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https://www.thehindubusinessline.co...nces-deliveries-to-boeing/article25960108.ece

Wipro’s aerospace unit to start supply to Boeing

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The aerospace business of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering (WIN) has commenced shipments of part supplies to Boeing from its plant in Bengaluru in Devanahalli.

The aerospace business of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, set up in 2013, is a solutions provider for actuators (cylinder and piston), aero structures, machining, sheet-metal, assembly and testing in the aerospace sector. Boeing has contracted Wipro Aerospace to manufacture strut assemblies for the 737 MAX and Next-Generation 737 airplane programs.

Pratik Kumar, CEO, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, said: “Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Boeing source systems and components from India, and our expertise with aerostructures and actuators provide a viable option for OEMs.”

WIN has provided various aerostructures and componentry for the 737, 767 and 787 Dreamliner programs through its facility in Israel.

According to Ashwani Bhargava, Director, Supply Chain, Boeing India, said that Boeing’s partnerships with Indian suppliers plays an important part in its global strategy.
 
https://www.cnbctv18.com/economy/ha...-now-a-luxury-travellers-paradise-1417141.htm

Hampi, ranked second in New York Times' must-visit destinations, is now a luxury traveller's paradise
  • A luxury resort, an airport and a museum have turned this ancient kingdom of the Vijayanagar empire into India’s newest luxury destination.
  • The Vidyanagar airport ensures that travellers reach Hampi in about an hour-and-a-half from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, instead of the earlier seven hours it would take.
  • Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace is Hampi’s first, and sole luxury resort that marries architectural style of the ruins with contemporary luxury facilities
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Google Hampi and what you get is a wide range of information about the UNESCO World Heritage Site — a surreal landscape of stunning ruins that pepper the seat of power of the Vijayanagar Empire, one of southern India’s biggest empires which ruled between 14th and 16th century; its 1600-odd temples, bazaars and palaces and its gigantic bulbous granite rocks, eroded by nature into surreal shapes.

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Not to miss Hampi island or its backpackers haven, with a never-ending gaggle of cafes and open-air restaurants, and its popularity among adventure seekers who come looking for bouldering experiences. The splendid ancient metropolis was once home to traders and kings, warriors and priests. Today, it is known for its evocative ruins.

Yet, in more recent months, Hampi has begun its march towards an entirely new kind of identity — as a destination for luxury travellers from across the world. During my three days in the lost city which is much loved by heritage aficionados and backpackers, I met travellers seeking out local experiences, exploring farm-to-table dining and enjoying its abundant birdlife. Among them was Tim Hastings who owns a few restaurants in and around London and two organic farms in Canterbury. This was Hasting's third time in India. “Hampi seemed way out and offbeat, but I am surprised to see it has several interesting experiences besides the temples and ruins, of course. We have had picnics organised by the riverside, we have been on coracle rides, enjoyed a traditional meal, visited a sloth bear sanctuary and also seen an interesting museum exhibit.”

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A Museum
The exhibit he is talking about is the ‘Place Hampi’, a new media art installation. You put on 3D glasses and virtually manoeuvre your way through the ruins of Hampi. Created by two Australian historians who spent years studying and documenting them, their work was discovered by the Jindal family at a museum in Melbourne. They replicated it closer to home, in a cultural centre called Kaladham at Vidyanagar.

A Luxury Resort
The destiny of India’s premier heritage destination has been transformed by two recent occurrences. The first, opening of Hampi’s sole luxury resort, at least for now. Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace stands in a quiet corner of the eponymous town just outside Hampi. The destination’s first luxury resort is designed to resemble the original palace of the Vijayanagar emperors and marries ancient architectural elements with modern luxury.

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Evolve Back (formerly Orange County) is given to creating interesting experiences steeped in local culture. “Our philosophy revolves around nurturing our past which is why in Hampi, we have referenced local architecture for the resort,” says Jose Ramapuram, Director Marketing, Evolve Back Luxury Resorts. “We generally are present in unexplored destinations that are naturally beautiful and are high on experiences that mainstream destinations lack. When I mean unexplored, I mean by luxury travellers. So, if Coorg has coffee, Kabini has forests, and Hampi has a heritage that very few destinations boast of. The idea to create a palace hotel in Hampi, which had no luxury resorts, which would make the destination far more accessible to well-heeled travellers.”

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The hotel’s architectural sweep starts right at the gate, from where a tree-shaded driveway flanked by a long water channel leads to suites and villas. The resort is marked by sweeping verandahs, Islamic-style arches that are reminiscent of the military architectural style of ancient Hampi, water troughs that run across the open courtyard, connecting it through the restaurant Taluva (named after one of Vijayanagar’s dynasties), with the gardens and infinity pool and nook seating. The fort-like resort makes several allusions to the Anegundi Fort with its rounded fortifications and a driveway inspired by the stone-paved boulevards that hedged Hampi’s famed carved temples. The suites and villas with private plunge pools references the zenana or the women’s section in palaces, with their softer colours, diaphanous curtains and luxury in form of a Jacuzzi, some even in the middle of the suites.

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There is a flautist playing in the evenings at the head of the water channel in the courtyard, while people settle down for a drink or dinner. There is a full-facility Vaidyashala or Ayurveda spa and Bahmani, a specialty restaurant that serves food from the Bahmani Sultanate, both housed in a replica of the famous Lotus Mahal. There are dining options such as picnic lunches close to the antediluvian temples and romantic dinners in the canopied Mantapa overlooking a lotus pond. There are story-telling sessions about Vijayanagar’s powerful emperors and its ancient riches, hosted in oil lamp-lit domed rooms. And old Indian games such as chaupar are available to play. Ramapuram says, “The idea is to create experiences and facilities within and outside the property that ensures a guest’s stay is interesting.” Evolve Back Hampi cites adoption of a local school, an old temple and an elephant stable, their production of power within the hotel complex, as their attempt at responsible tourism and community involvement.

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The setting is perfect if you are searching for a travel experience that marries an age-old destination strewn with perfectly preserved ruins of a powerful kingdom, with the luxury of an upscale hotel that you expect to find in major cities across the world.

And an Airport
The opening of the quaint Jindal Vidyanagar Airport, once a private landing strip for JSW Steel which operates a steel mill in the nearby village of Torangallu, has changed the fortunes of Hampi. The Karnataka government and the Airports Authority agreed to run commercial flights to this tiny airport a while ago. TriJet, a regional airline, now operates two flights per day, from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, both a mere hour-long haul from the two major southern cities.

Surrounded by lush greenery, the airport has a glass-encased check-in area (overhung with fish-ceiling sculptures in apparent reference to the fresh water fish that Hampi river is famous for) and a little sheltered check-out area, outside the glass box, where your luggage comes stacked on a tractor-pulled caravan. The journey to Hampi from Hyderabad or Bengaluru would have taken anywhere between eight to ten hours in the past, depending on the condition of the roads. Today, the Vidyanagar to Kamlanagar distance is a comfortable 45 minutes on NH48, across an unreal landscape of red hills (some of them mined), giant boulders, paddy fields and banana plantations.

Ramapuram says, “The airport has definitely changed the profile of the traveller to Hampi. I see a much more evolved traveller, one who has an interest in culture and local experiences, coming in and that is good for any destination.” This is the kind of traveller who likes to spend money on authentic experiences.

Creating a Heritage Hub
The Archeological Survey of India (AAI) reveals that nearly seven lakh travellers visited Hampi till February 2018, of which about 50,000 were international visitors — a mere drop in the ocean when you consider the potential. They are here largely for the Vittala temple complex which houses the famous tone chariot and musical pillars, on which even a light tap by expert hands can produce sounds of various instruments, including the mridangam; the 16th century Lotus Mahal with gentle domes, elephant stables and gardens; and the 7th century Virupaksha temple, the only one which still functions as a place of worship.

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While no one wants to go on record about this, locals I meet tell me that AAI is attempting to convince the handful of families who still live within the heritage zone of Hampi, to shift to neighbouring villages in lieu of a compensation. The move is necessitated by the fact that some of structures in Hampi have been taken over by locals to build homes and stores, especially just outside Virupaksha temple. Shifting families out would allow AAI and the state government to convert Hampi into India’s first heritage town which is completely protected under UNESCO rules.
 
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https://www.news18.com/news/india/i...-ecosystem-inaugurated-in-kerala-2001015.html

India's Largest Startup Ecosystem Inaugurated in Kerala

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Kochi: India got its largest startup ecosystem Sunday when Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated here a 1.8-lakh-square-feet facility housing incubation set-ups across a string of segments in modern technology.

The Integrated Startup Complex under the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) includes the ultra modern facilities of Maker Village that promotes hardware startups, the BioNest that promotes medical technologies, BRINC which is the country's first international accelerator for hardware startups; BRIC which aids developing solutions for cancer diagnosis and care, and a Centre of Excellence set up by industry majors such as UNITY.

Overall the Kerala Government is working for the state to have a total area of 2.3 crore sq ft of IT space (up from 1.3 crore sq ft last year). The opening of the new complex at the Technology Innovation Zone (TIZ) is a major step towards achieving the objective, Vijayan said in his speech at KINFRA Hi Tech Park, Kalamassery.

"We are also planning to give direct jobs to 2.5 lakh in IT," he said, adding that the government was working to ensure that information technology fosters social development. After the completion of three more projects, Kerala will have startup and incubation space of 5 lakh sq ft, which will be the largest of this type in the world. No less than 30 applications for patent has gone from startups with the 13.5-acre TIZ, the CM noted, lauding it as a sign of the high-quality work in the zone. Simultaneously, Kerala was sensing increasing optimism in boosting software export from the state.
 
https://www.compositesworld.com/new...g-facility-signs-supply-agreement-with-vestas

TPI to open India-based wind blade manufacturing facility, signs supply agreement with Vestas

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TPI Composites Inc., (Scottsdale, AZ, US), announced on Jan. 11 that it has signed a multiyear supply agreement with Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) to provide composite wind blades from four manufacturing lines — with an option to add more lines — for India and export markets. The blades will be produced at a new Indian facility in the greater Chennai region which TPI plans to open for production in the first quarter of 2020.

“We are pleased to announce a significant new global wind blade manufacturing hub in India with Vestas as our first customer,” says Steve Lockard, president and CEO of TPI.

Jean-Marc Lechêne, Executive Vice President and COO of Vestas adds, “We are pleased to be strengthening our global manufacturing footprint with our partner, TPI, to provide the wind energy market with high-quality, cost competitive wind blades. This supply agreement also underlines our commitment to the Indian renewable energy industry through continued investment and job creation with the goal of building up India as a global manufacturing hub.”

TPI currently produces blades for Vestas in China, Turkey and Mexico.
 
http://www.autocarpro.in/news-natio...lion-units-for-the-first-time-in-cy2018-41837

CV sales in India surpass a million units for the first time in CY2018

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Even though growth seems to be moderating for the commercial vehicle (CV) sector, particularly M&HCVs, in India, the sector has notched a new landmark – a million-plus sales in the domestic market in 2018. This is the first time that this milestone has been notched for a calendar year.

Between January-December 2018, a total of 1,005,380 CVs were sold, notching year-on-year growth of 27 percent and making India one of the fastest-growing CV markets globally. The growth comes on the back of strong demand for both the medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCVs) and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) which grew by 23 and 30 percent respectively. The growth rate would have been better if not for some growth inhibitors in the last two to three months of CY2018 like the revised axle load norms, high diesel prices, a liquidity crunch and poor market and consumer sentiment.

It may be recollected that the overall CV sector in FY2018 touched all-time high sales of 856,453 units (+20%) after seeing marginal 4 percent growth in FY2017. In the ongoing fiscal’s (FY2019) first nine months, overall CV sales at 723,262 units are up 26 percent. This could have been better but given the current growth rate, the sector is likely to cross the million unit mark the first time ever in any fiscal year.

Importantly during FY2018, the M&HCV sector clocked total sales of 395,753 units, closing in on the 400,000 unit mark, perhaps the second highest after China. While the bus segment remains under stress and almost-flat growth, the goods carrier segment – the barometer of economic activities in the country – remains strong with total sales of 357,369 units, registering a strong 26 percent growth.

The M&HCV segment has seen a good uptick due to superior growth in the overall economy, higher infrastructure spend by the government, especially on-road and highway construction. This has translated into robust demand for the tipper market. Similarly, the LCV market – both pickups and small CVs – is benefiting from demand from growing satellite cities, booming e-commerce, increasing rural connectivity and higher last-mile delivery. LCV sales crossed the 600,000 units mark in the calendar year, clocking handsome 30 percent YoY growth.

TATA MOTORS REMAINS ON TOP
The higher level of industry growth in CY2018 is clearly reflected in buoyant OEM sales. Market leader Tata Motors, the sole full CV player, maintains its stranglehold with sales of 448,629 units for a market share of 45 percent. However, the company is aggressively fighting competition in the M&HCV segment to retain its leadership status. Tata Motors is tops in the LCV segment too but a hard-driving Mahindra & Mahindra, which is the second-largest player in the overall CV market with 25 percent market. What is helping M&M is the sustained demand for its popular Bolero range of pickups, particularly from semi-urban markets, is keeping it on its toes. Mahindra Truck & Bus, which recently launched the Blazo X HCV, the company is aspiring for the No. 3 position in the M&HCV segment.

SMALL%20SVC_1.jpg


Chennai-based Ashok Leyland, the second largest player in the M&HCV segment, sold a total of 183,889 units in 2018 for a total market share of 18 percent. Over the past couple of years, Ashok Leyland has been gaining substantial market share in the M&HCV segment from the market leader with its new heavy-duty trucks. Now it is looking to expand its base in the LCV segment where the Dost, its sole SCV, is a popular product. The company is now aggressively tapping the LCV segments with a product offensive to become a full CV player.

VE Commercial Vehicles, another player with strong ambition, sold 63,662 units in 2018 for a market share of six percent. The company has already hit peak production capacity at the Pithampur plant and has invested in a greenfield facility near Bhopal to expand capacities. Force Motors with its strong presence in the commercial passenger segment with the Traveller range of LCVs sold a total of 21,409 units to become the fifth largest player in the overall CV segments with a market share of 2.1 percent.

MARUTI SUPER CARRY MAKES SMART GAINS
Maruti Suzuki India, which entered the CV segment with its small CV the Supper Carry, has gained market share in 2018. Sales of the Super Carry averaged 1,705 units each month albeit the company would have liked a better number. Its sales of 20,469 units in 2018 gives it a market share of 2 percent to become the sixth largest player in the segment. SML Isuzu, which operates in the limited intermediate commercial vehicle market, sold 12,597 units in the year for a marginal market share of 1.2 percent.

DOMESTIC%20MARKET%20SALES%20IN%20CALENDAR%20YEAR%202018.jpg
 
http://www.autocarpro.in/news-natio...lion-units-for-the-first-time-in-cy2018-41837

CV sales in India surpass a million units for the first time in CY2018

2fbbf8a2-afd1-4a44-9bf3-a0758b75e4a3.jpg


Even though growth seems to be moderating for the commercial vehicle (CV) sector, particularly M&HCVs, in India, the sector has notched a new landmark – a million-plus sales in the domestic market in 2018. This is the first time that this milestone has been notched for a calendar year.

Between January-December 2018, a total of 1,005,380 CVs were sold, notching year-on-year growth of 27 percent and making India one of the fastest-growing CV markets globally. The growth comes on the back of strong demand for both the medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M&HCVs) and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) which grew by 23 and 30 percent respectively. The growth rate would have been better if not for some growth inhibitors in the last two to three months of CY2018 like the revised axle load norms, high diesel prices, a liquidity crunch and poor market and consumer sentiment.

It may be recollected that the overall CV sector in FY2018 touched all-time high sales of 856,453 units (+20%) after seeing marginal 4 percent growth in FY2017. In the ongoing fiscal’s (FY2019) first nine months, overall CV sales at 723,262 units are up 26 percent. This could have been better but given the current growth rate, the sector is likely to cross the million unit mark the first time ever in any fiscal year.

Importantly during FY2018, the M&HCV sector clocked total sales of 395,753 units, closing in on the 400,000 unit mark, perhaps the second highest after China. While the bus segment remains under stress and almost-flat growth, the goods carrier segment – the barometer of economic activities in the country – remains strong with total sales of 357,369 units, registering a strong 26 percent growth.

The M&HCV segment has seen a good uptick due to superior growth in the overall economy, higher infrastructure spend by the government, especially on-road and highway construction. This has translated into robust demand for the tipper market. Similarly, the LCV market – both pickups and small CVs – is benefiting from demand from growing satellite cities, booming e-commerce, increasing rural connectivity and higher last-mile delivery. LCV sales crossed the 600,000 units mark in the calendar year, clocking handsome 30 percent YoY growth.

TATA MOTORS REMAINS ON TOP
The higher level of industry growth in CY2018 is clearly reflected in buoyant OEM sales. Market leader Tata Motors, the sole full CV player, maintains its stranglehold with sales of 448,629 units for a market share of 45 percent. However, the company is aggressively fighting competition in the M&HCV segment to retain its leadership status. Tata Motors is tops in the LCV segment too but a hard-driving Mahindra & Mahindra, which is the second-largest player in the overall CV market with 25 percent market. What is helping M&M is the sustained demand for its popular Bolero range of pickups, particularly from semi-urban markets, is keeping it on its toes. Mahindra Truck & Bus, which recently launched the Blazo X HCV, the company is aspiring for the No. 3 position in the M&HCV segment.

SMALL%20SVC_1.jpg


Chennai-based Ashok Leyland, the second largest player in the M&HCV segment, sold a total of 183,889 units in 2018 for a total market share of 18 percent. Over the past couple of years, Ashok Leyland has been gaining substantial market share in the M&HCV segment from the market leader with its new heavy-duty trucks. Now it is looking to expand its base in the LCV segment where the Dost, its sole SCV, is a popular product. The company is now aggressively tapping the LCV segments with a product offensive to become a full CV player.

VE Commercial Vehicles, another player with strong ambition, sold 63,662 units in 2018 for a market share of six percent. The company has already hit peak production capacity at the Pithampur plant and has invested in a greenfield facility near Bhopal to expand capacities. Force Motors with its strong presence in the commercial passenger segment with the Traveller range of LCVs sold a total of 21,409 units to become the fifth largest player in the overall CV segments with a market share of 2.1 percent.

MARUTI SUPER CARRY MAKES SMART GAINS
Maruti Suzuki India, which entered the CV segment with its small CV the Supper Carry, has gained market share in 2018. Sales of the Super Carry averaged 1,705 units each month albeit the company would have liked a better number. Its sales of 20,469 units in 2018 gives it a market share of 2 percent to become the sixth largest player in the segment. SML Isuzu, which operates in the limited intermediate commercial vehicle market, sold 12,597 units in the year for a marginal market share of 1.2 percent.

DOMESTIC%20MARKET%20SALES%20IN%20CALENDAR%20YEAR%202018.jpg

@anant_s :cheers:
 
Sales of Farm and material movement vehicles is one good indicator of economic activity on upswing trajectory. Some of contractors working with us tell, that the cost of hiring of cranes and heavy multi axle trucks has gone up owing to big demand in market most notably construction industry and movement of large size capital goods. All these are good pointers of investment cycle picking pace and with Railways leading the consumption (massive new projects online), it won't be long before we see a boom in other sectors as well.
 
https://www.outlookindia.com/newssc...vest-30-mn-euros-on-new-plant-in-pune/1460100

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Technology firm Continental said it is investing approximately 30 million euros (Rs 240 crore) to set up a new manufacturing plant at Talegaon in Pune.

The facility, which will be utilised for the company's powertrain business, is scheduled to begin production by early 2020. It will roll out products such as engine management systems, sensors and actuators as well as fuel and exhaust management components, for passenger cars, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

"Due to the increasing stringent emission legislation in the automotive market, including the two-wheeler market, we are expecting a growing demand of low-emission technologies," said Continental Executive Vice-President Powertrain Components Business Unit Klaus Hau. Through this investment, the company is expanding its involvement in the strategic important market, he added.

Continental has invested around 260 million euros (Rs 2,100 crore) in India during the ten-year period from 2008 for its various businesses. It is supporting all key automotive companies in India to transition to BS VI emission standards.

In December 2018, Continental had also announced the start of work at another facility in Pune to manufacture premium surface materials for the automotive interior, with an investment of about 22 million euros (Rs 180 crore). The company has also recently announced an additional R&D facility in its existing automotive plant at Gurugram.
 
https://www.thehindu.com/news/natio...ar-hyundais-project-today/article26022889.ece

Cabinet set to clear Hyundai’s project today

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South Korean automobile major Hyundai Motor’s Rs. 7,000-crore project for manufacturing electric cars is all set to get the State Cabinet’s nod on Friday. The production will take place at the company’s plant in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.

At its third meeting in a month, the Cabinet is expected to give its formal approval to a package of exclusive subsidy for electric car manufacturers. “This will be a game-changer in the automobile industry,” said a senior official in the government. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami will preside over the meeting, which will begin at 10 a.m. at the Secretariat.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is expected to be signed between the State government and the company on the electric car project at the Global Investors’ Meet to be held next week. In addition, other industrial projects, worth Rs. 3,000 crore, will be approved by the Cabinet for various subsidies. All put together, the Cabinet will clear the projects for a total cost of Rs. 10,000 crore.

In its meetings held in December and early this month, the Cabinet had approved manufacturing projects that have the potential of attracting investments of approximately Rs. 50,000 crore.
 
Economic Pain Spells Trouble for Modi and BJP

he Modi-led BJP government has emulated Indira Gandhi and emasculated the economy, causing burning resentment among core supporters.

Once upon a time, not a very long time ago, the Indian economy was mired in the Hindu rate of growth. The notorious license-permit-quota raj starved the economy of oxygen, perpetuating pernicious poverty by imposing Soviet-style economics through a colonial bureaucracy. Pertinently, bureaucrats, not businessmen or entrepreneurs, decided what would be produced, which company would produce it and even when would it do so. The result was not quite an unmitigated disaster but close.

The story of Indian growth after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 is now almost a cliché. Indiamortgaged its gold, went with a begging bowl to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), opened up its economy and, voila, the economy boomed. Today, Indian newspapers crow incessantly about ever higher growth figures. If one were to believe them, a wave of vikas, the Indian term for development, is sweeping this ancient, time-worn land.

It is pertinent to note that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected in 2014 on the promise of vikas. If that promise has been fulfilled, then he should be in pole position to win the 2019 election that is now just a few months away. Yet not all is well in South Block, the fabled British-built resplendent office of the prime minister.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost elections in three states. Its chief ministers have been booted out, including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a backward caste leader like Modi whom many have touted as a future prime minister. While the BJP is underplaying its losses, the defeat has been seismic. So much so that it has brought in reservation for supposedly poor upper castes, much like Vishwanath Pratap Singh, the politician who replaced Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister in 1989 and earned his claim to fame by reserving a percentage of government jobs and seats in universities for backward castes.

WHY IS BJP LOSING DESPITE VIKAS?
The answer might be best expressed in the words of James Carville, Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist: “The economy, stupid.” As many know, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. In India’s case, rosy growth figures fail to capture acute pain on the ground. Modi has dragged the economy screaming and kicking through two major disruptions.

The first disruption was demonetization that Modi declared out of the blue on November 8, 2016. The following year, the BBC asked an economic analyst to look at the data of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and called it “a failure of epic proportions.” The prime minister declared demonetization to rid the economy of black money, wealth accumulated through avoidance of taxes. No less than 99% of this money came back to the banks making a mockery of Modi’s declaration. Instead of curbing the black economy, Modi’s ad hoc measure sucked liquidity out of the market, wrecked small businesses and destroyed employment in the country.

Furthermore, Modi failed to reform any of the underlying causes that lead to corruption. It is a well-known secret that India’s colonial-era laws and socialist-era legislation are utterly out of sync with ground realities. If these laws were truly imposed, the Indian economy might grind to a halt in a day. Modi neither repealed key outmoded laws nor reformed poorly drafted ones, ensuring that doing business in India necessitates creative interpretation, if not transgression, of the law.

If the law is an ***, the bureaucracy is worse. This colonial-era construct has always had the “sahib syndrome.” It is repressive and extractive in its DNA. It seeks to rule, not to serve. It is a very blunt instrument to achieve policy goals. During demonetization, the bureaucracy confounded citizens with repeated circulars that attained notoriety for their muddled thinking and poor drafting. It is fair to say that the Modi government has been going around in circles ever since and the economy has unsurprisingly gone for a toss.

The second disruption to the economy was the imposition of the goods and services tax (GST). Initially, this was an idea of the Indian National Congress party and Modi opposed it as chief minister of Gujarat. However, he adopted it with great gusto as prime minister and pushed it through despite much opposition. In more ways than one, the GST is a jolly good idea. However, the devil lies in the details. The GST legislation was drafted with what is often termed “gulabi English and jalebi logic” with a convoluted multiplicity of rates and filing of numerous returns. Simplicity, clarity and certainty, the hallmarks of good legislation, were conspicuous by their absence.

If poor drafting was not enough, bureaucratic bungling added to the misery of the small trader. Like Indira Gandhi, another strong prime minister and the grandmother of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi believes in ruling through pliant bureaucrats with no domain expertise. These worthies have imposed such strangulating red tape through the GST that small businesses are struggling to survive, if they have not already gone bankrupt.

Entrepreneurs and businessmen complain that they have spent more time proving their innocence to an inquisitorial government instead of running or growing their business. The government is simply delaying refunding small businesses the money that is theirs, creating a dire cash flow crisis that is driving them to despair. Remember, it is small and medium enterprises that provide most of the jobs in the country. Amazon, Google or Infosys hire a handful of people by comparison. And by squeezing the smaller players, Modi’s bureaucrats have destroyed jobs in the country.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC FIGURES?
India’s growth figures are indeed impressive and have finally nudged ahead of China’s. Even if creative accounting has boosted these figures, they are still impressive. Despite the buoyant figures, there are flies in ointment.

The Indian economy has long suffered from the Lord Voldemort problem. For the few who have not read Harry Potter, Voldemort is the Dark Lord or He Who Must Not Be Named, a most fearsome archvillain. Voldemort is the reigning deity of India’s black economy that some economists estimate to be as high as 62% of the GDP. To put this into perspective, agriculture and industry put together form 39% of GDP. The share of both India’s central government and 29 state ones is 27% of GDP.

Historically, this informal sector has never showed up in direct taxes or other official economic data. However, its strength has been indirectly reflected through real estate prices and consumption figures for cars, white goods, gold and more. Tellingly, car sales remained subdued even during Diwali season. Indians typically buy cars during this festival of lights and companies tried to lure them with hefty discount sales. Two months ago, these did not work because of “weak buyer sentiments, higher insurance cost, vehicle price hike and liquidity crunch.”

A key unmentioned reason for declining car sales is the dire state of the black economy. When we speak to traders, businessmen and entrepreneurs, they offer the same view. They tell us that the informal sector is in deep trouble and many do not know how long they can stay afloat. Some may say this is good news in the long run. Having said that, this pressure on the informal sector is causing severe structural dislocation in the economy and causing pain to millions across the country.

Pertinently, traders have been a core support group of the BJP and could well turn against the ruling party. So could others who are struggling to find jobs or make ends meet. Additionally, exports are declining, banks are in bad shape and markets are “facing more downsides than upsides.”

Democracies tend to be unforgiving of economic pain, which spells trouble ahead for Modi and the BJP.

https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/narendra-modi-bjp-bharatiya-janata-party-india-south-asia-news-headlines-21987/

 
Sales of Farm and material movement vehicles is one good indicator of economic activity on upswing trajectory. Some of contractors working with us tell, that the cost of hiring of cranes and heavy multi axle trucks has gone up owing to big demand in market most notably construction industry and movement of large size capital goods. All these are good pointers of investment cycle picking pace and with Railways leading the consumption (massive new projects online), it won't be long before we see a boom in other sectors as well.

As I always say... 2019 is a crucial year for India... Modi should win it... all his hard work and dedication will show fruitful results in upcoming 5 years...
Be it in manufacturing, defence or infrastructure sector...
 
https://indianexpress.com/photos/india-news/a-sneak-peek-into-kolkata-metros-east-west-line-5544157/

A sneak peek into Kolkata Metro’s East-West line
On an average, 7 lakh commuters will cross the Hooghly on the East-West Metro to Kolkata. The eventual route from Howrah Maidan to Sector V in Salt Lake will accommodate 12 stations.

netro2.jpg

The Kolkata East-West Metro had its first trial run from Central Park Metro station to Salt Lake Sector V with a new rake making its inaugural journey from the Salt Lake to Karunamoyee station. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro3.jpg

The run was intended to test the preparedness of both the rake and the newly laid tracks. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro4.jpg

The third line at three stations -- Sector Five, Karunamoyee and City Centre -- was electrified with the regulation 750 V in order to make the trial run possible. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro7.jpg

On an average, 7 lakh commuters will cross the Hooghly on the East West Metro to Kolkata. The eventual route from Howrah Maidan to Sector five in Salt Lake will accommodate 12 stations. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro5.jpg

Of the 16.6 km of tracks, 10.8 km will run underground, from Howrah Maidan to Subhash Sarobar. The track will emerge over ground to the end of the route. (Express photo: Partha Paul)


metro6.jpg

Work on the East West Metro is scheduled to be completed in three phases. The first phase covers the stretch between Sector Five and Salt Lake Stadium, the second from Salt Lake to Phulbagan, and the third from Phulbagan to Howrah Maidan. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro8.jpg

KMRCL has said work on the first phase will be over by the end of this financial year, though the route from Sector Five to Salt Lake Stadium should be operational by October of this year. (Express photo: Partha Paul)
 
https://indianexpress.com/photos/india-news/a-sneak-peek-into-kolkata-metros-east-west-line-5544157/

A sneak peek into Kolkata Metro’s East-West line
On an average, 7 lakh commuters will cross the Hooghly on the East-West Metro to Kolkata. The eventual route from Howrah Maidan to Sector V in Salt Lake will accommodate 12 stations.

netro2.jpg

The Kolkata East-West Metro had its first trial run from Central Park Metro station to Salt Lake Sector V with a new rake making its inaugural journey from the Salt Lake to Karunamoyee station. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro3.jpg

The run was intended to test the preparedness of both the rake and the newly laid tracks. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro4.jpg

The third line at three stations -- Sector Five, Karunamoyee and City Centre -- was electrified with the regulation 750 V in order to make the trial run possible. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro7.jpg

On an average, 7 lakh commuters will cross the Hooghly on the East West Metro to Kolkata. The eventual route from Howrah Maidan to Sector five in Salt Lake will accommodate 12 stations. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro5.jpg

Of the 16.6 km of tracks, 10.8 km will run underground, from Howrah Maidan to Subhash Sarobar. The track will emerge over ground to the end of the route. (Express photo: Partha Paul)


metro6.jpg

Work on the East West Metro is scheduled to be completed in three phases. The first phase covers the stretch between Sector Five and Salt Lake Stadium, the second from Salt Lake to Phulbagan, and the third from Phulbagan to Howrah Maidan. (Express photo: Partha Paul)

metro8.jpg

KMRCL has said work on the first phase will be over by the end of this financial year, though the route from Sector Five to Salt Lake Stadium should be operational by October of this year. (Express photo: Partha Paul)
Nice, are these the ones from Dalian?
 

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