Indian Economy-News & Updates

[anant_s]

ABB wins order to supply 1600 transformers

ABB announced on November 15 that it has won an order from Alstom to supply 1600 traction transformers for 800 double-unit prima electric new freight locomotives for India.

ABB will supply 50Hz underframe traction transformers for the 800 locomotives. The compact transformers are designed to withstand extreme temperatures and voltage fluctuations.

The transformers will be manufactured at ABB’s facility in the Indian state of Gujarat. The order supports the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative which aims to encourage manufacturing in the country. All but the first five of the 120km/h 8.9MW locomotives will be assembled in India under the agreement.

The IGBT-equipped locomotives will be built at a new production plant at Madhepura in the Bihar state under a joint venture agreed with Alstom in November 2015 in which India Railways (IR) holds a 26% stake. Deliveries will take place between 2018 and 2028. The locomotives will be used on India’s future dedicated freight corridors and help IR to achieve its target of increasing average freight trains speeds from 20-25km/h to 50-60km/h.

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/locomotives/abb-wins-order-to-supply-1600-transformers.html

 

[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurating the DST Pavilion, at the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF-2016), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 18, 2016. The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma is also seen.

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan visits after inaugurating the DST Pavilion, at the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF-2016), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 18, 2016. The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma is also seen.

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan visits after inaugurating the DST Pavilion, at the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF-2016), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 18, 2016. The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma is also seen.

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan visits after inaugurating the DST Pavilion, at the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF-2016), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 18, 2016.

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan visits after inaugurating the DST Pavilion, at the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF-2016), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 18, 2016.

The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the DST Pavilion, at the 36th India International Trade Fair (IITF-2016), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 18, 2016. The Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma is also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy at Skill India Pavilion at IITF in New Delhi on Thursday. PTI Photo

 

[Hindustani78]

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy, inaugurating the Skill India Pavilion at India International Trade Fair,in New Delhi on Thursday. UNI PHOTO

 

[Hindustani78]

Jodhpur passenger train 54703 that derailed near Rajiasar village in Ganganagar District.

 

[Hindustani78]

Farmers and workers filling onions in bags at the Kurnool market yard on Friday.— PHOTO: U. SUBRAMANYAM

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...umes-in-kurnool/article9363132.ece?ref=tpnews

Procurement of onions from farmers resumed in Kurnool market yard on Friday at prices ranging from Rs. 300 to Rs. 750 per quintal depending on the size and quality, with part payment in cash and the remaining sum by cheque, a week after stoppage of onion purchase from farmers due to cash crunch owing to demonetisation of higher value notes.

Farmers brought nearly 280 quintals of onion in 20 lorry loads to the market yard and the premises was filled with onions on Friday. Farmers and hamalis filled the onions in bags for sale. On the directions of Kurnool Joint Collector C. Harikiran, to purchase onions by paying 10 per cent of the amount in cash and the remaining sum by cheque, traders purchased onions under the supervision of officials. Several farmers accepted part payment in cash and the remaining sum by cheque, but some farmers took cheques for the entire sum due to them. Farmers welcomed the arrangement made to purchase onions.

 

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
20-November, 2016 18:21 IST
Innovations and technology should be adopted in agriculture to make it more productive, says President


The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 12th edition of CII Agro Tech 2016 in Chandigarh today (November 20, 2016).

Speaking on the occasion, the President said the nation stood at the cusp of a second green revolution in the Eastern and North Eastern parts of the country. He stated that he was happy to be present in the heart of Punjab and Haryana, the area where the first green revolution successfully began in the 1960s and continued in the decades that followed. He appreciated the indomitable spirit of the farmers of these states for having achieved the green revolution and exhorted industry, research institutions, scientists and farmers to come together for bringing about a second green revolution.

The President stated that India had made significant progress from producing just 50 million tones of food grain in 1947 to about 270 million tones now. He called for the adoption of innovations and technology in agriculture so as to make our farms more productive and use resources more effectively. The President complimented Israel, whose President, Mr. Reuven Rivlin was present on the occasion, for having successfully achieved greater productivity per drop of water by applying innovative technology to agriculture.

The President said for several years India's economic growth rate had been substantial, with an average percentage of 7.6 being achieved in the last one and a half decade, despite a global slowdown. India had emerged as one of the major economies and he was confident that with the new and innovative programs of the Government like, ‘Clean India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’ etc, this ancient civilization of ours will soon grow to be a modern and prosperous world power.

Highlighting the growing relations between India and Israel, the President said that he was a part of the decision making process when fully fledged diplomatic relation were established between the two countries. He said it was a matter of satisfaction that the two countries were collaborating on several fronts that ranged from defense to agriculture.

Among other dignitaries present on the occasion were Shri VP Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab, Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki, Governor of Haryana and Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

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The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the President of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin inaugurating the 12th Edition of CII Agro Tech 2016, in Chandigarh on November 20, 2016.

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressing at the inauguration of the 12th Edition of CII Agro Tech 2016, in Chandigarh on November 20, 2016. The President of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh addressing at the inauguration of the 12th Edition of CII Agro Tech 2016, in Chandigarh on November 20, 2016. The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the President of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

President's Secretariat
20-November, 2016 12:47 IST
President of India condoles the loss of lives on account of derailment of Indore-Patna Express in Uttar Pradesh


The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has condoled the loss of lives on account of derailment of Indore-Patna Express near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

In a message to Shri Ram Naik, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, the President has said “I am sad to learn about the accident in which many have lost their lives and a number of persons are injured, when Indore-Patna Express ran off the tracks near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

I am sure that the State Government is providing all possible assistance to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical aid to the injured.

Kindly convey my heartfelt condolences to the family members of the deceased. I pray to the Almighty to give them the strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss. I wish speedy recovery to the injured persons”.

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Vice President's Secretariat20-November, 2016 11:10 IST
Vice President expresses grief over loss of lives in the train accident at Pukhrayan



The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has expressed grief over loss of lives in the train accident at Pukhrayan, near Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). He said that he is deeply grieved and shocked at the tragic loss of life and injuries to passengers resulting from the derailment of the Indore-Patna Express train.


Following is the text of Vice President’s message:


"I am deeply grieved and shocked at the tragic loss of life and injuries to passengers resulting from the derailment of the Indore-Patna Express train that took place at Pukhrayan near Kanpur (U.P.) earlier today.


I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families and pray to the Almighty to give them strength and fortitude to withstand this immense loss. I also wish speedy recovery to the injured passengers."


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Prime Minister's Office
20-November, 2016 10:09 IST
PM condoles the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore Express


The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore Express. Expressing his anguish, the Prime Minister said:

“Anguished beyond words on the loss of lives due to the derailing of the Patna-Indore express. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.

Prayers with those injured in the tragic train accident. I have spoken to Railway Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu, who is personally monitoring the situation closely”.

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Ministry of Home Affairs
20-November, 2016 13:28 IST
Shri Rajnath Singh expresses deep pain over the loss of lives caused by derailment of Patna-Indore Express near Kanpur

05 Search and Rescue teams of NDRF rushed to Kanpur for immediate response

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has expressed deep pain over the loss of lives caused by derailment of Patna-Indore Express near Kanpur during the wee hours of today morning. The incident took place at about 0310 hrs, approximately 60 km away from Kanpur at a location known as Pukhrayan.

Expressing deep pain, Shri Rajnath Singh said that his thoughts are with the bereaved families. Earlier the day, Shri Rajnath Singh talked to DG, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and instructed him to rush NDRF teams to Pukhrayan.

05 Search and Rescue teams of NDRF have been mobilized to Kanpur. On receipt of information, 01 search and rescue team of NDRF comprising of 35 responders immediately rushed to the incident site at 0530 hrs from its Regional Response Centre (RRC) Lucknow, reached on the spot at 0810 hrs and started search and rescue operation at 0815 hrs. 02 more teams comprising of 79 responders left NDRF Base Vanaras at 0530 hrs. To strengthen the rescue operation, 02 additional teams comprising of 75 responders airlifted from Hindan Airbase Ghaziabad at 1001 hrs and reached at the site at 1105 hrs. NDRF teams are comprising of trained responders, equipped with state-of-the-art Disaster Management gadgets and Medical Components.

As the victims are trapped inside the boggies, due care and diligence is being taken into consideration. NDRF responders are making all possible efforts to rescue the trapped victims with the help of multi-types of latest disaster management gadgets and tools. So far, NDRF has rescued 53 passengers including 16 badly trapped from the boggies. The operation is still in progress. Some additional teams are also put on stand by and shall be mobilized as per demand.

To supervise the rescue operation, DG NDRF, Shri R. K Pachnanda rushed to the site early in the morning from Delhi and reaching shortly.

A 24x7, NDRF Control Room is monitoring the situation round the clock and in touch with Railways Authorities and local civil administration to render any kinds of assistance.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Mines
21-November, 2016 12:16 IST
Mineral Production during September 2016 (Provisional)

The index of mineral production of mining and quarrying sector for the month of September (new Series 2004-05=100) 2016 at 115.6, was 3.1% lower as compared to September 2015. The cumulative growth for the period April- September 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year has been 0.0 percent.

The total value of mineral production (excluding atomic & minor minerals) in the country during September 2016 was Rs. 16997 crore. The contribution of Coal was the highest at Rs. 6076 crore (36%). Next in the order of importance were: Petroleum (crude) Rs. 5302 crore, Natural gas (utilized) Rs. 2068 crore, Iron ore Rs. 1457 crore, Lignite Rs.718 crore and Limestone Rs. 535 crore. These six minerals together contributed about 95% of the total value of mineral production in September 2016.

Production level of important minerals in September 2016 were: Coal 424 lakh tonnes, Lignite 39 lakh tonnes, Natural gas (utilized) 2500 million cu. m., Petroleum (crude) 29 lakh tonnes, Bauxite 1707 thousand tonnes, Chromite 164 thousand tonnes, Copper conc. 11 thousand tonnes, Gold 159 kg., Iron ore 130 lakh tonnes, Lead conc. 20 thousand tonnes, Manganese ore 162 thousand tonnes, Zinc conc. 126 thousand tonnes, Apatite & Phosphorite 38 thousand tonnes, Limestone 245 lakh tonnes, Magnesite 26 thousand tonnes and Diamond 2725 carat.

The production of important minerals showing positive growth during September 2016 over September 2015 include ‘Gold’ (54.4%), ‘Chromite’ (25.7%), ‘Lignite’ ( 21.8%), ‘Iron ore’ (13.4%) ‘Magnesite’ (11.8%) ‘Manganese ore’ (5.8%) and ‘Limestone’ (3.5%). The production of other important minerals showing negative growth are: ‘Apatite & Phosphorite’ [(-) 77.9%], ‘Bauxite’ [(-) 24.5 %], ‘Lead conc. [(-) 12.0%], ‘Diamond’ [(-) 9.5%], ‘Zinc conc.’ [(-) 8.4%], ‘Copper conc.’ [(-) 7.5%], ‘Coal’ [(-) 5.9%], ‘Natural gas (utilized)’ [(-) 5.6%], and ‘Petroleum (crude)’ [(-) 4.1%].

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Agriculture
22-November, 2016 18:13 IST
National Dairy Plan to Increase Milk Production & to Reduce Spoilage of Milk

The Department is implementing the following Dairy Development schemes in which assistance is provided among others for creation and strengthening infrastructure for providing market access to milk & milk products which helps to reduce spoilage of milk due to high temperature:-

i. National Dairy Plan (Phase-I):

The Government of India has approved National Dairy Plan Phase- I (NDP-I) with an outlay of Rs. 2,242 Crore for implementation during 2011-12 to 2018-19 as a Central Sector Scheme. The Scheme is implemented through National Dairy Development Board and the objectives of the National Dairy Plan, Phase I are:-

(a) To help increase the productivity of milch animals and thereby increase milk production to meet the rapidly growing demand for milk.

(b) To help provide rural milk producers with greater access to the organized milk-processing sector.

NDP-I is being implemented in the 18 major milk producing States of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana (after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh), Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Kerala constituting 90% of the milk production. Under NDP-I, 364 projects have been approved with a total outlay of Rs.1904.22 crore out of which Rs.897.97 crore has been released to the implementing agencies. Under this scheme Bulk Milk Coolers (BMCs) for milk of 5200 thousand litres per day (TLPD) capacity has been approved to help in reducing spoilage of milk due to high temperature.


ii. National Programme for Dairy Development under the Central Sector Scheme “National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBDD)”:


The new Scheme, National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) approved during 2013-14 with the budget provision of Rs.600 crore for implementation during 12th Plan. The objective of the scheme is to create dairy infrastructure for improved procurement, processing and marketing of milk and milk products.

NPBBDD is implemented throughout the country including Sikkim. Under NPDD, 31 projects have been approved with a total outlay of Rs.340.77 crore out of which Rs.140.19 crore has been released to the implementing agencies. Under this scheme, Bulk Milk Cooler for milk of 388 TLPD capacity and processing capacity of 1820 TLPD capacity has been approved to help in reducing spoilage of milk due to high temperature.

One project has been approved under NPDD in Sikkim during 2015-16 with an outlay of Rs.569.32 lakh for installation of 4 Bulk Milk Coolers and 50 chest coolers at village level, organisation of 53 new village level dairy cooperative societies and expansion/strengthening of Jorethang and Gangtok dairy plant from 25 TLPD capacity to 50 TLPD to help in reducing spoilage of milk due to high temperature.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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[Hindustani78]

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot lighting the lamp to inaugurate the ‘Stalls of Corporations’ of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in India International Trade Fair (IITF)-2016, in New Delhi on November 21, 2016.

The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot visiting after inaugurating the ‘Stalls of Corporations’ of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in India International Trade Fair (IITF)-2016, in New Delhi on November 21, 2016.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Commerce & Industry23-November, 2016 15:37 IST
Promotion of Export of Spices



The export of spices from the country has shown a steady increase in terms of value. The export of spices & spice products from the country for the last 3 years are given below:


Year - Quantity of Spices Export (Tonne) -Value of Spices Export (Rs. in crores)
2013-14 - 895914 - 15146
2014-15 - 939008 - 14847
2015-16 - 831681 - 16630


During 2015-16, the export of spices from the country has registered an increase of 12% in rupee terms compare to 2014-15.

Presently, there is no proposal for constituting additional Boards for the promotion of spices. However, the Government has notified eleven Spice Development Agencies for addressing issues related to production, quality, domestic marketing and export of Spices in major spice growing States/Regions of the country.



During 2015-16, the total export earning from the country is Rs. 1716378 Crore in which export earnings from Spices is around 0.97 %.



This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today



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Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
23-November, 2016 15:17 IST
Closure of Cement Factories

Department of Heavy Industry, GOI has only the Cement Corporation of India Limited under is central control with total installed capacity of 38.93 lakh MT. Out of ten plants, seven plants are non-operating with total installed capacity of 24.47 lakh MT.

Presently there are three operational plants namely Rajban in Himachal Pradesh with installed capacity of 2.48 lakh MT, Bokajan in Assam with installed capacity of 1.98 lakh MT and Tandur in Telangana with installed capacity of 10.00 lakh MT with total operating installed capacity of 14.46 lakh MT per annum.

The seven non-operating plants of CCI became sick mainly due to obsolete technology, locational disadvantage and low scale of operations.

This information was given by Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Babul Supriyo in reply to a written question in the Rajya Sabha today.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
23-November, 2016 17:13 IST
Steps taken by the Railways to Provide Security to Railway Passengers

Policing on Railways being a State subject, prevention of crime, registration of cases, their investigation and maintenance of law and order in Railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the State Governments, which they discharge through Government Railway Police (GRP)/District Police. However, Railway Protection Force (RPF) supplements the efforts of GRP by deploying its staff for escorting of important trains in affected areas and access control duties at important and sensitive stations.

Besides, the following steps are also being taken by the Railways to provide security:

1. On vulnerable and identified routes/ sections, 2500 trains (on an average) are escorted by Railway Protection Force daily, in addition to 2200 trains escorted by Government Railway Police of different States daily.

2. Surveillance is kept through CCTV cameras, provided at about 344 stations over Indian Railways, to ensure safety and security of passengers.

3. Security Help Line number 182 is made operational over Indian Railways for security related assistance to passengers in distress.

4. An Integrated Security System consisting of surveillance of vulnerable stations through Close Circuit Television Camera Network, Access Control etc. has been sanctioned to improve surveillance mechanism over 202 railway stations.

5. CCTV cameras have been installed on a limited number of coaches of passengers and suburban trains for surveillance on a pilot basis. Sanction for provision of CCTV cameras in 500 coaches has been obtained under Rolling Stock Programme 2015-16. Work has already been completed in about 25 passenger coaches and 32 suburban coaches.

6. Sniffer Dog Squads are utilized at some important stations for anti-sabotage checks.

7. Joint drives by Commercial Department and RPF are conducted from time to time against the entry of unauthorized persons in trains and railway premises.

8. Frequent announcements are made through Public Address system to educate passengers to take precautions against theft, snatching, drugging etc.

9. Close liaison is made by RPF with the State Police/ GRP authorities at all levels for prevention of crime, registration of cases, their investigation and maintenance of law & order in Railway premises as well as on running trains.

Regular coordination meetings are held by RPF with the State Police/ GRP authorities to review and streamline the measures taken for the safety and security of passengers. Analysis of passengers related crime is done to identify affected trains, stations and sections and accordingly security arrangements are made in close coordination with GRP for safety and security of passengers over Indian Railways.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 23.11.2016 (Wednesday).


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Ministry of Railways
23-November, 2016 17:12 IST
Stainless Steel Coaches

The Indian Railways is already manufacturing certain types of Passenger coaches and Wagons with Stainless steel material. The details are as follows:

i. MAINLINE COACHING STOCK

Stainless steel material is used for the manufacture of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) type of coaches, as against Corten steel for ICF (Integral Coach Factory) type of coaches. The carrying capacity of an LHB coach is generally more by about 10% as compared to an ICF type coach. Inspite of the increased carrying capacity, the weight of most variants of LHB type coaches is marginally lesser as compared to that of the corresponding ICF type coach.

ii. SUBURBAN COACHING STOCK

Stainless Steel is used for manufacturing new generation EMU (Electric Multiple Unit) and DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) coaches. There is only a marginal difference in the weight and carrying capacity of these coaches as compared to similar coaches manufactured with Corten steel. The new generation coaches would, however, have a longer life.

iii. WAGONS

The use of Stainless steel in BOXNHL type of open wagons has led to a weight reduction of about 2.5 tonnes and increase in carrying capacity of about 3 tonnes with respect to the earlier BOXN wagons.

A specification for Aluminium body coaches which shall be even lighter than Stainless steel body coaches has been developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO) / Lucknow.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 23.11.2016 (Wednesday).


****

Indian Railways have manufactured about 3450 SLRD/SRD coaches (SLRD-Second Class Cum Luggage Cum Guard Van & Disabled friendly compartment, SRD- Second Class Cum Guard Van & Disabled friendly compartment) which have a suitably designed compartment & toilet adapted to the needs of disabled/wheel chair borne passengers. In SLRD coaches, wider entrance door for wheel chair borne passengers, wider berths, wider compartments, space for provision of Wheel chair, larger lavatory and lavatory doors have been provided. Inside the toilets, additional grab rails on the side walls for support, wash basin and mirror at lower height have provided. It is endeavored to have at least one such coach in each Mail/Express train.

Further, the fully air conditioned Garib Rath trains have been provided with an Air conditioned disabled friendly compartment & toilets in the power cars. For assistance to visually impaired travelers, Braille signages are now being provided in newly manufactured coaches.

In order to facilitate easy movement of elderly and differently abled passengers, as per the existing guidelines, ‘A-1’ category stations qualify for provision of escalators/elevators while ‘A’ category, ‘C’ category and stations of tourist importance qualify for provision of escalators under ‘Desirable Amenities’. So far, 316 no. of escalators at 129 stations & 178 no. of lifts at 79 stations have been provided across Indian Railways. Provision of lifts and escalators at stations is a continuous process and is done as per need, priority of work and availability of funds.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 23.11.2016 (Wednesday).

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Civil Aviation
24-November, 2016 15:48 IST
Revival And Development of Small Airports

National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) provides for promoting regional connectivity by way of revival of un-served and under-served airports/airstrips of state governments and Airports Authority of India (AAI). However, selection of cities under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) is to be 'demand driven', depending on firm demand from the airline operators and where the State Government agrees to provide various concessions envisaged in the Policy. There are approximately 16 under served and 394 unserved airports/airstrips in the country.

The NCAP envisages the Government to facilitate the development of at least four heli-hubs initially, across the country to promote regional connectivity. Ministry of Civil Aviation is to coordinate with MoF, MHA, NHAI, Indian Railways, insurance companies, hospitals, Pawan Hans Limited and other helicopter operators to facilitate Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). Airport charges for helicopter operations are to be suitably rationalized. Further under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), operations through helicopters would be permitted among the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand, North Eastern Region of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep islands.

The Government has laid down route dispersal guidelines (RDG) with a view to achieving better regulation of air transport services taking into account the need for air transport services of different regions of the country. The guidelines specifies that all scheduled operators are required to deploy in the North Eastern region, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand (Category-II routes) at least 10% of their deployed capacity on trunk routes (Category I routes). Further, at least 10% of the capacity thus required to be deployed on Category-II routes, is required to be deployed for connectivity exclusively within these regions. 50% of the capacity deployed on Category-I routes is to be deployed on routes other than Category-I and Category-II routes i.e. Category-III routes.

The Airlines are free to operate anywhere in the country subject to compliance of RDG issued by Government. However, it is up to the airlines to provide air services to specific places depending upon the traffic demand and commercial viability.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Shri Jayant Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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The Government has granted 'in principle' approval to private companies namely Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL), Gwalior Agriculture Company Limited (GAPL) and Karaikal Airport Private Limited (KAPL) for setting up of Greenfield Airports in West Bengal ( Rs.670 crores approx.), Madhya Pradesh (Rs. 200 crores approx. ) and Puducherry (Rs. 170 crores approx ) respectively.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Shri Jayant Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Science & Technology
24-November, 2016 15:44 IST
Requisite Technology Developed for ‘Rice Fortification with Iron’ for addressing incidence of Anaemia

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) through R&D support to IIT, Kharagpur has developed the requisite technology on the fortification with Iron for addressing the incidence of anaemia. This involves production of Iron fortified rice premix through extrusion process using broken rice kernels. This iron fortified rice kernel premix matches with the normal rice kernel in shape and size, and when mixed with normal rice in the ratio of 1:100 provides 50% of recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Iron. This technology can also be used to fortify rice with other micro nutrients, as well. The incremental cost of fortification has been estimated by IIT-Kharagpur to be upto 80 paise per kg of rice.

The steps taken by Government to take forward the rice fortification model to all parts of the country to deal with nutritional deficiency among the women and children is as follows:

A Pilot Scale Unit with a capacity of 100 kg/hr/shift has been commissioned at IIT-Kharagpur. The technology is ready for demonstration and transfer to prospective entrepreneurs. The same can be commercialized. However, for introduction in the Govt programmes such as Mid-day Meal Scheme and ICDS to address micro nutrient deficiencies in children, DBT would be willing to set up pilot scale production unit in States who would be interested. Accordingly, an MoU could be executed between DBT and the respective State Government Departments. This technology was also deliberated in the “National Summit on Fortification of Food” which was an Inter Ministerial meeting convened by FSSAI on 16th and 17th October, 2016, which was attended by State and Central Government officials, Industry representatives and academia. Further, DBT’s proposal on the above issue has also been shortlisted in the Inter State Council Secretariat for the Eastern Zonal States – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal under their social outreach programme.

This information was given by Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Y.S.Chowdhary in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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