Indian Economy-News & Updates

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Commerce & Industry
31-October, 2018 18:30 IST
India Improves Rank by 23 Positions in Ease of Doing Business

India at 77 Rank in World Bank’s Doing Business Report

The World Bank released its latest Doing Business Report(DBR, 2019) todayin New Delhi. India has recorded a jump of 23 positions against its rank of 100 in 2017 to be placed now at 77thrank among 190 countries assessed by the World Bank. India'sleap of23 ranks in the Ease of Doing Business ranking is significant considering that last year India had improved its rank by 30 places, a rare feat for any large and diverse country of the size of India. As a result of continued efforts by the Government, India has improved its rank by 53 positions in last two years and 65positions in last four years.

The Doing Business assessment provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies on ten parameters affecting a business through its life cycle. The DBR ranks countries on the basis of Distance to Frontier (DTF), a score that shows the gap of aneconomy to the global best practice. This year, India’s DTF score improved to 67.23 from 60.76 in the previous year.

India has improved its rank in 6 out of 10 indicators and has moved closer to international best practices (Distance to Frontier score) on 7 out of the 10 indicators. But, the most dramatic improvements have been registered in the indicators related to 'Construction Permits' and 'Trading across Borders'. In grant of construction permits, India's rank improved from 181 in 2017 to 52in 2018, an improvement of 129 ranks in a single year. In 'Trading across Borders', India's rank improved by 66 positions moving from 146 in 2017 to 80in 2018. The changes in six indicators where India improved its rank are as follows:



S. No.

Indicator

2017

2018

Change

1

Construction Permits

181

52

+129

2

Trading Across Borders

146

80

+66

3

Starting a Business

156

137

+19

4

Getting Credit

29

22

+7

5

Getting Electricity

29

24

+5

6

Enforcing Contracts

164

163

+1

Overall rank

100

77

+23





The important features of India's performance this year are:

• The World Bank has recognized India as one of the top improvers for the year.
• This is the second consecutive year for which India has been recognized as one of the top improvers.
• India is the first BRICS and South Asian country to be recognized as top improvers in consecutive years.
• India has recorded the highest improvement in two years by any large country since 2011 in the Doing business assessment by improving its rank by 53 positions.
• As a result of continued performance, India is now placed at first position among South Asian countries as against 6th in 2014.

Indicatorwise highlights of India’s performance are:

1. Construction Permits –

1. Procedures reduced from 37 to 20 in Mumbai and from 24 to 16 in Delhi
2. Time reduced from 128.5 to 99 days in Mumbai and from 157.5 to 91 days in Delhi
3. Building quality control index improved from 12 to 14 in Mumbai and 11 to 14 in Delhi
4. Cost of obtaining construction permits reduced from 23.2 percent to 5.4 percent
5. DTF score improved from 38.80 to 73.81

1. Trading Across Borders –

1. Changes in time and cost are as follows:

1. Robust Risk Management System has reduced inspections significantly
2. e-Sanchit allows traders to file all documents electronically
3. Time and cost to export reduced through the introduction of electronic self-sealing of container at the factory

1. Starting a Business -
   1. 1. 1. Procedures reduced from 11 to 10 in Delhi and 12 to 10 in Mumbai
         2. Time reduced from 30 to 16 days in Delhi and 29.5 to 17 days in Mumbai
         3. PAN, TAN, DIN now merged with SPICe making it a single form for company incorporation
         4. No requirement of inspection for registration under Shops & Establishment in Mumbai
         5. Distance to Frontier improved from 75.40 to 80.96

1. Access to Credit

1. Rank improved from 29 to 22
2. DTF improved from 75 to 80
3. Strength of legal rights index improved from 8 to 9
4. Secured creditors will now be repaid first during business liquidation hence given priority over other claims

1. Access to Electricity

1. Procedures reduced from 5 to 3 in Delhi and 5 to 4 in Mumbai
2. DTF improved from 85.21 to 89.15

Improvement have taken place due to the commitment of the Government to carry out comprehensive and complex reforms, supported by the bureaucracy which has changed its mindset from a regulator to a facilitator. The Government has undertaken an extensive exercise of stakeholder consultations to understand challenges of the industry, government process re-engineering to provide simplified and streamlined processes to create a more conducive business environment in the country. As a result of continued efforts, India's rank has improved as follows:



Year

2014

2016

2017

2018

Overall rank

142

130

100

77

DTF

53.97

56.05

60.76

67.23



The eight indicators in which India has improved its rank over last four years:



S. No.

Indicator

2014

2018

Change

1

Construction Permits

184

52

+132

2

Getting Electricity

137

24

+113

3

Trading across Borders

126

80

+46

4

Paying Taxes

156

121

+35

5

Resolving Insolvency

137

108

+29

6

Enforcing Contracts

186

163

+23

7

Starting a Business

158

137

+21

8

Getting Credit

36

22

+14



Implementation of reforms required coordination within various Ministries and government agencies:

1. 1. DIPP prepared reform action plan based on global best practices, with support of World Bank’s expert team
   2. Identification of nodal Departments and constitution of Task Force for each indicator. DIPP sensitizing Departments and worked with them for reform implementation
   3. Development of a Communication Plan for Dissemination of reforms to users and other stakeholders, to generate awareness and receive feedback.
      1. DIPP engaged expert agencies to receive regular industry feedback on reforms
      2. Consulted stakeholders frequently to understand the gaps in reform implementation
      3. Created WhatsApp groups to share reforms and address concerns of users
      4. Conducted focused group discussions and one-to-one meetings with users
      5. Ran twitter Polls and conducted live Twitter chat sessions to gauge user perception
   4. Identified corrective measures based on feedback received
   5. Regular review of reforms and removing bottlenecks in implementation
   6. Indian delegation visited World Bank multiple times to explain the reforms implemented and understand areas for improvement

***

Ministry of Commerce & Industry
31-October, 2018 17:00 IST
Index of Eight Core Industries (Base: 2011-12=100) September, 2018

1. The summary of the Index of Eight Core Industries (base: 2011-12) is given at the Annexure.

2. The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stood at 127.2 in September, 2018, which was 4.3per centhigheras compared to the index of September, 2017. Its cumulative growth during April to September, 2018-19was 5.5per cent.

Coal

3. Coal production (weight: 10.33per cent)increased by 6.4 per cent in September, 2018 over September, 2017. Its cumulative index increased by 9.6 per centduring April to September, 2018-19over corresponding period of the previous year.

Crude Oil

4. Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98per cent) declinedby 4.2 per cent in September, 2018 over September, 2017. Its cumulative index declined by 3.4 per centduring April to September, 2018-19over the corresponding period of previous year.

Natural Gas

5. The Natural Gas production (weight: 6.88per cent) declined by 1.8per cent in September, 2018 over September, 2017. Its cumulative index declined by 0.8 per centduring April to September, 2018-19 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Refinery Products

6. Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04per cent) increased by 2.5 per cent in September, 2018 over September, 2017. Its cumulative index increased by 6.6 per centduring April to September, 2018-19over the corresponding period of previous year.

Fertilizers

7. Fertilizers production (weight: 2.63 per cent) increased by 2.5 per cent in September, 2018 over September, 2017. Its cumulative index increased by 1.8 per centduring April to September, 2018-19 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Steel

8. Steel production (weight: 17.92per cent)increasedby 3.2 per cent in September, 2018 over September, 2017. Its cumulative index increased by 3.5per centduring April to September, 2018-19 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Cement

9. Cement production (weight: 5.37per cent) increasedby 11.8per cent in September, 2018over September, 2017. Its cumulative index increased by 14.4per centduring April to September, 2018-19over the corresponding period of previous year.

Electricity

10. Electricity generation (weight: 19.85per cent) increased by8.2per centin September, 2018over September, 2017. Its cumulative indexincreased by6.2per cent duringApril to September, 2018-19over the corresponding period of previous year.

Note 1: Data for July, 2018, August, 2018 and September, 2018are provisional.

Note 2: Since April, 2014, Electricity generation data from Renewable sources are also included.

Note 3: The industry-wise weights indicated above are individual industry weight derived from IIP and blown up on pro rata basis to a combined weight of ICI equal to 100.

Note 4: Release of the index for October, 2018 will be on Friday, 30th November, 2018.



Annexure

Performance of Eight Core Industries

Yearly Index & Growth Rate
Base Year: 2011-12=100



Index

Sector

Weight

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

Apr-Sep 2017-18

Apr-Sep 2018-19

Coal

10.3335

103.2

104.2

112.6

118.0

121.8

124.9

104.2

114.3

Crude Oil

8.9833

99.4

99.2

98.4

97.0

94.5

93.7

94.6

91.4

Natural Gas

6.8768

85.6

74.5

70.5

67.2

66.5

68.4

68.8

68.2

Refinery Products

28.0376

107.2

108.6

108.8

114.1

119.7

125.2

120.8

128.7

Fertilizers

2.6276

96.7

98.1

99.4

106.4

106.6

106.6

104.0

105.9

Steel

17.9166

107.9

115.8

121.7

120.2

133.1

140.5

137.3

142.1

Cement

5.3720

107.5

111.5

118.1

123.5

122.0

129.7

123.7

141.6

Electricity

19.8530

104.0

110.3

126.6

133.8

141.6

149.2

152.3

161.7

Overall Index

100.0000

103.8

106.5

111.7

115.1

120.5

125.7

122.1

128.8



Growth Rates(in per cent)

Sector

Weight

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

2017-18

Apr-Sep 2017-18

Apr-Sep 2018-19

Coal

10.3335

3.2

1.0

8.0

4.8

3.2

2.6

1.4

9.6

Crude Oil

8.9833

-0.6

-0.2

-0.9

-1.4

-2.5

-0.9

-0.2

-3.4

Natural Gas

6.8768

-14.4

-12.9

-5.3

-4.7

-1.0

2.9

5.0

-0.8

Refinery Products

28.0376

7.2

1.4

0.2

4.9

4.9

4.6

2.1

6.6

Fertilizers

2.6276

-3.3

1.5

1.3

7.0

0.2

0.03

-2.1

1.8

Steel

17.9166

7.9

7.3

5.1

-1.3

10.7

5.6

5.6

3.5

Cement

5.3720

7.5

3.7

5.9

4.6

-1.2

6.3

-1.4

14.4

Electricity

19.8530

4.0

6.1

14.8

5.7

5.8

5.3

5.7

6.2

Overall Index

100.0000

3.8

2.6

4.9

3.0

4.8

4.3

3.2

5.5



Performance of Eight Core Industries

Monthly Index & Growth Rate
Base Year: 2011-12=100

Index

Sector

Coal

Crude Oil

Natural Gas

Refinery Products

Fertilizers

Steel

Cement

Electricity

Overall Index

Weight

10.3335

8.9833

6.8768

28.0376

2.6276

17.9166

5.3720

19.8530

100.0000

Sep-17

103.1

92.0

68.8

122.7

105.3

138.7

119.8

150.5

122.0

Oct-17

119.4

95.7

71.0

132.1

116.8

146.7

125.2

149.8

128.7

Nov-17

133.5

90.8

68.5

126.0

111.8

137.5

125.4

140.1

124.1

Dec-17

142.6

94.2

69.2

133.1

112.1

138.0

135.3

143.9

128.8

Jan-18

149.5

93.8

67.6

135.4

105.5

145.0

140.6

149.5

132.5

Feb-18

143.2

86.1

62.1

120.9

102.2

141.7

138.0

136.1

123.2

Mar-18

184.9

95.8

69.8

130.3

107.0

153.2

149.6

156.7

138.5

Apr-18

118.8

91.8

67.1

119.1

93.1

138.1

149.1

153.7

124.3

May-18

125.2

94.8

68.7

131.6

106.6

142.8

145.3

164.7

131.9

Jun-18

120.0

90.9

67.4

133.8

108.3

143.8

150.7

159.9

131.2

Jul-18

108.1

91.2

68.5

134.1

110.0

140.3

135.9

162.1

129.2

Aug-18

103.8

91.6

70.2

127.7

109.4

144.5

134.6

167.2

128.8

Sep-18

109.8

88.1

67.5

125.8

108.0

143.2

134.0

162.9

127.2



Growth Rates (in per cent)

Sector

Coal

Crude Oil

Natural Gas

Refinery Products

Fertilizers

Steel

Cement

Electricity

Overall Index

Weight

10.3335

8.9833

6.8768

28.0376

2.6276

17.9166

5.3720

19.8530

100.0000

Sep-17

10.4

0.1

6.3

8.1

-7.7

3.7

0.1

3.4

4.7

Oct-17

3.9

-0.4

2.8

7.5

3.0

8.6

-1.3

3.2

5.0

Nov-17

0.7

0.2

2.4

8.2

0.3

14.5

16.9

3.9

6.9

Dec-17

0.4

-2.1

1.1

6.6

3.0

0.4

17.7

4.4

3.8

Jan-18

3.8

-3.2

-1.2

11.0

-1.6

1.7

19.6

7.7

6.2

Feb-18

1.3

-2.4

-1.8

7.8

5.2

5.0

23.0

4.6

5.4

Mar-18

9.1

-1.6

1.0

1.1

3.2

4.7

13.5

6.0

4.5

Apr-18

15.2

-0.8

5.7

2.7

4.6

3.0

21.9

2.1

4.7

May-18

12.0

-2.9

-1.4

4.9

8.4

-0.1

13.0

4.1

4.1

Jun-18

11.5

-3.4

-2.7

12.1

1.0

4.2

14.2

8.4

7.8

Jul-18

9.8

-5.4

-5.2

12.3

1.3

6.9

11.1

6.7

7.3

Aug-18

2.4

-3.7

1.0

5.1

-5.3

4.0

14.7

7.6

4.7

Sep-18

6.4

-4.2

-1.8

2.5

2.5

3.2

11.8

8.2

4.3



***

Ministry of Finance
31-October, 2018 17:48 IST
Change in Tariff Value of Crude Palm Oil, RBD Palm Oil, Others – Palm Oil, Crude Palmolein, RBD Palmolein, Others – Palmolein, Crude Soyabean Oil, Brass Scrap (All Grades), Poppy Seeds, Areca Nuts, Gold and Silver Notified

In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient so to do, hereby makes the following amendments in the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), No. 36/2001-Customs (N.T.), dated the 3rd August, 2001, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part-II, Section-3, Sub-section (ii), vide number S. O. 748 (E), dated the 3rd August, 2001, namely:-



In the said notification, for TABLE-1, TABLE-2, and TABLE-3 the following Tables shall be substituted, namely: -



TABLE-1


Sl. No.

Chapter/ heading/ sub-heading/tariff item

Description of goods

Tariff value

(US $Per Metric Tonne)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

1

1511 10 00

Crude Palm Oil

538

2

1511 90 10

RBD Palm Oil

571

3

1511 90 90

Others – Palm Oil

555

4

1511 10 00

Crude Palmolein

587

5

1511 90 20

RBD Palmolein

590

6

1511 90 90

Others – Palmolein

589

7

1507 10 00

Crude Soya bean Oil

728

8

7404 00 22

Brass Scrap (all grades)

3684

9

1207 91 00

Poppy seeds

2076



TABLE-2



Sl. No.

Chapter/ heading/ sub-heading/tariff item

Description of goods

Tariff value

(US $)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

1

71 or 98

Gold, in any form, in respect of which the benefit of entries at serial number 356 and 358 of the Notification No. 50/2017-Customs dated 30.06.2017 is availed

394 per 10 grams

2

71 or 98

Silver, in any form, in respect of which the benefit of entries at serial number 357 and 359 of the Notification No. 50/2017-Customs dated 30.06.2017 is availed

465 per kilogram



TABLE-3



Sl. No.

Chapter/ heading/ sub-heading/tariff item

Description of goods

Tariff value

(US $ Per Metric Tonne)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

1

080280

Areca nuts

3947”



*****

 

[lemurian]

ICF DEMU (For Sri Lanka)

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...-train-for-sri-lanka/articleshow/66564010.cms

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
12-November, 2018 18:36 IST
Running of freight trains in a Block through “Convoy Movement”

Shri Piyush Goyal chairs a review meeting with senior officers of Railway Board and Zonal Railways on this innovative Freight Convoy Initiative Shri Piyush Goyal has been closely following up on the implementation of this initiative This would help in improving mobility of rakes required for coal loading as well as other commodities

Running of freight trains in a block through Convoy Movement by creating coaching free corridors has been a major initiative undertaken since September, 2018, for improving freight throughput, especially on the coal carrying routes. Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal has been closely following up on the implementation of this initiative.

This innovative way of running freight traffic has been successfully implemented on Korba-Bilaspur-Anupur-New Katni-Agasod/Bina-Jhansi-Kota routes, Ghaziabad-Allahabad-Pt. Deen Dayal Upadyaya Junction routes and Bilaspur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela sections. This convoy system was also tried on the Asansol-Jhajha-Barauni section (251.65 kms) on 3rd/4th November, 2018 which was successful.

In order to maximize throughput during the coaching free corridors, detailed planning of loads, locomotives and crews is being done. Senior officers are deputed in the control offices to monitor the planning, ordering and running of freight trains in the convoy. Traffic inspectors and loco inspectors are deputed to foot-plate in the locomotives of the freight trains to ensure no time loss takes place in the clearance of block sections.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Coal chairing a review meeting of the senior officers of Railway Board and Zonal Railways on this innovative Freight Convoy Initiative applauded the all out efforts put in by Railway Officers and staff in successful implementation of this movement. He further said that successful endeavors should be made to expand the Freight Capacity of Indian Railways without compromising the overall passenger movement and maintenance requirements.

The increase in freight throughput across identified key sections /interchange points of SECR, WCR, NCR, ECR and ER during the days of freight convoy system has been as under:-



From Zone

To Zone

Inter-change point

Interchange On Date

Average inter-change
on Convoy Days

Average inter-change
on Non-Convoy Days

Percentage Improvement

29th Sep

6th Oct

13/14th Oct

20th Oct

3rd/4th Nov

10th /

11th

Nov

SECR

WCR

NKJ

40

43

41

41

42

39

41

28

46.4

NCR

WCR

AGD/BINA

46

47

40


34

45

42

36

17.8

NCR

ECR

DDU


49

49


42

45

46

37

25.0

ECR

NCR

DDU


43

45


45

44

44

36

22.9

SECR

SER

JSG


35




32

34

24

39.6

SER

SECR

JSG


35




32

34

24

39.6

ER

ECR

JAJ


20



20

12

66.7



Thus, both in the loaded direction and in the empties direction there was significant increase in freight trains and throughput.

At present, ECR, ER, NCR, SECR, SER and WCR are running freight Convoys in some corridors. Other Zonal Railways will also take up running of freight corridors on their routes based on requirements. It is felt that, there is huge potential for increasing freight throughput across all Zonal Railways by introduction of freight Convoy System for 2 or 3 times a week. This would help in improving mobility of rakes required for coal loading as well as other commodities.



******

SVS/MKV/AP

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Science & Technology
12-November, 2018 15:10 IST
Two day Global Cooling Innovation Summit inaugurated in New Delhi today

3 Million USD as prize for Breakthrough Innovations in Cooling Technology

The Global Cooling Prize, an international competition to incentivize the development of a residential cooling technology that will have at least five times (5x) less climate impact than the standard Room Air Conditioning (RAC) was announced at the inaugural session of the two day Global Cooling Innovation Summit in New Delhi today.

The prize is supported by Mission Innovation, the Government of India through the Department of Science and Technology and its partner organizations namely Ministry of Power, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and will be administered by a coalition of leading research institutes—Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Conservation X Labs, the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), and CEPT University. The coalition will drive and support incubation, commercialization, and ultimately mass adoption of the breakthrough technology, starting in India and expanding to other countries around the world. A winning technology could prevent up to 100 gigatons (GT) of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2050, and put the world on a pathway to mitigate up to 0.5˚C of warming by 2100.

Inaugurating the Global Cooling Innovation Summit, Union Science & Technology Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “The increasingly hotter climates make it imperative for the Governments to provide thermal comfort for health and well being of its citizens. Moreover, this comfort has to be provided in an environmentally benign way. Balancing these objectives is extremely delicate and challenging. In view of huge cooling demand likely to be generated, incremental improvements are not likely to yield desired results. It is in this context that scientific and technological community needs to be challenged to rise up to the occasion by providing breakthrough disruptive innovations.”

Congratulating the architects of Global Cooling Prize and all its partners, the Union Minister stressed that the Government would ensure that funding for clean energy innovations is further ramped up and an eco-system of public-private-partnership offering value to both in the domain of clean energy is created.

Speaking at the inauguration, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, Dr. K. VijayRaghavan said that a unique feature of Global Cooling Prize is that it presents pragmatic models for private sector engagement in clean energy research and development. “This is exactly what Mission Innovation was set-up to deliver 3 years ago at the Paris Climate Summit - new collaborations between governments, innovators and the private sector to unleash innovation in climate critical technologies”, said Secretary DBT, Dr. Renu Swaroop.

John Loughhead Vice-Chair, Mission Innovation Steering Committee and Iain Campbell, Senior Fellow at Rocky Mountain Institute also present at the inauguration expressed delight at the launch of the Global Cooling Prize and congratulated the Government of India for its leadership

Over US$3 million will be awarded in prize money over the course of the two-year competition. Up to 10 short-listed competing technologies will be awarded up to US$200,000 each in intermediate prizes to support the design and prototype development of their innovative residential cooling technology designs. The winning technology will be awarded at least US$1 million to support its incubation and early-stage commercialization.

There are currently 1.2 billion room air conditioning units in service around the world. It is estimated that the number of units will increase to at least 4.5 billion by 2050. India alone will see over 1 billion air conditioning deployed in the market by 2050. The energy consumption associated with comfort cooling represents one of the largest end-use risks to the climate, putting the most vulnerable populations at risk.



***

RDS/GK

The Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Member Secretary, Steering Committee on FinTech, Shri K. Rajaraman addressing at the International Conference on Emerging Perspectives in FinTech, in New Delhi on November 12, 2018.

 

[Nilgiri]

@anant_s @gslv mk3 @Peaceful Civilian

 

[Lokanath]

Casualties and injuries from Rail accidents have fallen by a phenomenal 84% in the last one year, thanks to Railways' concerted and committed efforts to improve infrastructure and increase passenger safety.

https://www.business-standard.com/a...in-last-one-year-railways-118110600581_1.html

Railway Saloons of Minister of railways and other saloons being used by officers have been made available to general public by directive of the Minister of Railways Piyush Goel.

Also This,

 

[anant_s]

First WAG 11 (29001). this loco is a 4000*2 HP 12 axle Mued loco converted from a WDG 4. The loco is converted from erstwhile 12011.

@Abingdonboy @Nilgiri @gslv mk3 @AndrewJin

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Minority Affairs
13-November, 2018 12:53 IST
Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will inaugurate “Hunar Haat” at India International Trade Fair, New Delhi

Hunar Haat will provide market and opportunity to Master Artisans and Craftsmen

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will inaugurate the “Hunar Haat” on 15th November, 2018 at India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The IITF will be organized from 14th to 27th November, 2018.



Shri Naqvi today said that “Hunar Haat”, being organised across the country by the Ministry of Minority Affairs has proved to be “Empowerment & Employment Exchange” for master artisans and craftsmen. “Hunar Haat” at Pragati Maidan, is a part of series of “Hunar Haat”, being organised in various parts of the country under a mission to provide market and opportunity to master artisans and craftsmen.



The Minister said that master artisans, including a large number of women artisans, from across the country are participating in the “Hunar Haat”. The artisans will brought with them very exquisite pieces of Handicraft & Handloom work products like Ajarakh, Bagh print, Bandhej, Barmer Ajrakh & Applique, Bidriware, Cane and Bamboo, Carpet, Chanderi, Chaniya Choli, Chikankari, Copper Bell Product, Copperware, Ceramic Products, Dry Flowers, Gota Pati, Handloom & Home Furnishings from different parts of the country. Products such as Jute Craft, Lac stone studded Bangles, Lacquerware, Linen Products, Metalware, Mudwork, Mulberry Silk, Paithani Silk, Phulkari, Punjabi Jutti, Zari Bags, etc will also be available there. For the first time, products from Chhattisgarh and Namda and Chinnon Silk of Jammu & Kashmir will also be available in this “Hunar Haat” at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.



Shri Naqvi said that the employment oriented programmes of the Central Government like “Hunar Haat” has significantly encouraged and promoted the rich traditional heritage of master artisans who had been marginalised for a long time. He said that “Hunar Haat” has become a “credible brand” to fulfil Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s commitment to “Make in India”, “Stand up India” and “Start up India”. During the last one year, “Hunar Haat”, organised at various parts of the country, has been successful in providing employment and marketing opportunities to more than 1 lakh 50 thousand artisans and other people associated with them. The target is to provide employment and marketing opportunities to about 5 lakh people through “Hunar Haat”.



The Minister said that “Hunar Haat” has significantly encouraged and promoted the rich traditional heritage of master artisans. “Hunar Haat” has been successful in providing national and international markets and employment-marketing opportunities to master artisans and craftsmen. “Hunar Haat” has become a credible and renowned brand where exquisite Handicraft & Handloom made by master artisans and various delicacies from across the country are available under one roof.



Earlier, “Hunar Haat” had been organised at Allahabad (Sept, 2018), at Pragati Maidan (2016, 2017) and Baba Kharak Singh Marg (2017, 2018) New Delhi; at Puducherry (2017, 2018) and at Mumbai (2017). In the coming days, “Hunar Haat” will be organised at Mumbai (December 2018), Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi (January 2019) and Goa (February 2019).

*****

RCJ/FH/IA

The Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma and the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry, Shri C.R. Chaudhary at the inauguration of the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 14, 2018.

The Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma addressing at the inauguration of the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 14, 2018.

The Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry, Shri C.R. Chaudhary addressing at the inauguration of the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 14, 2018.

The Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma and the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Commerce & Industry, Shri C.R. Chaudhary at the inauguration of the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF), at Pragati Maidan, in New Delhi on November 14, 2018.

 

[anant_s]

Vistadome Coach on Kalka Shimla Narrow gauge Train

 

[AndrewJin]

Vistadome Coach on Kalka Shimla Narrow gauge Train
View attachment 519050 View attachment 519051 View attachment 519052 View attachment 519053 View attachment 519054

Love it.
Is that a tourist railway?

 

[Roybot]

Love it.
Is that a tourist railway?

Yes it is.

 

[anant_s]

Love it.
Is that a tourist railway?

Well it is used mostly by Tourists and one ofUNSECO heritage railways in India with some of the most scenic views of Shivalik (Lower Himalayan range). It connects Kalka to capital of Himachal Pradesh Shimla (which was also summer capital of British Raj era).

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944

You can read more here.

 

[lemurian]

https://www.financialexpress.com/in...bles-now-10-of-countrys-power-output/1380060/

Milestone! 10% of India’s total electricity output now comes from renewable power

Despite a slowing of the pace at which solar power projects are being built owing to tariffs plunging to levels unviable for the developers, the country has crossed a milestone on the renewable energy front. Renewable-power units (solar and wind) have over the last few years been raising their share in India’s electricity output; in April-October 2018, this share touched the 10% threshold.

The share of renewables in total installed power capacity is also on a rise — from 14% in FY15, this has risen to the current level of over 20%.

Under the United Nations Frame Work Convention on Climate Change ratified in Paris in 2015, India has an obligation to increase the share of non-fossil-based power in total installled capacity to 40% by 2030. The government has set a target to achieve 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 – 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from biomass/bagasse and 5 GW from small hydro projects.

Between FY15-FY18, electricity generated by renewable sources increased at a whopping compound annual growth rate of 18.2%. To put this in perspective, the CAGR of conventional power production in the same period was only 4.8%.

Not only was solar capacity addition in 2017 more than that of coal, solar capacity added in the year (8,040 MW) was more than twice the net addition in the coal-based power sector (4,004 MW). While solar capacity showed an annual increase of 95% in 2017, high-emitting generating capacities added in the year was 75% lower than in the previous year. Until 2017, the thermal capacity addition was keeping a scorching pace – 91,731 MW capacity was added in the segment against the original target of 72,340 MW during FY13-17.

Experts have attributed the growth in renewable energy to the country’s global commitments to cut carbon footprint, falling solar rates (it is another matter the decline has dented the developers’ confidence after a certain threshold) and unlocking of potential energy demand through ‘24X7’ power schemes.

Solar power tariffs have fallen from an exorbitant Rs 17/unit in 2009 to just Rs 2.44/unit, mainly on the back of declining module prices, improvement in technology and increased competition in the sector. The lowest tariff for wind power currently stands `Rs 2.43/unit.
However, a certain segment of the industry is concerned about the viability of such low rates as project costs are seen to be going up with the recently imposed import duties on solar modules. On the other hand, if the tariffs start going up, states may become reluctant to buy solar power unless it is still cheaper after paying the mandatory fixed cost to thermal units under the power purchase agreements.

To aid domestic manufacturing, the government has levied a 25% safeguard duty on import of solar cells — the basic ingredient needed to manufacture solar panels — for a year ending July 19, 2019. The duty would be 20% for the next six months till January 29, 2020, and 15% in the subsequent six months.

 

[Shankranthi]

Railways has dispatched the 'Sri Lanka-13' train, manufactured domestically under the Make in India initiative at Chennai's Integral Coach Factory for export to Sri Lanka, boosting both trade & commerce between the two nations & furthering bilateral ties.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
16-November, 2018 16:19 IST
Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) makes a swift progress in developing Surat Railway Station as Multi Model Transport Hub

IRSDC initiates series of steps to make this unique project more attractive & risk free to the developers

A truly seamless multi model transport hub integrating all modes of transport is to be developed at Surat Railway station wherein all the three levels of Government, namely Central Government (Railways), State Government (Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation) and local government (Surat Municipal Corporation) have come together to pool their lands and also form a SPV named SITCO. This unique initiative is being spearheaded by Indian Railways Station Development Corporation which has been entrusted to implement the task of Railway Station development/redevelopment projects of the Ministry of Railways. This project once completed, will transform the face of Surat. Request for Qualification cum Request for Proposal (RFQ cum RFP) for appointment of Developer to take up the development of Multi-Modal Transportation Hub (MMTH) along with Commercial Development on DBFOT-PPP mode was invited on 17th April 2018 so that in addition to the originally qualified developers, new Developers can also participate along with the already qualified Developers. After interaction with the probable bidders at GOG level, number of steps has been taken to make this unique project more attractive and risk free to the developers. The various steps already taken and incorporated in the bidding document as corrigendum are as under:

1. Increasing project viability:
   
   1. Increased Built-up Area (BUA) - Proposed Commercial Development BUA increased from 5.07 lakh sq.m. to 8.40 lakh sq.m.
   2. BUA definition modified to exclude basement(s) or any upper floor(s) for satisfying the parking/ fire requirements as per local byelaws.
   3. Reduced Mandatory Cost - Estimated Cost of Mandatory project has been reduced from INR 1,008 Cr. to INR 895 Cr.
   4. Increased Commercial Retail Area on Ground Level - Commercial Area at Ground level increased from 3,54,864 sq.m. to 7,84,596 sq.m. considering the local demand at Surat.
   5. Increased Commercial Development on West Side along Ring Road - Commercial Area increased on West side by shifting the proposed Railway Quarters to Udhna.
   6. Flexibility for Planning Explicitly - Flexibility has been given to the developer to modify the Commercial Development Plan without disturbing the arearequirements and intent of Mandatory Project.Master Plan has been revised to provide more commercial area on ground.
   7. IRSDC being declared the nodal agency by Union Cabinet for Railway Station Redevelopment and given full powers for plan approvals over railway land and no change in land use required.
   8. MoU between Railways, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC)&Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC)for joint development signed on 17.08.2016

1. Regulatory Issues Resolved:
   1. Special Development Control Regulations - Govt. of Gujarat issued notification regarding relaxation in Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (CGDCR) – 2017 considering MMTH Surat as a Special Project.
   2. FSI of 4 is available as per Transit Oriented Zone (TOZ)without any charges.
   3. Master Plan Approval from Stakeholdershad been done.

• • Master Plan signed by DRM Office, WR on 12.09.2018
  • Master Plan signed by GSRTC on 20.09.2018
  • Master Plan signed by SMC on 26.09.2018
  • Same Plan has been issued through Corrigendum-7 to RFQ cum RFP

1. 1. Land Entrustment from Stakeholdersis in place.

• • Railway Land Entrustment confirmed from DRM Office.Expected to be approved soon from Western RailwayHeadquarters.

• • In principle approval for Land Entrustment given by SMC & GSRTC for their respective lands.

1. 1. Airport Authority of India (AAI) approval has been obtained - maximum permissible height has been relaxed up to 121 mt. AMSL as per NOC.
   2. Environmental Clearance is under process - Application filed on 07.09.2018 and first meeting for TOR of EIA held with State Environment Appraisal Committee (SEAC) on 14.11.2018.

1. Other Important Relaxations:
   1. Flexibility in Commercial Development - Only 40% of the Commercial Development Project to be completed in 8 Years from Effective Date. Balance 60% can be completed in 15 years from the Effective Date (extendable by another 5 years without levy of liquidated damages).
   2. Performance guarantee for Commercial Development Project has been reduced from 100% to 40% of Commercial Development Cost.
   3. Milestones of Project Development Fee Instalments payable by the Developer has been realigned to reduce upfront expenditure of Developer.
   4. Interest rate on balance lease premium payable by the Developer has been reduced from 15% p.a. to 12% p.a.
   5. Station Revenue Share payable by the Developer to SITCO has been reduced from 50% to 35%.
   6. Maximum tenure of Sub-License at a time has been increased from 3 years to 9 years.

The bid opening date has now been extended to 07.12.2018 based on the request of bidders.

*****

SVS/MKV/AP/ENS