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.

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana - Gramin completes three years; Union Minister for Rural Development interacts with beneficiaries from five States via Doordarshan; Says Government will fulfil the dream of providing housing for all in Rural India by 2022

Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today interacted with the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana -Gramin (PMAY-G) from 5 States namely Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the Doordarshan studios in New Delhi and heard their testimonies.

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana was launched on 20th November 2016 with an aim of providing housing for all in rural areas. PMAY-G has completed three years today and, on this occasion, Rural development minister today interacted with the beneficiaries.

While interacting with beneficiaries across these five States, Shri Tomar said that although a housing scheme for rural poor was in existence before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Government, its implementation was poor and was stuck in a lot of red tape. He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister's vision, PMAY-G scheme was launched on 20th November 2016 and it was made more comprehensive as it included amenities like water, gas, toilet and electricity supply in all the households. Under the PMAY-G, houses are being constructed using New Technologies. Time for Construction of Houses under the scheme has reduced to 114 days from 314 days in 2015-16 due to use of direct benefit transfer (DBT) platform. Under PMAY, the minimum size of a house has also been increased to 25 square meters.

The Union Rural Development Minister further informed that 87 lakh homes in different parts of the country have already been completed and the aim is to have 2 crore 95 lakh houses by 2022. This will complete Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of housing for all in Rural India by 2022.

Shri Tomar further said that Government has ensured that all houses constructed under PMAY-G are designed properly by experts who have made it based on topology, and they are climate resistant homes. The common thing said by most beneficiaries was that their lives have been transformed after getting a 'pucca' house and it has boosted their self-esteem, social status and standard of living.

The main features of the scheme of PMAY-G are:

Identification of beneficiaries as per the housing deprivation parameters and exclusion criteria prescribed under Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 after due verification by Gram Sabha.
Providing assistance for construction of 2.95 crore pucca houses for eligible rural households by March 2022 in phases: - 1.00 crore houses in Phase I (2016-17 to 2018-19) and 1.95 crore houses in Phase II (2019-20 to 2021-22). The target set for 2019-20 is completion of 60 lakh houses, out of which target of 51.05 lakh houses have already been allocated to States/UT.
Enhancement of unit assistance from Rs 70,000 (US$ 1001.5) (IAY) to Rs 1.20 lakh (US$ 1716.9) in plain areas and from Rs 75,000 (US$ 1073.1) (IAY) to Rs 1.30 lakh (US$ 1860) in Hilly States, NE States, difficult areas and IAP districts.
Provision of assistance for construction of toilets amounting to Rs 12,000/- (US$ 171.69) through SBM-G, MGNREGS or any other dedicated source of funding and 90/95 days of unskilled wages under MGNREGS over and above the unit assistance.
Enhancement in the minimum unit size of house from 20 sq. m. (IAY) to 25 Sq. m.
Facilitating willing beneficiaries to avail loan from Financial Institutions for an amount of up to Rs 70,000 (US$ 1001.5).

Cabinet approves the Patent Prosecution Highway programme

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for adoption of Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme by the Indian Patent Office (IPO) under the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, India (CGPDTM) with patent offices of various other interest countries or regions.

The said programme will initially commence between Japan Patent Office (JPO) and Indian Patent Office on pilot basis for a period of three years only.Under this Pilot programme, Indian Patent Office may receive patent applications in certain specified technical fields only, namely, Electrical, Electronics, Computer Science, Information Technology, Physics, Civil, Mechanical, Textiles, Automobiles and Metallurgy while JPO may receive applications in all fields of technology.

PPH programme would lead to the following benefits for the Indian IP office:

Reduction in time to dispose patent applications.
Reduction in pendency of patent applications.
Improvement in quality of search and examination of patent applications.
An opportunity for Indian inventors including MSMEs and Start-ups of India to get accelerated examination of their patent applications in Japan.
The ambit of the programme may be extended in future, as decided by the Commerce & Industry Minister. The patent offices will frame their own guidelines for implementation of the programme.

Highway projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore ready to be offered in next 5 years: VK Singh

According to Union Minister Mr. V K Singh, infrastructure sector could have a major role in boosting the economy as the government is prepared to offer a basket of highway projects worth Rs 15 lakh crore (US$ 215 billion) in next five years.

He said that the infrastructure has the potential to generate huge employment and give the needed boost to the economic progress. The economy slowdown is a temporary phase, said the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Mr. V K Singh.

He noted that "the sector that is going to make a difference in ensuring that the recovery is fast and the recovery is big is the infrastructure sector - whether it is railways, whether it is road, whether it is airports or whether it is communication".

Mr. Singh was addressing at 'Infra Awards 2019' by Dun and Bradstreet India (D&B India), a provider of global business information.
He added, "We have a basket of approximately Rs 15 lakh crore (US$ 215 billion) projects which have to be given out in this 5 year that are coming up. These include economic corridors, port connectivity, connecting important places, SEZs and tourists' places".

He further stated that the role of infrastructure in restoring the economic growth could be understood from the fact that this was the sector which pulled out the US from the great depression in 1930s. He said with the government's focus on infrastructure, it was possible to achieve the US$ 5 trillion economy target.

HCC for Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road project and Larsen & Toubro for Nagpur Smart City Solutions were among the project award winners on the occasion.