Coffee exports in 2019 up marginally at 3.50 lakh tonne

According to the Coffee Board, coffee exports from India had increased to 3.50 lakh tonne in 2019 as compared 3.48 lakh tonne in the previous year.

India is the 3rd largest producer and exporter of coffee in Asia region. Countries like Italy, Germany and Russia were the major export destinations for Indian coffee last year. India ships both Robusta and Arabica varieties, besides instant coffee.

The board's data indicated that Robusta coffee exports rose 4.10 per cent to 1,86,360 tonne in 2019 from 1,79,004 tonne in 2018. However, exports of Arabica coffee witnessed a decline of 10.75 per cent to 47,341.82 tonne in 2019 from 53,049 tonne in 2018.

As compared to previous year, the outbound shipment of instant coffee fell to 27,339 tonne in 2019 from 29,146 tonne, the data showed. India exported 72,267 tonne to Italy, 37,175 tonne to Germany and 28,573 tonne to Russia in 2019, of the total coffee exports.

Some of the major exporting companies include CCL Products India, Tata Coffee, NKG India Coffee, Allanasons Pvt Ltd, Olam Agro and Coffee Day Global Ltd. Coffee production is estimated to be slightly higher at 3,19,500 tonne for the 2018-19 crop year (October-September), as per the post monsoon forecast by the Board.
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I&B Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar confers First Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman to 30 media houses

The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, today conferred the First Antarrashtriya Yoga Diwas to 30 media organizations, at an event in National Media Centre, New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Javadekar described the award as a unique honour to media organizations that contributed to the spread of Yoga for the benefit of society. Appreciating the efforts of various media organizations, the Minister said that this event, the first of its kind, also marks a new trend of recognition of the endeavour of media organizations that go beyond news, views and advertisements, and work in mission mode for the larger benefit of society.

Shri Javadekar recalled that Lokmanya Tilak had launched the newspaper "Kesari" as a medium to generate awareness towards "Swarajya". Today, he said, media organizations are creating greater public awareness towards "Suraaj" - where good healthcare, education, and civic amenities are available to all. He described this as a sign of India's mature democracy.

Shri Javadekar described Yoga as the biggest key to preventive healthcare. Shri Javadekar mentioned that Yoga - an Indian brand - has gained global respect due to the vision and efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He recalled that the United Nations supported with overwhelming majority, India's proposal for an International Day of Yoga. The Minister congratulated and thanked both the awardees and the Jury members.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, congratulated the I&B Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar for the successful conduct of this new initiative of Yoga Diwas Media Samman. He described Yoga as an ancient heritage of our civilization, through which one can attain mental and physical well-being.

In his address, the Chairman of the Jury, and Chairman, Press Council of India, Justice C.K. Prasad, described Yoga as an investment with zero risk and considerable benefit. Earlier, in his welcome address, Shri Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said that these awards are an attestation of the strong belief in the freedom of press, and the crucial role which media plays in disseminating information and creating awareness among the people on various aspects of social and public life.

Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, Shri Ravi Mittal, Additional Secretary Shri Atul Tiwari, and several other senior officials of the Ministries of I&B, and AYUSH, were present on the occasion.
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SMEs must strive to produce World Class Products; GeM to handhold Women Entrepreneurs in SME Manufacturing - Piyush Goyal

The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector has better adaptability to cater to the export market due to its smaller size and can adapt to market change sooner said Union Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways, Piyush Goyal, during a meeting held in New Delhi yesterday to discuss with MSME associations various industry issues and examine the steps that may be taken to resolve them.

Many issues pertaining to the MSME sector were put up for discussion with the Commerce and Industry Minister by MSMEs through the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), SME Chamber of India and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The most important issues that were discussed in the meeting included the problem faced by SME units in accessing credit from banks, delay in payments from Public Sector Units and Government departments, the issue of GST refund, the dearth of skilled manpower in the SME sector and the issue of differing wages in States across the country.

The MSME sector in India employs over 100 million people and accounts for 45 per cent of manufacturing output and more than 40 per cent of the country's exports. With 63.4 million units throughout the country, MSMEs contribute around 6.11 per cent of the manufacturing GDP and 24.63 per cent of the GDP from service activities.

Commerce and Industry Minister directed Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and the Credit Guarantee Funds Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) to set up a framework that will enable them to process loans to SME units faster and also provide insurance cover to the SME exporters.

Commerce and Industry Minister urged the SME sector manufacturers to produce high quality goods following international standards so that exports from the SME sector may become a part of the global value chain.

On the issue of delayed payments, Commerce and Industry Minister examined the possibility of big companies making full payment to SMEs against delivery so that working capital of SME units are not blocked.

In order to mainstream the 8 million Indian women who have started and are running their own businesses Minister directed that the Government e-Marketplace may handhold the women led SMEs and onboard these enterprises on the GeM portal.

Commerce and Industry Minister assured the SME sector that the Government will give all support and help in the skilling of manpower required for the sector and in all other areas that requires intervention of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
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India's per-capita income rises 6.8 per cent to 11,254 a month in FY20

During 2019-20, India's per-capita monthly income is estimated to have increased by 6.8 per cent to Rs 11,254 (US$ 161.02), according to the Government data on national income.

The monthly per-capita income in 2018-19 stood at Rs 10,534 (US$ 150.72).

"The per-capita net national income during 2019-20 is estimated to be Rs 1,35,050 showing a rise of 6.8 per cent as compared to Rs 1,26,406 during 2018-19 with the growth rate of 10.0 per cent," according to the annual national income and GDP 2019-20 data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

The per-capita income is an important indicator that shows the prosperity of a country.

According to first advance estimates of the national income released by the National Statistical Office, poor performance of manufacturing and construction sectors is estimated to decrease the country’s economic growth to 11-year low of 5 per cent in 2019-20.
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ICSI to open 10 international offices next year

Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is planning to open international offices in at least 10 countries by next year, ICSI president Mr Ranjeet Pandey said.

Mr Pandey told the sources that there was need for more offices abroad as more company secretaries are moving to various countries.

Currently, the institute has two overseas branched and plans to open an office in London in the foreseeable future, Pandey said.

ICSI will first enter into memorandums of understanding with similar institutes in other countries and would open offices in a phased manner, he said.

The institute has entered into an agreement with Bharathiar University for awarding university toppers in the commerce stream with ICSI Signature Award and certificate, Pandey said at the Convocation-2019 of the Southern Region.
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Metro AG India sales rise 10% to Rs 6,755 crore

World's fourth-largest retailer 'Metro AG', posted 10 per cent growth in net sales at Rs 6,755 crore (US$ 966.52 million) in India in the year ended September, helped by aggressive push for own labels also increased the memberships of kirana stores in market where neighborhood stores account for nine of ten consumer items sold.

As per the annual report, the company had a sale of Rs 6,140 crore (US$ 878.52 million) in previous year.

Dusseldorf-based Metro does not sell the products directly to consumers in India and operating as an organized wholesaler/cash-and-carry operator who sell around 7,000 products to local stores, hotels and catering companies across the array of categories.

"We have focused on building a profitable and sustainable business in India through a culture of customer centricity. Currently, 78 per cent of our customers are repeat buyers who contributed to 86 per cent of our sales in FY2018-19," said Mr Arvind Mediratta, managing director at Metro Cash & Carry India.

Metro entered in India in 2003 and is the market leader in organised trade with 27 stores. The company considers Walmart as its closest rival that too operates as a wholesale but also acquired Flipkart two years ago at US$ 16 billion two years ago. Walmart saw its revenue increase 11 per cent to Rs 4,065 crore (US$ 581.63 million) for the fiscal ended March 31, while net losses almost doubled to Rs 172 crore (US$ 24.61 million).
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AAI to set up India's first three water aerodromes in Andaman & Nicobar

Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to develop three first-of-its-kind water aerodromes in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Currently, AAI is in the process of obtaining environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

These water aerodromes are planned in Long Island, Swaraj Island and Shaheed Island with a total investment of Rs 50 crore (US$ 7.15 million) and clearance for preparing the Terms of References (ToR) is required separately for three airports.

These airports are part of the ten water aerodromes that the Centre plans to develop.

"It was recommended that 'ToR' along with Public Hearing prescribed by the Expert Appraisal Committee (Infrastructure-2) should be considered for preparation of EIA/EMP report for the above mentioned project in addition to all the relevant information as per the 'Generic Structure of EIA' given in Appendix III and IIIA in the EIA Notification, 2006," said an Expert Appraisal Committee under the ministry.

"The draft EIA/EMP report shall be submitted to the State Pollution Control Board for public hearing. The issues emerged and response to the issues shall be incorporated in the EIA report," it added.

It is estimated that the incoming of tourists at proposed project locations will lead to increase in tourism and hotel business at local level. This will also create job opportunity for local people there.

These water aerodromes will provide in increase in level of current social infrastructural facilities of the islands, the EAC said.

The invitation of bids for three unserved airports/airstrips in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and one underserved airport in Lakshadweep Island under the fourth round of the regional air connectivity scheme has been sent out, according to the civil aviation ministry.

Last year, licensing norms for water aerodromes, where amphibian planes can land and takeoff were issued by Director General of Civil Aviation.
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DGCA launches Phase-1 services of e-GCA and Project e-GCA aims to provide speedy service delivery in a secure environment

Phase-1 services of the e-Governance (eGCA) project of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was launched by Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, here today. Present at the event were senior officers of DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation. The services were launched on the new DGCA website (www.dgca.gov.in).

With this launch, the issue of Commercial Pilot License (CPL-A) with Flight Radio Telephony Operators License (FRTOL) and Instrument Rating has been automated. The applicants would now be able to fill up their flying details through DGCA portal, after getting themselves registered.

Subsequently, after getting the flying details verified by the Chief Flight Instructors / Dy. Chief Flight Instructors, the applicants would be able to submit their applications for issuance of CPL-A online to DGCA. The DGCA would, after scrutiny of the application, issue license in plastic card form with QR code having all the necessary details.

Rolling out the CPL-A in automated form would help in speeding up issue of these licenses and would do away with manual handling and processing of applications. With this roll out almost seven hundred aspirant pilots would be benefited every year.

Besides issue of CPL-A, issue of Class 1 renewal Medical Assessment to the aspirant pilots has also commenced though eGCA. This will facilitate timely issue of Medical Assessment Certificate to the aspirant pilots.

In subsequent phases, other services of DGCA will also be automated. The eGCA project is being implemented with TCS as Service Provider and PWC as Project Management Consultant. The project has been conceptualized for automation of the processes and functions of DGCA. The project will provide a strong base for IT infrastructure and service delivery framework. The project envisages an end-to-end solution including various software applications, connectivity with all the regional offices, a 'portal' for dissemination of information and for providing online and speedy service delivery in a secure environment. The project would enhance the efficiency of the various services provided by the DGCA and would ensure transparency and accountability in all DGCA functions. The eGCA project is expected to be completed by the end of year 2020.
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Biometric enabled Centralised Access Control System (CACS) &Training Module of e-BCAS Project launched - Aims to digitise employee movement process at airports

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C) for Civil Aviation launched the Biometric enabled Centralized Access Control System (CACS) and 'e-BCAS Project Training Module 'here, today, in the presence of senior officials of the Ministry of Civil aviation (MoCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The two projects launched are important milestones to enhance security and ease of doing business at airports.

Covering 43 Airports of AAI and 5 Joint Venture airports at present, the CACS project is aimed to digitize the employee movement process at the airports. This multi-layered security system encompasses the uniqueness of the Airport Entry Permit (AEP)users, biometric authentication in addition to PIN-based identity verification through contactless smart card technology, which manages access of personnel along with RFID based automated vehicle access control system according to the region, terminal, zone, and gate access privileges. The cost of the card is Rs 225 (US$ 3.22), which shall be valid for three years. Biometric ID (Biometric enabled Centralized Access Control System having chip embedded smart AEPs) thus issued, is non-duplicable.

An MoU was signed between ECIL and BCAS on 17th December 2015 with an overall investment of Rs 34.92 crore (US$ 5 million). The project aimed to digitize the existing mechanism at the airports and reduce human intervention systematically as until now employees were issued laminated paper-based Aerodrome Entry Permit. Airports Authority of India successfully conducted SAT (Site Acceptance Test) at various airport i.e. Ahmedabad, Chennai & Kolkata recently.

Speaking at the event, Shri Hardeep S Puri said "CACS project shall facilitate the ease of processing, enhanced security and prevent unauthorized entry into airport, alert authorities to an attempted intrusion or other irregularities for immediate response; overall not only leading to ease of doing business, but also an enhanced security system." CACS project is bound to assist around 2 Lakhs employees of various stakeholders who move in & out of the airport daily, he added.

Shri Hardeep Singh Puri also launched the 'e-BCAS Project: Training Module' aimed at helping more than 1.5 lakh employees of various stakeholders by migrating from manual process of training to digital platform. The objective of the e-BCAS project is to make all the activities in the BCAS transparent, user-friendly, and efficient and above all, the project intends to provide an ease of doing business with the stakeholders.

All 29 Aviation Security Training Institutes (ASTIs) have been registered as User Entities and now they can make nominations for various courses online. Moreover, the system will also allow its users to check the approvals by BCAS, declaration of results and QR coded online certificate generation will also be done through this project only. This would result in making the entire training ecosystem of BCAS transparent as well as efficient.

Prior to the launch of this project, the whole process of training from the registration/ nominations to approval of courses as well, declaration of the results, and issuance of certificates etc. was being done manually. BCAS conducts training, testing and certification courses through its International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Certified ASTC (Aviation Security Training Centre, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi) and through approved Aviation Security Training Institutes (29 ASTIs as of now) of various Airlines, Airport operators, Aviation Security Group (ASG) and ASTIs of other entities. Apart from these, international courses by ICAO, Department for Transport, United Kingdom, and Transport Security Authority (USA) are conducted by ASTC in India.

e-BCAS Project

The 'e-BCAS' project envisaged to achieve a "paperless office" under e-Governance initiative of GoI. Its aimed at facilitating external stakeholders to access BCAS system by digital automation of all internal office procedures in 2016, the project was approved by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) at an estimated cost of Rs 21.69 crore (US$ 3.10 million). The e-BCAS project included Training module, Quality Control and Operational module and Administration etc. After modifications, the current training module part has been completed at an estimated cost of Rs 30.00 lakhs (US$ 0.04 million). only. In due course of time, with the integration of all three modules into the platform of e-BCAS, the processing time in giving clearances and approvals will be reduced considerably. These steps will ease the process of training, audit/inspections, enhance the throughput as well as a lot of time, energy and precious man hours of all stakeholders.
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Total Forest and Tree Cover rises to 24.56 percent of the total geographical area of the Country

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar released the biennial "India State of Forest Report (ISFR)", in New Delhi. The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) which has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country including wall-to-wall forest cover mapping in a biennial cycle. Starting 1987, 16 assessment have been completed so far. ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series.

Announcing the results, the Union Minister said that India is among few countries in the world where forest cover is consistently increasing. Shri Javadekar told that in the present assessment, the total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 24.56 per cent of the geographical area of the country.

The Environment Minister further said that as compared to the assessment of 2017, there is an increase of 5,188 sq km in the total forest and tree cover of the country. "Out of this, the increase in the forest cover has been observed as 3,976 sq km and that in tree cover is 1,212 sq. km; Range increase in forest cover has been observed in open forest followed by very dense forest and moderately dense forest and the top three states showing increase in forest cover are Karnataka (1,025 sq. km) followed by Andhra Pradesh (990 sq km) and Kerala (823 sq km).", said the Minister.

Some Major Findings

Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra. In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram (85.41 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63 per cent), Meghalaya (76.33 per cent), Manipur (75.46 per cent) and Nagaland (75.31 per cent).

The Mangrove ecosystems are unique & rich in biodiversity and they provide numerous ecological services. Mangrove cover has been separately reported in the ISFR 2019 and the total mangrove cover in the country is 4,975 sq. km. An increase of 54 sq. Km in mangrove cover has been observed as compared to the previous assessment of 2017. Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Gujarat (37 sq. km) followed by Maharashtra (16 sq. km) and Odisha (8 sq. km).

The total growing stock of India's forest and TOF is estimated 5,915.76 million cum of which 4,273.47 million cum is inside the forests and 1,642.29 million cum outside. There is an increase of 93.38 million cum of total growing stock, as compared to the previous assessment. Out of this the increase in growing stock, there is an increase of 55.08 million cum inside the forests and 38.30 million cum outside the forest areas.

The extent of bamboo bearing area of the country has been estimated 16.00 million hectares. There is an increase of 0.32 million hectare in bamboo bearing area as compared to the last assessment of ISFR 2017. The total estimated green weight of bamboo culms is 278 million tonnes, slowly an increase of 88 million tonnes as compared to ISFR 2017.

Under the current assessment the total carbon stock in country's forest is estimated 7,124.6 million tonnes and there an increase of 42.6 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as compared to the last assessment of 2017. The annual increase in the carbon stock is 21.3 million tonnes, which is 78.2 million tonnes CO2 eq.

Wetlands within forest areas form important ecosystems and add richness to the biodiversity in forest areas, both of faunal and floral species. Due to importance of wetlands, FSI has carried out an exercise at the national level to identify wetlands of more than 1 ha within RFA. There are 62,466 wetlands covering 3.8 per cent of the area within the RFA/GW of the country.

METHODOLOGY

ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series. In tune with the Government of India's vision of Digital India, FSI's assessment is largely based on digital data whether it is satellite data, vector boundaries of districts or data processing of field measurements.

The report provides information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock inside and outside the forest areas, carbon stock in India's forests, Forest Types and Biodiversity, Forest Fire monitoring and forest cover in different slopes & altitudes. Special thematic information on forest cover such as hill, tribal districts, and north eastern region has also been given separately in the report.

The biennial assessment of forest cover of the country using mid-resolution Satellite data is based on interpretation of LISS-III data from Indian Remote Sensing satellite data (Resourcesat-II) with a spatial resolution of 23.5 meters with the scale of interpretation 1:50,000 to monitor forest cover and forest cover changes at District, State and National level. This information provides inputs for various global level inventories, reports such as GHG Inventory, Growing Stock, Carbon Stock, Forest Reference Level (FRL) and international reporting to UNFCCC, targets under CCD, Global Forest Resource Assessment (GFRA) done by FAO for planning and scientific management of forests.

Satellite data for the entire country was procured from NRSC for the period October 2017 - February 2018. The satellite data interpretation is followed by rigorous ground truthing. Information from other collateral sources are also used to improve the accuracy of the interpreted image.
For the first time, Ortho-rectified satellite data has been used for forest cover mapping due to its better positional accuracy as it removes effects of image perspective (tilt) and relief (terrain) and scale distortions in the image to represent features in its true positions for accurate measurement of distances, angels and areas.

FSI, in a first ever attempt has carried out a rapid assessment of biodiversity for all the States and UTs (except two) and for all the sixteen Forest Type Groups as per Champion & Seth Classification (1968). Apart from the number of trees, shrub and herb species as observed in the survey, Shanon Wienner Index which gives species richness along with the relative abundance, has also been calculated for each forest type groups in each State & UT.

FSI has carried out mapping of forest types of India as per the Champion & Seth Classification (1968), for the first time in the year 2011 based on the base line forest cover data of 2005. A new exercise for refining and updating the forest type maps as per the latest baseline forest cover was initiated in the year 2016 and has been completed in 2019.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

The accuracy level achieved in the current assessment is the highest amongst all the previous assessments. The accuracy of forest cover classification has been assessed 93.17 per cent. The accuracy of classification between forest and non-forest classes has been assessed 97.20 per cent.

A study to assess the dependence of the people living in close proximity to forests for their day to day needs like fuelwood, fodder, small timber and bamboo was undertaken by FSI during September 2018 to June 2019. Findings of the study in various States/UTs has been presented in the report.

The present report also gives information on the fire prone forest areas of different severity classes, mapped in the grids of 5km x 5km based on the frequency of forest fires in the last 14 years that would enable the SFDs to manage and control forest fires effectively in the respective States.

Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) are important source of livelihood for many tribal communities and villagers living in the proximity of forests. A new information has been generated from the national forest inventory data about the top five NTFP species in each State & UT in terms of their availability in forests i.e. relative occurrence. The information has been presented in the respective sub-chapter of each State & UT of the country in Vol II.

Invasive species pose serious threat to the sustainable management of forests. Analysis of NFI data has been done for determining five major invasive species in each State & UT and also an estimate of area affected by them. This information has been presented in the respective sub chapter of each State & UT of the country in Vol II.

The information given in the report would provide valuable information for policy, planning and sustainable management of forest and tree resources in the country.
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