Ministry of Railways signs MoU with University of Birmingham for establishment of Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems

The National Rail Transport Institute, a deemed to be university under the Ministry of Railways, signed an MoU with the University of Birmingham in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi on December 18th, 2019 to set up its first Centre of Excellence for Next Generation Transportation Systems. The MoU was signed by Mr Vinod Kumar Yadav, Chairman, Railway Board and Chancellor of NRTI, and Professor Clive Roberts, Head of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham.

Indian Railways is a founding partner of this centre and would provide proprietary data, professional expertise, spare equipment and other available resources directly or through its Centralised Training Institutes and research organisations. The centre would also invite partnerships from other industry and academic organisations as it develops in the future.

This Centre will be involved in promoting development of the Rail and Transportation sector in India which include offering post-graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral programmes, customized training programmes for in-service professionals, undertaking joint research projects in areas such as signalling, communication, asset maintenance, traction and safety and developing benchmarks, standards and certifications for specialized skills. It will also be involved in organising knowledge events, conferences, workshops to disseminate trends, latest research, global best practices and developments in the transportation sector, accessible to industry and academia.

The establishment of this centre is yet another step towards building our capacity in the transportation sector, which would prepare our youth for participating in building and operation of national projects such as High-Speed Railways, modernizing Indian Railways signalling systems, rolling stock and operations. Its pedagogy would nurture creativity and entrepreneurship among NRTI students providing them an opportunity to become best in class professionals, influential leaders, nation-builders and value driven citizens.

About the National Rail Transport Institute

The National Rail Transport Institute has been set up as a deemed to be university and has been operational since 2018. In addition to Schools and Departments in various disciplines, NRTI aims to develop interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence which would be collaborative constructs to promote research and education to the transportation sector. NRTI's strategy is focussed upon sourcing the best expertise from around the world from leading global institutions through institutional partnerships for collaborating on developing curriculum, research projects and executive education programs. Further details about the institution are available at www.nrti.edu.in

About University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is home to the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) with over 150 academics, researchers and professional services staff, delivering world-class research, education and leadership to the global rail industry. The BCRRE is the largest university-based centre for railway research and education in Europe, involved in developing world-leading new technologies alongside higher education programmes, research and innovations in Climate Change, Aerodynamics and International Benchmarking, Power Systems and Energy Use, Railway Control and Operations Simulation.
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CGHS services to be extended to 100 cities: Dr Harsh Vardhan

"CGHS services shall be now be extended to 100 cities". This was stated by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare as he inaugurated the new CGHS Wellness Centre at Vikaspuri, New Delhi, in the presence of Shri Parvesh Saheb Singh Verma, Member of Parliament, West Delhi. The Union Health Minister added that at present the scheme is operational across 72 Cities through 329 Allopathic Wellness Centres and 86 AYUSH Centres. It serves 12.09 lakh primary cardholders and 35.72 lakh beneficiaries, out of which around 17 lakh beneficiaries belong to Delhi/NCR. There are more than 2.5 lakh beneficiaries aged 75 years and above. About 58 per cent of CGHS beneficiaries' avail of CGHS facilities at least once in a year.

Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that after 2014, the number of CGHS Wellness centres have expanded to 72 cities from the earlier figure of 30, which shows the exemplary commitment of the government to the health and wellness of the employees. Soon CGHS shall be extended to other cities like Itanagar, Kannur, and Kozhikode, he stated. He added that recently the Ministry has elicited the feedback and suggestions from the various stakeholders, beneficiaries and others to improve the delivery of health services through CGHS centres. As an innovative feature, for beneficiaries above 80 years of age, doctors from CGHS wellness centres call at least once in a month to enquire about their wellbeing / make a home visit if residing within 5 km.

The Union Health Minister stated that it is a reflection of the commitment to the health sector by the government, that the number of AIIMS have now increased to 21. Six of the AIIMS are now operational, he stated. Work is also progressing on setting up 157 Medical Colleges mainly in the aspirational districts of the country to ensure that people of these regions are provided superior health services, and they do not have to travel long distances to avail of them. He also highlighted the "Eat Right India" and "Fit India" campaigns of the Government aimed towards preventive, promotive and positive health, which also is the underpinning thought for the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres. "It is sad that the people of Delhi have been deprived of the invaluable tertiary health services under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, which have benefitted more than 69 lakh people from various parts of the country through more than 19,000 empanelled hospitals", Dr Harsh Vardhan stated. He added that these needy and poor people could not have dreamed of such health care facilities earlier, in the absence of PMJAY.

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) is a contributory health scheme for serving / retired Central Government employees and their dependent family members. The scheme was started in 1954 in Delhi. It provides comprehensive health care facilities to the beneficiaries that include OPD Consultation from CGHS Medical Officers and specialists, issue of medicines, investigations at Govt. hospitals and private empanelled centres, specialist consultation and hospitalization at Govt. and private empanelled hospitals, etc. OPD consultation from CGHS empanelled private hospitals on referral from CGHS Wellness Centre is also done as part of the scheme.

Shri Sanjeeva Kumar, Spl. Secretary (Health), Shri Alok Saxena, Joint Secretary (Health), along with other senior officers from the Ministry and CGHS were also present at the event.
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DRDO successfully flight-tests Pinaka Missile System off Odisha coast

Pinaka Missile System developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully flight-tested from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast at 1200 hrs today. The Pinaka is an Artillery Missile System capable of striking into enemy territory up to a range of 75 kilometres with high precision.

The Pinaka MK-II Rocket is modified as a missile by integrating with the Navigation, Control and Guidance System to improve the end accuracy and enhance the range. The Navigation system of the missile is also aided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).

The mission achieved all the objectives including enhancing the range, accuracy and sub-system functionality. The missile was fired from Pinaka launcher system in deployment configuration. The flight article was tracked by multiple range systems viz. Telemetry, Radars, Electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), etc. which confirmed the textbook flight performance.

The missile system has been jointly developed by various DRDO Laboratories viz. Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), The trial was conducted under the supervision of Director RCI Shri BHVS Narayana Murthy, Director ARDE Dr V Venkateswara Rao, Director ITR Dr BK Das, and Director PXE Shri DK Joshi.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams involved in the flight trial.
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India Resurgence Fund to receive investment of US$225 million from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, through its wholly owned subsidiary, CPPIB Credit Investment has committed to invest US$ 225 million in the Indian Resurgence Fund platform which has been set up by Piramal Enterprises Ltd and Brain Capital Credit.

The assets which are in distress through the purchase of existing debt and equity securities through the bankruptcy courts or directly from lenders, or through newly issued securities; and to take control over the turnaround of such assets through recapitalization and operational improvements, for that, fund makes an investment in it. As this fund is a distressed assets buyout platform.

"IndiaRF has also raised capital from other international high-net-worth investors and family offices through the current round," it said in a release on Wednesday.#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Unmei #Fuehrer
#Sukumarbalakrishnan #Brainstormautomotive

Union Minister for Rural Development Shri Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates Phase-III of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to further enhance connectivity of villages with hospitals, schools and agricultural markets

The Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched Phase III of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) on the side lines of the National Workshop on PMGSY organised by the Ministry of Rural Development in New Delhi. The Phase-III of PMGSY aims at consolidation of 1,25,000 Kms Through Routes and Major Rural Links that connect habitations to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals with an estimated cost of Rs 80,250 crore (US$ 11.48 billion) (Central Share of Rs 53,800 crore [US$7.70 billion]) for the period 2019-20 to 2024-25. The funding pattern for the PMGSY-III will be 60:40 between Centre and the States for States other than NE & Himalayan States and 90:10 for NE and Himalayan States as applicable for Central sponsored schemes.

Addressing the gathering at the inaugural session, Shri Tomar said that PMGSY is an important program for the nation. He said that there was a time when people could not imagine that villages will get quality roads as it was a difficult task. The Minister hailed the vision of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that he was determined to complete this difficult task and it was thanks to his vision and efforts that today more than 6 Lakh Kms of Roads have been constructed across rural India. The Minister highlighted the importance of roads in bringing about all round positive development and empowering the villages.

Shri Tomar emphasised that States must ensure that maintenance of roads is done on a regular basis to ensure that quality of roads remain good. He further said that now with the launch of Phase III of PMGSY, States must begin preparing and ensure effective implementation of the scheme.

Shri Tomar expressed happiness that as on 16 December 2019, a total of 1,53,491 rural road works has been completed under the PMGSY Scheme connecting 97.27 per cent of the eligible and feasible habitations and adding up a road length of 6,07,900 Kms across the country. Out of the above, a road length of 36,063 Kms has been constructed using green technologies, a major portion of which includes Waste plastic and cold mix technology.

The National Workshop organised by the NRIDA was attended by representatives from various States, Technical Institutions and Specialists who made presentations on various important topics and participated in panel discussions. Some of the important issues that were discussed during the Workshop include Maintenance of Rural Roads, Quality of Rural Roads, Contract Management, Planning of Rural Roads for increased traffic, Road Safety Issues, Use of new technologies especially plastic waste for construction of Rural Roads and Challenges in construction of roads and hilly areas and their solutions.#Sukumar #Innokaiz #Gembrio #Taiyangxi #Sukumarbalakrishnan
 #Unmei #Brainstormautomotives #Fuehrer

Share of renewable energy rises to 9 per cent

The share of renewable energy in India's energy mix has risen steadily to around 9 per cent from the 2014-2015 levels. As on October 31, 2019, 83.38 GW of renewable energy capacity has been already installed. This includes 31.69 GW from solar, 37.09 GW from wind, 9.95 GW from bio-power and 4.65 GW from hydro power. According to data, the percentage of renewable energy in total electricity supplied in energy terms has risen from 3.72 per cent in 2014-2015 to over 8.9 per cent in 2019-2020 (till October 2019). Solar showed the highest increase within renewable energy, up from 45,99.02 million units in 2014-2015 to 39,268.2 million unit in in 2018-2019. But wind continued to lead in renewable energy footprint, supplying over 62,036.38 million units in 2018-2019 up from 33,768.3 million units in 2014-2015.
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Govt launches National Broadband Mission to invest Rs 7 trillion in 4 years

The Minister for Communications, Law & Justice and Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the National Broadband Mission is to fulfil all aspirations of the people and enables fast track growth of digital communication infrastructure. He was addressing the gathering after launching the National Broadband Mission (NBM) at an event, here today. The Minister of State for Communications, Human Resources Development and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, the Secretary (Telecom), Shri Anshu Prakash and other senior officials were present on the occasion. A large number of representatives from the telecom industry, officers from various Ministries of the Government of India, various State Governments and senior officers of the Department of Telecommunications participated in the event.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad also launched the Logo of the NBM, a Booklet on this occasion.

The vision of the NBM is to fast track growth of digital communications infrastructure, bridge the digital divide, facilitate digital empowerment and inclusion and provide affordable and universal access of broadband for all. Some of the objectives of the Mission which is structured with strong emphasis on the three principles of universality, affordability and quality are:

Broadband access to all villages by 2022
Facilitate universal and equitable access to broadband services for across the country and especially in rural and remote areas
Laying of incremental 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fiber Cable and increase in tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of population by 2024
Significantly improve quality of services for mobile and internet
Develop innovative implementation models for Right of Way (RoW) and to work with States/UTs for having consistent policies pertaining to expansion of digital infrastructure including for RoW approvals required for laying of OFC
Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) to measure the availability of digital communications infrastructure and conducive policy ecosystem within a State/UT.
Creation of a digital fiber map of the Digital Communications network and infrastructure, including Optical Fiber Cables and Towers, across the country
Investment from stakeholders of US$ 100 billion (Rs 7 Lakh Crore) including Rs 70,000 crore (US$ 10.02 billion) from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)
Address policy and regulatory changes required to accelerate the expansion and creation of digital infrastructure and services
Work with all stakeholders including the concerned Ministries / Departments/ Agencies, and Ministry of Finance, for enabling investments for the Mission.
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Pharma sector expected to grow at 10-12 per cent during FY19-22, outlook stable: ICRA

ICRA Limited, the rating agency said that the Indian pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow around 10-12 per cent between FY19 and FY22 while maintaining a stable outlook on the sector.

It cited that the growth drivers for the Indian pharma companies are mostly because of the abating headwinds from pricing pressure in the US (which is considered to be the largest regulated market), stable growth for the Indian market driven by increasing healthcare spending and better accessibility along with comfortable balance sheet structure.

Although, ICRA said that the increased cost related to regulatory compliances, mainly for the US market, price controls across markets and compulsory genericisation for Indian market stayed to be the major risks.

"The domestic pharmaceutical industry has gained adequate scale and generic drug development capabilities over a decade of growth which will keep them in good stead to capture bigger opportunities, especially in the speciality/niche segments in the regulated market," Icra said in a statement. The FY2019-2022 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to be around 10-12 per cent for domestic pharmaceutical companies, it added.

ICRA said that in FY2019, there was rise in the growth from the US to 12.1 per cent after witnessing a decline of 13.1 per cent in FY2018. "The growth was supported by higher market share for Indian players as several generic MNC players optimised product portfolios along with new product launches," it added.

In FY2020, the pricing pressure which is led by the consolidated supply chain in US market along with decrease in the faster approvals of the abbreviated new drug application which is expected to remain in mid-single digit compared to low teens in FY2018.

Although, warning was given by ICRA about the growth in US market as it is projected to remain at high single digit to low double digit and will witness some troubles as there are relatively moderate proportion of large size drugs that are going off patent, adoption of generic medicine is reaching saturation levels in the US market and high regulatory scrutiny as reflected in increased issuance of warning letters/import alerts.

The company further said that the major concerns are the productivity of research and development expenditure, operational risk related to increased level of due diligence by regulatory agencies and price controls.
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Indian IT giant Wipro recognised as top employer in Australia for 2020 #Wipro #Sukumarbalakrishnan #Sukumar #Balakrishnan

Wipro, an Indian global software major said that it was ranked top employer in Australia for 2020.

"The assessment is based on an HR (Human Resource) best practice survey 'People Development' practices across 10 topics, including talent strategy, workforce planning, talent acquisition," said the city-based IT firm in a statement.

The firm was also assessed for the survey on the basis of other parameters such as on-boarding, learning and development, performance management, leadership development, career and succession management, compensation and benefits and culture.

"To become recognised as a top employer, a company has to prove that the implementation of their people strategies enriches the world of work of their employees," stated Top Employers' Institute chief executive Mr David Plink.

"We believe our real asset is the people. We are committed to provide the best employee experience and foster a culture that nurtures talent," said Wipro executive Mr Manoj Nagpaul in the statement.

The IT behemoth efforts to adopt people practices that are innovative, human centric and help them realise their potential.

Indian sugar exports poised to hit record 5 million tonnes this year #SugarExports #Sukumarbalakrsihnan #Sukumar #Balakrishnan

India, the world's biggest sugar producer, is expected to cross its own export record this year. This is attributed to a flurry of overseas sales in the past few months driven by attractive global prices, said trade and industry officials on Tuesday.

In the new season, which began on October 1, 2019, sugar mills in India have done deals to export 2 million tonnes, raising hopes that the country would sell at least 5 million tonnes globally in the season of 2019/20, over 30 per cent higher than previous year.

"Looking at the current trend, I can tell you with a lot of confidence that we'll be able to export at least 5 million tonnes this year," said a New Delhi-based dealer from the Indian unit of a global trading firm.

At 5 million tonnes, Indian exports would exceed their previous peak of 4.96 million tonnes which was shipped in 2007/08 as per the trade and industry data. This was spurred by a rally in international prices, a weak Indian rupee and a clutch of government subsidies which made exports lucrative.

"Compared to last year, exports got the momentum this year from the start of the season due to an improvement in sugar prices," said Mr Rahil Shaikh, managing director of MEIR Commodities India.

The strong rise in exports from India, also the world’s biggest sugar consumer, could weigh on benchmark prices in New York and London and trim the market share of rivals - Brazil, Thailand and Australia which are the world’s top sugar suppliers.

Higher sugar shipments from India also expected to intensify the dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Brazil has already mentioned that India's subsidies for sugar exports were not in line with WTO rules and would impact free competition in the global market. Brazil, Australia and Guatemala have questioned the subsidies at the WTO.

India, grappling with surplus sugar supplies, has approved a subsidy of Rs 10,448 (US$ 145.58) per tonne for exports in 2019/20 season - a move that encouraged mills to clinch overseas sales deals early this year.

Traders have contracted to export raw sugar at an average of US$ 300 per tonne and white sugar at US$ 330 per tonne on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, said three dealers directly involved in the deals. However, they did not wish to be identified in line with their organisations' policy.

In contrast to the 2 million tonnes of exports contracted so far this year, in the first three of the 2018/19 season Indian mills were only able to sell about 850,000 tonnes of sugar.