Ph.D.

Prospectus
2018

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE

DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY
 Ph.D. Programme 2014

From the Desk of the Director

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) stands for academic & professional
excellence. Over the last five decades, IIFT has nurtured excellence in the
arena of international trade and investment. With the modest beginning
as a facilitator for external trade in 1963, IIFT has emerged as one of the
pioneering Institutes in the Asia Pacific, playing the role of a leading
B-School in the Sub-Continent besides being a Think Tank Organization
for foreign trade and policy matters and also a hub for research and
knowledge dissemination.
Recognizing the immense contribution of IIFT for promoting skill and
knowledge in International Business, it was accorded the status of
“Deemed to be University” in 2002. The National Assessment and
Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recognized IIFT as Grade ‘A’ institution
in 2005 as well as in 2015. The Wall Street Journal in its review of best
Indian B-Schools had ranked IIFT as 6th best and the QS Global in its survey
of 200 Best Business School of Asia Pacific had ranked it as 27th. Needless
to mention that most domestic surveys conducted year after year have
ranked IIFT amongst the top 10 B-Schools in India.
In the spectrum of IIFT’s activities, research occupies a unique place because
of the institutional emphasis on a strong and pervasive interface between
research and theory. Research activities are undertaken both as part of in-
house research programmes and at the instance of client institutions,
which include Central and State Governments, various Public Sector
Undertakings and International Organizations like the World Bank, the
FAO, International Trade Centre, UNCTAD, WTO, UNIDO, UNESCAP, DFID,
etc. The Faculties of the Institute have contributed significantly in various
disciplines by regularly presenting and publishing their research in reputed
academic and policy forums.
The five-year Ph.D. Programme offered at IIFT is one of the most preferred
research degree programmes available in Indian and overseas
Universities/Institutes. It is expected that IIFT Ph.D. scholars would make
original contributions in their respective fields that helps in expanding
the knowledge frontier. It is heartening to note that many IIFT Ph.D.
scholars are regularly appearing in reputed refereed national and
international journals and other forums.
Till date, IIFT has awarded 29 doctoral degrees to its successful research
scholars and some of them are occupying high positions in academic and
research institutes, government departments and leading corporate
groups.
I welcome you to become a part of IIFT Ph.D. Programme which is an ever-
expanding knowledge network at the Institute and excel in your pursuit
for knowledge.

Prof. Manoj Pant

Director

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 Ph.D. Programme 2014

From the Chairperson

During IIFT’s five-decade long journey as a centre for providing high quality education
for meeting the growing needs of internationalization and globalization, we have
constantly strived to raise the bar every year in terms of the quality of students as
well as the course curriculum.
IIFT is known widely for its competence in research-based learning and has conducted
a number of research studies for both national and international organizations in the
government and private sector on important policy issues. The doctoral scholars at
IIFT’s Ph.D. Programme regularly participate in national and international conferences
in India and abroad. The Institute is committed to continue this journey towards
scaling newer heights.
I take this opportunity to extend a cordial invitation to you to become a part of this
journey in order to make a mark in your career.

Dr. Rakesh Mohan Joshi

Professor and Chairperson (Research)

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 Ph.D. Programme 2014

How to Apply
Application Form and Brochure for the Ph.D. Programme can be downloaded from the website
www.iift.edu. Candidates applying for both Full Time and Part Time Ph.D. Programme need to fill in the
Application Form and submit the same to the Institute along with a Demand Draft of `2,500 (`1,250 in
respect of SC/ST candidates and US$120/ `8,500 for Foreign Nationals) in favour of Indian Institute of
Foreign Trade payable at New Delhi so as to reach latest by 27th April 2018 at the following address :
All communication may be sent to:
Ms. Lalita Gupta For any Academic Query relating to the Ph.D.
Section Officer Programme, write to:
(Research Division) Dr. Basanta K. Sahu (Faculty Economics Area)
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE Ph.D. Programme Director
B-21, Qutab Institutional Area, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE
New Delhi 110016 B-21, Qutab Institutional Area,
E-mail: research@iift.edu New Delhi 110016
Tel: 91-11-39147200-205 (Extn. 426), E-mail: pdphd@iift.edu
39147226 (Direct) Fax: 91-11-39147301 Tel: 91-11- 39147200-205 (Extn. 607)
On the cover of the application envelope, indicate ‘Application for Ph.D. 2018 Programme’.

Important Dates
Last date for submission of Application and Statement of Purpose : 27th April 2018
Notification of eligible candidates for Written Entrance Examination : 11th May 2018
Date of Written Entrance Examination and Descriptive Test : 27th May 2018
(Examination will be held at both IIFT Delhi and Kolkata Campus)
Declaration of Result of Written Entrance Examination : 8th June 2018
Personal Interview at IIFT Campus in New Delhi : First week of July 2018
Declaration of Final Results : Fourth week of July 2018
Commencement of the Ph.D. Programme : Second week of August 2018

Important Enclosures with Application Form

1. Copy of “Statement of Purpose” for the proposed Ph.D. Programme, clearly indicating the Research
Interest/Discipline/Area objective, etc. (4-5 pages).
2. Self-Attested copies of certificates & mark-sheets of qualifying degrees and other certificates (from
SSC level).
3. Two passport size colour photographs.
4. Two letters of recommendation (in the format provided in the Application Form).
5. At least one example of scholarly research or professional writing. (Preferable)
6. Bank draft of `2,500 (`1,250 in respect of SC/ST/PWD category candidates and US$120/`8,500 for
overseas candidates in favour of INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE payable at NEW DELHI.
7. SC/ST/OBC (NCL)/PWD category candidates need to attach the requisite certificate.

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 Ph.D. Programme 2014

About the Institute

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)
was established in 1963 as an
autonomous organization under the
aegis of Ministry of Commerce & Industry,
Government of India, to contribute in the
skill building for the external trade sector
of India. The Institute’s portfolio is spread
over a number of long-term MBA
Programmes, which include: two-year
MBA (International Business), two year
& six months MBA (International
Business) (Weekend), Executive Post
Graduate Diploma Programmes in
International Business, Industrial
Marketing, Capital & Financial Markets,
etc., to name a few. The detailed information on well-equipped Library, centrally air-conditioned
the MBA Programmes offered by IIFT at New Delhi, lecture halls with modern audio-visual aids,
Kolkata and Dar-es-Salaam campuses as well as conference halls for round-table conferences, an
through VSAT modes can be obtained from the auditorium of 450 seating capacity, gymnasium,
Institute web-page (www.iift.edu). indoor games, besides quality residential facilities
In addition to MBA teaching, the Institute has for the MBA students.
trained about 50,000 business professionals across
more than 30 countries in various facets of Library Facilities
international business and trade policy through its A fully automated Foreign Trade Library is a vast
Management Development Programmes. The knowledge bank with an impressive collection of
detailed information on the MDP programmes 103,407 resources, that comprises nearly 76,422
offered by IIFT can be obtained from the Institute book/CDs-volumes, 17,581 bound periodicals, and
web-page (www.iift.edu). 255 periodicals on the subjects related to
The IIFT Ph.D. Programme is well-known for quality International Trade & Business such as Economics,
research in important business issues in national Management, Marketing, Statistical theory,
and international context. The Programme is Banking, Industries, Logistics, Global Business
attended by both Part Time and Full Time research Environment, Geopolitical Economic System, etc.
scholars. Most of the IIFT Ph.D. Scholars are placed The library has access to Bloomberg Database as
highly in reputed academic institutions and well which offers a dynamic network of
universities, government departments and information for decision-makers. Bloomberg is of
leading corporate groups. great value to students seeking fast access to
accurate business and financial information, news
IIFT DELHI CAMPUS and insight around the world.
The ‘WTO Resource Centre’ provides information
Located in the Qutab Institutional Area in close
exclusively on WTO and related issues. The Centre
vicinity of other reputed institutions such as JNU,
is a depository of number of books, periodicals,
IIT and ISI, the Delhi Campus, spreading over six
reports, documents, newspapers, video cassettes
acres of land and overlooking green ridge and
& CD ROMs on WTO, published by WTO and
historical Qutab Minar, provides an ideal
government/non-government and international
environment for academic excellence.
organizations. It has also added to its collection a
The facilities available on the campus include, large number of subject files and Press Clippings

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on issues under WTO covering Subjects such as Anti-
dumping and Countervailing Duties; Bilateral Trade;
Dispute/Dispute Settlement; Countries Seeking
Accession to WTO; Trade Related Intellectual
Property Rights; Trade in Services; Trade Related
Investment Measures; World Trade Law; Government
Procurement; Electronic Commerce and WTO; Social
Clause and Labour Standards; Trade & Environment;
Trade & Technology; and General issues in WTO, etc.
In order to facilitate online access to information,
IIFT Library has also subscribed to several trade
related online and offline databases, like EBSCO,
Proquest, Emerald, Blackwell, CMIE, JSTOR, Indiastat,
World Trade Online, IMF Databases, OECD online,
World Trade Atlas, and many more to its list.
Computer Facilities
The state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities at IIFT
include well-equipped computer centre. IIFT
computer labs are fully supported with OS /
Application software such as Novell Groupwise,
Microsoft Live Communication, Oracle, VB,
Microsoft project, Java, SPSS, E-Views, SAS, etc.
IIFT has its Data Centre equipped with Unified
Storage, V irtualized Server Environment, Web
Servers, Email Servers, etc. The Institute has a
multi-tiered network infrastructure in place.
Buildings inside the campus are well connected
with fiber network. The network infrastructure is
at layer 3 switching level that helps to interconnect
IIFT Kolkata Campus
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Ph.D. Programme 2014
all components together on one platform.
Institute’s network is also supplemented with
managed WiFi supporting 802.11n and standards.
Over 1000 users have access to this network. Apart
from this, classrooms are adequately equipped
with LCD projectors and PCs. The Institute has also
developed the indigenous Campus 360 solution,
which is a fully integrated platform that provides
convergence facility to the faculty with the
students and the programme office.
KOLKATA CAMPUS
The campus is located in IIFT’s own premises in
the picturesque East Kolkata off EM Bypass in a
sprawling area of around 7 acres. The campus is
developed as a green and fully integrated campus
with independent blocks for academic,
administration and student living areas with all
modern amenities. There are centrally air-
conditioned modern lecture halls, syndicate
rooms, common area, auditorium, open air
theatre, common courtyard in its academic and
administration blocks with exemplary designs to
create a great learning environment. The campus
is fully under Wi-Fi.
Library
The library at Kolkata Campus is gradually
growing with resources and other electronic and
virtual information. It includes around 3,778

books and CDs and 5,000 national & international
journals (including e-journals) in the field of
International Business management and related
areas, such as International Trade, Statistics,
Economics, Mathematics, Marketing,
Psychology, Operation Research, Business
Communication, Advertising and others. On-line
databases (accessible from the campus) are one
of the most important and valuable resources
of the library.
Computer Centre
A Computer Centre for the students with HCL
desktop computers provides access to various
online resources and databases like India Trade,
Prowess, IAS, SPSS, World Trade Atlas, ACEquity,
Bloomberg Terminal etc. and high speed internet
connection.
CENTRES AT IIFT
IIFT has following centres dedicated to respective
focus areas, which contribute significantly to
research, training and consultancy.
• Centre for WTO Studies (detailed
information can be accessed from
http://wtocentre.iift.ac.in/)
• Centre for International Trade in Technology
(detailed information can be accessed from
http://edu.iift.ac.in:81/iift/citt.php/)
• Centre for MSMEs (detailed information can be
accessed from http://msme.iift.ac.in/msme/)
• Centre for Regional Trade (detailed information
can be accessed from http://crt.iift.ac.in)
• Centre for Trade & Investment Law (detailed
information can be accessed from http://
ctil.iift.ac.in)
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Ph.D. Programme 2014
Assessment and Development Centre
The Assessment and Development Centre (ADC)
is having around 100 psychological tests and more
than 20 equipments. The psychological tests would
facilitate in understanding the personality,
aptitude, interest, motivation, decision making,
and entrepreneurial competencies of IIFT
students. This psychological profiling would
enable our students to strengthen their career as
well as their life better.
The detailing of test development and
standardization of the test knowledge are also
imparted through the Assessment and
Development Centre.
PUBLICATIONS
The Institute publishes a well known quarterly
journal ‘Foreign Trade Review’ in collaboration with
SAGE Publications, which lays emphasis on
international trade, finance, trade blocs, trade
policy, marketing, etc. ‘Focus WTO’, also a
quarterly journal published by the Institute focuses
exclusively on WTO and WTO-related issues. The
Institute brings out a Working Paper series to help
faculty members to share their research findings.
These papers are published on-line and uploaded
on IIFT website. IIFT Research Newsletter is
published regularly.
A quarterly e-newsletter “Tech-n-Trade” has been
rolled out and each issue focuses on a particular
theme or allied themes in the domain of
technology, innovation and trade.
In addition, the research carried out by the Institute
is widely disseminated in the form of study
reports, monographs, working papers and
occasional papers.

Ph.D. Programme at IIFT
The Institute invites applications for its Full-
time and Part-time Ph.D. Programme (Economics
& Management) from both domestic and
overseas candidates for the year 2018. Selected
candidates for the Ph.D. Programme can attend
the classes during the course work from Delhi
as well as Kolkata campus (through real time
interactions).
The broad areas in which the Institute offers
admission to Ph.D. Programme are Economics &
Trade Policy, Finance, General Management &
Strategy, IT Innovation & Technology
Management, Marketing & Operations and
Supply Chain Management.
Objectives
One of the primary purposes of the Ph.D.
programme is to encourage scholars to undertake
research and in-depth analysis and enrich
knowledge in their chosen field. It includes the
ability to independently apply methodologies of
scientific research as well as to create new scientific
knowledge. Further, the scholars are expected to
demonstrate an ability to critically analyze
research findings and to understand their
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Ph.D. Programme 2014
importance in the wider contexts and effectively
communicate and disseminate research results.
Duration & Process
The Institute offers admission to Ph.D. Programme
in Economics and Management and the doctoral
thesis must be submitted within 5 years, from the
date of admission. During the first year, selected
scholars need to complete the coursework at
the Institute covering two semesters. On
successful completion of the coursework
including Seminar Paper and approval of the pro-
osed research topic (Synopsis Confirmation), a
confirmation certificate will be issued along
with the name of Ph.D. Supervisor. A three-
member Doctoral Advisory Committee (DAC)
will be set up for each scholar for his / her
doctoral research. There is a minimum period
of 2 years from the date of receiving the synopsis
confirmation certificate after which the doctoral
thesis can be submitted for external evaluation.
The selection of the candidates will be based on
their suitability and availability of vacancies.
However, the reservations will be as per
Government of India’s Rules.
 Ph.D. Programme 2014

Course Structure academic activities (e.g., offering tutorials, case

presentations), helping faculty in teaching and
FIRST SEMESTER evaluations.
Courses Credit
Eligibility
• Foundation course on Economics 2 (20)
The eligibility criteria for applying in IIFT’s Ph.D.
• Foundation Course on Finance 2 (20) programme are the following:
• Foundation Course on General A. Indian Scholars
Mgmt. & Strategy 2 (20)
• Master’s degree/M.Phil degree in any discipline
• Foundation course on IT Innovation (including IIFT MPIB) from a recognized
& Tech. Mgmt 2 (20) university with at least 55% marks or CGPA
equivalent to B Plus in aggregate.
• Foundation Course on Marketing 2 (20)
OR
• Foundation Course on Operations
Diploma courses which are considered equiva-
& Supply Chain 2 (20)
lent to Master’s Degree (e.g., PGDIM from IIMs)
Scholars may choose any three courses from with 55% marks or CGPA equivalent to B Plus,
the above recognized by AICTE/UGC would be considered.
• Foundation Course on Mathematical In such cases candidates would be required to
Methods 3 (30) produce the necessary certificate(s) from
Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• Statistics and Research Methodology 3 (30)
• A relaxation of 5% of marks, from 55% to 50%
may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/
SECOND SEMESTER
OBC(non-creamy layer)/differently-abled and
Courses Credit other categories of candidates as per the
decision of the University Grants Commission
• Applied Econometrics and Data 3 (30) (UGC) from time to time.
Analytics
B. Overseas Scholars
• Seminar Paper 1 (10)
• Overseas candidates those who are having
Note: Course Structure is subject to revision by Master’s / M.Phil Degree in any discipline from
the Institute’s Academic Council from time a recognized university with at least 55% marks
to time. The classes for full-time scholars or CGPA equivalent to B Plus in aggregate can
will be conducted during week days and apply only for IIFT’s full time Ph.D. programme.
for part-time scholars during week-ends. • Minimum knowledge of spoken and written
English is essential.
Full-Time Ph.D. Scholars’ There is no scholarship, residential / hostel facility
available for overseas scholars in the Institute.
Involvement in IIFT’s Activities However, the Institute can help in search of
In addition to the coursework, the Full Time Ph.D. suitable accommodation for scholars admitted into
scholars at the Institute are required to get Ph.D Programme. They can contact the foreign
involved in various teaching, research and other student advisor of the Institue for the same.

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 Ph.D. Programme 2014

Admission Process Stage II: Candidates who would qualify in the

A two-stage process is followed for admission to
IIFT Ph.D. Programme.
Stage I: All the eligible candidates will be
called for the Written Entrance Test, comprising
of Basic Statistics, Logical Reasoning, Data
Interpretation, basic Mathematics (upto 12th
Standard) and the Descriptive Test to judge
the writing skill of candidates on a subject-
specific contemporary issue. It is important to
note that the Written Entrance Test is a screening
test.
Written Entrance Test will be called for the
Interview*.
* IIFT will not bear any cost incurred by the candidates
for appearing in the written test and Interview.
Centres for Written Entrance Test
• The written entrance examination will take
place both at Kolkata and New Delhi campuses
of the Institute.
• However, the Interview for the qualifying
candidates will only be conducted at the New
Delhi campus.

Fee
A. Indian Scholars
• There is no programme fee for Full Time Ph.D. Scholars.
• The total programme fee for Part Time Ph.D. Scholars is `4.00 lakh* payable to IIFT as specified
below.

Sl. No. Programme Fee and Time Line Amount

1. Programme Fee (books, study materials, incidental, exam fees, etc.) `4,00,000/-

• To be paid at the time of joining (August 2018) `1,00,000/-

• To be paid at the beginning of Semester 2 (January 2019) `75,000/-

• To be paid at the time of appearing for confirmation of Ph.D. `75,000/-

Synopsis and Title of the Thesis (after September 2019)#

• To be paid after completion of third year (June 2021) `75,000/-

• To be paid after completion of fourth year (June 2022) `75,000/-

2. Library Fee
(Library Security Deposit (Refundable) `5,000/-
To be paid at the time of Registration (August 2018) (Same for foreign students)

* There will be relaxation of 50% fee (except Library Fees) for SC/ST/PWD students.
# Candidates need to confirm the Synopsis and Title of the Thesis within one year of the completion of
course work. For details, see the Rules for the Ph.D. Programme.

B. Overseas Scholars
• The total programme fee for Foreign Scholars is US$10,000 (US$2,000 per year)
Note: After commencement of the Programme, Fees once paid will not be refunded. The Institute reserves the right to
charge any other fees from the scholars or increase the fees if considered necessary. In case of making such
changes, due notice would be given in advance. For any matter relating to the conduct of the programme, the
decision of the authority as per IIFT Rules will be binding.

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Refund of Fee
(Applicable to all categories of candidates)
In the event of a candidate withdrawing before
the commencement of the Ph.D. Programeme,
which will be intimated in the admission offer
letter, the wait-listed candidates will be given
admission against the vacant seat. The entire fee
collected from the candidate, after a deduction of
the processing fee of not more than `1,000/-
(Rupees one thousand only) shall be refunded by
IIFT, provided the candidate withdraws within the
stipulated time and date as indicated in the
admission offer letter.
No refund of the fee is however admissible after
the stipulated time period as mentioned in the
admission offer letter.
Fellowship for Full-time
Ph.D. Scholar
• Financial assistance of `22,000 per month in the
form of fellowship will be offered by the
Institute to the deserving candidates during the
first two years of doctoral work. The tenure of
fellowship will be extended for a further period
of two and half years, subject to a compre-
hensive review of academic performance. For
continuation of scholarship in the second phase,
performance evaluation will be done on half-
yearly basis.
All disputes would be subject to the jurisdiction of Delhi Courts only.
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Ph.D. Programme 2014
• There will be provision for an annual
contingency fund of `15,000 throughout the
period of scholarship.
• No separate HRA is admissible as per the IIFT
rules.
Doctoral Scholars at IIFT
• The doctoral scholars at IIFT Ph.D. Programme
regularly participate in national and inter-
national conferences,seminars, workshops
and other events such as Doctoral Consortium
organized by Academy of International
Business (AIB) in India and abroad.
• Research scholars regularly publish research
papers in reputed referred academic journals,
policy papers, working papers and others. In recent
years, IIFT research scholars have published in
reputed journals such as Foreign Trade Review,
International Journal of Enterprise Network
Management, International Journal of Economics
and Management Strategy, International Journal
of Logistics Economics and Globalization,
International Journal of Marketing and Technology,
International Journal of Procurement Manage-
ment, International Journal of Trade and Global
Markets, Journal of Strategy and Management,
Management Research Review, South Asia
Economic Journal, Transnational Corporations
Review, etc.
 Ph.D. Programme 2014

IIFT Faculty & Administration

DIRECTOR Sachin Kumar Sharma Assistant Librarians
Sanjay Rastogi Amita Anand
Manoj Pant
Saikat Banerjee Nirmala
FACULTY Saswati Tripathi R.S. Meena
Chairpersons Shailja Singh
ADMINISTRATION
Rakesh Mohan Joshi Sheeba Kapil
V. Raveendra Saradhi Registrar
Ravi Shanker
P.K. Gupta
Satinder Bhatia
Assistant Professors
Sunitha Raju Deputy Registrar
Areej Aftab Siddiqui
Vijaya Katti Gaurav Gulati
Ashim Raj Singla
Head, Kolkata Centre Basanta K. Sahu Sr. Administrative Officers
K. Rangarajan Bibek Ray Chaudhuri Bhuwan Chandra
Professors Debashis Chakraborty Desh Raj
Abhijit Das Himani Gupta Sr. Finance Officer
Ashok Kapoor Jaydeep Mukherjee Pitambar Behera
Chandni Raina Jacqueline Symss
Parul Singh Finance Officer
James J. Nedumpara Deepa P.G.
Satwik Shekhar
Mukesh Bhatnagar
Shiny Pradeep Administrative Officers
Murali Kallummal
Sonu Verma A.K. Lahiri (CWS)
Om Prakash Wali B. Prasannakumar
Sweta Srivastava Malla
Radhika Prosad Datta Meenakshi Saxena
Tamanna Chaturvedi
Ram Upendra Das Nalini Meshram
Triptendu Prakash Ghosh
Ranajoy Bhattacharyya
Hindi Officer
Rohit Mehtani SUPPORT SERVICES Rajinder Prasad
Associate Professors
Placement & Corporate Advisor Section Officers
Biswajit Nag
Harkirat Singh Anil Kumar Meena
Deepankar Sinha
Chiranji Lal
Gautam Kumar Dutta Joint Placement & Corporate Dwaipayan Ash
Jayanta Kumar Seal Advisor
Gaurav Gupta
M. Venkatesan Sanjay Verma
Jitender Saxena
Niti Nandini Chatnani
Systems Manager Karun Duggal
Nitin Seth
Bimal Kumar Panda Kavita Sharma
Pooja Lakhanpal Lalita Gupta
Prabir K. Das Asstt. Systems Manager
Mohini Madaan
Pralok Gupta S. Balasubramanian
P.K. Khanna
Rajendra Prasad Sharma Computer Programmer Rakesh Kumar Ojha
Ram Singh Neha Vinayak Sumita Marwaha
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF FOREIGN TRADE
(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
(Set up by Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India)

DELHI CAMPUS KOLKATA CAMPUS

IIFT BHAWAN, B-21 Qutab Institutional Area, 1583, Madurdaha, Chowbagha Road, Ward No. 108,
New Delhi-110016 Borough XII, Kolkata-700107
Ph.: 011-39147200 – 205 (PBX) • Fax: 91-011-39147301 Ph.: 033-24432451 – 53 (PBX) • Fax: 91-033-24432454

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