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.