158 lakh MT steel to be consumed in construction of houses sanctioned under PMAY(U): Hardeep Singh Puri

 

About 158 lakh Metric Tonne steel and 692 lakh Metric Tonne cement is likely to be consumed in construction of all the houses sanctioned under PMAY(U) as per estimates, said Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, MoS, I/C, MoHUA and MoCA. Addressing a webinar on Atmanirbhar Bharat: Fostering Steel Usage in Housing & Construction and Aviation Sector, the Minister said that nearly 84 lakh MT steel and 370 lakh MT cement would have already been consumed in houses grounded/completed so far. Sh Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Sh F S Kulhaste, MOS Steel, Sh P K Kharola, Secretary Moca, Sh D S Mishra, Secretary, Mohua, Sh P K Tripathi, Secretary, Steel, senior officers and stakeholders from the industry participated in the webinar which was organized by CII.

 Informing that under PMAY(U), so far, 1.07 crore houses (against demand of 1.12 crore houses) across 4,550 urban cities and 67 lakh houses have been grounded and 35 lakh have been delivered so far, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri added that an estimated 3.65 crore jobs would be generated in construction of all sanctioned houses of which about 1.65 crore jobs would have already been generated in construction of houses grounded so far. The minister added that in 2019, a vision for India becoming a US$ 5 trillion economies by 2024 was laid out by Prime Minister and this growth was envisioned to be anchored in innovative, sustainable, inclusive and self- reliant infrastructure development across the country. Speaking on urbanization, the Minister said that our urban centres/cities are hubs of economic productivity, infrastructure, culture, and diversity. He added that 40 per cent of our population or 600 million Indians are expected to live in our urban centers by 2030.

 Highlighting the usage of steel in urban transport, Shri Puri said that presently about 700 km metro length is operational in 18 cities and about 900 km network is under construction in 27 cities. He added that the average per KM requirement of steel in metro projects is about 13,000 Metric Tonnes (Types -Reinforcement Steel, Structural Steel, Stainless Steel and HT Steel).

Speaking about Indirect steel usage in Smart Cities Mission, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister stated that 5,151 projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore (US$ 28.37 billion) were identified in 100 Smart Cities and the Mission has tendered around 4,700 projects worth Rs 1,66,000 crore (US$ 23.55 billion) which is about 81 per cent of the total projects proposed. He added that around 3,800 projects amounting to approximately Rs 1,25,000 crore (US$ 17.73 billion) viz. 61 per cent have been grounded and more than 1,638 projects worth over Rs 27,000 crore (US$ 3.83 billion) have been completed. In order to improve mobility, our cities have completed 215 smart road projects and 315 projects are near completion. Keeping with our commitment to making our cities more liveable and sustainable, 70 projects related to smart water and 42 projects under smart solar have been completed. 

Highlighting usage of steel in aviation sector, Civil Aviation Minister said that Steel is being used extensively in Airport Terminal buildings for roof structure and as support to glass façade. He stated that with a steel roof structure, large column free spaces can be created to give unobstructed view and appearance. Shri Puri explained that the enhanced use of steel in Terminal buildings, Pre-engineered structures leads to ease in work and speedy construction. He stated that value of steel used in construction of Airport Terminal Buildings in the past 3 years is Rs 570 crore (US$ 80.86 million) (approx). He informed that value of steel expected to be used for construction of Airport Terminal Buildings in the next 5 years - Rs 1,905 crore (US$ 270.25 million) (approx). He further said that in the next five years 15 new Terminal buildings are planned at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore (US$ 2.13 billion). requiring large quantity of steel and added that on an average 12-15 per cent of cost component is steel work for Airports. The minister said that the steel ministry’s vision of 300 Million tonnes of capacity by 2030 would be strongly supplemented by the demand generated by urban infrastructure development over the next decade. He assured that the MoHUA and MoCA will play a crucial role in meeting that demand and the demand for steel is only going to increase further in the years to come.

Speaking about the impact on environment, the minister said that PM had stressed on the need to use new, alternative, and faster construction strategies and technologies which are disaster resilient and environment friendly where the carbon footprint is minimal. He added that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has given a strong push to new technologies and informed that across the country as of today more than 15 lakh houses have been built/under construction using new technologies, both, under PMAY as well as through other state agencies.  Shri Puri urged the Steel industry to come out with their own design and structures for usage of newer strategies and technologies which will have faster completion periods for houses, and which are resilient. He said that MoHUA will collaborate to promote it across the states. He added that the Ministry has already launched a global challenge -Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC) to promote and propagate such new technologies.

Exports of agricultural commodities during March to June 2020 increased by 23.24 per cent compared to corresponding period in 2019

 

Self-reliant agriculture is critical for the goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. For this, agricultural export is extremely important as besides earning precious foreign exchange for the country, the exports help farmers/producers/exporters to take advantage of wider international market and increase their income. Exports have also resulted in increased production in agriculture sector by increasing area coverage and productivity.

As per WTO’s Trade Statistics, share of India’s agricultural exports and imports in the world agriculture trade in 2017 was 2.27 per cent and 1.90 per cent, respectively. Even during the difficult time of pandemic lockdown, India took care to not to disturb the world food supply chain and continued to export. The exports of Agri commodities during March 2020 to June 2020 were Rs 25,552.7 crore (US$ 3.63 billion) against an export of Rs 20,734.8 crore (US$ 2.94 billion) during the same period in 2019, showing a sharp increase of 23.24 per cent.

The agricultural exports as a percentage of India’s agricultural GDP has increased from 9.4 per cent in 2017-18 to 9.9 per cent in 2018-19. While the agricultural imports as a percentage of India’s agricultural GDP has declined from 5.7 per cent to 4.9 per cent indicating exportable surplus and decreased dependence on import of agricultural products in India.

Giant strides have been made in agri export since independence. In 1950-51, India’s agri export was about Rs 149 crore (US$ 21.14 million) which has risen to the level of Rs 2.53 lakh crore (US$ 35.89 billion) in 2019-20. There has been substantial increase in export of almost all the agricultural items in the last 15 years, but despite being one of the top producers of agricultural products, India does not figure among top exporters of agricultural produce. For example, India holds second rank in the world wheat production but ranks 34th in export. Similarly, despite being world No. 3 in production of vegetables, the export ranking of India is only 14th. Same is the case for fruits, where India is the second largest producer in the world but export ranking is 23rd. To reach the ranks of top exporting nation in Agriculture, commensurate with the production, there is a clear and categorical need to take proactive interventions.

In view thereof, DAC&FW has prepared a comprehensive action plan/strategy towards promotion of agri trade. A detailed exploration of data and issues of pre-production, production, and post-harvest has been undertaken to evolve an end to end approach for developing a holistic strategy. An analysis of product groups and then specific commodities has been done with regard to present status of production & exports, strengths, challenges and thereafter interventions have been identified after consultations with stakeholders. The twofold approach addresses boosting Agri Export with emphasis on value addition and focussed action plan for Import Substitution. The interventions so identified have been converted into a timed action plan.

To mention a few, the Export strategy focuses on export promotion of fast evolving niche markets of Wellness food/ Health conscious food/nutraceuticals; Development of “Brand India” in campaign mode to help penetration into new foreign markets and of new products which automatically translates into higher value realisation;  Gulf countries have been identified as focus destination to increase the market share which is a strong market for India though presently India caters to only 10-12 per cent share of their total imports. A product market matrix has been made containing list of products of strength which could be expanded in new geographies and list of known markets which can be introduced with newer products.

It is also noted that Horticulture is a growing sub-sector. India holds 2nd position in production of fruits and vegetables. It exports 8.23 Lakh MT (LMT) of fruits worth Rs 5,638 crore (US$ 799.83 million) and 31.92 LMT of vegetables worth Rs 5,679 crore (US$ 805.65 million) annually. Grapes occupy the premier position in fresh fruit exports followed by Mango, Pomegranate, Banana, and Oranges. In fresh vegetable export basket, Onions, Mixed Vegetables, Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Green Chilly are the major items. However, world trade of fruits and vegetables is US$ 208 billion, and India’s share is miniscule.  There is huge potential to increase export in fruits and vegetables. As such, specific strategy for export promotion has also been evolved for Fresh Fruits & Vegetables with specific emphasis on grapes, mango, pomegranate, onion, potato & Cucumber-Gherkin.

It is also emphasised that the existing Agri clusters are required to be strengthened and more product clusters to be developed to fulfil the gap of bulk quantity and quality of supplies. A time bound action plan has also been prepared for import substitution with focus upon Edible Oils, Cashew, fruits and spices thereby making India self-reliant.

At the behest of Department of Agricultural Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, product specific Export Promotion Forums have been created to lead agri exports to new heights. Export promotion forums (EPFs) for eight agri & allied products viz.  Grapes, Mango, Banana, Onion, Rice, Nutri-Cereals, Pomegranate and Floriculture have been constituted under the aegis of Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Department of Commerce.

Each Export Promotion Forum shall be having exporters of the related commodity as its members along with official members representing concerned Ministries/Departments of the Central and State Governments. Chairman APEDA shall be the chairman of each of these forums. The forums will meet at least once in every two months, to discuss/ make recommendations on issues pertaining to export of the respective commodity and invite experts etc. to the meeting for interaction, as required.

The Forums will constantly monitor and identify/anticipate developments in the external/internal situation pertaining to the production and export of their respective commodity and recommend /intervene for taking the necessary policy/ administrative measures. They will be in active touch with the producers, exporters and other relevant stakeholders of respective commodities and hear their problems, and facilitate, support, and provide solutions to them. They will regularly study the market for respective commodities on a global basis and identifying opportunities and developments / implications for domestic entities and disseminate the same expeditiously to domestic producers and exporters.

The recommendations of the forum will be placed in the product committee / Authority of APEDA. The Forum will keep in close contact with the concerned organisation of Ministry of Agriculture such as MIDH, Extension, NPPO etc., DGFT, Ministry of Civil Aviation, MoFPI etc. to further the interest of agricultural export.

Launch of Tribal Health & Nutrition Portal - 'Swasthya' and Opening of National Overseas Portal & National Tribal Fellowship Portal

 

A series of initiatives were announced by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs here today, which included the Tribal Health and Nutrition Portal ‘Swasthya’ and e-newsletter on health and nutrition ALEKH; opening of National Overseas Portal and National Tribal Fellowship Portal. Present during the occasion were Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda, Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Smt Renuka Singh Saruta, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat Shri V.P. Joy and officers of Ministry of Tribal Affairs led by Shri Deepak Khandekar, Secretary, M/o Tribal Affairs. Shri Navaljit Kapoor, Joint Secretary, MoTA gave presentation of Performance Dashboard of Ministry where various outcome indicators of 11 schemes and Initiatives of the Ministry are reflected.

Shri Arjun Munda inaugurated the e-portal on tribal health and nutrition named ‘Swasthya’, a first of its kind e-portal, providing all health and nutrition related information of the tribal population of India in a single platform. Swasthya will also curate innovative practices, research briefs, case studies, and best practices collected from different parts of India to facilitate the exchange of evidence, expertise, and experiences. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has recognized Piramal Swasthya as the Centre of Excellence for Knowledge Management (CoE for KM) for Health and Nutrition. The CoE will constantly engage with the Ministry and provide inputs to drive evidence-based policy and decision-making pertaining to health and nutrition of the tribal population of India. The portal http://swasthya.tribal.gov.in is hosted on NIC cloud.  

During the event, Shri Arjun Munda stated, “The availability of healthcare for all has been one of the foremost priorities of our Prime Minister. Although the public health standards have improved over time, the differences between tribal and non-tribal populations remain. We, at the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, are committed to bridge this gap. I am glad that the ‘Swasthya’ portal has come out very well. The launch of the portal is a first step towards the much bigger goal of serving the tribal population of our nation. With support from all the stakeholders, I hope and expect to grow stronger and serve better towards fulfilment of visions of our Prime Minister ‘Healthy India.”

He further informed about the initiatives of the Ministry in partnership with Facebook though the ‘Going Online as Leaders (GOAL)’ Programme. Through the GOAL Programme, the Ministry aims to mentor 5000 Tribal Youth across India and enable them to become village-level digital young leaders for their communities. He stated “We are working very hard to make this programme a big success and I have every hope that the initiative will realize its objectives and result in empowering tribal youth to become leading resource in their area of influence and help tribal youth and enable them to gain leadership skills, identify problems in their society, find solutions and use their knowledge for society’s socio-economic status.”GOAL program has received huge response from all stakeholders. The road map of the program including the distribution of mobile and launch of the program on 5th September 2020, on Teachers Day was also announced.

Commenting on the DBT Portal, Shri Arjun Munda stated that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been recently awarded the 66th SKOCH Gold Award for “Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled Scholarship Schemes” under guidance of DBT Mission. It was informed that the national evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes focused on social inclusion by KPMG has recognised the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Portal of Ministry of Tribal Affairs as a best practice in e-governance; leading to greater transparency, accountability and radical improvement in service delivery to Scheduled Tribe students. On the opening of online application for Fellowship and Overseas Scholarship, he added, “National Fellowship and Overseas Scholarship Portal will bring greater transparency and easy information to the ST students”. He talked about extraordinary efforts of Ministry towards realizing the dreams of Digital India envisioned by Prime Minister”.

Speaking on the Performance Dashboard of M/o Tribal Affairs the Minister added “The dashboard is part of Digital India Initiative to work towards empowering Scheduled Tribes and will bring efficiency and transparency in the system.The performance of Tribal Ministry and 37 other Ministries who are required to spend allocated amount of their budget for tribal welfare under STC Component as per mechanism framed by NITI Aayog can be seen on various parameters on dashboard.The dashboard will also be one-point link to all e-initiatives of the Ministry”The Dashboard has been developed by Centre of Excellence of Data Analytics (CEDA), organization under National Informatics Centre (NIC) with domain name (http://dashboard.tribal.gov.in).

Smt Renuka Singh Saruta released ‘ALEKH’, a quarterly e-newsletter. Emphasizing on the commitment of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to improve the health and wellbeing of the tribal communities, she stated, “I am deeply grateful to the individuals and organizations who tirelessly work on the ground for the betterment of the community especially in providing health services to the ST people during COVID time. I hope this newsletter will enable us to showcase the work of all our stakeholders and encourage us to learn from each other’s successes and failures. I am glad to mention that through the GOAL programme, MoTA and Facebook are jointly reaching the ST youth, and specially ST girls, through digital platform for developing entrepreneurial skills among them. I firmly believe that this will empower them to become champions in the social and economic sector.”

Shri V.P. Joy, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat opened the National Overseas and National Fellowship portal for inviting online applications for academic year 2020-21. He hailed the efforts of the Ministry for creating an excellent database in respect of all scholarship schemes through DBT and bringing transparency and efficiency through performance dashboard.

Other members present during the occasion were Shri Paresh Parasnis, CEO, Piramal Foundation, Shri Shailendra Hegde, Vice President Public Health Innovations, Piramal Swasthya and Shri Rajat Arora, Facebook.

Ester Filmtech to set up Rs 1,350 crore manufacturing plant in Telangana

 Ester Filmtech intends to invest Rs 1,350 crore (US$ 191.52 million) to set up an advanced polyester film manufacturing facility in Telangana.

It is expected that the implementation of the first phase with an investment of Rs 500 crore (US$ 70.93 million) is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of the calendar year 2022, the company said.

This project will generate direct employment for about 800 people. The end products will be used as packaging material and will help in strengthening the value chain of the flexible packaging industry.

The company also plans to export 30 to 40 per cent of its production, which will help establish Telangana's footprint on the global flexible packaging map.

Chairman Mr Arvind Singhania said, “The company chose Telangana as an investment destination due to its industry-friendly policies, growth-oriented approach and ease of doing business.”

Ester Industries is among the leading producers of polyester films, engineering plastics and speciality polymers in India. The company has manufacturing facilities at Khatima in Uttarakhand with a capacity of 67,000 tonnes per annum of polyester resin, 57,000 TPA of polyester film, 30,000 TPA of speciality polymers and 16,500 TPA of engineering plastics.

It exports about 30 per cent of its production of polyester films with sales and distribution network in more than 56 countries.

BRO constructs 180-feet bailey bridge under three weeks providing connectivity to 20 villages in Uttarakhand

 Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed a 180-feet bailey bridge in Jauljibi sector of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand in less than three weeks despite frequent landslides and heavy rains. The 50-metre span concrete bridge was completely washed out on July 27, 2020 when cloudburst hit the area and the nallas and rivers were flooded. This caused a mud flow of tremendous force. There were many casualties also due to landslides and the road communication was broken. 

The BRO mobilised its bridging resources and setup to construct the bridge. The biggest challenge was to transport parts to the site from Pithoragarh amidst frequent landslides and heavy rains. The bridge was successfully completed on August 16, 2020. This has led to accessing flood affected villages and has connected Jauljibi to Munsiyari.

The connectivity will bring relief to about 15,000 people in 20 villages. The constructed bridge has resumed road communication of 66-kilometre road starting from Jauljibi to Munsiyari. Local Member of Parliament Shri Ajay Tamta had expressed his concern about the worst affected isolated villages of Lumti and Mori at 25-kilometre from Jauljibi where maximum deaths had taken place. This bridge will provide essential support in rehabilitating the villages.

Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS) 2.0 extended with greater flexibility to respond to emerging demands

 

As part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, announced by the Government, Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS) 2.0 was launched on 20.05.2020 to provide Portfolio Guarantee for purchase of Bonds or Commercial Papers (CPs) with a rating of AA and below issued by NBFCs/HFCs/ MFIs by Public Sector Banks (PSBs). It was envisaged to purchase Bonds/ CPs of Rs 45,000 crore (US$ 6.38 billion) under PCGS 2.0 of which the maximum headroom permissible for purchase of Bonds/ CPs rated AA/AA- was 25 per cent of the total portfolio i.e. Rs 11,250 crore (US$ 1.60 billion). In addition, the Government had separately announced the Special Liquidity Scheme for purchase of Commercial Papers (CPs) and Non-Convertible Debentures (NCDs) issued by NBFCs/HFCs with a residual maturity of upto 3 months, which could be extended for a further period of up to 3 months, of a total value not exceeding Rs 30,000 crore (US$ 4.26 billion) to be extended by the amount required as per need.

Under PCGS 2.0, PSBs have approved purchase of Bonds/ CPs rated AA/AA- issued by 28 entities and Bonds/CPs rated below AA- issued by 62 entities, amounting to Rs 21,262 crore (US$ 3.02 billion) overall. The average ticket size of Bonds/CPs rated below AA- is significantly lower than the average ticket size of Bonds/CPs rated AA/AA-.Under SLS, proposals of Rs 7,464 crore (US$ 1.06 billion) have been approved for purchase so far.

Keeping in view the progress under the Scheme and the fact that the stipulated limit for AA/AA- rated Bonds/CPs has been nearly reached while the appetite for lower rated Bonds/CPs is nearing saturation considering their lower ticket size, the Government has now decided to modify PCGS 2.0 for purchase of Bonds/CPs as under:

• Additional 3 months have been granted to build up the portfolio. At the end of six months, i.e. by 19.11.2020, the portfolio shall be crystallised based on actual amount disbursed, for the Guarantee to come into effect.
• At the portfolio level, AA and AA- investment sub-portfolio under the Scheme should not exceed 50 per cent (instead of 25 per cent stipulated earlier) of the total portfolio of Bonds/ CPs purchased by PSBs under the Scheme.

It is expected that the above modification will provide greater flexibility to PSBs in purchasing Bonds/CPs under PCGS 2.0.

Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 1858 roads of length 11,517 km and 84 bridges have been completed in Jammu & Kashmir

 Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), is a flagship program of Govt. of India for providing connectivity to unconnected habitations, based on census 2001. In the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, all unconnected habitations of population above 250, are eligible under the program. In the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, 3,261 roads of length of 19,277 km and 243 bridges have been sanctioned, out of which 1858 roads of length 11,517 km and 84 bridges have been completed. Similarly, in the UT of Ladakh, 142 roads of length of 1207 km and 3 bridges have been sanctioned, out of which 96 roads of length 699 km and 2 bridges have been completed till July 2020. Works for connecting 2,149 eligible unconnected habitations were sanctioned in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 1,858 habitations have been connected. In the UT of Ladakh, works for 65 eligible habitations were sanctioned and 64 habitations have been already connected by July 2020.

Large number of sanctioned road works could not be started by August 2019, because of non- availability of clearance from forest department. However, substantial numbers of such pending cases have been resolved, and works have been awarded and started during last one year, with changes in the governance system. During last one year, 181 number of road works of length 1,292 km and 11 bridges have been completed, with an expenditure of more than Rs 715 crore (US$ 101.43 million).

 

Following two cases are presented as good examples of development of road works under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Upgradation of Link Road from T03 to Stok (PMGSY Leh)

Length: 11.70 Kms, Sanctioned Cost: Rs 1,299.78 lakh (US$ 1.84 million)

The road proposed to village Stok in district Leh, takes off from km 2nd of Choglamsar Hemis road to Stok village for a length of 11.70 Kms benefitting a population of 1855, as per 2001 census. This scheme was sanctioned under PMGSYS-I, in the year 2018-19 (Phase XII). The earlier road was in a damaged condition and was not serving as all-weather road. This road is being constructed by using plastic waste for the first time in the entire Leh district. In this technology, the waste plastic is used in shredded form, and is pushed into the hot mix plant over the heated aggregates. The plastic melts and coats the heated aggregates before the aggregates are coated with hot bitumen. This technology will reduce the plastic waste and strengthen the pavement structure of the road, by reducing the water absorption of aggregates. This project was started in the year 2019 and length of 7 Kms has been completed up to Bituminous Surface level and the balance length is in progress and shall be completed by October-2020. By upgradation of the road, the habitants of the village Stok will get all weather connectivity with the nearest market due to which the socio-economic conditions of the habitants will be improved. During summer, thousands of tourists go to this village to visit the Museum in Royal palace, Stok Monastery and the start point of the trek route to Stok Kangri which is a major tourist attraction.

 

Upgradation of Road from Supply More T03 to Kainthgali (PMGSY Jammu)

Length: 27.70 Kms, Sanctioned Cost: Rs 2,389.32 lakh (US$ 3.39 million)

This road takes off from Supply More Udhampur to Kainthgali village in district Udhampur, having length of 27 Km benefitting a population of 1608 souls as per 2001 census. This project has been sanctioned under PMGSYS-I, Phase XII in the year 2018-19. The work has been awarded, in October 2018. This project has been taken up for upgradtion in 2018-19, but work being slow due to various impediments and clearances etc. Now the work is in good pace and length of 11 Km has been completed up to BT status and the balance work up to BT status shall be completed by March-2021. By up-gradation/improvement of this road, the population of the 5 No villages namely Dabreh, Krimachi, Mansar, Pathi, kainthgali will be provided better connectivity to the nearest market and District Head-Quarter Udhampur.

With construction of such all-weather roads, the socio-economic condition of the inhabitants of the stated villages will certainly improve and the habitants will have better access to schools, health centres and markets. There are some tourist spots near these roads and during summer, thousands of tourists go to tourist destinations such as Panchari, Stok Kangri, Stok Monastery which are surrounded with meadows of forest and mountains and during winters, snow-clad mountains and a picturesque landscape with the most scenic views reflects the nature’s beauty at its best. The road from supply more to Kainthgali also provides all weather road to a well-known pilgrimage centre where lacs of tourists visit every year.  With construction of these roads, the inflow of tourists will certainly increase thereby improving the living standards of the inhabitants of the rural/far-flung areas.

Medha invests Rs 1,000 crore, sets up rail coach factory in Telangana

 

A Hyderabad-based diversified firm, Medha Servo Drives laid the foundation for setting up a rail coach factory in Telangana at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore (US$ 141.86 million).

The ground-breaking ceremony of the Medha Rail Coach Factory in Kondakal village in neighbouring Rangareddy district was attended by State Minister for IT and Industries Mr KT Rama Rao.

It is expected that the factory will generate 1,000 direct and 1,200 indirect jobs in the region.

"The facility will have a capacity of manufacturing coaches, locomotives, inter-city train sets, metro trains and monorail, among others. Production capacity is planned for 500 coaches of various types and 50 locomotives per year," Medha Servo said.

Medha Servo Drives Pvt. Ltd designs and manufactures various world-class high-tech electronics products for application on locomotives, train sets, coaches, railway stations and yards, making it the largest propulsion equipment supplier to the Indian Railways.

Mr Rama Rao said, “Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao-led governments pro-active approach and conducive policies have encouraged Medha Group to establish its world-class rail coach factory”.

The facility is expected to create an eco-system for rail coach manufacturing in the state.

This will be the largest private sector rail coach manufacturing unit in the country.

NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission, NASSCOM launch Artificial Intelligence Step-up modules to school students nationwide

 

After a successful launch of a unique initiative to take Artificial Intelligence (AI) to schools through ‘ATL AI Modules’, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog in collaboration with NASSCOM launched the ‘ATL AI Step Up Module’ for students on the eve of India’s Independence Day in order to drive AI education and innovation to the next level in schools across the country.

This module is the next step in bringing AI to Indian classrooms and is a successor to the AI Base module launched in February this year. The AI Step-up Module provides a comprehensive set of learn it yourself Advanced modules to those who wish to expand their knowledge base after becoming familiar with the basics of the AI discipline through the AI base module.

With this new launch, through hands-on projects and activities, the step-up module encourages a deeper understanding of AI which can be applied in the real world. The module is designed in an attractive graphical manner that is comprehensible for all students belonging to rural and urban areas.

Meanwhile, the step-up module needs no previous knowledge and introduces the concepts to students from the basics using interactive tools and activities so as to keep their attention undivided. Moreover, the objective of this module is to challenge students and create opportunities in the coming years making students the Change makers and torch bearers of innovation.

Speaking on the importance of introducing AI to school students, CEO NITI Aayog Mr Amitabh Kant said the AI step up module is the future of this country as it targets the youth which in itself is path breaking. “Actually, this launch is on the very critical day as India is celebrating its 74th Independence Day and I am glad to announce on the eve of Independence Day this ATL AI step up module by NITI Aayog through AIM for students of this nation. AI is really the future for our children, and it is the truly unique endeavour by AIM and NASSCOM,” he said.

He urged young India to take this opportunity positively and explore the module to create valuable solutions which would pave way for the country to truly become Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Speaking on the virtual launch, Mission Director Atal Innovation Mission Mr R Ramanan said that this first ever Industry government academia initiative has received a huge response from students by the introduction of base module and now AIM, NITI Aayog and NASSCOM is proud to launch its step-up module.Inputs from leading academic institutions including IITs have contributed in the development of these modules.

“The Base module was specifically devised considering students as young as 12 years of age, with absolutely no prior background of AI to ignite curiosity on AI in their young minds and to contribute to the ecosystem of innovation.Step up module has been exquisitely designed and presented to involve young students across the country to induce inclusive learning and to empower youngsters of our country to create AI integrated innovations,” he added.

Sharing her views NASSCOM President Debjani Ghosh said “The rapid advancement of technology, such as AI and Robotics, has penetrated all industries, including education. As the world gets transformed with innovation, it is hearting to see how the youth of our country are acquiring great fondness towards the digital method of studying and adopting Artificial Intelligence in it,” she asserted.

She further added that with the aim of introduction of digital literacy, coding, and computational thinking, these modules can empower young people to meaningfully interact with AI-based technologies and bolster learning. Skills such as logical thinking, critical thinking and problem-solving skills are going to be the most important skills for success in professional life in the coming decade.

The module is a directed step by the government of India in building citizens and a workforce that is aware of AI and can work with AI. It has been created keeping the age group of its intended audience in mind, so that they can be easily understood by any individual who has just been exposed to the idea of AI.

The AI Step-Up module would be available for all students across the country and could be accessed at https://aim.gov.in/Lets_learn_AI_StepUp_Module.pdf.

The virtual launch today was attended by officials of AIM, NITI Aayog, NASSCOM, Industry Partners and Academia

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju launches nation-wide initiative of Fit India Youth Clubs to promote fitness among every citizen

 Union Minister of Youth and Sports Mr Kiren Rijiju launched yet another nation-wide initiative, the Fit India Youth Club, on the occasion of the 73rd Independence Day of the country today. The Fit India Youth Club, a part of the Fit India Movement envisioned by Prime Minister, endeavours to harness the power of youth to create mass awareness about the importance of fitness, across the country.

The Fit India Youth Clubs bring together fitness and voluntarism in a unique way in which 75 lakh volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and National Service Scheme, along with Scouts and Guides, NCC and other youth organisations will come together to register as Fit India Youth Clubs in every block in the country, under the aegis of a district unit and each member of the club will motivate people from the community to take up fitness activities of 30 to 60 minutes in his or her daily routine. Additionally, the clubs will organise and encourage schools and local bodies to organise one community fitness programme every quarter.

Speaking about the initiative, Shri Rijiju said, “Only a fit citizen can contribute adequately to his or her country and help fellow citizens in their times of need. India is a country of 1.3 billion people, and we have 75 lakh youth volunteers already, and that number will go up to 1 crore very soon. I am sure that this one crore volunteers can motivate at least 30 crore Indians in every nook and corner of India to take up fitness activities regularly. With time, both the numbers of volunteers and those who can be motivated to join the Fit India Movement will grow, and soon, we will be able to reach out to every Indian.”

One of the first initiatives that will be taken up by the Fit India Youth Clubs is to popularise the Fit India Freedom Run, which begins from August 15 to October 2 and is a unique concept that allows participants to run at their pace and at their place and plan their own running routes. The run has already gathered momentum across the country, with elite athletes, corporate leaders, men in uniform, school students taking to social media and posting pictures and videos of their Independence Day runs with #Run4India and #NewIndiaFitIndia.

“The Fit India Movement will complete one year on August 29. Like the various events that have been organised in the last year, the Fit India Freedom Run has also attracted every section of the country. Various organisations like CISF, ITBP, BSF, CBSE Schools, CICSE schools, our own NSS, NYKS volunteers Scouts and Guides other youth organisations are taking active part. We will be assessing which block, district and city has performed the best in the run. It is important to keep a target and keep assessing our performance as a nation.”