides alone by 68 percent, and particulate matter by 82 percent.

Additionally, the sulphur content in fuel has been reduced from 50 mg/kg under BS IV to 10 mg/kg under BS VI, enabling the effective use of advanced emission-control technologies.

Why Older Vehicles Are More Polluting

Older vehicles tend to emit significantly higher levels of pollutants due to outdated technology and engine deterioration. Pre-BS IV vehicles lack advanced exhaust after-treatment systems such as diesel particulate filters and selective catalytic reduction systems, which are essential for controlling fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.

As vehicles age, engine wear, poor fuel–air mixing, and ignition system degradation lead to incomplete combustion. Combined with high mileage and inadequate maintenance, these factors result in much higher real-world emissions compared to newer BS VI-compliant vehicles.