Coal stocks at power plants increase by 77 per cent to 34.25 MT: Pralhad Joshi

Coal stocks at power plants peaked to 34.25 million tonnes on January 26, equivalent to 19 days' consumption, and up by 77 per cent as against 19.36 million tonnes, equivalent to 12 days' consumption at the same time last year.

"Thrust has been also given to augment coal supplies to non-power sector by holding regular auction for coal linkages where the consumers have been given the flexibility to choose nearest mine, quality (grade, size) etc. To facilitate easy availability of coal to all the sectors, Coal Companies are also offering increased coal under spot and exclusive e-auction." Union Coal Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi said in a reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The Minister informed that various steps have been taken to ensure the easy and adequate availability of coal to every coal dependent industries/Power Sector. The power houses in close vicinity of the coalfields were offered coal for enhanced lifting of coal through captive mode (like Belt Piped Conveyor (BPC), Merry-go-Round (MGR) etc.) and road modes. For augmentation of supplies, the power houses were advised to move coal through Goods Sheds by Road-cum-Rail (RCR)mode. Efforts were made to enhance supplies through captive modes of transport like MGR, Belts, Ropeways etc. Supplies of coal to power houses through all modes were prioritized. Rationalization of Linkages were ensured to reduce transportation cost.

The Coal and Mines Minister further added that the recently promulgated 'Mineral Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020' has brought amendment in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act) and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015 [CMSP Act] to allow wider participation and competition in auctions. The companies which do not possess any prior coal mining experience in India can now participate in auction of coal blocks. Any company selected through auction/allotment can carry on coal mining operation for own consumption, sale or for any other purposes, as may be specified by the Central Government.

The Minister also informed that Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted Environmental Clearances to 13 coal projects during calendar year 2019. About 4 to 6 billion tonnes of proved coal resources are added in a year and the proved coal resources in the country are about 155.6 billion tonnes as on April 1, 2019.

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Ministry of Tourism has identified 180 Tourist sites for organizing Swachhta Action Plan (SAP) activities during the year 2019-20 to create Swachhta Awareness amongst the tourists

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission the Ministry of Tourism has identified 180 Tourist sites for organizing Swachhta Action Plan (SAP) activities during the year 2019-20 to create Swachhta Awareness amongst the tourists, students of schools / colleges and stakeholders across the country.

Besides, Swachhta Pakhwada and Swachhta-Hi-Seva activities have also been undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism at several locations across the country.

As per information received from Archaeological Survey of India, in the State of Uttar Pradesh, there are thirteen monuments that have been identified as Adarsh Monuments for providing tourist facilities which are as follows:  

1. Taj Mahal, Agra 2. Fatehpur Sikri, Agra 3. Agra Fort, Agra 4. Itmad-ud-Duala, Agra 5. Akbar’s Tomb, Sikandra, Agra 6. Rani Jhansi’s Palace, Jhansi 7. Residency, Lucknow 8. Kalinjar Fort, Banda 9. Ancient Buddhist Remains and site, Sravasti 10. Site, Stupa and Monastery of the Sakyas, Piparva, Siddharthnagar 11. Lal Khan Tomb, Rajghat, Varanasi 12. Ancient Buddhist Remains and site, Kushinagar 13. Ancient Buddhist Remains, Sarnath, Varanasi.

Facilities like drinking water, toilet, interpretation center, wi-fi, illumination, ramps, pathways, publication sale counter etc. are provided at the World Heritage and Ticketed monuments. Further, existing facilities are upgraded as per requirement and its upgradation is a continuous process.

This information was given by the Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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At 55.3, manufacturing PMI hits eight-year high in January

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for manufacturing increased to 55.3 in January 2020 reaching the highest in nearly eight years.

The manufacturing PMI is calculated by IHS Markit from the responses to questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers. The panel is classified by detailed sector and company workforce size, based on contributions to GDP.The responses from these managers are collected in the second half of each month. This reveal the direction of change compared to the previous month. Policy makers use this index as it reflects changes in manufacturing sector.

According to Ms Pollyanna de Lima, Principal Economist at IHS Markit, in India manufacturing sector growth continued to strengthen in January, with operating conditions getting better at a pace not seen in close to eight years.

The PMI results show that a significant rebound in demand improved growth of sales, input buying, production and employment as firms focused on rebuilding their inventories and expanding their capacities in anticipation of further increases in new business.

The subdued cost pressure also helped companies, thus, enabling them to restrict the rise in their fees to some extent. Ms Pollyanna de Lima added, "To complete the good news, there was also an uptick in business confidence as survey participants expect buoyant demand, new client wins, advertising and product diversification to boost output in the year ahead." 

This positive news is important at the time when there is lot of debate in emergence of green shoots after prolonged slowdown. Another indication of improvement was when the GST collection in January crossed Rs 1.10 lakh crore (US$ 15.74 billion), which is second highest collection after introduction of new indirect tax regime in July 2017. This improvement in the manufacturing sector is also expected to have better impact on the job creation, which is much required at this moment.

Though, the chances for any rate revision in the month of February is completely ruled out with this improvement in manufacturing. The retail inflation, key for revision of policy rate, has crossed 7 per cent standing beyond the RBI's comfort level.

The report also added that there will be an increase in the growth of new business, output, exports, input buying and employment.

At the same time, business sentiment strengthened and there were softer rises in both input costs and output charges.  Accordingly, PMI jumped to 55.3 In January from 52.7 in December.

The consumer goods sub-sector remained the brightest spot, though, the growth was sustained in intermediate goods and capital goods moved back into expansion. Companies noted the strongest upturn in new business intakes for over five years, which they attributed to better underlying demand and greater client requirements. Many firms also suggested that marketing efforts resulted in good outcome.

The increase in total sales was supported by strengthening demand from external markets, as noted by the fastest increase in new export orders since November 2018. Manufacturers witnessed a higher sale to clients in Asia, Europe and North America, with favourable exchange rates helping the upturn.

The Indian goods producers increased the production in January to meet the increased demand. However, the rise was the strongest in over seven and a half years, with the rate of expansion much higher than its long-run average.

Such was the strength of the rise in sales that some firms had to use their stocks to fulfil order obligations. As a result, inventories of finished products declined sharply in January.

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73.47 Lakh Candidates Trained Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

Under the Skill India Mission, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing a flagship scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2016-20 with an objective to provide skilling to one crore youth under Short Term Training (STT) courses and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) across the country in a four years period i.e. 2016-2020. Under PMKVY (2016-20), as on 17.01.2020, 73.47 lakh (appx.) (40.27 lakh STT + 33.20 lakh RPL) candidates have been trained/oriented throughout the country. The State/UT-wise number of candidates trained / oriented under PMKVY (2016-20) is given at Annexure.

Under PMKVY 2016-20, focus on employment has been significantly enhanced and candidates have been placed in various sectors and industries. Some of the provisions and initiatives are given below:

• TCs/TPs are required to have dedicated mentorship-cum-placement cells for industry linkage and placement of candidates.
• TPs are mandated to organize Placement / Rozgar Melas every six months with support from the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and to ensure the participation of local industry.
• The reimbursement of last 20 per cent of training payout to TCs is linked with the placement (wage employment or self-employment) of the candidate.
• With a focus on retention of placed candidates, TPs are given an incentive (Rs 3000 - Rs 5000 [US$ 42.46 - 70.77] per trainee) if a candidate is retained in employment for a period of 12 months.
• Post placement support of Rs 1500 (US$ 21.23) per month per trainee is applicable for special groups and special areas for 2- or 3-month post training depending on placement within or outside the district of the domicile of the candidate.
• Re-allocation of targets to TPs is based on placement achievements of previous allocated targets.
• Target allocation for FY 2019-20 includes employer-led models via RFP mode to ensure participation of employers which assure at least 50 per cent captive employment, amongst other mandates.

Under PMKVY (2016-20), there are various provisions for monitoring of TCs as well as candidates. The life cycle of training process of candidates (enrolment-training-assessment-certification-placement) is tracked or monitored on real-time basis through the Skill Development Management System (SDMS) which is linked with Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance. Empanelled TCs are being monitored effectively through various methodologies such as self-audit reporting, call validations, surprise visits, social media etc. Appraisal of the on-going schemes and consequent improvements is an ongoing process.

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President of India Inaugurates 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela; Urges Everyone to Transform the Philosophy of 'Buy Local for a Better Tomorrow' Into a Movement

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the 34th Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Surajkund, Haryana today (February 1, 2020). 

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that occasions such as Surajkund Mela provides ordinary craftsmen and artisans real recognition and value for their skills. It also provides them an excellent opportunity to display and sell their products directly to customers. The Surajkund Mela has saved India's various remarkable craft traditions from extinction. For many craftsmen, artisans and weavers, this fair is major source of their annual income. 

The President said that we should be proud of the items made by craftsmen of our country. He reiterated mantra of 'Buy local for a better tomorrow'. He urged everyone to transform the philosophy of 'Buy local for a better tomorrow' into a movement. He said that by using locally manufactured products, we would be able to help the small entrepreneurs in our area to a great extent.

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100 more Airports to be developed by 2024 to support UDAAN Scheme; Union budget proposes Rs 22,000 crore for Power and Renewable Energy sector in Current FY; National Gas Grid to be expanded from the present 16200 km to 27000 km

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2020-21, in Parliament, said that infrastructure was crucial to the theme of "Economic development" and hence the Budget which is dedicated to provide "Ease of Living" to all citizen.

Emphasising need for efficiency of India Sea Ports and use of technology to improve their performance, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, said "The government would consider corporatizing at least one major port and subsequently its listing on the stock exchanges."

Speaking about Inland Waterways, the Finance Minister also announced that the "Jal Vikas Marg" on National Waterway-1 will be completed and further the 890 Km Dhubri-Sadiya connectivity will be done by 2022".

Smt Sitharaman further said that Plans are afoot on "Arth Ganga"- PM's vision to energise economic activity along the riverbanks. In order to boost the transport Infrastructure in the country the Union Budget has provided for about Rs 1.70 lakh crore (US$ 24.32 billion). 

Impetus to Civil Aviation Sector 

The Finance Minister also announced that 100 more airports would be developed by 2024 to support Udaan scheme. She also remarked in her Budget presentation that India's Air traffic has grown rapidly as compared to global average and the Air fleet number was expected to go up from the present 600 to 1200 during this time. 

In the direction of doubling farmers' income by 2022, among other measures, the Finance Minister also announced launch of "Krishi Udaan" by the Ministry of Civil aviation on International & National routes. This is aimed to help improve value realisation especially in North-East and Tribal districts.

 Power and Renewable Energy

The Union Finance Minister also proposed an allocation of Rs 22,000 crore (US$ 3.15 billion) for Power and Renewable Energy sector in 2020-21. Finance minister urged all States and Union Territories to replace conventional meters by prepaid "Smart Meters" in the next 3 years and measures to reform DISCOMs.

Further, the Finance Minister proposed in the Budget that national gas grid would be expanded from the present 16,200 km to 27,000 km with further reforms to be undertaken to facilitate transparent price discovery and ease of transactions.

The Finance Minister also proposed to extend corporate tax rate of 15 per cent to new domestic companies engaged in the generation of electricity.

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