Roadmap developed for increasing Indian port capacity to 3300+ MTPA by 2025: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya #Sukumarbalakrishnan

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today the Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya informed that an analysis of nation-wide end-to-end logistics flows of all key commodities (~85 per cent of all commodities) at ports was carried out based on which the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the Sagarmala Programme was prepared in April 2016.

The Minister informed that as a part of the NPP, a roadmap is developed for increasing Indian port capacity to 3300+ MTPA by 2025. Master Planning of 12 Major Ports has been carried out and 95 capacity expansion and port modernizations projects have been identified. Major ports capacity has been re-rated with respect to global benchmarks as per berthing policy 2016 and effective capacity has increased by 293 MTPA after re-rating. Global benchmarks have been adopted to improve the efficiency and productivity for major ports and 116 initiatives have been identified to unlock 100 MTPA of capacity at major ports

He Further said, an Action Plan for Coastal Shipping has been prepared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in September 2019. This action plan includes recommendations with respect to infrastructure creation required to increase the use of coastal shipping in India.

Ministry of Sipping has approved 67 projects (cost: Rs 5702 crore [US$ 815 million]) under Sagarmala Programme for financial assistance of Rs 1,491 crore [US$ 213.34 million] for improving port infrastructure and port connectivity.

ONGC raises US$ 300 million under ECB route #ONGC #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has raised US$ 300 million under the External Commercial Borrowing route for meeting its capital expenditure needs.

"The bonds will bear a coupon of 3.375 per cent and will mature in 2029. This is the tightest coupon for 10 year or longer tenor offering from India ever achieved by any Indian Corporate," an ONGC statement said.

"The mix of investors is diverse, from across Singapore, HK, London, Taiwan, Japan and Middle East which includes 77 per cent bid from Asian investors and 23 per cent from EMEA investors. The Bankers to the deal were - Citi, DBS Bank Ltd, MUFG, SBICAP and Standard Chartered," the statement added.

ONGC Chairman Mr. Shashi Shanker said that the company finances its operations from internal accruals, and it has capacity to do the same in future too. But the offering of US$ bond was important to set a benchmark for ONGC group. It is anticipated that once the benchmark is set, it will facilitate group entities to raise funds at a competitive price, the statement said.

JSW Cement to invest Rs 2,875 crore to add 11 mtpa capacity #JSW #Sukumarbalakrishnan

JSW Cement intend to invest Rs 2,875 crore (US$ 411.36 million) to increase the capacity to 25 million tonnes per annum from 14 mtpa by 2023.
The company previously set the target to reach production capacity of 20 mtpa by 2020 with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore (US$ 286.1 million) and list the company on the stock exchange with an initial public offer.

Though, due to liquidity limits and unfavourable market conditions the company has deferred both the expansion and initial public offer plan to 2021.

It will invest Rs 800 crore (US$ 114.47 million) over next four years in Siva Cement, which is a listed entity, to set up 1 mtpa clinker and 1 mtpa grinding unit.

Mr. Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, said that when the expansion projects of the company will be completed, it will enter the position among the top five cement companies.

The demand for cement has already picked up in the last two months and should gather pace by early next year, he said.

JSW Cement plans to raise an amount of Rs 4,000 crore (US$ 572.3 million) through an IPO to fund its next phase of expansion to set up fresh capacity of 10 mtpa after the set expansion is completed, Jindal said.

The company, in southern India intend to add 3.6 mtpa capacity to take its total cement capacity to 11.6 mtpa. The expansion at its unit in Toranagallu, Karnataka comprises of debottlenecking and installation of a new grinding unit to take its capacity to 6 mtpa from 3.2 mtpa. The company also plans to put up a new grinding unit of 0.8 mtpa capacity at Salem in Tamil Nadu.

The company plans to add 2.4 mtpa in West and make its total cement capacity to 4.6 tpa, by debottlenecking and setting up a new grinding unit whereas in the East, it will add the largest chunk of production capacities of over 5 mtpa, bringing its total capacity to 9 mtpa. The capacity will be ramped up at the manufacturing unit at Salboni, West Bengal where the company will add 2.4 mtpa, another 1.80 mtpa at Jajpur in Odisha apart from 1 mtpa at Shiva Cement in Odisha.

Coal production in India up by 164.58 MT in 5 years #CoalProduction #Sukumarbalakrishnan

According to Minister of Coal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Prahlad Joshi, the production of raw coal in the country has increased from 567.77 million tons (MT) in 2013-14 to 730.35 MT in 2018-19. Last year, India had to import 234 MT coal for which it lost Rs 1.7 lakh crore (US$ 24.32 billion) foreign exchange.

"All India raw coal production increased from 565.77 MT in 2013-14 to 730.35 MT in 2018-19, an absolute increase of 164.58 MT as compared to increase of coal production of 73.01 MT between 2008-09 and 2013-14," he said.

He added that the production witnessed a positive growth in the first quarter of the current year (April- June 2019) but there has been decrease in production since July. One of the main reasons is heavy rainfall witnessed in coal mining areas of the country, he said.

Mr. Joshi said that the growth of production in October was hindered as rainfall continued in the month this year that normally witness growth after the rainy session. He added that during the current year (April-October 2019), though there has been a decrease in dispatch to power sector, it has not affected the coal availability position at the powerhouse end.

Currently, stock at Powerhouse end stands at 22.78 MT as on November 19, 2019, that is equal to 14 days' consumption with 5 power plants under critical list, as against last year same day's stock of 11.68 Million tonnes, equivalent to 7 days' consumption, with 25 power plants reeling under criticality.

"The coal production of CIL and its subsidiaries is being reviewed regularly at the highest level of Ministry. The CIL has been asked to make all out efforts to reach the target by improving production in the remaining months of the current year," he said.

Mr. Joshi said the focus of the government is on increasing the domestic production of coal by allocating more coal blocks, pursuing with state government for assistance in land acquisition and coordinated efforts with Railways for movement of coal.

Highways ministry lines up projects worth Rs 50,000 crore to be awarded in next 3 months #Sukumarbalakrishnan

According to minister of roads and highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari, the highways ministry will award road projects with a total length of around 4,500 km worth Rs 50,000 crore (US$ 7.15 billion).

In September, he asked his department to locate the road projects to boost the economic activity in the country.

Mr. Gadkari said in a written response in the Parliament, "Award of road projects covering a length of 4,471 km with an approximate cost of Rs 50,000 crore (US$ 7.15 billion) has been targeted during the next three months."

The highways ministry was planning to award road construction projects worth over Rs 50,000 crore (US$ 7.15 billion) over the next three months to boost demand in the construction and automobile sector, Mr. Gadkari said.

The ministry has awarded 168 road projects covering a length of 3,215 km, since April 2019, he added.

In 2018-19, National Highway Projects of an aggregated length of 5,493 km were awarded.

The reason for weak participation of private sector in road projects were the capacity constraints on the part of developers, lack of availability of debt products, Mr. Gadkari said.

"Major highway developers had capacity constraints including over-leveraged financials due to excessive exposure of infrastructure projects including highways," Mr. Gadkari said.

The overall share of private investment in total road construction during the last five years is about Rs 98,100 crore, Mr. Gadkari said.

ICAI sign MoU with Kuwait auditors and accountant's association #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kuwait Accountants and Auditors Association (KAAA), as per the release issued by the institute.

The ICAI will provide technical training programs to the employees of the Kuwat government, Kuwait nationals and members of the KAAA in partnership with the KAAA under the MoU.

Mr. Prafulla Chhajed, President of the ICAI said, "India and Kuwait share a cordial relationship, strengthened and nurtured with historical trade links, cultural affinities and presence of large number of Indian nationals in Kuwait" adding that when the MoU was signed, there was need to promote Kuwait-India business partnership.

Mr. Faisal Abdulmohsen Al-Tabikh, Chair, KAAA said that the MoU would help in building strong relationship between the two organisations and aid in establishing areas of cooperation for the benefit of both organisations as well as boost their reputation and global influence.

"ICAI is taking all possible efforts to enter into mutual recognition agreements with maximum foreign accounting Institutes, which is the first step for promotion of export of accountancy services in the overseas market," said a release by the ICAI. The union cabinet approved the MoU between the ICAI and the KAAA on October 23, 2019.

The export of financial services is considered as one of the 12 champion sectors for export promotion by the government.

Cabinet approves big increase in the authorized capital of Food Corporation of India from Rs 3,500 crore to Rs 10,000 crore #CapitalFoodCorporation #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved to increase the authorized capital of Food Corporation of India (FCI) from existing Rs 3,500 crore (US$ 500.79 million) to Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.43 billion).

With the increase of authorized capital, additional equity capital can be infused in FCI through Union Budget, to fund the foodgrains stock, perpetually held by FCI. This will reduce the borrowings of FCI, save interest cost of FCI and reduce food subsidy in consequence.

Background:

The operations of Food Corporation of India require maintaining perpetual stock of food grains which needs to be funded by the Govt. of India through equity or long-term loan. The Govt. of India is providing equity to FCI for maintaining stocks. The present authorized equity capital of FCI is Rs 3,500 crore (US$ 500.79 million) and paid up equity capital as on 31.03.2019 is Rs 3,447.58 crore (US$ 493.29 million).

Food Corporation of India was constituted under the Food Corporations Act, 1964, to implement the food policy of Government of India. Its primary objective is to ensure Minimum Support Price to farmers, maintain buffer stock of food grains and distribution of food grains under National Food Security Act and other welfare schemes of Govt. of India.

EESL and SDMC Comes Together to Enhance the EV Infrastructure in Delhi to Install Around 75 Charging Stations in SDMC Area #EESL #SDMC #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture under Ministry of Power, Government of India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), a civic body under Municipal Corporation of Delhi, to establish infrastructure for Electric Vehicles (EV) in SDMC area over a 10-year period.

Under the terms outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding, SDMC and EESL shall jointly work to fast-track the adoption of e-mobility in Delhi by installing around 75 public charging stations in South Delhi Municipal Corporation Area.

Managing Director, EESL Shri Saurabh Kumar and Municipal Commissioner, SDMC Shri Gyanesh Bharti, signed the MoU in the august presence of Union Minister of Power Shri R. K. Singh and Lt. Governor, Government of NCT of Delhi Shri Anil Baijal.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh said this initiative is part of Government's vision to reduce carbon footprints. We will grow, but responsibly, he added elaborating efforts to achieve the target of 175 GW renewable energy capacity by 2022 and having 40 percent as RE capacity in total installed energy capacity by 2030. The Minister also said that government has taken a number of steps to promote environment friendly electric vehicles including revision in Electric Vehicle Charging Policy. Urging to promote use of electric vehicles, he said all of us should take it forward.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt. Governor, Government of NCT of Delhi Shri Anil Baijal said that this is good beginning. He also assured all helps in resolving any issue that may arise in due course.

The Government of India has embarked upon a very ambitious e-mobility plan, one in which the government plays a pivotal role in enabling e-mobility. Installation of public charging stations (PCS) would help in taking considerable strides in the creation of a sustainable EV ecosystem in the states across India. It's a great stride by SDMC and EESL to come together for harnessing synergies and opportunities in this broader effort.

The procurement of charging units, procurement of related infrastructure shall be borne by EESL along with the operation & maintenance of public charging infrastructure by qualified manpower, whereas, SDMC would be responsible for provision of space for setting up charging infrastructure in its area.

In the first phase, EV charging station will be installed in 18 locations within 6 months from the effective date, selected through joint survey by both parties. The total number of finalized locations as per the location assessment will be 75 which may increase/decrease and include multi-level parking locations in Delhi as well.

Installation of public charging stations would help these legislative efforts in creating a sustainable EV ecosystem in the states. With installation of public charging stations, the range anxiety among residents is expected to reduce, which would help in increasing the adoption of EVs in the city. This would help meet the state level targets of increasing EV adoption. With increasing penetration of EVs, the local emission of pollutants is also expected to reduce, leading to cleaner air providing several health benefits to the public.

For charging e-cars, till date, 300 AC & 170 DC captive chargers have been commissioned. Apart from this, 65 public charging stations have also been installed in NDMC area. EESL has signed agreements with various PSUs, Government departments, State Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.

With the bulk procurement, EESL receives electric vehicles and electric chargers at a significantly discounted rate vis-à-vis the actual market value. Further, with access to low cost funds, the overall cost of project becomes competitive. With this, EESL has established a sustainable business model which is affordable for end consumers.

Center approves 3.31 lakh more houses under PMAY(U) Cumulative number of houses sanctioned now stands at 96.5 lakh #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The 49th Meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), held here today, approved 606 proposals from participating States for the construction of 3,31,075 houses with an overall investment of Rs 15,125 crore (US$ 2.16 billion) involving central assistance of Rs 5,092 crore (US$ 728.57 million). This includes six Light Houses Projects (LHPs) for construction of 6368 houses to be built across 6 States namely Gujarat (1,144), Jharkhand (1,008), Madhya Pradesh (1,024), Tamil Nadu (1,152), Tripura (1,000) and Uttar Pradesh (1040).

The number of houses approved by the CSMC are in Andhra Pradesh (2,58,648), Karnataka (30,777), Madhya Pradesh (15,245), Gujarat (13,805), Maharashtra (4,691) & Uttarakhand (1,541). The State of Andhra Pradesh has proposed the largest number of new houses and is now the leading State with the highest ever cumulative sanctions for 16,34,748 houses followed by Uttar Pradesh with 14,53,989 houses under the PMAY(U) Mission.

The proposal received are under Beneficiary Led Construction or Enhancement (BLC) and Affordable Housing Project (AHP) verticals of the scheme. The houses proposed under Light Houses Projects (LHPs) will be constructed by using new and innovative technologies and will serve as live laboratories for research, testing, technology transfer, increasing mass awareness and for mainstreaming them in the country.

As on date, PMAY(U) Mission has sanctioned more than 96.50 Lakh houses under PMAY(U) against the validated demand of 1.12 crore houses. A total of 56 Lakh houses are grounded for construction of which 28.4 Lakh have been completed.

FASTag Sale Grows by 330 Per Cent; Over 70 Lakh Issued till Date #FASTag #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Over 70 Lakh FASTags have been issued till date, with highest per day issuance of 1,35,583 Tags on 26th November 2019, whereas 1.03 lakh Tags were issued on the day before. The average daily issuance has grown by 330 per cent from eight thousand in July to thirty-five thousand Tags sold in November 2019. After announcement of waiver of Tag cost from 21st November, there has been a growth in FASTag issuance of over 130 per cent. FASTag is accepted on 560+ Toll Plazas and more number of plaza are getting added on daily basis.

National Electronic Toll Collection (FASTag) programme, the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and NHAI has been implemented on pan India basis in order to remove bottlenecks and ensure seamless movement of traffic and collection of user fee as per the notified rates, using passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. To give a major fillip to enhance digital payments and bring in enhanced transparency, it has been mandated to declare all lanes of fee plazas on National Highways as "FASTag lanes" by 1st December 2019, while provisioning one lane (in each direction) which would be kept as hybrid lane to accept FASTag and other modes of payment.

With the above mandate, average daily transactions processed through FASTag have grown from 8.8 Lakh in July this year to 11.2 lakh transactions in November 2019, while the average daily collection has grown from Rs 11.2 crore to Rs 19.5 crore for the given period.

Certain commuters face difficulty at Toll Plaza due to low balance in FASTag. To mitigate such difficulty, commuters are advised to maintain sufficient balance in the account/wallet linked to FASTag. All the available mode of recharge like Debit Card/Credit Card, Net-Banking and UPI have been enabled for loading money to the FASTag account. For ease in understanding the recharging process, an easy to understand FAQ has been released.

2. I have forgotten my Tag details. How to retrieve information?

a. For bank issued FASTag (i.e. FASTag purchased from a bank)

A customer may call concerned bank's Toll-free number written on the back side of the tag. Customer has to mention his or her user credentials (mobile number against which the tag has been registered, Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) etc.) On successful verification of use credentials, requisite information shall be provided.
The list of Customer care number of the banks can be availed from below:

i. www.ihmcl.com
ii. My FASTag App
iii. NHAI Helpline number 1033

b. For NHAI FASTag (i.e. bank neutral FASTag)
A customer may call 1033 Helpline number for any assistance.

Service sector can help achieve target of US$ 5 trillion GDP #Sugumarbalakrishnan

According to Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry, India's service sector can provide aid in achieving the Central government's target of US$ 5 trillion GDP.

The service sector has the potential to be the largest job creators in the country and over the next five years and to contribute US$ 3 trillion out of the US$ 5 trillion GDP target set by the government, said Mr. Goyal.

He was present at the inauguration of the fifth Global Exhibition on Services-2019 at the Palace Grounds, he added that the manufacturing and services industry act as the growth engines of the Indian economy.

According to Mr. Goyal, India requires to move beyond Business Process Outsourcing and work towards adopting new age technologies such as artificial intelligence, block chain, machine learning and participate with the rest of the world on equal terms.

The three-day event has been organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Karnataka government, Services Export Promotion Council and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

IKEA to open three stores in Mumbai, recruit 1,000 people #Sukumarbalakrishnan

IKEA, Swedish home furnishing retailer, intends to open three stores in Mumbai. This would consist of a flagship store in Navi Mumbai along with two smaller outlets. The company plans to recruit around 1,000 people, mainly for the Navi Mumbai store, which is planned to open within a year.

Ms. Jaxa Gohil, Store Manager, IKEA India, said that the company has begun its mass recruitment process, with a couple of hundred people already hired for its Navi Mumbai store.

India is massively significant for IKEA globally, Ms. Gohil said, adding that it is witnessing the company's biggest expansion plans among new markets. IKEA is investing €1.5 billion (Rs 117.96 billion) in India.

The larger stores will be spread over an area of more than 45,000 sq. m, while the small-format ones will span an area of over 6,500 sq. m.

"Mumbai is a significant market for us, one of the top 30 cities globally and our biggest investment in India with warehousing, e-commerce and stores," Ms. Gohil said. The company has set a goal to reach 100 million people in three years.

IKEA has located Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru as cities that have potential and opportunities, said Ms. Gohil. Thus, IKEA will be targeting in these cities and setting multiple 'customer meeting points', that will consist a variety of touchpoints such as flagship stores, small stores as well as digital touchpoints.

It also intends to expand through e-commerce channels for Bengaluru and Delhi soon and has started a pilot for e-commerce in Pune.

In August, IKEA started its e-commerce channel for Mumbai and has garnered 2 million visits so far, said Ms. Gohil. E-commerce for Hyderabad was also started, where it opened its only physical store in India in 2018.

IKEA has introduced 500 products for Indian market as localisation forms an important strategy in India, Ms. Gohil said. The 50-50 diversity agenda which ensures that 50 per cent of the employees recruited are women is another focus area for IKEA India, she added.

Accessibility, affordability and sustainability are among its other focus areas in India. There are around 1,000 products available at less than Rs 200 apiece in India currently, she said. As for accessibility, India will have some of IKEA's first small format stores globally, she added.

Union Minister Shri Giriraj Singh addresses National Milk Day celebration; Thanks Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for protecting farmers' interest by not joining RCEP; Milk production increases by 36.35 per cent from 137.7 MT in 2013-14 to 187.75 MT in 2018-19 #ProtectingFarmers #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Giriraj Singh today addressed entrepreneurs, milk producer farmers, academia and media on the occasion of National Milk Day-2019 at Pusa in New Delhi. Addressing the august gathering Shri Singh thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for protecting interest of 10 crore farmers by not joining Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). He said that Prime Minister has always given the prime importance to the betterment of "Gaon Gareeb Kisaan" and RCEP was not in favour of farmers (Kisaan). Shri Singh further added that PM Modi had said that he cannot turn away from the needs of India's farmers.

Shri Giriraj Singh stated that milk production has increased significantly from 137.7 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 187.75 million tonnes in 2018-19, thereby indicating an increase by 36.35 per cent. Similarly, the per capita availability of milk increased from 307 grams in 2013-14 to 394 grams in 2018-19. Annual growth rate of Milk Production during the period 2009-14 was 4.2 per cent, which has increased to 6.4 per cent during 2014-19. The annual growth rate of world milk production has increased by 1.2 per cent during 2014-19. The Union Minister added that India is the ray of hope of the global dairy industry with opportunities galore for the entrepreneurs globally. Since last 20 years, India continues to be the largest producer of milk in the world. This phenomenal increase is due to several measures initiated by the Union Government to increase the productivity of livestock.

Shri Singh also said that Livestock sector contributes significantly towards livelihoods and security net for the landless and marginal farmers. About 70 million rural households are engaged in dairying in India with 80 per cent of total cow population. During the last 15 years, Milk Cooperatives have converted about 20 per cent of milk procured into traditional and value-added products that offers about 20 per cent higher revenue. This share of value-added products is estimated to increase to 40 per cent by 2023-24.

Addressing the gathering, Minister of State, Shri Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said that the 6.5 per cent growth rate is still low due to the base effect but this will change as the Ministry is ensuring all policies and schemes are being formulated for improving the quality of livestock and quantity of milk. Shri Balyan thanks PM Modi for setting up a separate Ministry for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying so that emphasis can be laid on their development. He said that resources of the Government are limited, and private sector should also support the initiatives of the Government. Shri Balyan also said that there is a perception in the minds of the people about milk adulteration and it needs to be changed.

Minister of State, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi said that technology should be harnessed properly for improvement of the sector overall. He said that breed improvement can be done with innovative ways. He also said that policies should be made favourably to ensure both quality and quantity of domestic production, consumption and exports can be improved.

The Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying emphasized that Government has initiated a number of dairy development schemes in order to meet enhanced demand of milk through domestic sources by laying special emphasis on raising milk production through improved productivity and health of our dairy animals. In this direction a new scheme has been launched by the Prime Minister called "National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP)" with an allocation of Rs 13343 crore (US$ 1.91 billion) for complete control of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis in the country. Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme for enhancing AI coverage thereby increasing milk production and productivity was also launched by the Prime Minister along with Start-up challenges. The Department is also working on convergence of schemes with the schemes of other Departments and Ministries so as to double farmers' income.

The President of India launches web-portal of "National Youth Parliament Scheme" #ParliamentScheme #Sukumarbalakrishnan

A special function on the occasion to commemorate 70th Anniversary of adoption of the Constitution of India, - "Samvidhan Diwas" was organized in the Central Hall of Parliament today.

The President of India, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs graced the occasion and addressed the gathering of the Members of both Houses of Parliament.

On this occasion, the President Shri Ram Nath Kovind launched the Web-Portal of "National Youth Parliament Scheme".

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has been implementing Youth Parliament programme since 1966 in Schools under the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT of Delhi and NDMC, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Universities/ Colleges. So far, around 8,000 educational institutions and more than 4,00,000 students have been covered under the Youth Parliament programme of the Ministry.

The web-portal of the National Youth Parliament Scheme is available at www.nyps.mpa.gov.in. The main objective of the portal is to increase the outreach of the youth parliament programme of the Ministry to hitherto untouched sections and corners of the country.

The salient features of the portal are: -

All recognised educational institutions of the country are eligible to participate in this programme.
The registration for participation will be done by the education institutions through the web-portal.
E-training modules, videos, photographs and scripts are available on the portal for online self-learning of the participants.
After successful registration, the educational institutions will be able to conduct youth parliament sittings in their respective institutions.
Each student taking part in the sitting will get a Digital 'Certificate of Participation' and each Teacher-in-charge and Head of Institution will get a 'Certificate of Appreciation' through the web portal.
This portal will give shape to Prime Minister's vision of organizing youth parliaments in all parts of the country.

Govt collects Rs 729 crore from sale of 10 per cent stake in RITES #PublicAssetManagement #StakesRites #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Finance Ministry has collected Rs 729.44 crore (US$ 104.37 million) from divestment of 10 per cent stake, or 2.5 crore equity shares, in its railway engineering consultancy company RITES Ltd through the Offer-For-Sale (OFS) route.

According to the secretary of department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM), "Government undertook offer for sale for 10 per cent of paid-up equity in RITES on 22-25 November 2019. The base offer was fully subscribed (100.01 per cent) with disinvestment proceeds of Rs 729.44 crore (US$ 104.37 million)".

In the last three sessions, company's share witnessed a drop of nearly 8 per cent on the government's decision to divest its stake in the company. The stock fell a slight to 0.25 per cent to Rs 282.15 (US$ 4) on the BSE on 26th November 2019.

The proposal to sell the 10 per cent stake in the company was presented on 22nd November to non-retail investors only and on 25 November to retail investors and non-retail investors, with an option to also sell up to 1.25 crore equity shares, representing 5 per cent stake, through the offer-for-sale route.

The floor price for the OFS was fixed at Rs 293.50 (US$ 4.1) per share. Discount of 5 per cent to the cut-off price was also given to retail investors.
As on 30th September, 87.4 per cent stake in RITES, the only export arm of Indian railways for providing rolling stock overseas, was owned by the government.

This transaction will help the government to reach closer to its divestment target of Rs 1.05 trillion for the current financial year, which is higher than the target of Rs 90,000 (US$ 1287) in 2018-19.

The privatisation of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) was approved by the Cabinet last week, where the government will sell its entire 53.29 per cent stake in the company to a strategic buyer along with transferring management control. Although, the sale will not include Numaligarh Refinery Ltd in Assam and the refinery will become a separate entity to be later hived off to another public-sector firm.

The Cabinet had also declared selling of its 30.8 per cent shareholding in Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) to a strategic buyer along with handing over the management control. At present, the government holds 54.8 per cent in the company. Shares in Shipping Corporation of India Ltd of around 63.75 per cent will also be reduced by the government.

NephroPlus gets Rs 323-crore funding from Bahrain's Investcorp #Fund #NephroPlus #Sukumarbalakrishnan

NephroPlus, the dialysis service provider, has got a fresh funding of around US$ 45 million (Rs 323 crore) from Investcorp, the Bahrain based, Global alternative asset management company.

This is the biggest investment in the Hyderabad based start-up since its foundation that was about a decade ago. The company has expanded its presence to 20 states with 196 centres.

Its previous investors consist of venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners, SeaLink Capital and International Financial Corporation (IFC), the World Bank's investment arm.

According to Mr. Vikram Vuppula, Founder and CEO, the company had set up a diversification plan within the country and overseas markets in West Asia and South East Asia.

The funds of the latest round of investment will be invested into the expansion plans as well as the exit of one of the original three investors which is SeaLink Capital Partners of Herman Hajarnavis, that came in around three years ago with Rs 90 crore (US$ 12.88 million) investment.

"We will use the funds to grow our India business through select acquisitions as well as expansion of centres and fresh beginnings in overseas markets in Middle East and South East Asia", said Mr. Vuppula.

He also added that the company plans to set up joint ventures and signing operations and maintenance contracts too.

NephroPlus, recorded a turnover of Rs 200 crore (US$ 28.62 million) during 2018-19 and expects to end the current fiscal at around Rs 270 crore (US$ 38.63 million), said Mr. Vuppula.

The company was founded by Mr. Vikram Vuppula, an ex McKinsey and Kamal Shah, who, in 2010, was personally fighting kidney disease. The company has reached a remarkable dialysis network in around 125 locations, providing a cost effective and ease of use dialysis to patients.

The deal act as a big boost in the ecosystem and investment in healthcare sector in Hyderabad, particularly for start-up's and entrepreneurs, especially with Hyderabad boasting of T Hub, ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley and a rapidly growing culture of entrepreneurship.

"It's been a company that we've been following from the sidelines for some time now…In terms of breadth and width of delivery, NephroPlus has, possibly, the largest reach in India…We think, given our experience in healthcare globally, there are a lot of areas where we can add value," said Mr. Gaurav Sharma, co-head of private equity at Investcorp India.

Coal India Liquidates 35 Mt of Coal from its Pithead Stock in the First Half of FY 19-20 #CoalIndiaLiquidates #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The state-run Coal India Limited (CIL) has liquidated 35 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal from its pithead stock in the first half of the current fiscal 2019-20, the Coal Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi informed parliament on Monday.

"The pithead coal stock with CIL was 54.15 Million Tonne (MT) as on April 1, 2019 which reduced to 19.15 MT as on September 30, 2019. Thus, the coal stock liquidation was 35 MT in the first half of the financial year 2019-20" Coal Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi said in a reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The minister also informed the upper house that CIL's coal production rose by 10.6 per cent in the first half of FY 18-19 to 256.47 MT as against 231.88 MT produced in the corresponding period of FY 17-18.

In a reply laid on the table of the upper house the minister also informed that India's coal production grew by 8.14per cent to 730.35 MT in FY 18-19 in comparison to 675.40 MT of coal produced in the county in FY 17-18.

In another reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Minister informed that 319 Billion Tonnes of geological reserves of coal have been estimated in India so far as on April 1, 2018.

Auction for Sale (Re-Issue) of '6.18 per cent GS 2024', Auction for Sale (Re-issue) of 'GoI Floating Rate Bond 2031', Auction for Sale (Re-Issue) of '7.69 per cent GS 2043', and Auction for Sale (Re-Issue) of '7.72 per cent GS 2049 #Sale #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Government of India has announced the Sale (Re-issue) of (i) '6.18 per cent Government Stock, 2024' for a notified amount of Rs 4,000 crore (US$ 0.57 billion) (nominal) through price based auction, (ii) 'GoI Floating Rate Bonds, 2031' for a notified amount of Rs 6,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction, (iii) '7.69 per cent Government Stock, 2043' for a notified amount of Rs 2,000 crore (US$ 286.16 million) (nominal) through price based auction, and (iv) '7.72 per cent Government Stock, 2049' for a notified amount of Rs 4,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction. Subject to the limit of Rs 16,000 crore (US$ 2.29 billion), being total notified amount, GoI will have the option to retain additional subscription up to Rs 1,000 crore (US$ 143.08 million) each against any one or more of the above securities. The auctions will be conducted using multiple price method. The auctions will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on November 29, 2019 (Friday).

Up to 5 per cent of the notified amount of the sale of the stocks will be allotted to eligible individuals and Institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities.

Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system on November 29, 2019. The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 11.30 a.m. and 12.00 noon and the competitive bids should be submitted between 11.30 a.m. and
12.30 p.m.

The result of the auctions will be announced on November 29, 2019 (Friday) and payment by successful bidders will be on December 02, 2019 (Monday).

The Stocks will be eligible for "When Issued" trading in accordance with the guidelines on 'When Issued transactions in Central Government Securities' issued by the Reserve Bank of India vide circular No. RBI/2018-19/25 dated July 24, 2018 as amended from time to time.

MoAs for Light House Projects Under GHTC-India Exchanged between MoHUA and State Govts #LightHouses #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Shri Hardeep S Puri, Minister of State (I/C) for Housing and Urban Affairs launched the CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP). Separately, Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) for Light House Projects under GHTC-India were also exchanged between MoHUA and State Government of 6 states viz; Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh at the event. Sh. Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, senior Officers of the Ministry and State Governments, Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers of several Banks and Housing Finance Companies were also present.

Speaking at the occasion, Sh. Puri congratulated the team of experts for such exemplary work in last few months on developing the IT based CLSS Awas Portal (CLAP), particularly to the collective effort put in by the Ministry, Central Nodal Agencies (CNAs) and Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs).He expressed that with the launch of CLAP, the grievance of the beneficiaries will be addressed in a much comprehensive, organised and transparent manner. He further highlighted that this software will help other stakeholders to work in synergy for release of subsidy to beneficiaries on time.

For addressing the housing demand of more than 10 million houses by 2022, Government of India launched Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban, in June 2015. To accomplish Housing For All Mission, Global Housing Technology Challenge-India (GHTC-India) was launched to get globally acclaimed, alternate and proven construction technologies for speedier and cost-effective construction of affordable housing. The Prime Minister declared 2019-2020 as 'Construction Technology Year'.

Shri Puri expressed his appreciation to the State Governments for construction of these Light House Projects at Indore, Rajkot, Chennai, Ranchi, Agartala and Lucknow. For LHPs, the Ministry has introduced a Technology Innovation Grant as an additional grant of Rs 2.0 lakh (US$ 2861.63) per house which is over and above of the existing share of Rs 1.5 lakh (US$ 2146.22) per house under PMAY (U).

Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, MoHUA shared that the Ministry has developed a web based real time monitoring system called CLAP in which all stakeholders such as MoHUA, CNAs, PLIs and Beneficiaries are integrated. Shri Mishra explained the importance of CLAP portal, as a well-designed concept in using IT based platform to bring transparency and efficiency in release of subsidy to the beneficiaries under CLSS. This Portal will enable processing of individual application, verification at initial stage, release of subsidy, transparency and minimizing grievances.

Speaking about the GHTC and signing of MoAs for LHPs, Shri Mishra highlighted that these LHPs are model housing projects to demonstrate and deliver ready to live-in houses expeditiously than the normal convention construction which are cost-effective, economical, sustainable, climate resilient and superior with better quality of construction.

FII equity holding in firms rises to eight-quarter high in July-September #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The ownership of foreign institutional has reached an eight-quarter high of 20.93 per cent by the end of September for 414 firms in the BSE 500 index, that consist of at least 90 per cent of India’s market capitalization.

According to the data provided by Capitaline, this is higher than the 20.81 per cent stake held by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) in these companies in the June quarter and the 20.50 per cent in the September quarter last year.

Irrespective of the massive sell-off of domestic equities by the investors, FII ownership holdings increased in the three-month period. The overall stock markets were down in the September quarter, which possibly describes why FII holdings increased even though there was an outflow in Indian equities, according to Mr. Himanshu Srivastava, senior analyst and manager research, Morningstar Investment Adviser India.

In the three months ended September, FIIs sold Indian shares worth US$ 3.17 billion, while the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty were down 2-3 per cent in the same period.

"Uncertainty, hope, and despair, the three moods of investors, were effectively captured by the Indian equity markets through the quarter ended September 2019. The premise for the markets at the start of the quarter was not encouraging. In fact, the signs of stress were visible towards the end of the previous quarter (ended June 2019), with initial euphoria around the election results subsiding and focus shifting to fundamental drivers. By the end of June, markets started to lose steam on the back of growing concerns over domestic macro conditions and the pressing global environment," said Mr. Srivastava.

The main hurdle for FIIs was the introduction of an extra surcharge on foreign portfolio investors in the budget, that led to a massive sell-off in Indian equities. Though, the government turned back the surcharge in the latter part of September and announced a slew of stimulus measures, including the reduction of corporate taxes.

The factors that came in concern of FII's were subpar monsoon in key areas, a weak earning season, slowing domestic growth and weakness in the rupee in July-September, Mr. Srivastava said. The rupee declined by 2.60 per cent against the dollar during the same period. FII holdings grew mostly in banks and financials, and media and entertainment sectors in the September quarter.

Meanwhile, domestic institutions continued to invest money into Indian shares. The data showed that holdings of domestic mutual funds and insurance companies in the 414 companies of the BSE 500 rose to their highest level in at least 25 quarters.

Domestic institutions held a 13.25 per cent stake in the BSE 500 index at the end of September, which was an increase from 12.64 per cent at the end of June and 11.99 per cent a year ago. The September quarter recorded Rs 53,818.92 crore (US$ 7.70 billion) of net domestic institutional investments in local stocks.

The participation from retail was also high in September. The total amount collected through systematic investment plans (SIPs), that allow people to invest a fixed amount in a mutual fund scheme periodically at fixed intervals, stood at Rs 8,262.94 crore (US$ 1.18 billion) for the month alone.

Paytm raises a billion dollars at a valuation of US$ 16 billion, plans expansion #Paytm #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Paytm, the country's top financial technology entity, has raised US$ 1 billion (Rs 7,200 crore), at a valuation of US$ 16 billion, from existing shareholders Ant Financial, Softbank Vision Fund and also new investors, including funds and accounts advised by T Rowe Price Associates, among others in a mega funding round.

Over the next three years, Paytm plans to invest an amount of Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.43 billion) in order to expand its services in tier-III cities and smaller towns. Discovery Capital, which is an existing shareholder, also participated in the round. Paytm plans to invest Rs 10,000 crore over the next three years, with the stated aim of expanding its services in tier-III cities and smaller towns.

After this funding round, the Mr. Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led fintech giant became a top-tier Asian digital firm, much ahead of others. The company has made US$ 1 billion equity closure in this round, where SoftBank Vision Fund (SVF) invested US$ 200 million, Jack Ma's Ant Financial added US$ 400 million and the rest balance amount came from T Rowe Price and Discovery, among others.

This comes amidst when the investors are not making big bets on companies and SoftBank is still recovering from the WeWork Initial Public Offer debacle. As of now, Paytm has raised an amount a little over US$ 2.5 billion in investments. The investments from the latest round would be focused on further expanding its payment and financial services business.

"Paytm is a great opportunity. We are addressing the India opportunity the best possible way. I think the very business model of acquiring customers and small businesses and bringing them to the formal financial system is viable and our investors understand that. India is underserved when it comes to financial services and this investment will be used to expand in that direction; our investors believe in that goal…Paytm is reaching its monetisation phase, where other financial services in due course will start bringing in revenue, so it becomes a story of a mature digital financial services company," founder Mr. Vijay Shekhar Sharma said.

The company started having the talks for the new funding round last year in December and since then had several rounds of discussion with its investors. The existing investors were interested in raising their stakes to fuel the next level of expansion.

"Talks started almost two board meetings back, sometime in December. When we had the Tokyo board meeting in September (this year), we concluded the terms and the agreement happened",added Mr. Sharma.

The company in its first phase of growth, brought in low-cost digital payments acceptability, using its QR-code technology to shops and retailers and now plans to add a host of Internet of Things (IoT) devices to the mix, enabling small merchants in towns to more easily accept digital payment.

"We are adding physical devices, IoT-based devices, which will enable QR payments, card payments. Devices and IoT-led payment solutions would become an important part in our next level of journey. We have been doing beta tests of some of our IoT devices, which are proving quite successful. Payment driven by mobile phone and QR code is taking the next leap, where merchants will have many device options that will help them to avoid fraud, scale (up) business systems and bring efficiency and trust," promises Mr. Sharma.

According to Paytm, it now serves merchants in a little over 2,000 cities and towns, in 650 districts.

Paytm will use this Rs 10,000 crore to add as many small merchants and businesses as possible into its fold, although, its competition, including Google Pay and PhonePe, are spending massively on cashbacks.

"We are not that much in P2P (peer-to-peer). We will continue to double down and spend aggressively more into better IoT devices, so that it helps us in signing up small merchants. Our primary business model is merchant payments and the larger part of the funds would be spent there," he added.

Despite the stiff competition faced by Paytm from other players, company has continued to hold its position as the biggest payments' player in the country. The sector experts believe that this funding round will help strengthen the company.

The main focus of the company is to expand its reach of its financial services for the company and its backers. Mr. Sharma said there are no plan of going public, as of now. "There is no commitment that we have made for going public. We have clearly said that we want the financial services business to (first) take off. Paytm has been able to build a business that is contribution positive; we are since last year getting into financial services," he added.

As per the company, Paytm Payments Bank has around 50 million accounts and is among the few mandated by the ministry of electronics and information technology to drive the highest targets for merchant acquisition and digital transactions.

Paytm Money, the financial services firm, is at present one of the largest contributors of new Systematic Investment Plans to the mutual funds segment. It has by now received approval to launch stock broking, dematerialisation services and National Pension System services.

All India Institute of Ayurveda Signs MoU with Western Sydney University Australia #Sukumarbalakrishnan

All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Western Sydney University, Australia at New Delhi. The MoU will promote the collaboration in research and developing guidelines for integrating Ayurveda principles with modern medicine.

Professor Barney Glover, Vice Chancellor, Western Sydney University, Australia and Prof. Tanuja Nesari, Director, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) signed the Memorandum of Understanding on 22nd November during the visit of the delegation led by Dan Tehan, Minister for education, Australian Government. The signing ceremony took place at Ministry of AYUSH.

The memorandum was agreed and exchange on the occasion of the event "India Australia International Education and Research Workshop" at Ambedkar International Center, New Delhi. The exchange took place in presence of Shri Ramesh Pokharial, Human Resource Development Minister and Dan Tehan Minister for Education, Australian Government along with H.E Ms. Harinder Sidhu Australian High Commissioner to India.

"Both Institutions are committed to take the collaboration to the next Higher Level by identifying specific areas for collaboration in education, research and practices of Traditional medicine while ensuring the quality standards and also by encouraging investment in traditional medicine related infrastructure. Complementing the Traditional Ayurveda Medicine with conventional concepts of Modern Medicine is expected in generating scientific evidences that further help in contributing to the global healthcare"

India is a priority country among Australia's international partnerships. The signed memorandum is another milestone in the history of health care industry. Combining data-driven precision based technologies and Ayurvedic medicine will be a valuable contribution to the current goals for providing a better and safe health care system to the Universe, specifically towards developing a safe and effective integration of traditional and complementary medicine", stated Professor Barney Glover, Vice Chancellor WSU.

Union Tourism Minister Shri Prahlad Singh Patel and Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri N. Biren Singh jointly inaugurate 8th International Tourism Mart at Imphal, Manipur #Tourism #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Minister of State (I/C) for Culture & Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel and Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri N. Biren Singh jointly inaugurated the 8th International Tourism Mart today at Imphal, Manipur. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States is organising the "International Tourism Mart" (ITM) at Imphal, Manipur from 23 November to 25 November 2019. Tourism Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Shri Nakap Nalo, Secretary, Tourism, Shri Yogendra Tripathi and other dignitaries from Central Ministries and North Eastern States were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel said that the entire North East region has great heritage of culture and natural beauty to attract tourists from across the globe. He said that to attract more tourists to the North East region, we need to change the perception and added that government is working towards the same. He said that the Prime Minister of India is a true brand ambassador of India to promote the tourism in the country. The Minister said that this is the second time when Manipur is hosting the International Tourism Mart and this time, we can see that because of friendly environment for tourists more and more tourists are coming to visit Manipur.

Shri Patel also said that North East region has witnessed 47 per cent growth in terms of visits of foreign tourists, which is a very good sign for the entire region. The Union Minister also said that due to reduction in E-Visa fee and reduction in GST rates on Hotel rooms, more tourists are coming to India. He also said that our government has opened 137 peaks for foreign tourists and besides this, Siachen glacier has also been opened for public. Shri Patel said that India has jumped in World Travel and Tourism Index from 40th to 34th position in 2019.

Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister of Manipur Shri N. Biren Singh thanked to Tourism Ministry for giving opportunity to Manipur to host 8th ITM. He said that because of peace in Manipur, the number of tourists is increasing consistently. He also said that Manipur has good infrastructure and better connectivity with other parts of the country, so we are expecting good number of tourists in future.

This is the 8th International Tourism Mart and an annual event organised in the North Eastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets. It brings together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight North Eastern States. The event has been planned and scheduled to facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, Government agencies and other stakeholders. The North East Region of India comprising the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, is endowed with diverse tourist attractions and products. The varied topography of the region, its flora and fauna, the ethnic communities with their rich heritage of ancient traditions and lifestyles, its festivals, arts and crafts, make it a holiday destination waiting to be explored.

The 8th International Tourism Mart, will put the spotlight on "Sustainable Tourism an engine for Economic Growth and Employment". Besides deliberations on promotion of tourism in the North East Region in general, the Mart will also give a platform for promoting cultural ties, providing enhanced connectivity to the States of North Eastern Region with other countries in our neighbourhood.

Buyer and Media delegates from around the world and from different regions of the country are participating in the Mart and will engage in one-on-one meetings with sellers from the North East Region. This will enable the tourism product suppliers from the region to reach out to international and domestic buyers, with the objective of promoting tourism to the region. A total of 36 foreign Buyer delegates from over 19 countries namely Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Czech, Dubai, Italy, Japan, Oman, Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, USA, UK, Vietnam are participating in the Mart.

Besides, the foreign delegates, 49 domestic stakeholders in Tourism sector from other parts of the country and 109 sellers from the North Eastern States are participating in the Mart. Representatives of State Tourism Departments of these North East States will also be present to showcase their tourist destinations and to interact with the delegates.

International and Domestic Buyers will be engaging in business-to-business meetings with sellers from the North Eastern Region. In addition to these the three-day event also includes presentations by state governments on their tourism potential, cultural evenings, sightseeing visits to local attractions in and around Imphal.

An exhibition by State Tourism Departments from the North Eastern States including display of beautiful handicrafts and handlooms is also being organised to show case the tourism products of respective participating States. The state government of Madhya Pradesh has also been invited to participate and give a presentation as it is a paired state with Manipur under the "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" initiative.

Overwhelming response has been received for taking post-mart familiarisation tours to the North Eastern states by foreign buyer delegates. This will create awareness about the rich and varied tourism products of the North Eastern region and to give them a first-hand experience of the destination.

The International Tourism Marts are organised in the North Eastern States on rotation basis. Manipur is hosting this mart for the second time. The earlier editions of this mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala.

Ensure that the Government's transformational programmes taken up are effectively implemented - Vice President #TransformationalProgrammes #Sukumarbalakrishnan

TheThe Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu said today that India is witnessing a rapid transformation in all spheres and that the Prime Minister's clarion call of 'reform, perform and transform' has given a new sense of urgency and direction to the country, and the Governors should ensure that the momentum is maintained and tangible outcomes are achieved through collective and collaborative efforts.

Addressing the concluding session of 50th Governors' Conference at Rashtrapati Bhawan today, Shri Naidu said that Governors, with their vast experience, can play an active role in shaping India's development path.

Shri Naidu said that there cannot be a better time than now for us to make our "Ek Bharat" a "Shrestha Bharat". The Vice President called upon the Governors to promote this spirit of 'Bharatiyata'.

He drew their attention towards the rich cultural traditions and linguistic, literary heritage of each state, and stressed the need for its preservation.

"You must support efforts to preserve local culture, festivals and food varieties. You must encourage healthy foods and healthy lifestyle. You must encourage the preservation of local art forms and programmes that support local artisans and craftsmen", he told the Governors.

He also asked them to ensure that local languages get their due place in administration and wherever public interfaces exist.

Calling the language as the repository of the culture of a region, Shri Naidu urged the Governors to actively encourage state governments to preserve and promote mother tongues and use them as a medium of instruction at least at the primary school level.

Shri Naidu also drew the Governors' attention to certain colonial practices which need to be reviewed. For example, addressing high dignitaries as Excellency and adopting the cap and gown dress in the university convocations can be modified to bring in an essential Indian touch.

Expressing concern over the unsustainable water use, the Vice President called for urgent need for water conservation.

Lauding the Government's aim to double farmers' incomes and make agriculture remunerative and sustainable, he mentioned several structural reforms being introduced in farm sector.

Calling 'agriculture as the basic culture' of the country, he emphasised a greater need for effective 'lab-to-land' transmission of knowledge and promotion of diversification of crops, as well as supplementation of on-farm income through horticulture, dairy, poultry and pisciculture.

The Vice President further said that in the field of higher education, the focus will have to be on encouraging innovation and continuous quest for excellence. Research and teaching facilities have to be benchmarked against the best in the world, he added.

The two-day conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan was presided over by the Hon'ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. Shri Amit Shah the Union Home Minister, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of IT & Communication, Law and Justice, Shri Gajendra singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Shri Arjun Munda, Minister of Tribal affairs as well as the Governors of States and Lt. Governors and Administrators of UTs were among the dignitaries who attended the Conference.

FPIs pour Rs 17,722 crore into Indian markets in November so far #IndianMarket #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have invested a worth of Rs 17,722 crore (US$ 2.54 billion) into the Indian markets in November so far amid encouraging domestic and global cues.

As per the depositories data, the investment done by overseas investors include a net sum of Rs 17,547.55 crore (US$ 2.51 billion) into equities and Rs 175.27 crore (US$ 25.08 million) in the debt segment during November 1-22, making the total net investment to Rs 17,722.82 crore (US$ 2.4 billion).

The FPIs were net buyers in the previous two months as well where the investment stood at net Rs 16,464.6 crore (US$ 2.36 billion) in October and Rs 6,557.8 crore (US$ 0.94 billion) in September into the domestic capital markets (both equity and debt).

Although, according to some experts FPIs are still wary of increasing their allocation to the Indian markets.

Mr. Umesh Mehta, head of research at Samco Securities said, "FPIs have become relatively cautious on India given the high valuations and Nifty hovering near its all-time high levels. Huge divergence between the large and small/midcaps is making them weary to commit further in a big way to the Indian bourses." Also, the expectation of weaker GDP numbers in the coming months, among other factors, is making them "hesitant to invest full throttle", he added.

Mr. Himanshu Srivastava, senior analyst manager research at Morningstar Investment Adviser India, said the buying broadly indicates that FPIs continue to build conviction on the Indian equity markets since "positive domestic and global environment has ensured that FPIs are hooked to the Indian equities".

He added that "this trend is expected to continue over the short-term provided there are no surprises and domestic and global environment continue to be conducive." Commenting on the future trajectory of FPI flows, Harsh Jain, co-founder and COO at Groww, said that "for inflows to be very large in quantity, we might have to wait a bit longer or hope for some big economic factors to play out."

Cochin Port introduces chopper rides for cruise tourists #tourists #sukumarbalakrishnan

A helicopter service has been introduced from Willingdon Island by Chipsan Aviation, in association with the District Tourism Promotion Council, Kerala Tourism and Greenix Village, in order to attract and provide interesting experiences for cruise tourists that are arriving there.

The helicopter service was unveiled by Ms. M. Beena, Chairperson, Cochin Port Trust and about 50 passengers enjoyed the ride on the initial day. The Steamer Agents' Association, the Cochin Customs Brokers' Association, the Indian Chamber of Commerce and the Seafood Exporters' Association sponsored about five rides on the inaugural day.

Cochin Port is among the most well-liked cruise destinations in India. In 2018-19, around 49 international cruise ships visited the port, with 62,753 passengers and 28,828 crew members, which is the highest ever cruise call at the port, thus Cochin Port retains the top spot among cruise handling ports in India.

According to Ms. Beena, the share of repeated visitors is around 25 per cent of the passengers that are arriving by cruise ships, thus, there was a requirement to introduce more tours and interesting experiences in the travel plan. The helicopter service, which will operate trips to Munnar and Jatayu Earth Centre, has received a good response from the cruise passengers as well as tour operators.

Free mehendi design sessions were organised for cruise tourists who arrived at the Samudrika cruise terminal on Wednesday in the vessel Azamara Quest. Many similar initiatives are being planned for the tourists. The port officials added that the new cruise terminal would be completed by February 2020.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan says Govt aims to achieve 20 per cent ethanol blending of autofuels #sukumarbalakrishnan

Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said India has the potential to emerge as the world's top industry destination in biotechnology sector. Addressing the Inaugural function of the 3-day Global Bio-India Summit, 2019 here today, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said India has the expertise and the biotechnology sector has witnessed exponential growth in recent decades. Government has encouraged the sector by setting up hundreds of Biotechnology Parks and Incubators while thousands of Start-ups have been supported by the Government, he added.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said the Prime Minister has set a target of making India the top country in Science & Technology by 2030. As compared to 5 per cent growth in scientific publications worldwide, India has notched a growth of 14 per cent in this sphere, he said. "We have developed a number of vaccines and the rotavirus vaccine is now a part of the National Immunization programme, besides our laboratories have also produced vaccines against dengue and malaria. We are No.3 in Nanotechnology and our Tsunami Early Warning System has been ranked No.1 in the world", he added.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said India plays a pioneering role in the UN sponsored Mission Innovation (MI) programme and is the leading country in three MI challenges on Smart Grids, Off-Grid Access to Electricity and Sustainable Biofuels. He said we are a "Changed India" today, and as Shri Narendra Modi has aimed, we will make a "New India" by 2022 and finally we aim to be the world leader, "Vishwa Guru".

Dr. Harsh Vardhan said Biotechnology serves mankind helping in to move towards a biotechnology-led economy, transforming as many lives as possible, creating opportunities and promising development for all. He encouraged young innovators and entrepreneurs in the Biotech sector to come forward for the development of the country. "Government of India will support and assist their ideas to make it a reality. He said, as per the vision of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the wave of Information Technology 20 years ago is India Today and Biotechnology is the India tomorrow", he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said the Government has set a target to achieve 20per cent ethanol blending of automotive fuels. "When we took charge ethanol blending was less than 1per cent, today it has increased to 6 per cent and further we have targeted to achieve 20 per cent ethanol blending", he said.

Shri Pradhan said we are committed to work towards greater decarbonisation and make India a gas-based economy. Bioenergy will play an important role in this, he said. "Through innovations developed by our bio-energy scientists we are now working on utilising waste biomass by converting it into Biofuels. With 600MT of biomass, which can be used as raw material, India remains the only country with highest scope for growth of Biofuels", he added.

"In future ethanol will be produced from raw materials like, excess food grains, to help transform our 'Annadatas' to 'Urjadatas.'With 600MT of biomass, which can be used as raw material, India remains the only country with highest scope for growth of Biofuels", said Shri Pradhan.

Shri Pradhan said the Petroleum& Natural Gas Ministry has instituted a Rs 300 crore (US$ 42.9 million) Start-Up Fund. "I have advised my colleagues to have biofuels as a key focus area and provide stimulus to the industry by giving handholding support and offtake guarantee to new & emerging entrepreneurs in the Biofuel sector", he said.

In his address, Member, NITI Aayog, Dr. Vinod K. Paul said the Government and the private sector are working in unison to make Primary Healthcare success in the country. "The aspirations of the people of India have risen and from Primary Healthcare, we are now extending our reach to Secondary and Tertiary Healthcare", he said.

Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Renu Swarup said the 3-day Biotechnology Summit will discuss roadmap to achieve US$ 100 billion bio economy target. "We have scaled US$ 51 billion already and the sector is growing at 14.7 per cent. So, the US$ 100 billion target seems very modest", she said.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan later inaugurated the Global Bio-India Exhibition.

Global Bio-India is one of the largest biotechnology stakeholders' conglomerates being held in India for the first time. It has brought academia, innovators, researchers, start-ups, medium and large companies together on the same platform. Over 3,000 delegates from around 25 countries and over 15 states of India are participating in the mega event. More than 200 exhibitors, 275 Start-Ups and more than 100 Bio-Technology Incubators are participating in it.

Biotechnology is recognized as the sun rise sector- a key driver for contributing to India's US$ 5 Trillion economy target by 2025.

Rs 13,308 crore spent on Infrastructure Development and Capacity Augmentation of Major Ports: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya # Infrastructure #sukumarbalakrishnan

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today the Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya informed that the Infrastructure development and capacity augmentation of Major Ports is an ongoing process involving construction of new berths and terminals, mechanization of existing berths and terminals, capital dredging for deepening of drafts for attracting large vessels, development of road and rail connectivity etc. As a result, the cargo handling capacity of the Major Ports as on 31st March 2019 is 1514.09 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) which is adequate to handle the EXIM and Coastal cargo. The traffic handled by Major Ports during 2018-19 was 699.10Million Tonnes (MT).

A number of projects with total project cost of Rs 13308.41 crore (US$ 1.90 billion) have been awarded in the last three years on upgradation of the Major Ports. The projects, once awarded, are executed as per the relevant contractual timelines. These projects are monitored regularly at various levels in the concerned ports as well as in the Ministry to ensure timely completion. Major Ports submit monthly status report on projects to be awarded and projects to be completed to the Ministry, which is reviewed regularly.

21 UIDAI-run Aadhaar Seva Kendras operational across the country #UIDAI #sukumarbalakrishnan

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has operationalised 21 Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASK) as part of its plan to open 114 stand-alone Aadhaar enrolment & update centres across the country. These are in addition to 35000 Aadhaar enrolment centers run by Banks, Post Offices and State Governments.

These centres have a capacity to handle up to 1,000 enrolment and update requests per day and will be operational all days of the week including weekends, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They will be closed only on public holidays. UIDAI plans to set up 114 Aadhaar Seva Kendras in 53 cities across the country.

While Aadhaar enrolment is free, a nominal charge of Rs 50 (US$ 0.7) is payable for updating details like adding mobile number to Aadhaar, updating address, etc.

The list of 21 Aadhaar Seva Kendras operational in different parts of the country is given below:

The Aadhaar Seva Kendra has an efficient token management system which guides residents to relevant stages of the enrolment/update process in a hassle-free manner.

As these centres are air-conditioned and designed with adequate seating capacity, residents who have been provided a token will not have to stand in queue.

79,65,984 Enterprises Registered on Udyog Aadhar Portal up to 15 November 2019 #Udyog Aadhar Portal #sukumarbalakrishnan

The Government has taken several measures to spread awareness among entrepreneurs of MSMEs to register on Udyog Aadhaar Portal like Easy self-registration by entrepreneurs, Active facilitation of MSME registration by MSME field offices.

The number of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which had filed Entrepreneurs Memorandum Part-II during 2014-15 was 4,25,358 and as on 15.11.2019, 79.66 lakhs MSMEs are registered on Udyog Aadhaar Portal. The Year-wise number of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises registered on Udyog Aadhaar Portal are given below:

Period Total MSME Registered
As on 31/03/2016* 495,468
As on 31/03/2017 2,868,614
As on 31/03/2018 4,386,129
As on 31/03/2019 6,508,017
As on 15/11/2019 7,965,984
* Since Inception in September 2015.

This information was given by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

IFA Fund invests US$ 4 million in Telluris Biotech India #Tellurisbiotech #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Innovation in Food and Agriculture Fund (IFA Fund) has committed investment of around US$ 4 million for a minority holding in Hyderabad-based Telluris Biotech India Private Limited.

Telluris Biotech which works to bring environment-sensitive biological control products for the plant root knot and cyst nematode related disease complexes in market. The registered biological and bio-molecular products have possibility to provide significant savings to crop growers, says Mr. Venu Polineni, its founder. "Our extensive research-based solutions will result in the farmers efforts to protect their crops and enhance yield significantly," he added.

The investment in Telluris is a contribution towards sustainable agriculture with science-based solutions that can provide true health and environment benefit to growers, said Mr. Krishna Kumar, Chairman of Sathguru Catalyser Advisors, the asset management company of IFA Fund.

IFA Fund which is an India-focused investment Fund that is sponsored by Sathguru Management Consultants, Hyderabad. These investments in innovation-driven growth ventures that has the potential to transform farm produce and market-ready food products.

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Finland for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism #UnionCabinet #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.

Benefits:

The main objectives of the Memorandum of understanding, inter alia, are:

Establish the basis for a cooperative relationship to encourage and promote successful bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism
Sharing data; knowledge, expertise etc. related to tourism
Sharing experiences in making polices, regulation and standards in planning, implementation and development of tourism policy
Facilitating the identification and expansion of joint projects, pilots and partnerships between companies and organizations through visits, meetings, workshops, co-creation sessions and site evaluations
Exchanging best practices through workshops and study visits for experts of Finland and India on the field of cooperation
Encouraging development of partnerships in the context of multilateral development programs and projects of international Financial Institutions, in which both Participants have common interests
Background:

India and Finland have enjoyed a strong diplomatic and long economic relationship. The two parties now desiring to strengthen and further develop the established relationship have signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Government for the Finland for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.

Finland is one of the emerging inbound source markets for India. In 2018, 21239 Finnish tourists visited India. The signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Finland will be instrumental in increasing arrival from this source market.