FM asks IIFT students to develop trade negotiation skills

Kakinada After inaugurating the third branch of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), a premier research, training and education institute here, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that IIFT students from Delhi, Kolkata and export hub of Kakinada should specialise in independent trade negotiation skills and develop out of the box ideas to guide and advise the mandarins of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in policy-making.

The FM earlier inaugurated the temporary campus of IIFT at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Kakinada. She said the ministry has sanctioned Rs.230 crore for construction of a permanent campus in an area of 25 acres in U. Kothapalli in close proximity to Kakinada Special Economic Zone. Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goel was among a galaxy of VVIPs present at the inaugural function.

IIFT, which is enjoying the status of deemed to be university, has NAAC grade A accreditation. IIFT was first set up in Delhi in 1963 with the second unit coming up in Kolkata in 2006. IIFT is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The FM asked the students to shun copy paste culture and download information available in the public domain. She said the students as well as the faculty should have creative skills for trade negotiation to strengthen the country's economy. Stating that consultation with the stakeholders by the ministry before taking crucial decisions is a continuous process, she said still the suggestions of IIFT products and faculty will matter a lot.