EEPC celebrates 50th year of Engineering Exports Awards #EEPC #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Minister of State Independent Charge of Civil Aviation and Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, gave away the Engineering Export Promotion Awards (EEPC) for the year 2017-18 at a function in New Delhi today. Speaking on this occasion he congratulated the EEPC for reaching a record high exports of US$ 76 billion in 2017-18 and US$ 87 billion in 2018-19. He hoped that by next year India’s engineering exports will reach the target of US$ 1 trillion.

This year EEPC celebrates and completes 50 years of rewarding exporters and 111 winners were given national awards for 2017-18 across 8 categories in over 32 product panels. This year, for the first time, Quality Control of India (QCI) has been invited to evaluate EEPC member companies and EEPC India-QCI Quality awards were given away to 7 winners.

Hardeep Singh Puri congratulated EEPC for completing 50 years of rewarding exporters and also complemented 111 winners who received national awards today. He urged the engineering sector, that employs 40 lakh workers, to get abreast with global engineering standards and adopt new technology to upgrade their core efficiency and improve their competency and achieve cost competitiveness. He exhorted the engineering industries to establish smart factories for optimum use of land, labour and capital.

The MoS further said that since fifty-five percent of EEPC members are MSMEs, they must also strategize to upgrade their technology and production profile in order to enter the global value chain.

Hardeep Singh Puri informed the gathering about all the measures taken by the Government of India and the Department of Commerce and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to simplify, bring in greater transparency in the export procedures and enhanced credit and insurance to exporters. The DGFT has put in place a fully electronic refund module and an online filing and issuance of preferential certificate of origin. A web portal of industrial schemes of different Ministries of the Government of India is also available to the engineering industries and the NIRVIK scheme has been announced to ensure enhanced loan availability for exporters.

Minister of State Hardeep Singh Puri urged exporters to tap emerging markets like Africa, the CIS countries, countries of Latin America and the GCC and Mexico and thereby ensure that by 2025 India’s engineering exports will reach a target of USD 200 billion.

Chairman EEPC, Ravi Sehgal also addressed the gathering. On this occasion Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, representatives of industry and the award winners were present.

Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in 12 clusters in the country for development as Iconic Tourist Sites: Shri Prahlad Singh Patel #Tourism #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Government has identified some world class iconic tourist stations in India to attract foreign and domestic tourists.

Pursuant to the Budget Announcements of 2018-19, Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in 12 clusters in the country for development as Iconic Tourist Sites namely Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & Qutub Minar (Delhi), Colva (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath & Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).

The Ministry shall be developing the above sites in a holistic manner with focus on issues concerning connectivity to the destination, better facilities/experience for the tourists at the site, skill development, and involvement of local community, promotion & branding and by bringing private investment. The development of Iconic Tourist sites scheme is awaiting approval of the Ministry of Finance.

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.

Gujarat Statue of Unity attracted 2.9 million tourists, earned Rs 82 crore in one year

The Statue of Unity in Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district attracted over 29 lakh tourists generating a revenue of Rs 82.51 crore (US$ 11.81 million), since its inaugural on October 31 last year, the state government told the Assembly on Tuesday.

The Gujarat government will propose Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Bill, 2019 in the Assembly as there is requirement to develop the area nearby due to the ever-increasing number of tourists from all over the country and abroad.

"As many as 29.38 lakh tourists visited the imposing structure near the Sardar Sarovar Dam between November 1, 2018 till November 16 this year, and had earned revenue of Rs 82.51 crore (US$ 11.81 million) during this period," said Deputy Chief Minister Mr Nitin Patel in his written reply during Question Hour to a query raised by Congress MLA Chandrika Bariya.

Gujarat Forest Minister Mr Ganpat Vasava told the Assembly that the amount spent in procurement of animals and birds for a jungle safari near the Sardar Patel memorial is around Rs 2.64 crore (US$ 0.38 million).

Though, The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Bill, 2019 faced opposition from the Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani, stating that this will badly affect tribals in the region.

"On the pretext of Statue of Unity of Sardar Patel, which was constructed in Kevadiya against wishes of tribals living in the area, the government plans to snatch land and displace tribals from 70 more villages there against provisions of Schedule 5 of the Constitution," Mr Mevani said.

"I call upon 40 MLAs from tribal and Dalit communities in the state Assembly to come together and oppose the Bill," he added.

The Bill will support the development of the area and aid in management of tourism in and around the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya by offering essential infrastructure through effective planning and administration".

The idea behind the formation of "Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority" is that there is increase in number of tourists from all over the country and abroad, thus, the state government has felt an imminent need for developing the area," the government said.

The authority will implement provisions of the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976, and control and regulate development, with district police authorised to assist it, the govern said.

The bill permits the authority to take disciplinary action, including jail term and fine, against persons found to be engaged in unauthorised development, touting or malpractice against any tourism, involved in begging or unauthorised hawking, creating nuisance and damage leading to adverse effect on tourism.

The SOU tourism authority, headed by a chairman appointed by state government, will have officers of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL), state urban development department, tourism development department, collector of Narmada, chief town planner and principal chief conservator of forest, among others, in the twenty-member body.

The land acquired for the developer of the region will be deemed as land needed for public purpose and will come under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, it said.

So far, the Forest department, has brought five alpacas, four llamas, four wallabies from different countries to the safari site near the Statue of Unity, said Mr Ganpat Vasava in his written reply to a question by Congress MLA J V Kakadiya.

Animals and birds brought from other states consist of marmosets, green iguanas, lemurs, capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, ostriches, scarlet macaws, green winged macaws, golden pheasants and lady amherst pheasants among others.

Projects worth Rs 13,308 crore awarded for upgradation of Ports in last three years: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya

In a written reply to the question in Rajya Sabha regarding the expenditure incurred on upgradation of Ports & Harbours and Port facilities, the Minister of State for Shipping(I/C) and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya stated that during the last 3 years, a number of projects involving total project cost of Rs 13,308.41 crore (US$ 1.90 billion) have been awarded on the upgradation of the major ports.
Shri Mandaviya further informed the House that the mentioned funds were allotted to these projects pertaining to construction of new berths/harbours and terminals, mechanization of existing berths/ harbours and terminals, capital dredging for deepening of drafts for attracting large vessels, developing of road and rail connectivity etc.

Government has introduced 33 tranches of Sovereign Gold Bonds #SGB #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Government Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) Scheme was introduced in November 2015. SGBs are provided as a substitute for physical gold to investors.

This was stated by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

MOU signed Between NSIC & ARAMCO Asia for development in Oil & Gas Sectors #NSIC #ARAMCO #GasSectors #Sukumarbalakrishnan

An MoU has been signed recently between NSIC and Aramco Asia for the development of MSME Ecosystem in India in Oil & Gas Sector. This MoU will pave a way for accredited Indian MSMEs to carve out a space as vendors in the Global space. From NSIC side Shri P. Udayakumar, Director (P&M) and from Aramco side Mr. Mohammed Al Mughirah, President, Aramco Asia inked the MoU. The dignitaries H.E. Dr. Said Bin Mohammed Al Sati, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Abdullah Melfi, Strategic Sourcing Head, Aramco, and more than 200 units from India witnessed the event. NSIC is the flagship Mini Ratna PSU under Ministry of MSME in the business of facilitating MSMEs in India and Aramco is world's largest Oil & Gas Company from Govt. of Saudi Arabia having reported revenue of US$ 355 Billion Dollar (2018) and estimated market value of 1.5 Trillion Dollars.

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates 'Digital Exhibition on history of Constitution of India' #Constitution #Sukumarbalakrishnan

The Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 'Digital Exhibition on History of Constitution of India', here today. The exhibition has been organised by the Department of Personnel & Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, in collaboration with Parliament Museum and Archives of Lok Sabha Secretariat and Bureau of Outreach and Communication for two days i.e. 9-10 December 2019 at Gate No.8, North Block, New Delhi. The Secretary, DoPT, Dr C. Chandramouli and senior officers of DoPT were also present during the inauguration of the exhibition.

Addressing on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that it is a pride privilege to be part of this historic moment. He said that by historical point of view, 9th December is an important day as the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly was held on 9th December 1946. He added that the current year 2019, marks the 70th Year of the adoption of the Constitution. Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Prime Minister has given emphasis on performing Fundamental Duties along with having Fundamental Rights. The Minister said if all of us collectively perform our duties in each moment of our life, it will be fulfilment of our duty towards the nation.

The Minister visited the exhibition and also administered the National Pledge to the officials of DoPT on the occasion. Speaking about the exhibition, he said that it is a rare brush with history. He added that it is a small enclosure incorporating a large, but an eventful phase of India, as the country evolved through the Independence into a sovereign Republic.

The exhibition contains photograph of Members of Constituent Assembly, Debates (audio) in the Constituent Assembly, Movie on making of Constitution, Quotes and audio speeches of Members of Constituent Assembly, Replica of the Constitution, Posters on Preamble to the Constitution and Fundamental Duties, Directive Principles etc.

By historical point of view, 9th December is an important day as the first sitting of Constituent Assembly was held on this day in 1946. On 29th August, 1947, the Constituent Assembly through a resolution appointed a Drafting Committee to scrutinize the draft of the text of the Constitution of India prepared by Constitutional Advisor, giving effect to the decisions already taken in the Assembly and including all matters which are ancillary thereto or which have to be provided in such a Constitution, and to submit to the Assembly for consideration the text of the draft Constitution as revised by the committee.

The Constitution of India was adopted on 26th November 1949, and the Members appended their signatures to it on 24.01.1950. In all, 284 Members (total Members-299) signed the Constitution. The Constitution of India came into force on 26.01.1950. The day of adoption of the Constitution is being celebrated in the country as "Constitution Day".

500 Bee Boxes, 500 Pottery Wheels and 200 Leather Kits Distributed in Boondi District by KVIC

To commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and to support the weaker section of the society in Boondi District, Rajasthan, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) organized an event yesterday, in which Shri Om Birla, the Speaker of Lok Sabha distributed 500 Bee Boxes, 500 Electric Pottery Wheels and 200 Leather Tool Kits in presence of Shri V. K. Saxena, Chairman, KVIC and MLA Shri Ashok Dogra.

Complementing the efforts of KVIC, Shri Om Birla said, "Bapu had always dreamed of encouraging the rural talents and providing livelihood opportunities at their doorsteps. KVIC is fulfilling Bapu's dream in its true sense. KVIC's initiative of reviving the bee keeping, pottery and leather industry would go a long way, in helping the rural youth earn their respect and dignity."

Quite noticeably, KVIC has been spear heading a mass campaign for the revival of bee keeping, pottery and leather industry since last 2 years under Honey Mission, Kumhar Sashaktikaran Mission and Leather Mission respectively. KVIC has distributed around 1.15 Lakh Bee boxes, 13000 Electric Pottery Wheel, 2500 Leather Kits across India so far, thus generating a livelihood for 17,000 beekeepers, 52,000 potters and 2500 Leather artisans so far.

Shri V K Saxena, Chairman KVIC said, "The objective of this event is to empower the rural artisans and help them gain confidence in bee keeping, pottery and leather artistry. Aligned with the vision of Prime Minister, our endeavour is to provide livelihood opportunities as well as alternate source of income to the rural farmers who otherwise adopt to menial labor or migrate to big towns or cities for daily wage jobs."

The event witnessed a huge turnout of artisans from Jhalawad, Kota and Boondi Districts of Rajasthan. Beneficiaries thanked Om Birla Ji and VK Saxena Ji for coming all the way from Delhi to distribute electric pottery wheels in the village. The new wheel is less effort consuming and will yield high quality products while reducing the number of man hours quite considerably.

About 5.70 Lakh Micro Enterprises Assisted under PMEGP up to 31st October 2019 #PMEGP #MEAs #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Ministry of MSME is implementing Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which is a major credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector, including Cottage, Khadi and Village Industry units, by helping traditional artisans and rural/urban unemployed youth. Under the scheme, beneficiary can avail loan up to Rs 25 lakh (US$ 35,770) in the manufacturing sector and Rs 10 lakh (US$ 14,308) in the service sector, with the subsidy of 15 per cent to 35 per cent for different categories.

As per guidelines of PMEGP scheme, 100 per cent physical verification of units is carried out through outsourced agencies after completion of 24 months and before 36 months of setting up of units. Accordingly, as per currently available data for the period from 2008-09 to 2014-15, it is observed that on an average about 80 per cent of PMEGP units are found working and the rest are either closed or not found existing at the original registered location.

Under PMEGP scheme, since its inception in 2008-09, a total of about 5.70 lakh micro enterprises have been assisted with a margin money of Rs 12,902 crore (US$ 1.85 billion) providing employment to an estimated 47 lakh persons, till 2019-20 (up to 31.10.2019).

In order to enhance the employment opportunities, Ministry of MSME has also introduced a scheme of second financial assistance for expansion/upgrading existing PMEGP/MUDRA units. The second financial assistance for manufacturing unit is up to Rs 1.00 crore (US$ 0.14 million) and for service/trading unit it is up to Rs 25.00 lakh (US$ 35,770) with subsidy of 15 per cent for non NER and 20 per cent for NER and hilly States.

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

Meet Reema Juffali, First Saudi Woman Driver To Race Car In Male-Dominated Motor Sport # MotorSport #Sukumarbalakrishnan

Twenty-seven-year-old Reema Juffali is all set to shatter the glass ceiling and carve a path for herself as she gears up to get behind the wheels as the first Saudi woman to race in the kingdom.

Juffali is the first women to challenge participants in the male-dominated motor sport.

Until June last year, such feats for women were unimaginable in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom. As part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging liberalisation drive, the world’s only ban on female motorcyclists was overturned.

Juffali, a 27-year-old who made her motoring debut just months after the decades-old ban ended, will compete Friday and Saturday in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, an all-electric race in Diriyah, close to the capital Riyadh.
Juffali hails from Jeddah and has studied in the United States. She will participate as what organisers call a "VIP" guest driver, becoming the first Saudi woman to race on home soil.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's sports authority chief, has touted it as a "watershed" moment for the kingdom.

"Reema will have thousands cheering her on, as a professional racing driver," the prince told AFP.

Juffali has earlier made appearances in competitive racing at the F4 British Championship and has a year of professional racing experience under her belt.

The AFP report says Juffali grew up watching Formula One and has always had a passion for fast cars.