AAPI: August 2023

DELHI, August 2023

Index of this Newsletter

INDIA

INDIA & THE WORLD

21. World will get challenging over Next Year: Banga
22. ONDC to bring in next revolution for e-commerce after UPI: Mr. Pramod Varma, Former Chief Architect of Aadhaar
23. Indian Cos Can Directly List Overseas Soon: FM
24. Ayush Visa introduced for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Indian systems of medicine
25. X Govt launches Study in India portal to simplify academic journey of international students

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DELHI, AUGUST 2023

NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 2023

INDIA

– GENERAL POLICY, INFRASTRUCTURES, COUNTRY FINANCES, ETC.

1. 14,500 Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India to emerge as exemplar schools and offer leadership to other schools

Press Information Bureau, Aug. 3, 2023

On September 7, 2022, the Cabinet approved a new Centrally Sponsored Programme called Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI), to demonstrate the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and develop into exemplar schools over time and offer leadership to other schools in the area.

The scheme allows for the establishment of more than 14,500 PM SHRI Schools by enhancing the existing ones from among those run by the Central, state, and local governments.

More than 35 lakh students are being benefitted from the 6,207 schools selected in the first phase of PM SHRI School selection from 27 States and UTs, along with KVS and NVS.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

2. Govt to support IIT incubated startup Noccarc Robotics for digital ICU ventilator

ET, 10 Aug. 2023

Noccarc is launching the Noccarc V730i, which is a smart ventilator. V730i allows seamless connectivity to the cloud via GSM, WiFi, and LAN, allowing doctors and intensive care specialists to remotely monitor the patient data on Noccarc’s digital platform, and will also enable hospitals to digitize their ICU data and workflows.

The entire technology has been developed by Noccarc indigenously, with several patents filed for each component of the ventilator

Technology Development Board (TDB) has entered into an agreement with Noccarc Robotics Private Limited, Maharashtra, a company dedicated to the commercialization of Digitally Enabled Advanced Universal ICU Ventilators. The board has pledged support of Rs 3.94 Crores out of the total project cost of Rs 7.89 Crores. Noccarc is a startup incubated at the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.

The entire technology has been developed by Noccarc indigenously, with several patents filed for each component of the ventilator. The company's entry-level ventilator, V310, played a critical role during the Covid-19 pandemic, being deployed in diverse hospitals across India, where it became instrumental in saving lives.

Building on this success, Noccarc is now launching the Noccarc V730i, which is a smart ventilator. V730i allows seamless connectivity to the cloud via GSM, WiFi, and LAN, allowing doctors and intensive care specialists to remotely monitor the patient data on Noccarc’s digital platform, and will also enable hospitals to digitize their ICU data and workflows. This initiative is aligned with the Government's push towards creating a self-reliant India in the medical devices sector.

Speaking on this occasion, the promoters of Noccarc, Nikhil Kurele, and Harshit Rathore, expressed that the support and assistance from TDB would propel the company in its quest for technological indigenization across India's healthcare sector. They emphasized that Noccarc's endeavours would contribute significantly to the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government, setting a precedent for innovation and self-reliance in the field of medical technology.

Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, TDB said, “Noccarc's innovations in advanced medical technology are a testament to India's capabilities in developing advanced solutions that cater to the needs of domestic healthcare facilities. Noccarc focuses on commercializing Digitally Enabled Advanced Universal ICU Ventilators, which are expected to revolutionize the critical care industry. The company's manufacturing site in Pune is a symbol of the realization of digitally-enabled healthcare devices made in India, which have immense potential in export markets too.”

3. Parle continues to be India's top Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brand at home; Britannia leads the ranking for out-of-home consumption

IBEF, Jul. 28, 2023

According to the most recent release of Brand Footprint, a yearly ranking of the most popular consumer brands in India by Kantar Worldpanel, Parle, the biscuit brand owned by Parle Products, remains the top fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brand in the country. Domestically-based businesses own seven of the top ten brands.

In the Brand Footprint study, brands are ranked according to their consumer reach points, or Consumer Reach Points (CRPs), a metric that combines the penetration of a brand into households and the frequency of purchase. Parle, one of almost 400 brands, has been leading the pack since the debut of its brand footprint eleven years ago, with 7,449 million CRP, followed by dairy brand Britannia, which had 6,691 million CRP. These two brands each saw gains of 9% and 16%. The sole non-food brand in the top five brands was Clinic Plus, a kind of shampoo from Hindustan Unilever.

According to Managing Director (MD)-South Asia, Worldpanel Division at Kantar, Mr. K. Ramakrishnan, consumer choice is the ultimate strength of a brand. Over the years, consumers are making increasing trips for purchases, and that adds to their options and, in turn, their choices. This is reflected in the constant increase in CRP.

Parle Products, which sells brands like Parle G, Monaco, and Melody, crossed the US$ 2 billion revenue threshold in FY22 making it the first packaged food firm in India to do so. The top five brands in the study, which also looked at consumption outside the home, are all related to snacks. With 498 million CRPs, Britannia is in the first place, followed by Haldiram's, Cadbury, Balaji, and Parle.

Mr. K. Ramakrishnan also quoted that it was vital to establish a ranking exclusively for these categories, where there is a major out-of-home component, as purchases for out-of-home consumption are on the rise and seem to have different choice triggers.

Even though they are purchasing slightly less, Indians made 152 grocery store trips in the most recent fiscal year, which is a record. In fact, as rising inflation forces people to cut back on spending, consumers with low incomes make purchases about once every 52 hours or about once every two days. Instead of making outright price increases, most companies have decreased product box sizes, which are currently 20% smaller than they were two years ago.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

4. Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023: Ministry of Education launches mobile app ULLAS; signs 106 MoUs to foster innovation, research, knowledge exchange

ET Gov. 31 Jul. 2023

The MoUs were signed in association with the Atal Innovation Mission, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Apparel Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council, Automotive Sector Skill Council, Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure Skills Council, Central Square Foundation (CSC), Educational Initiatives Private Limited, Oxford University Press India, Logistics Sector Skill Council, Furniture and Fittings Sector Skill Council, Life Sciences Sector Skill Council, Textiles Sector Skill Council and Healthcare Sector Skill Council.

"The new logo and slogan, "ULLAS: Nav Bharat Saksharta Karyakram," reflect the enthusiasm and vigour of the campaign."

The Ministry of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship signed 106 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with various organizations and institutions on July 30, on the occasion of the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam 2023 and the 3rd anniversary of the National Education Policy. The MoUs encompass partnerships with both public and private entities to foster innovation, research, and knowledge exchange in multiple domains, ushering in a new era of collaboration in education and industry-academia linkages.

Advt

The signing took place in the presence of Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi and Minister of State for Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

Dharmendra Pradhan also launched the mobile application of ULLAS. He said that the ULLAS mobile application marks a significant milestone in harnessing the potential of technology to facilitate widespread access to basic literacy. This user-friendly and interactive app available both on android and ios and will serve as a digital gateway for learners to engage in diverse learning resources through the DIKSHA portal of NCERT.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) signed 15 MoUs with different institutes and sector-skill providers to give a specific focus on skill development and education.

"These partnership will also promote skill assessment and capacity building," a senior MoE official said.

Advt

For the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), three MoUs were signed with the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre (ISLRTC) to promote Indian sign language to share expertise and resources for standardisation and development of quality learning resources in Indian sign language, with the Common Service Centres, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to leverage CSC e-governance services to facilitate the admission of Out of School Children (OoSC) in the NIOS, increase enrolment and provide e-services, and with the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University for academic advancements.

An MoU between Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and IBM was also signed in order to accelerate the activities conducted for an effective implementation of the Vigyan Jyoti programme in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs).

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed 20 MoUs under the aegis of the eVidya initiative with the departments of school education of several states for the development of quality content and through PM eVIDYA DTH TV channels in different languages and for various stakeholders.

In the realm of higher education, six MoUs were signed to promote the Indian Knowledge System (IKS).

Fourteen MoUs under the National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) were also signed in partnership with SkillDzire Technologies Private Limited, MathWorks India Private Limited, TimesPro, Google India, Gate India Electronics Private Limited, Future Minds, The Open Group, Consortium for Technical Education (CTE), MahaLearning Tab India, Durjeya Solutions Private Limited, Flaunch Innovation Private Limited, Electronics Sector Skill Council, NIELIT and Instrumentation Automation Surveillance and Communication Sector Skill Council.

MoUs were also signed between the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Tirupati and the IIFCET for offering an advanced certification and training course on "Digital Manufacturing and Automation for Foundry Industry" for training and enriching the knowledge of diploma holders and graduate engineers employed in the industry, IIT-Tirupati and Siemens for establishing a centre of excellence on "Smart Manufacturing and Electric Vehicle Technologies", IIT-Jodhpur and the Central University of Rajasthan, IIT-Ropar and five central universities of north India for academic collaboration and sharing of resources, VNIT-Nagpur and TCS for path-breaking research in the areas of automotive electronics, power electronics and other related interdisciplinary subjects.

The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Raipur has signed an MoU with the Bhilai Steel Plant, the largest steel plant in the country, giving an opportunity in entrepreneurship skill to budding students by exposing them to industrial training and joint degree programmes.

The PM-USHA initiative also resulted in 15 MoUs with various states.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) signed five MoUs -- between the University of Mumbai and the University of Illinois (US), the University of Mumbai and the Saint Louis University (US), the Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya and the L N Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan, the University of Lucknow and the Lincoln University College in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and between the University of Lucknow and the Universidade Federal do Ceara, Brazil.

5. 300 institutions to be developed as centres of excellence for capacity building of teachers: Pradhan

ET Gov. 31 Jul. 2023

"Schools selected for the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme are the primary laboratory for the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP)."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam at the old Pragati Maidan.

Three hundred institutions across the country will be developed as centres of excellence for capacity building of teachers, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Sunday. Delivering the valedictory address at the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam, Pradhan said to be future-ready, one has to think about skilling in Indian languages.

"Capacity building of teachers is a priority and from this academic year, 300 institutions, including 100 from school education, 100 from higher education and 100 from skill institutions will be developed as centres of excellence," he said.

"It is the responsibility of all of us to convert National Curriculum Framework (NCF) guidelines into textbooks. All educational and skill institutions will have to work with interest on this," he added.

The minister also stressed ensuring continuous efforts towards the capacity building of the youth and enabling effective college governance.

He said schools selected for the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme are the primary laboratory for the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP) and asked the heads of educational institutions to make concerted efforts to strengthen the school ecosystem.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam at Bharat Mandapam at the old Pragati Maidan here. It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and coincided with the third anniversary of the NEP 2020.

The prime minister released the first instalment of Rs 630 crore under the PM SHRI scheme for 6,207 schools. He also released education and skill curriculum books translated into 12 Indian languages.

- Agriculture, Fishing and Rural Development

6. Implementing BharatNet – A boon for rural India

ET Gov. 11 Aug. 2023

BharatNet is expected to provide the backbone as well as the last-mile optical fiber-based connectivity to homes across all villages in the country.

Besides ushering in accelerated digital transformation, BharatNet would foster rural entrepreneurship, enhance agricultural practices, and attract investments and job creation in rural areas.

The good news is that the government has approved Rs 1.39 lakh crore for the ambitious BharatNet project to expand and enhance the country’s rural internet connectivity. BharatNet is expected to provide the backbone as well as the last-mile optical fiber-based connectivity to homes across all villages in the country.

Though first launched in 2011, the earlier two phases of the project, with a total funding of little more than Rs 42,000 crores, faced myriad hurdles and had mixed results. But the latest phase, with a humungous financial outlay, is expected to be a game-changer, underlining the government’s determination to provide high-quality connectivity to 6,40,000 villages over the next 2.5 years.

BharatNet is touted as one of the world’s biggest telecom projects, the potential of BharatNet cannot be overstated. On it largely rests the country’s vision to bridge the digital divide and transform itself into Digital India. Besides ushering in accelerated digital transformation, BharatNet would foster rural entrepreneurship, enhance agricultural practices, and attract investments and job creation in rural areas.

All this is good news and the Government of India rightly deserves credit for last week’s big announcement. But the news can get infinitely better if the implementation of BharatNet becomes robust and adequate care is taken to ensure that the mistakes made during the earlier phases are not repeated. The biggest problem that adversely impacted the earlier two phases of the project was that the quality and reliability of the deployments were not aligned to market requirements. Lessons from past shortcomings, therefore, need to be drawn and corrective measures initiated to ensure that no untested inferior products are deployed in the project that can potentially compromise India’s transformative digital journey.

To achieve the salutary objectives of BharatNet, it is of utmost importance to draw up a time-bound action plan and address policy issues – direct or indirect – that have a bearing on the project’s speedy and efficient rollout. Removing the existing bottlenecks and ironing out a few outstanding irritants can help immensely in this respect.

To begin with, ease of doing business must be ensured. Right of Way (RoW) issues continue to be a major impediment in the timely rollout of the network despite progressive policy interventions in the past. Realities on the ground are yet to change. Despite agreements between the Government of India and various state governments, stakeholders involved in the implementation of the project have faced roadblocks, especially from central agencies such as Forests, Roads, Railways, and Defence. It is therefore imperative that a nodal officer be identified from all relevant ministries to facilitate coordination and speedy RoW approvals for the project.

Also, payment terms form an important component of any EPC contract. A project’s faster execution is dependent on efficient fund management, timely payments to contractors, and improved cash flows, and the same will hold true for the BharatNet project. It has been observed in the past that discretion in payment terms delays execution and increases litigation, eventually increasing the project cost and making investments less attractive. To avoid such pitfalls in the BharatNet project, it would be better if a payment framework that provides a clear milestone-based payment system is adopted.

Additionally, one must not lose sight of quality. The usage of legacy and outdated standards in deployed equipment had hobbled the BharatNet project earlier. But going forward, one must focus on a long-term perspective so that the network we build is future-ready and serves us for a very long time. Over the past few years, countries such as the US and UK have initiated deployment of improved optical fiber that has a substantially longer lifetime over legacy fiber and is bend-insensitive, eliminating any optical power loss due to accidental bends. Since BharatNet is a crucial project that seeks to harness the full potential of our rural economy by putting in place a robust digital network, it is important that its deployment standards are optimal, secure, and future-ready. They must measure up to the best global benchmarks.

It would also serve the project, and consequently the country’s interests, well if the government puts into practice a process that ensures only competent and credible players get assigned with the responsibility of executing a crucial project such as BharatNet. Internationally – be it Australia, Singapore, or New Zealand – the successful execution of large-scale digital infrastructure projects has largely been determined by the selection of credible players. There is, therefore, a strong case for the government to consider building the BharatNet project infrastructure only by engaging specialized players with adequate expertise in large-scale end-to-end network deployment, maintenance, and management.

An enormous project such as BharatNet also offers a great opportunity to accelerate the growth of India’s domestic industry which we should not let go begging. To its credit, the Government of India has already initiated corrective measures. Only very recently, it imposed anti-dumping duty on optical fiber that had been flooding the Indian market, particularly from South Korea, China, and Indonesia. The measure is welcome since it will compensate the local industry for the ‘injuries’ it suffered because of dumping that deprived it of a level playing field. But there is scope for more to bolster the domestic industry, including an amendment to the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) PPP-MII policy. This policy provides for government preference for Make-In-India products. However, under the existing framework, the percentages for the requirement of local content are calculated based on the total project cost and not on the basis of the cost spent on the product. This loophole is being exploited by many to import products, overlooking quality products that are locally available. An amendment mandating calculation based on product cost and not project cost would eliminate such misuse of the policy, promote domestic products, and prove to be extremely beneficial for Indian industry.

BharatNet is an India-scale initiative that will transform the lives of millions of people in rural India by providing them with affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet connectivity. Unlike a road project, this is a project that will not be visible to ordinary people, but its impact would definitely be visible and will be transformational for the nation. India would go Digital, unlocking the full potential of technology that can bring about substantive social and economic benefits. Let us make sure we do not miss this opportunity.

7. Genetically Engineered Crops: Need for informed choice, Government News

ET Gov. 15 Jul. 2023

Genetically Modified (GM) technology is a disruptive technology capable of bringing any targeted change within a crop variety. GM crops undergo recombinant DNA change to modify properties to develop pest or drought- resistance or add any new attributes. The advantage of GM crops over hybrids is a more targeted mechanism for achieving a higher hit rate for the desired trait.

Low level of farmers’ income is a critical concern. The Situation Assessment Report (SAS) 2019 places average agricultural household income at Rs. 10,480. Major share of farmers’ income comes from crop production. Over the years there has been some increase in productivity, but the progress has lagged international markups.

The country had witnessed remarkable impetus in productivity in some of the staple cereal crops during the Green Revolution (GR) which began with first-time use of High Yield Variety (HYV) seeds coupled with scientific protocol, agricultural extension, improved irrigation system and increased use of fertilizers and pesticides. These factors resulted in a quantum jump in the productivity of paddy and wheat during the late 60s and 70s.

Notwithstanding the gains of GR, we have begun to see increasing levels of import of agri commodities. Specifically, edible oil, pulses and high value fruits and vegetables are being imported. For example, a study by Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) reveals that India is 55-60% deficit so far as edible oil is concerned, resulting in import of 13.13 lakh tons at a price of Rs. 1.17 Lakh crores in 2021-22. In the same year, import of pulses and high value fruits and vegetables have cost Rs. 16,627 crores and Rs. 19,700 Crores respectively.

It is in this context we need to look at technology in vogue. When it comes to improving productivity, seeds are a game changer. Hybrid seeds are prepared by cross-pollinating the same parent plants in a controlled environment. In simple words, breeding crops that are genetically able to reproduce, like two types of stone fruits (plums and peaches), or two varieties of citrus fruits (orange and sweet lime).

In this area, Genetically Modified (GM) technology is a disruptive technology capable of bringing any targeted change within a crop variety. GM crops undergo recombinant DNA change to modify properties to develop pest or drought- resistance or add any new attributes. The advantage of GM crops over hybrids is a more targeted mechanism for achieving a higher hit rate for the desired trait.

Globally, GM Crops have led to yield gains across crops. The gains are primarily due to mitigation of crop damage by pests. The introduction of GM soybeans in Argentina increased the yield by 1,900 kg per hectare. Similarly, GM corn yield in the USA increased from 8.75 tons to 11.64 tons per hectare between 2001 and 2021. The growth in the yield in canola in Canada was 2.54 tons per hectare.

The National Institute of Health, USA’ meta-analysis of 147 original studies on the impact of GM crops noted that the average increase in crop yields was to the extent of 22%. The same study noted that adoption of the GM technology resulted in reduced chemical pesticides use by 37%. After a lot of debate, Bt cotton was allowed for commercial cultivation in India in 2002 and in the last decade this led to an increase in productivity from 300 kg/ha in 2014-15 to 566 kg/ha in 2022-23.

GM introduction has met with a barrage of criticism. Detractors claim that the yield gains are exaggerated alleging that studies have falsified the data not only of the increase in yield but on the farmers’ income and profits. Further they fear that many indigenous varieties of crops of different kinds may gradually get eliminated and become extinct as a result of large scale farming of GM crops.

The fear that large MNCs like Monsanto and Bayer will have a monopoly on seeds and price out small and marginal farmers especially in countries like India and other countries in the global south. On the other hand, Japan has allowed GM crops along with other countries including the USA, Argentina, Canada and Brazil.

The global divide based on GM crops includes some major countries like Russia who have banned cultivation to “avert risk” of becoming fully dependent on external sources for production. The United Kingdom has taken a decision that they will frame policy based on a robust risk assessment indicating that GM crops are safe for people and the environment both. Northern Ireland is yet to be convinced with the advantages of these engineered crops.

East African countries banned GM crops over health and safety concerns and to protect smallholder farmers. However, Kenya recently lifted the ban to address looming food scarcity concerns. The major divide is witnessed in the European Union where GM food and feed is consumed but a firm decision on cultivation is left to the Member States wishing to restrict or prohibit GMO cultivation on their territory without affecting the EU risk assessment.

The ecological crisis in the context of climate change has made it imperative that nations develop appropriate mechanisms to assess and adopt GE strains after scientific analysis and appraisal based on empirical facts. Such a promising phenomenon of GE in crops cannot be summarily dumped without proper evaluation. The scientific community must be allowed to engage in required research and generate data. Also, national policy requires sound apparatus and instruments which must be put in place. Field trials generate required data which should continue in controlled fashion.

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate, Government of India is the apex body for appraisal of proposals submitted by applicants for field trials of GM Crops as well as for commercial release. However, the GEAC today appears to be lacking in affirmative action. Perusal of its proceedings over 20 odd years presents a picture of backtracking and balking at criticism and absence of any clarity of vision.

Post introduction of Bt Cotton the scenario has changed drastically. Every permission for field trial has led many to resort to PIL(s) and there have been disruptions to the process. In fact, the Supreme Court imposed restrictions on GEAC from granting fresh approvals for field trials by an order dated 22.09.2006. Subsequently the Apex Court permitted conduct of field trials to GM crops subject to various conditions.

Consequently, the GEAC has adopted a posture of extreme hesitation. Many rounds of consultations and requests for NOCs from states paused field trials. Many states have refused to allow conduct of field trials like Kerala, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu. Some states demand adequate safety information from previous trials and refuse grants of NOCs. Some states have no mechanisms yet in place to deal with GM crops issues.

In the melange of opinions and comments, the matter of commercial cultivation of GM Mustard hangs fire, and introduction is in cold storage. In a federal structure, States must be taken into confidence but on a crucially important subject of scientific adoption of cutting-edge technology in agriculture, the buck must stop somewhere. Bias and sentiments appear to have held hostage the rational decision-making process.

(The author is Principal Advisor to Chief Minister of Odisha, and former Chief Secretary of Odisha; views are personal)

8. Agri Accelerator Fund: Agriculture needs user-centric problem-driven digital solutions, not tech driven

ET Gov. 27 July 2023

The Government of India must ensure that the resources from Agri Accelerator Fund and other such funds go to agri-tech entrepreneurs and startups that are engaged in developing “user-centric solutions.” If the solutions are merely technology driven and not problem driven, then they will not serve the needs of India’s farmers.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government was creating an Agri Accelerator Fund or Rs 2200 crore to support agricultural startups, during her speech at the Union Budget session 2023-24 in the Parliament. "The fund will aim at bringing innovative and affordable solutions for challenges faced by farmers. It will also bring in modern technologies to transform agricultural practices, increase productivity and profitability," she said.

She informed that through the Agri Accelerator Fund, digital public infrastructure for agriculture will be developed as an open source, open standard and interoperable public good. The idea behind the fund is to promote innovation and agri-entrepreneurship and enable the rise of startups which will develop digital solutions for the diverse problems that the farmers face.

The government believes that digitisation is important for bringing prosperity to the agriculture sector. Rapid growth in the agriculture sector is critical for achieving the goal of growing India’s economy to $5 trillion.

There is potential for digital technologies in the agriculture sector. In areas like precision farming, pest management, crop yield prediction, and soil and water monitoring and management, agri-tech startups have already come up with several solutions. According to reports, the digital technologies developed by these startups are providing the farmers with insights into soil type, weather patterns, smart breeding and livestock management.

A paper released by the United Nations Development Program notes that food production must increase by 50% globally, to feed an additional two billion people. The paper also highlights the fact that despite the boom in the Agritech industry, the digital solutions for the agriculture sector have failed to scale. Here’s an excerpt:

“Agritech has witnessed a massive boom in recent years, with the space attracting record breaking investments from the private as well as public sectors. Yet, despite the promise of technology in addressing the various agri-food sustainability challenges, solutions have often failed to scale. Among several reasons, a key one is the lack of user-centricity of solutions. Agritech solutions—often technology-driven rather than being problem driven—fail to pinpoint and address the ‘real’ needs of their intended users.”

In a written reply to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha, Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, noted that a total of 1138 agri startups have been granted a financial assistance of Rs. 70.30 crores. The technical and financial assistance are provided to startups to launch their products, services and business platforms into the market and facilitate them to scale up their products and operations to attain business viability. But the Ministry of Agriculture is yet to conduct a realistic assessment of the products and services being created by these taxpayer funded agri-startups.

In his address to the nation, after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s presentation of the Union Budget 2023-24 in the Parliament, Modi said that the “agricultural budget which was less than 25,000 crores in 2014 has been increased to more than 1,25,000 crores today.” He also noted that “India is home to more than 3000 agri-startups today compared to next to nothing nine years ago.” But what kind of digital technologies are these start-ups developing?

One of the problems that India’s agriculture sector faces is that of education. Close to 55% of the country’s population is engaged in agriculture and its allied sectors, but only 1.65 lakh students are enrolled in higher education courses in the country’s agricultural institutes. It is possible that lack of advanced education is hindering the farmers from properly utlising the digital products and services being developed by the agritech industry.

9. App-based automation helps Krishnam Raju’s shrimp farm grow

ACCION, Jul, 11, 2023, Ishan Mishra

To feed the world and ensure their own livelihoods, aquaculture farmers like Krishnam Raju need insights that can reduce waste, improve their output, and increase their income.

Farming is an essential but challenging line of work. Around the world, farmers operate on razor-thin margins. Payment only comes at the harvest, which can be as infrequent as once per year, leaving them financially vulnerable for months at a time. Crop failure can be devastating. In the face of changing consumption patterns, escalating climate risks, and economic uncertainty, farmers need reliable ways to ensure their own livelihoods while feeding the world’s growing population and creating a positive environmental impact. Many are turning to aquaculture — the practice of raising fish and other aquatic life for consumption. To make this work viable, they need support.

Fortunately, technology can help aquaculture farmers gain the insights and financial resources needed to reduce waste and increase their output along with their incomes. AquaExchange is a full stack solution that provides farm management technology (IoT solutions) and financial services to aquaculture farmers and exporters in rural India. Their vision is to improve farmer productivity and livelihoods in the second-largest aquaculture country in the world. AquaExchange, an Accion Venture Lab portfolio company, has reached thousands of farmers since its founding in 2020, helping their operations become more efficient and sustainable. Its combination of hardware, software, ecommerce, and financial services make AquaExchange stand out in the agtech space. And all of these services are available to farmers through their mobile app.

AquaExchange’s solar-powered moving feeder automates crop feeding.

Krishnam Raju, an AquaExchange customer, has benefitted from the low-cost credit AquaExchange offers to buy high-quality inputs — the “seed” or juvenile shrimp that start a pond, and the feed that helps them grow. “When feed selection and seed selection are good, then there are more chances of getting better output,” he says. Using AquaExchange’s app, farmers like Krishnam Raju can purchase seed, feed, and other products at low prices and get the inputs delivered right to their farms.

With his pond seeded, Krishnam Raju can use AquaExchange’s digital sensory devices to monitor the aerators and automate feeding his prawns. If the pond loses power, he receives an alert on his phone through the app and an employee can resolve the situation — preventing total loss of the entire crop. He also installed the Automatic Power Factor Controller (APFC) to help manage the use of energy in the pond. AquaExchange’s platform also provides end-to-end procurement management, directly connecting farmers to exporters so they can sell their crops at a fair price. These features reduce costs and minimize waste of money, feed, and energy so that aquaculture farmers can improve their harvests and increase their incomes.

AquaExchange supports aquaculture farmers at every step of the crop cycle, from seed to sale.

Accion invests in and provides strategic guidance to innovative, scalable fintech companies like AquaExchange that improve the reach, quality, and affordability of financial services for the underserved. “The proudest we have been is when we see the smallest of farmers using our technology because we brought this technology to a level where it is costing the farmer less than $1 per acre per month. With this kind of pricing, we are able to take this technology to the smallest of small farmers,” says AquaExchange CEO Pavan Kosaraju. AquaExchange’s focus on farmers, and their insight into what smallholder farmers really need to thrive, will make them invaluable to the growing aquaculture market.

“Farm culture is very good,” Krishnam Raju says. “Demand is good here as well as in foreign countries. That is why many farmers are showing interest in shrimp farming.” Indeed, with demand for seafood projected to grow, partnerships like AquaExchange and Accion Venture Lab’s will remain important to providing the tools and financial services that aquaculture farmers need. Pavan notes, “It’s always the farmer first, every day. What keeps us awake is the fact that we can go out there into the farms and solve one more small problem of the farmer. For one farmer, it could be a small problem. But when we solve it, and we look at its scale in the ecosystem, then that builds up into a very huge impact. That is what drives us every day.” See how AquaExchange’s services make a difference for farmers like Krishnam Raju.

10. KisanKonnect launches India’s first digital farmers market for urban consumers

ET Gov. 31 Jul. 2023

The initiative connects 5,000 farmers from Maharashtra to consumers of Mumbai and Pune.

KisanKonnect is a three-year-old start-up, which has built an advance tech-enabled supply chain for fresh agri produce for more than three lakh urban consumers through its app and farm stores.

KisanKonnect, an integrated ‘farm-to-fork’ company, has launched ‘Aapka Apna Farmers Market’ on its app. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, an avid practitioner of wellness launched the initiative, which has connected 5,000 farmers from Maharashtra to consumers of Mumbai and Pune.

Vivek Nirmal, founder and CEO of KisanKonnect said, "Eliminating middlemen has helped us to reduce wastage and offer a fair price to the farmers, as well as the consumers. At KisanKonnect, we have a passion to work with our soil, and our farmers and producing safe fruits and vegetables for our loyal consumers. We have built traceability for the vegetables we source for our consumers using our proprietary tech’ Kisan-Trace’, which gives full information about the farm, farming practices, and its growing location to our consumers on the app, even before buying the same. Farmers have seen better productivity through scientific interventions through our Agri-Clinics.”

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KisanKonnect is a three-year-old start-up, which has built an advance tech-enabled supply chain for fresh agri produce for more than three lakh urban consumers through its app and farm stores. It claims to practice ‘Responsible Agriculture Practices’ by taking care of aspects like soil improvement, using bio-fertilizers in place of chemicals, and providing farmers with scientific Agronomy inputs for their crops. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty-Kundra recently invested in the start-up.

Co-founder and Chief Business Officer Nidhi Nirmal of KisanKonnect added, “In today’s world, consumers have become highly conscious of what they consume. Knowing the farmer from whom the food comes directly is a matter of great confidence about the quality of the produce. As a mother, it is important for me whether what I’m buying for my family are leafy vegetables grown on sewage water near railway tracks, or I’m getting it from a known source, who ensures the produce is harvested from healthy plants.”

Shilpa Shetty Kundra also shared the same concern about trusting the source and nutrition in the veggies which form an important portion of our daily diet. “The purpose of this partnership is to connect our farmers who follow responsible farming practices to conscious consumers in Mumbai and Pune, who care about what they consume and want it conveniently delivered to their home directly from the farm. We see our customers love and trust KisanKonnect and prefer buying more from our farmers.”

KisanKonnect's farm fresh vegetables and fruits are available on www.kisankonnect.in and can be sourced from KisanKonnect app (KisanKonnect Farm Fresh Produce) on the mobile, the company said.

- Industry and Manufacture

11. Three Common Engineering Facilities Centres for MSMEs will be opened by Tata Technologies in Karnataka, says Karnataka Industries Minister

IBEF, Jul. 14, 2023

To aid the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state of Karnataka, Tata Technologies, a division of the Tata Group, has suggested constructing three Common Engineering Facilities Centres (CEFCs). The three facilities, as indicated by Karnataka’s Large and Medium Industries Minister, Mr. M.B. Patil, the large and medium industries minister for Karnataka, will require an investment of roughly US$ 243.6 million (Rs. 2,000 crore), according to a report by the Press Trust of India.

According to the ministry’s release, the representatives of Tata Technologies met with the Minister at the Vidhana Soudha, the legislative assembly of Karnataka, and submitted their proposal.

The engineering services company will build the CEFCs using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, according to the proposed plan. The Karnataka Government would control 30% of the stakes, leaving Tata Technologies to hold 70% of them.

Tata Technologies intends to build three of these facilities in the state, each requiring five acres of land at a cost of about US$ 76.7 million (Rs. 630 crore). To the advantage of MSMEs and burgeoning startups working in these industries, these centres will cater to Advanced Manufacturing 4.0, Electric Vehicle Testing, Aerospace, and Defence.

Tata Technologies was founded in 1989 and now has operations in 27 nations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. It offers original equipment manufacturers for the automotive and aerospace industries as well as businesses that make industrial machinery services in the areas of engineering and design, manufacturing, product development, and IT service management.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

12. Electronics exports grew 56% in Q1

ET, 23 Jul. 2023, by Kiran Rathee

New Delhi: Electronics became the fourth largest exported item from India in the June quarter, jumping two spots, as the category grew the fastest among the top 30 exported items. As per an analysis of the data released by the Ministry of Commerce, electronics exports grew over 56% in the April-June period, reaching ₹57,220.24 crore as against ₹36,533.18 crore in the same period last year.

In fact, electronics is the only sector to record growth in the top five categories of exports.

As per experts, at this rate, electronics is likely to emerge as the third largest category of exports in the coming quarters as its gap with the current gems and jewellery segment is narrowing fast. Electronics have overtaken chemicals and drugs and pharmaceuticals to jump from sixth largest exports category to become the fourth largest in Q1 FY24.

As per the data, the electronics category has closed the gap considerably with gems and jewellery exports, which was ahead in Q1 by a ₹4,660 crore. A year ago, the gap was more than nine times, with gems and jewellery exports being ahead by ₹42,449 crore.

As per experts, at the current rate, unless the gems and jewellery segment see major growth in the next three quarters, electronics is likely to emerge as the country's third largest exporter, behind engineering goods and petroleum products by the end of FY 2023-24.

The surge in electronics exports is led by mobile phones exports, which have shown tremendous growth following the government's announcement of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme in 2020.

Mobile phones have been the single largest contributor to the growth in electronics exports in the last 15 months. At ₹30,000 crore in Q1 of the current fiscal, mobile phones exports contributed 52% of the total electronics exports from the country. A year ago, it contributed 38%.

In mobile phones, Apple's iPhones are ranked as the single largest, constituting 35% of all electronics exports and 66% of total mobile exports in FYQ1. Currently, Apple's iPhone models 12, 13 and 14 are exported from India, which are manufactured by its three vendors - Foxconn Hon Hai, Wistron and Pegatron - as part of the smartphone PLI scheme.

13. Footwear, leather industry major foreign exchange earner, employs 4.5 million, 40% women: Minister

ET Gov. 31 July, 2023

Goyal said that India has the capacity to become the world's largest and best quality footwear manufacturer. He noted that India is already the second largest exporter of leather garments, the third largest exporter of saddlery and harness and the fourth largest exporter of leather goods in the world. He pointed out that 95% of the production units in this sector are small scale units.

"Testing facilities will be established by the Government as part of India’s Footwear and Leather Development Programme."

The Indian footwear and leather industry is not only a major foreign exchange earner but being a labour intensive sector, it also provides employment to approximately 4.5 million people, 40% of whom are women. This was stated by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry. He was addressing as a Chief Guest at India International Footwear Fair 2023 (IIFF), New Delhi on June 29.

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He informed that the Indian size of footwear will be launched soon to help distinguish Indian footwear around the globe and reduce dependence on foreign sizing trends. He suggested the industrialists explore Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) for technological collaborations, joint ventures of non-leather footwear, thus increasing the export of the country and enhancing the domestic market with Indian products.

He expressed his appreciation for the beauty of Kolhapuri footwear of Maharashtra and Mojari footwear of Rajasthan and said that it should be an area of attraction for international buyers as well. He also said that the strength of India in this sector comes from the local raw material and its rich diverse history.

The Minister said that testing facilities will be established by the Government as part of India’s Footwear and Leather Development Programme. He also highlighted the steps undertaken by the government for ease of doing business like decriminalisation of corporate offenses, reducing compliance burdens and creating a national single window for all approvals.

He urged the stakeholders to expand the business while keeping the focus on quality and sustainability, eco-friendly process, waste management, and exploring renewable sources for electricity.

14. Green Mobility: Bengaluru's BMTC signs pact with Tata Motors for 921 electric buses

ET Gov. 31 Jul. 2023

The supplier of the electric buses to BMTC, TML Smart City Mobility Solutions, will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the buses for a period of 12 years. The operating fare for these buses will be Rs. 41.01 per km under Gross Cost Contract (GCC) Model.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is getting 921 electric buses from TML Smart City Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of Tata Motors. With the induction of these buses, the total number of such buses on the city’s streets will go up to 1311 by the end of this fiscal year.

BMTC officials said they will induct 921 Tata e-buses by March 2024 as part of the Centre's Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) scheme.

"The buses will be low-floor electric and will be operated on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) model,” said a BMTC official. The first bus will be put on a trial run and then pressed into service. All the 921 buses will be added to service in a phased manner.

BMTC releaed a circular notifying that the agreement has been signed, and said that the deal will be carried out under the FAME-II scheme, which provides incentives for the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles.

“Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) with a view to provide better and environmental friendly services to its commuters and in continuation to the induction of Electric buses to its fleet, today, on 16.12.2022 BMTC signed an Agreement with M/s. TML Smart City Mobility Solutions, a subsidiary of M/s. TATA Motors Ltd Limited for 921 Electric buses on FAME-II scheme,” the circular read.

For e-buses, BMTC has also identified 10 depots: Shantinagar, Jayanagar, Hennur, Deepanjalinagar, and Rajarajeshwari Nagar. The e-buses will ply on the 96-A route, covering 14.7 km (Kempegowda Bus Stand, Rajaji Nagar, Havanur Circle, Kempegowda Bus Stand).

15. Delhi-NCR Builders Pitch Goa as ‘Second Home’

ET, 4 Aug. 2023

Developers from Delhi-NCR are on an acquisition spree in Goa as demand for second home has increased, attracting investment from all over the country.

At least half a dozen builders from NCR, including DLF, Sabh infra, Axon, Bhutani, Veera group, Axis Ecorp have either announced or in the process of announcing projects in Goa.

According to industry reports, recently opened MOPA airport in Goa is expected to channel investments of ₹2,700 crore by 2030. This investment will be directed towards the MOPA region in developing luxury hotels, eco hotels, nature and wellness resorts and homestays among others. “Due to the rise in work from home trend during Covid-19, rentals have also been on the rise in Goa. People from metro societies are considering Goa as alternative option as properties are expensive in main cities and rental returns in single digit while Goa can offer double digit return on investment,” said Manik Sabharwal, director at Sabh infrastructure, a Delhi-based developer who has expanded presence in Goa. Noida-based Bhutani Infra has also acquired land in Goa and will soon come up with a luxury project.

“The sustained expansion of the Goa market can largely be attributed to the rising demand for upscale properties and commercial spaces,” said Ashish Bhutani, Co-founder & CEO, Bhutani Infra. “Over 50% of the buyer in Goa are from Delhi and developers who have delivered in Delhi are moving to Goa to fulfil the demand coming from their existing buyers,” said Rohit Chopra, founder of Goaprime.in, a boutique consultancy firm.

- Services (Education, Healthcare, IT, R&D, Tourism, etc.)

16. Samsung to manufacture Galaxy Fold 5, Flip 5 phones in India

ET Gov. 28 Jul. 2023

Foldable (including flip) smartphones will contribute over 1.8 % of the total smartphone revenues for 2023. The estimate implies over 6.35 lakh foldable smartphones will be sold in India during the year which will be less than 0.5% of the total sales by volume estimated for the period.

Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to debut in 2025.

Samsung will manufacture its flagship devices Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 in India to meet local requirements, a senior company official said. Samsung plans to launch the most expensive and high-end devices from its stable in India on August 18 and the pre-booking with offers will start at midnight of July 27.

"Both Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Flip 5 will be manufactured at India factory in Noida," Samsung SouthWest Asia President and CEO J B Park said.

According to market research and analysis firm Techarc estimates, foldable (including flip) smartphones will contribute over 1.8 % of the total smartphone revenues for 2023.

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The estimate implies over 6.35 lakh foldable smartphones will be sold in India during the year which will be less than 0.5% of the total sales by volume estimated for the period.

Samsung started manufacturing the Fold 4 and Flip 4 series in India from December, after four months of their launch.

Samsung India Sr VP (Mobile Business) Raju Pullan said the consumers in India will get "made in India" Galaxy Fold 5 and Galaxy Flip 5 from the beginning.

"Consumers in India look at products that are value for money, aspirational and add value to them overall. I witness this even in rural markets. If these are provided to consumers, we see strong adoption for new categories," he said.

The Galaxy Fold 5 is priced between Rs 1.54 lakh and Rs 1.85 lakh apiece depending on the internal storage capacity which ranges from 256 GB to 1 TB.

Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 will be available in the price range of Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,09,999 apiece.

CyberMedia Research (CMR) Industry Intelligence Group Head Prabhu Ram said the latest, fifth-generation Fold and Flip are more refined and durable, and will potentially appeal to a much wider cohort of consumer personas.

"As per our research at CMR, foldable shipments in India will potentially grow over 65 per cent year-on-year. While more foldable market entrants have entered the fray with new innovations, Samsung has an edge with its brand salience and market stewardship," Ram said.

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Market research and analysis firm Counterpoint Research projects that global foldable smartphone shipments are projected to reach 101.5 million in 2027 from 78.6 million in 2026 and the segment will be dominated by Samsung and Apple. The firm anticipates Apple's foldable iPhone to debut in 2025.

The company will make available its Galaxy Tab S9 series in the price range of Rs 72,999 to Rs 1,33,999 apiece and Galaxy Watch 6 series at starting price of Rs 29,999 on the same dates as its new foldable devices.

According to a market research firm, Samsung led the Indian smartphone market with a 20 per cent share in the January-March 2023 quarter and also remained the leading brand for 5G shipments, accounting for a 24% share.

Samsung opened the world’s largest mobile manufacturing plant in UP’s Noida in 2018 with the aim to ship over 100 million units a year. The company has also been benefiting from the Indian government’s incentives provided for local manufacturing under the “Make in India” campaign.

17. Apple Supplier Foxconn Plans $500 Million Component Plants in India

Bloomberg, 01 Aug. 2023, Sankalp Phartiyal

Apple Inc.’s main supplier, Foxconn Technology Group, plans to increase its investments to more than $1.2 billion in southern India’s Karnataka state and add two component factories there, expanding a steady diversification from China to mitigate the risks of US economic and technology sanctions.

At least one of the factories that the Taiwanese company plans to construct in Karnataka will produce Apple parts, including for iPhones, people familiar with the matter said. A formal announcement is expected as early as this week, the people said, declining to be named as the matter isn’t public. The second plant will also be in Karnataka, but their exact location has yet to be decided.

Foxconn is spending $500 million on these two complexes on top of a $700 million facility it aims to build on a 300-acre site close to the airport in Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, Bloomberg News previously reported. That plant is likely to assemble iPhones and expected to create about 100,000 jobs.

The additional sites will bring the Apple partner’s envisioned new spending for India north of $1.2 billion, a big outlay for a Taiwanese company that traditionally assembles the vast majority of devices for Apple and other US brands from central and southern China.

Foxconn’s moves in India highlight how the South Asian nation has fast become a popular destination for manufacturers scouting for an alternative to China amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. It’s also the result of a shift in the global supply chain that accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, and could reshape the way electronics are made.

Apple didn’t reply to a request for comment. Foxconn didn’t respond to an email for comment. The Karnataka state government didn’t respond to a request for comment outside of business hours.

Separately, a Foxconn subsidiary also signed an initial agreement with the southern Tamil Nadu government to set up its own components plant with an investment of 16 billion rupees ($195 million), the state’s industries ministry said Monday. The project is likely to generate about 6,000 jobs.

Foxconn’s decision suggests suppliers may move capacity out of China far faster than expected and is a coup for Modi’s government, which sees an opportunity to close India’s tech gap with China as Western investors and corporations sour on Beijing’s volatile regulations, slowing economy and US trading restrictions.

Foxconn’s sprawling iPhone assembly complex in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou — currently the world’s biggest source of Apple’s marquee gadget — employs some 200,000, though that number surges during peak production season.

Output at the Zhengzhou plant plunged ahead of the year-end 2022 holidays due to Covid-related disruptions, one of several factors spurring Apple to re-examine its China-reliant supply chain.

--With assistance from Debby Wu and Mark Gurman.

18. Global Laptop Makers To Start Manufacturing In India

PTI, 6 Aug. 2023

Hardware manufacturers including global PC makers have registered for manufacturing laptops, tablets and personal computers in India, an official source said on Saturday.

The official, without naming any company, said that IT hardware production in the country is expected to repeat the success that has been achieved in mobile phone manufacturing under the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme.

"Leading laptop companies have registered for PLI and some of them are ready to start manufacturing in India any time. Global server companies have said that they want to make India an export hub for servers," the official said.

The government has fixed August 30 as the last date for manufacturing IT hardware under Rs 17,000-crore PLI scheme.

According to Counterpoint Research, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple and Acer were the top five companies in the personal computer segment in the June 2023 quarter.

Research Director of Counterpoint Research Tarun Pathak said the total laptop and PC market size in India is close to USD 8 billion annually, and approximately 65 per cent of the units are imported.

The government has also announced a plan to allow import of laptop, tablets and personal computers with valid license in restricted category from November 1.

"The pull to manufacture IT hardware, especially laptops and tablets, in India, started during PLI 1.0, and it bloomed further with PLI 2.0. We expect local production of IT hardware devices in India will meet 60-65 per cent of domestic demand in the next 2-3 years," Optiemus Electronics Ltd (OEL) Managing Director A Gururaj said.

Lava International co-founder, Chairman and Managing Director Hari Om Rai said the decision to restrict import via valid permit is a great move by the government.

"It will add 10 billion dollars to laptop manufacturing, billions of dollars of components and millions of jobs. It is also a very big milestone in building the much-needed scale of the supply chain of electronics in India," Rai added.

He said the government has ensured that there is no disruption in the supply chain so that the companies will have no issues with the "ease of doing business" and the consumers will continue to get the products at the same price.

According to the latest Canalys data, the Indian PC market (desktops, notebooks and tablets) suffered a major year-on-year decline of 35 per cent, with 3.9 million units shipped in the March 2023 quarter.

After a muted 2023, Canalys forecasts that the Indian PC market, including tablets, will rebound strongly with an 11 per cent growth in 2024 and a further 13 per cent growth in 2025.

Deki Electronics MD and CII National Committee for Electronics Chairman Vinod Sharma said the government under IT hardware PLI has provided incentives for the use of locally manufactured components, which will boost the domestic components ecosystem.

"A non-tariff measure in the form of a licence to check imports will boost local production. Imported IT hardware can also be spyware or malware. We have had similar cases in the past. The government is absolutely right in imposing restrictions to make sure that devices are procured from trusted and safe sources," Sharma said.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)

19. MV Ganga Vilas cruise opened huge opportunity in river tourism across South Asia region: Centre

ET Gov. 10 Aug. 2023

IWAI has taken several steps towards developing an ecosystem for increasing cargo, passengers and tourists on national waterways in India.

The work done on waterways and cruise conference resulted in Prime Minister flagging off the world's longest river cruise on January 13, 2023 from Varanasi on NW-1 (River Ganga) to Dibrugarh NW-2 (River Brahmaputra) via Bangladesh, which successfully covered a waterway distance of 3200 km.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday said 'MV Ganga Vilas’ which began its journey from Varanasi on January 13 covering a distance of 3,200 km through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh has opened up a new vista of opportunity in the river tourism potential across the entire South Asia region.

The mandate of Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is to develop and regulate National Waterways (NWs) for shipping and navigation. However, the infrastructure developed for transportation on NWs by IWAI including fairway, terminals, jetties, navigation aids, etc are used by the river tourism operators as well. IWAI only plays the role of a technical facilitator for cruise, river tourism on NWs, Sonowal said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Ganga Vilas covered several places in India and Bangladesh during its journey, including Varanasi, Ghazipur, Buxar, Doriganj, Patna, Munger, Sultanganj, Vikramshila (Kahalgaon), Bateshwarsthan, Sahibganj, Baranagar, Azimganj, Hazardwari, Matiari, Kalna, Chandannagar, Howrah, Kolkata, Bali Island, Sunderbans, Dhubri, Suryapahar, Golpara, Salkuchi, Guwahati, Tezpur, Silghat, Biswanath Ghat, Ketkerighat, Sibsagar, Majuli Island, and Bogibeel (Dibrugarh) in India and Mongla, Jamtola, Harbaria, Morelganj, Barisal, Dhaka, Tangail, Sirajganj and Chilmari in Bangladesh.

The minister further stated that IWAI completed a study in November 2022 on preparation of an Action Plan & Detailed Road Map for Development of River cruise Tourism in India so as to tap the vast potential of river cruise tourism existing in the country and also to increase the share of visitors on river cruises.

IWAI has taken several steps towards developing an ecosystem for increasing cargo, passengers and tourists on national waterways in India, he said, adding IWAI in consultation with cruise vessel operators and other stakeholders strives to develop adequate infrastructure to boost river cruise tourism.

Steps taken to promote river cruise tourism in the country

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) had organized first Incredible India International Cruise Conference 2022 in Mumbai on 14-15 May, 2022. The session 'Potential of River Cruise' was anchored by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) wherein leading cruise operators of the world had participated. The work done by IWAI in ensuring draft and navigational aids in waterways and the jetties constructed and planned were shared. MoUs were signed with Heritage River Journeys, Antara River Cruise and JM Baxi & Co. for promotion of river cruises.

The initiatives helped increase bookings on several river cruises on Ganga, Brahmaputra, Kerala Backwaters, Odisha, etc, the minister said.

IWAI has provided infrastructure facilities for smooth operation of river cruises on national waterways, he said. These include:

Berthing facilities: Floating pontoons have been placed at various locations for berthing of vessel and embarkation/ disembarkation of tourists. To promote river cruise tourism, IWAI has partnered with the Ministry for construction of 9 tourist jetties on NW-1 and NW-2

Fairway: Navigational fairway along with marking of the channel with navigational aids and electronic navigation chart for safe plying of cruise vessels.

Pilotage: Pilots are provided on-demand at a very nominal charge of Rs 750 per day for navigating the vessel in the waterway.

Coordination with state governments: Assistance is provided to the cruise operators in close coordination with state governments for facilitating the voyage.

Assistance to the vessel in distress: IWAI provides high powered tug to tow the cruise vessel to the safe location when they are in distress due to mechanical failure or otherwise, on the National Waterway.

20. Airtel Xstream AirFiber: Airtel launches wireless home Wi-Fi service powered by 5G Plus

ET Gov. 9 Aug. 2023

Xstream AirFiber is a plug-and-play device with in-built Wi-Fi 6 technology that will offer wide indoor coverage and can simultaneously connect up to 64 devices.

The wireless home Wi-Fi service is available at the Rs 799 plan, which offers up to 100Mbps speed.

Bharti Airtel has launched its fixed wireless access (FWA) offering, Airtel Xstream AirFiber, powered by 5G Plus for consumers in Delhi and Mumbai.

The company plans to launch the service in multiple cities and scale up nationally in a phased manner.

"While fibre to the home will always define the best experience of Wi-Fi at home, AirFiber helps bridge the experience gap for everyone else. Today, we are delighted to launch Xstream AirFiber for consumers in Delhi and Mumbai with a pan-India rollout planned soon," Shashwat Sharma, Director, Consumer Business Bharti Airtel, said in a statement.

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Moreover, the company said that the Airtel Xstream AirFiber will offer internet to consumers in fibre-dark areas, addressing the last-mile connectivity issue in both rural and urban India where access to fibre infrastructure is a challenge.

Xstream AirFiber is a plug-and-play device with in-built Wi-Fi 6 technology that will offer wide indoor coverage and can simultaneously connect up to 64 devices.

The wireless home Wi-Fi service is available at the Rs 799 plan, which offers up to 100Mbps speed. The plan can be availed for a duration of six months with a one-time refundable security deposit of Rs 2,500.

To avail the service, customers can walk into select Airtel stores in Delhi and Mumbai and opt for Xstream AirFiber.

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel Limited has announced its audited consolidated results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2023.

The consolidated revenues for Q1'24 at Rs 37,440 crore grew 14.1 per cent YoY.

Consolidated mobile data traffic at 15,078 PBs in the quarter with a healthy YoY growth of 22.7 per cent.

India revenues for Q1'24 at Rs 26,375 crore, increased by 13.1 per cent YoY.

India and the World

21. World will get challenging over Next Year: Banga

ET, 18 Jul.2023

“The fact is that the world economy is in a difficult place. It has outperformed what everybody had thought but it won't mean there won't be more challenges,” Banga said on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting here.

The world economy is in a difficult place, World Bank president Ajay Banga said on Monday while expressing optimism about India.

He said the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forecasts are that the world will get a little challenging over the next year or so. “I said in a speech this morning – forecast is not equal to destiny. We can change destiny, that's what we should think of right now,” he said.

On India, he said he was optimistic. “I’m more optimistic about India today as a whole than I have been for a long time,” said Banga.

22. ONDC to bring in next revolution for e-commerce after UPI: Mr. Pramod Varma, Former Chief Architect of Aadhaar

IBEF, July 21, 2023

According to Mr. Pramod Varma, the Former Lead Architect of Aadhaar and Stack, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), would usher in the next e-commerce revolution, even more significant than the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) that was implemented for digital payments in India.

While addressing the session ‘India’s path to digitalisation’ organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the apex body of businesswomen in the country, he said, “The ONDC is gearing up to bring financial products to the network, which is expected to happen in the next few months. The UPI is a device-agnostic, authentication-agnostic, and currency-agnostic network that revolutionised digital banking and digital transactions in the country.”

In a comparison between open networks and platform-based service providers, Mr. Pramod Varma claimed that although platforms act as intermediaries themselves and increase the cost of their service, on the other hand, digital open networking can eliminate them.

He claimed that the use of ONDC can be many, including in areas such as education, transportation, e-commerce, and healthcare, which would open up immense opportunities. ONDC will guarantee trust and compliance. Open networks would expand markets and decrease the cost of doing business.

The number of people who have access to the banking system has increased from 17% in 2018 to over 90% at present, according to Mr. Pramod Varma. Similarly, the largest biometric-based digital identity has contributed to the financial inclusion of 90% of the population, including 60% of the beneficiaries who are women.

ONDC is a not-for-profit organisation established by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Manufacturers, suppliers, logistics companies, and customers are just a few of the stakeholders that can be connected through the ONDC's unified platform for digital commerce. In the near future, with this intervention, MSMEs will soon be able to launch their digital stores and reach a wider customer base.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.

23. Indian Cos Can Directly List Overseas Soon: FM

ET, 29 Jul. 2023

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday said domestic companies would soon be allowed to directly list their securities on overseas exchanges in specified jurisdictions, expanding capital-access opportunities for businesses in India that is poised to dwarf Germany and Japan and become the world’s third-largest economy in a few years.

The stage-gate process will involve an initial listing on the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at the Gift City in Gandhinagar. Later, they will be permitted to list in seven or eight specified overseas jurisdictions. “I had said in May 2020, that the direct listing of securities by Indian companies would be permissible in foreign jurisdictions. Now, I am pleased to announce that the government has taken the decision to enable the direct listing of listed and unlisted companies on the IFSC exchanges,” Sitharaman said.

Allowing more overseas investors to tap into India’s growth story will also boost the valuations of domestic companies. “This is a major step forward and will also facilitate access to global capital and result in a better valuation for the Indian companies,” the minister said. Amisha Vora, Chairperson & MD, Prabhudas Lilladher, said: “Globally, and particularly in the US, some of the Indian businesses are getting much better valuation and wider investor base compared to India. Obviously, it is a large pool of opportunities.”

“Considering the fact that the Indian economy is on an upswing now, it will allow Indian companies to attract more growth capital. Also, the decision will have great potential to boost the Indian startup industry,” Vora said.

At present, Indian companies are not allowed to directly list their equity shares on foreign stock exchanges without listing in Mumbai. Likewise, foreign companies cannot directly list their equity shares on Indian stock exchanges.

Companies are allowed to access equity capital markets of foreign countries only through American Depository Receipts (ADRs) and Global Depository Receipts (GDRs).

A senior finance ministry official said the rules for direct overseas listing would be notified in a few weeks.

“It is an alternative avenue the government wants to offer domestic companies,” the finance ministry official said.

At present, Indian companies are allowed to list their debt securities on foreign stock exchanges directly through rupee-denominated masala bonds and foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCB).

Overseas companies can access the India capital markets only through Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs).

A Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) panel in 2018 had recommended that domestic firms be allowed to list only in those jurisdictions with a treaty obligation to share information in the event of an investigation. It had suggested 10 foreign jurisdictions based on strong anti-money laundering frameworks. These included the US and the UK, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

Sitharaman made the announcement about direct overseas listing for Indian entities while speaking in Mumbai at an event organised by the capital-markets regulator to launch the AMC repo clearing and a corporate debt market development fund (CDMDF).

The CDMDF will function as an entity on standby and provide stability to the corporate bond market during times of market stress, through an asset purchase mechanism.

The CDMDF, with the support of Rs 30,000 crore in the form of a guarantee from the National Credit Guarantee Trust Company and over Rs 3,000 crore from the mutual fund industry, will have access to capital of over Rs 33,000 crore to help negotiate a stress event.

The launch of a Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation (LPCC), and the AMC Repo Clearing Limited (ARCL), for clearing and settlement of corporate bond repo transactions, is also an important institutional milestone for the bond market.

The LPCC will focus on creating a market for short-term borrowings against corporate bonds, thereby helping market makers to access cost-effective funding using their inventory and investors in corporate bonds to meet their short-term liquidity needs without having to liquidate their assets.

This is expected to expand the investor base, and increase the supply of capital for issuers of corporate bonds.

24. Ayush Visa introduced for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Indian systems of medicine

ET Gov. 3 Aug. 2023

The introduction of Ayush Visa fulfills the proposal for introduction of a special visa scheme for foreigners visiting India for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine like therapeutic care, wellness and Yoga.

Union Ministry of Home Affairs has notified the creation of a new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals for treatment under Ayush systems/ Indian systems of medicine. The introduction of Ayush Visa fulfills the proposal for introduction of a special visa scheme for foreigners visiting India for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine like therapeutic care, wellness and Yoga.

A new chapter 11A – Ayush Visa has been incorporated after Chapter 11 - Medical visa of the Visa Manual, which deals with treatment under the Indian systems of medicine and accordingly necessary amendments have been made in various chapters of the Visa Manual, 2019.

Advt

Union Minister for Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The creation of new category of Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals seeking treatment under Ayush/ Indian systems of medicine is a significant step. It will boost medical value travel in India. This initiative will strengthen our endeavor to accomplish our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for making Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon. I also want to compliment Amit Shah, Union Home Minister, GoI for his efforts in creating a special Ayush Visa category.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had announced a creation of a special Ayush Visa category for facilitating foreign nationals travel to India seeking Ayush therapy, at Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (GAIIS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in April 2022.

Introduction of Ayush Visa category is part of India’s roadmap for the Heal in India initiative of the government, which is intended at promoting India as a medical value travel destination. Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare are working together to develop a one stop Heal in India portal to promote India as a medical tourism destination of the world.

Medical Value Travel has seen significant growth in India in recent years. According to the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the global wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare and wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025, the ministry said.

Advt

Ministry of Ayush has been working on many fronts to promote Ayush system of treatment national and globally. Recently, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism was signed to work together for the promotion of Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine, it added.

25. X Govt launches Study in India portal to simplify academic journey of international students

ET Gov. 4 Aug. 2023

SII portal will present information about the academic facilities, research support, and related information. It will have the provision for students to apply in more than one institute and course of their choice and serve as an integrated one-stop solution for student registration and visa application process.

"SII Portal is a one-stop platform that will simplify international students’ academic journey in India."

The Study in India portal was jointly launched by Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, and Dr. S. Jaishankar, Union External Affairs Minister, today in New Delhi.

Dr Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, Annpurna Devi, Minister of State for Education, Rajkumar Singh, Minister of State for Education and External Affairs, and senior members of Ministry of Education and Skill Development and Ambassadors of more than 10 countries attended the event.

Advt

On the occasion, students from Russia, Thailand, Japan, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan and Republic of Korea who are currently studying in India, presented souvenirs from their culture as a token of respect to dignitaries.

Study in India is a flagship programme of the Government of India, under the aegis of the Ministry of Education. It provides comprehensive information about the Indian Higher Education Institutions and aims to increase the number of international students in India.

The website will illustrate academic programmes covering but not limited to undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), Doctoral level programs as well as courses in Indian knowledge systems like Yoga, Ayurveda and classical arts. The website will present information about the academic facilities, research support, and related information. It will have the provision for students to apply in more than one institute and course of their choice and serve as an integrated one-stop solution for student registration and visa application process.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that SII Portal is a one-stop platform that will simplify international students’ academic journey in India. Guided by the NEP, the SII Portal reflects our commitment to make India a preferred education destination as well as to blur academic boundaries for shaping a prosperous future, he added.

While addressing the gathering, Dr. S. Jaishankar said that the portal signifies the Government’s commitment to make India a global hub of education by welcoming students of diverse backgrounds. It will establish a strong international footprint of brand ‘India’ in the education sphere. From registration to visa approval and selecting desired courses or institutions, the portal will simplify the entire journey of the international students wishing to study in India.

Advt

The Minister further said that the presence of international students will also benefit the domestic students by connecting them more closely to the globalizing world and prepare them better for the global workplace. He mentioned how implementation of NEP2020 has already initiated entrance of foreign universities in India and opening of international campuses of our premier institutions.

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Sunday 13 August 2023

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