General Affairs
First Orbit Raising Operation of GSAT-6 Completed Successfully
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BENGALURU: After successful launch of GSAT-6, the country's latest communication satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, Indian Space Research Organisation today said it has performed the first orbit raising of the satellite.
"First orbit raising operation of GSAT-6 was successfully completed by firing the Apogee Motor for 3385 seconds at 08:35 hrs IST on August 28," ISRO said.
Realised orbit is 8,408 km (perigee height) by 35,708 km (apogee height) with an inclination of 7.5 degree and an orbital period of 13 hours, 15 minutes and 24 sec, it said.
ISRO on Thursday had successfully launched GSAT-6, having an indigenous cryogenic engine, on-board the GSLV-D6 rocket from the spaceport at Sriharikota.
Soon after its injection into GTO, the two solar arrays of GSAT-6 were automatically deployed and the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took control of GSAT-6, ISRO had said after the launch.
In the coming days, GSAT-6's orbit will be raised from its present GTO to the final circular Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages, it had said.
The satellite will be commissioned into service after the completion of orbit raising operations, deployment of its 6 m wide sieve shaped unfurlable antenna, the satellite's positioning in its designated orbital slot of 83 degree East longitude in the GSO and in-orbit testing of its communication payloads.
GSAT-6 is the 25th geostationary communication satellite of India built by ISRO and 12th in the GSAT series. It provides communication through five spot beams in S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users.
The cuboid shaped GSAT-6 had a lift-off mass of 2117 kg. Of this, propellants weighed 1132 kg and the dry mass of the satellite was 985 kg at the time of launch.
BENGALURU: After successful launch of GSAT-6, the country's latest communication satellite into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, Indian Space Research Organisation today said it has performed the first orbit raising of the satellite."First orbit raising operation of GSAT-6 was successfully completed by firing the Apogee Motor for 3385 seconds at 08:35 hrs IST on August 28," ISRO said.
Realised orbit is 8,408 km (perigee height) by 35,708 km (apogee height) with an inclination of 7.5 degree and an orbital period of 13 hours, 15 minutes and 24 sec, it said.
Soon after its injection into GTO, the two solar arrays of GSAT-6 were automatically deployed and the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took control of GSAT-6, ISRO had said after the launch.
In the coming days, GSAT-6's orbit will be raised from its present GTO to the final circular Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages, it had said.
The satellite will be commissioned into service after the completion of orbit raising operations, deployment of its 6 m wide sieve shaped unfurlable antenna, the satellite's positioning in its designated orbital slot of 83 degree East longitude in the GSO and in-orbit testing of its communication payloads.
GSAT-6 is the 25th geostationary communication satellite of India built by ISRO and 12th in the GSAT series. It provides communication through five spot beams in S-band and a national beam in C-band for strategic users.
The cuboid shaped GSAT-6 had a lift-off mass of 2117 kg. Of this, propellants weighed 1132 kg and the dry mass of the satellite was 985 kg at the time of launch.
Women, Children Tie Rakhis to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
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NEW DELHI: On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on Saturday, women and children from various segments of society called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and tied rakhis on his wrist.
The prime minister blessed the children and conveyed his best wishes to everyone on the occasion, a statement issued here said.
NEW DELHI: On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan on Saturday, women and children from various segments of society called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence and tied rakhis on his wrist.The prime minister blessed the children and conveyed his best wishes to everyone on the occasion, a statement issued here said.
Another Army Veteran on One Rank One Pension Hunger Strike Hospitalised
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NEW DELHI: An Army veteran, Havaldar Abhilekh Singh, who was on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar to demand the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme, had been taken to hospital today.
The ex-servicemen have been on protest for more than two months now at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. At least four veterans have been hospitalised so far.
For the first time, veterans yesterday boycotted the official celebrations and commemorated the India's victory in the 1965 war against Pakistan at their protest site.
The protesting veterans yesterday also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Sources say, even though most hurdles have been cleared, except one. The government is firm its offer of reviewing pensions every five years while the veterans are demanding an annual or at least a biennial review. The review rationalises outdated pension rates, in effect raising them after a particular period.
Sources said, the government is unwilling to appear as buckling under the veteran's pressure to implement OROP. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday that PM Modi would make an announcement "as and when time comes".
The government is said to be upset that more and more veterans are joining the hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, which began after PM Modi failed to announce OROP in his Independence Day speech on August 15.
OROP will give equal pension to servicemen retiring with the same rank regardless of when they retire.
NEW DELHI: An Army veteran, Havaldar Abhilekh Singh, who was on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar to demand the implementation of the One Rank One Pension scheme, had been taken to hospital today.The ex-servicemen have been on protest for more than two months now at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. At least four veterans have been hospitalised so far.
For the first time, veterans yesterday boycotted the official celebrations and commemorated the India's victory in the 1965 war against Pakistan at their protest site.
Sources said, the government is unwilling to appear as buckling under the veteran's pressure to implement OROP. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Thursday that PM Modi would make an announcement "as and when time comes".
The government is said to be upset that more and more veterans are joining the hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, which began after PM Modi failed to announce OROP in his Independence Day speech on August 15.
OROP will give equal pension to servicemen retiring with the same rank regardless of when they retire.
How Will Climate Change Affect Your Livelihood?
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PARIS: As the reality of global warming starts to hit home, people may ask: "How will it affect my livelihood?"
Well, that depends.
On your profession, your age, and exactly where you live, among other things.
Here, then, are a few scenarios for a climate-altered future, when rising temperatures are closing in on the threshold of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degree Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels which scientists warn we should not cross.
The year is 2030.
The coffee farmer
You are a 60-year old coffee farmer in Nicaragua, selling to an organic wholesaler.
Global demand has soared and commodity prices tripled since 2015, but business is not so good. Scorching temperatures have decimated your output, even after you sold your land to purchase a higher-altitude parcel in search of cooler climes.
Not only yields are down, but also the quality of your beans.
Small consolation that many of your 20-million fellow coffee growers around the world are in similarly dire straits.
The high-flying lawyer
You are a 39-year old real estate lawyer in West Palm Beach, Florida.
You are flush and life is sweet, despite your million-dollar house having been swept away three years earlier by Hurricane Hillary.
Sea levels have only risen 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) in the last 15 years, but Hillary's tide-enhanced storm surge caused $500 billion dollars/euros in damages.
Since Washington cancelled federal flood insurance for properties under a metre (three feet) above sea level, you have more clients than you can handle.
They are suing private insurance companies claiming bankruptcy to avoid having to pay out, and though your clients may only get 20 cents for every policy-insured dollar, you still get your fees.
The Indonesian fisherman
You used to work fishing boats out of Surabaya, a port city in Java, but are now unemployed.
The bottom fell out of the local industry in the mid-2020s. Intensive harvesting had already caused several species to collapse, including bigeye and yellowfin.
But then, as oceans warmed, other species -- Pacific bluefin, crevalle jack, scad -- moved to cooler waters beyond the reach of local vessels.
No other species have come to replace them.
The Alpine hotelier
You own a ski-resort hotel in the French Alps at an altitude of 1,280 metres (4,199 feet).
Since 2020, for two years out of three you have had to manufacture snow to ensure the season. In 2022 and 2028 it was so warm that even artificial flakes couldn't keep the lifts going.
The silver lining: summer tourism has picked up as people seek alternatives to the scorching heat waves that regularly hit the Mediterranean basin.
The Sahel subsistence farmer
Ten years ago, you replaced your millet crop with genetically-modified, drought-resistant sorghum as desertification creeps up on you in the northeastern corner of the Mopti region of Mali.
That was a good move. But as the local climate gets drier by the year, you wonder how long you and your family can hold out.
You have resolved: When the goats die, you will join the other villagers who have already fled to the capital Bamako.
The Tasmanian winegrower
Parts of the island -- Australia's southernmost inhabited outpost -- now rival France's fabled Burgundy region as the lead grower of the fabled pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. Tassie's Champagne-style wine wins big awards too.
Oh what a difference an extra two degrees can make!
Wine exports from Tasmania's Tamar Valley are soaring with grape-growing temperatures now in the ideal range -- what they were in northern France, now too hot, a mere 15 years ago.
The future
You are a seven-year-old only child living with your professional-class parents in a 23rd-story Shanghai apartment.
You were not even born when 195 nations struck a deal in Paris in December 2015, vowing to slash carbon pollution by a large enough margin to keep global warming in check.
They failed, and Earth is on track for warming of 4C by 2100.
You'll be 77 when you greet the 22nd century. Good luck getting there.
PARIS: As the reality of global warming starts to hit home, people may ask: "How will it affect my livelihood?"Well, that depends.
On your profession, your age, and exactly where you live, among other things.
Here, then, are a few scenarios for a climate-altered future, when rising temperatures are closing in on the threshold of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degree Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels which scientists warn we should not cross.
The year is 2030.
The coffee farmer
You are a 60-year old coffee farmer in Nicaragua, selling to an organic wholesaler.
Not only yields are down, but also the quality of your beans.
Small consolation that many of your 20-million fellow coffee growers around the world are in similarly dire straits.
The high-flying lawyer
You are a 39-year old real estate lawyer in West Palm Beach, Florida.
You are flush and life is sweet, despite your million-dollar house having been swept away three years earlier by Hurricane Hillary.
Sea levels have only risen 14 centimetres (5.5 inches) in the last 15 years, but Hillary's tide-enhanced storm surge caused $500 billion dollars/euros in damages.
Since Washington cancelled federal flood insurance for properties under a metre (three feet) above sea level, you have more clients than you can handle.
They are suing private insurance companies claiming bankruptcy to avoid having to pay out, and though your clients may only get 20 cents for every policy-insured dollar, you still get your fees.
The Indonesian fisherman
You used to work fishing boats out of Surabaya, a port city in Java, but are now unemployed.
The bottom fell out of the local industry in the mid-2020s. Intensive harvesting had already caused several species to collapse, including bigeye and yellowfin.
But then, as oceans warmed, other species -- Pacific bluefin, crevalle jack, scad -- moved to cooler waters beyond the reach of local vessels.
No other species have come to replace them.
The Alpine hotelier
You own a ski-resort hotel in the French Alps at an altitude of 1,280 metres (4,199 feet).
Since 2020, for two years out of three you have had to manufacture snow to ensure the season. In 2022 and 2028 it was so warm that even artificial flakes couldn't keep the lifts going.
The silver lining: summer tourism has picked up as people seek alternatives to the scorching heat waves that regularly hit the Mediterranean basin.
The Sahel subsistence farmer
Ten years ago, you replaced your millet crop with genetically-modified, drought-resistant sorghum as desertification creeps up on you in the northeastern corner of the Mopti region of Mali.
That was a good move. But as the local climate gets drier by the year, you wonder how long you and your family can hold out.
You have resolved: When the goats die, you will join the other villagers who have already fled to the capital Bamako.
The Tasmanian winegrower
Parts of the island -- Australia's southernmost inhabited outpost -- now rival France's fabled Burgundy region as the lead grower of the fabled pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. Tassie's Champagne-style wine wins big awards too.
Oh what a difference an extra two degrees can make!
Wine exports from Tasmania's Tamar Valley are soaring with grape-growing temperatures now in the ideal range -- what they were in northern France, now too hot, a mere 15 years ago.
The future
You are a seven-year-old only child living with your professional-class parents in a 23rd-story Shanghai apartment.
You were not even born when 195 nations struck a deal in Paris in December 2015, vowing to slash carbon pollution by a large enough margin to keep global warming in check.
They failed, and Earth is on track for warming of 4C by 2100.
You'll be 77 when you greet the 22nd century. Good luck getting there.
Malaysia Braces for Protests Against Embattled Prime Minister
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's capital braced for possible confrontations Saturday between demonstrators seeking the premier's ouster over corruption allegations and police who have declared their planned two-day street rally illegal.
The country's leading civil society alliance vows to turn out tens of thousands of people in Kuala Lumpur and two other cities for the weekend demonstration, which is due to kick off at 0600 GMT on Saturday.
The demonstrations by pro-reform alliance Bersih, which means "clean" in Malay, will demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak and wide-ranging government reforms.
Najib's cabinet ministers have admitted he received nearly $700 million in mysterious deposits into his personal bank accounts starting in 2013, a revelation first brought to light by the Wall Street Journal last month.
Previous rallies by Bersih, formed initially to push for electoral reform, have ended in clashes with police, most recently in 2012.
Bersih in particular plans an overnight occupation of Independence Square in central Kuala Lumpur.
But tensions have steadily risen over the past week, with police saying the rally threatened stability and could upset preparations for Monday's National Day celebrations.
On Friday, authorities declared it illegal to wear clothing in Bersih's trademark yellow and bearing the rally's logo.
In a statement posted on his blog Friday, Najib criticised the demonstrations as provocative, saying National Day should not be "a stage of political disputes".
But Transparency International has defended the public's right to demonstrate.
"The government of Malaysia should listen to the concerns of its people," Transparency International Chairman Jose Ugaz said in a statement Saturday.
'Political donations'
Najib's cabinet ministers say the money transfers were "political donations" from unidentified Middle Eastern sources, and that there was nothing improper.
But no further details have been given. The accounts have since been closed and the whereabouts of the money is unknown.
The status of investigations is unclear after Najib recently sacked officials or absorbed into his cabinet parliamentarians who were probing the matter.
He had already been under pressure over months of allegations that huge sums had disappeared from deals involving heavily indebted state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which Najib launched in 2009.
Najib and 1MDB vehemently deny wrongdoing.
The various revelations have stoked simmering public discontent with the 58-year-old ruling regime, which has seen voter support slide in recent years over its authoritarian tactics and recurring corruption scandals.
Najib in particular has faced criticism for what are viewed as a series of broken reform promises.
After taking power in 2009, he vowed to tackle persistent corruption, authoritarianism, and to reform a controversial system of race-based preference for the Muslim ethnic Malays who are the multi-ethnic country's majority group.
Those initiatives are now widely viewed as discredited, or have been reversed by Najib.
Exacerbating the public unease are fears that the global economic turmoil will curb Malaysian growth.
Malaysia's ringgit currency has slid to 17-year lows on the international factors and worries over domestic political uncertainty stemming from Najib's troubles.
Najib, who has faced signs of discontent even within his own ruling party over the graft allegations, has called them a "conspiracy" by unnamed opponents to topple him.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's capital braced for possible confrontations Saturday between demonstrators seeking the premier's ouster over corruption allegations and police who have declared their planned two-day street rally illegal.The country's leading civil society alliance vows to turn out tens of thousands of people in Kuala Lumpur and two other cities for the weekend demonstration, which is due to kick off at 0600 GMT on Saturday.
The demonstrations by pro-reform alliance Bersih, which means "clean" in Malay, will demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak and wide-ranging government reforms.
Previous rallies by Bersih, formed initially to push for electoral reform, have ended in clashes with police, most recently in 2012.
Bersih in particular plans an overnight occupation of Independence Square in central Kuala Lumpur.
But tensions have steadily risen over the past week, with police saying the rally threatened stability and could upset preparations for Monday's National Day celebrations.
On Friday, authorities declared it illegal to wear clothing in Bersih's trademark yellow and bearing the rally's logo.
In a statement posted on his blog Friday, Najib criticised the demonstrations as provocative, saying National Day should not be "a stage of political disputes".
But Transparency International has defended the public's right to demonstrate.
"The government of Malaysia should listen to the concerns of its people," Transparency International Chairman Jose Ugaz said in a statement Saturday.
'Political donations'
Najib's cabinet ministers say the money transfers were "political donations" from unidentified Middle Eastern sources, and that there was nothing improper.
But no further details have been given. The accounts have since been closed and the whereabouts of the money is unknown.
The status of investigations is unclear after Najib recently sacked officials or absorbed into his cabinet parliamentarians who were probing the matter.
He had already been under pressure over months of allegations that huge sums had disappeared from deals involving heavily indebted state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which Najib launched in 2009.
Najib and 1MDB vehemently deny wrongdoing.
The various revelations have stoked simmering public discontent with the 58-year-old ruling regime, which has seen voter support slide in recent years over its authoritarian tactics and recurring corruption scandals.
Najib in particular has faced criticism for what are viewed as a series of broken reform promises.
After taking power in 2009, he vowed to tackle persistent corruption, authoritarianism, and to reform a controversial system of race-based preference for the Muslim ethnic Malays who are the multi-ethnic country's majority group.
Those initiatives are now widely viewed as discredited, or have been reversed by Najib.
Exacerbating the public unease are fears that the global economic turmoil will curb Malaysian growth.
Malaysia's ringgit currency has slid to 17-year lows on the international factors and worries over domestic political uncertainty stemming from Najib's troubles.
Najib, who has faced signs of discontent even within his own ruling party over the graft allegations, has called them a "conspiracy" by unnamed opponents to topple him.
Business Affairs
India economy can outperform a slowing China with reforms push
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There is a complex web of interconnectedness between a slowing China, a recovering India, a restless exchange rate, and elusive exports. However, as we parse through these, a single message emerges - structural reforms to strengthen domestic markets may more than offset possible disruptions caused by an economic slowdown in China.
India's trade deficit with China has widened from $20 billion in FY10 to $50 billion in FY15, and exports to China have moderated over the last few years. Not surprising, given that the bulk are commodity intensive (copper, chemicals, cotton, petroleum products). As China slows, it requires fewer inputs.On the other hand, India's imports from China - an eclectic mix of electronics, fertilizers, iron and steel, and machinery - have increased rapidly. The Indian economy is on a path to recovery, recording higher growth rates by the quarter; as China's growth softens, the bilateral trade deficit will likely widen further.
But don't panic yet. So far we have looked only at China's bilateral trade deficit with India. Let's take the next step and consider second-round effects. To the extent that a slowing China depresses global commodity prices, India is a net gainer, as it is an overall net importer of commodities. In fact, 70 per cent of India's overall trade deficit is due to commodity imports. This second-round effect may blunt or even fully offset the direct impact of a slowing China on India's overall trade deficit.
What role does the rupee play in all of this? On a real trade-weighted basis, the rupee has appreciated 9 per cent since the start of 2014. Although the pace moderated in 2015, it has still strengthened 3 per cent for the year to date.
With the yuan adjustment a fortnight ago having weakened the rupee and other EM currencies, India's export competitiveness has likely been preserved against the backdrop of its previous appreciation (and, at a stretch, has even improved). So there's nothing to worry about there, as long as the pace of depreciation remains gradual.
An optimist might even claim that the rupee's depreciation would lift India's exports, but we think such a conclusion would be premature. Our analysis of India's exports suggests that the currency explains only a small part (17 per cent) of India's export performance. While there could be many factors, key among them is the rising import content of India's exports. A weaker rupee may now lead to costlier imports, blunting the net impact of export competitiveness.
We find that the majority of India's export performance is explained by global demand conditions (33 per cent) and, most importantly (and most surprisingly), domestic bottlenecks (50 per cent). These bottlenecks range from poor-quality connectivity between factories and ports, to cumbersome regulatory requirements faced by businesses.
So everything points to one direction: undertake important structural reforms to ease domestic bottlenecks. This would not only create stronger domestic markets capable of delivering higher economic growth, but also make exports more competitive in the face of any global slowdown China may cause.
A good start would be for the Narendra Modi government to reach out to different political parties and get a quality goods and services tax (GST) bill passed, as that could transform India into one common national market, delivering huge efficiency gains.
There is a complex web of interconnectedness between a slowing China, a recovering India, a restless exchange rate, and elusive exports. However, as we parse through these, a single message emerges - structural reforms to strengthen domestic markets may more than offset possible disruptions caused by an economic slowdown in China.
India's trade deficit with China has widened from $20 billion in FY10 to $50 billion in FY15, and exports to China have moderated over the last few years. Not surprising, given that the bulk are commodity intensive (copper, chemicals, cotton, petroleum products). As China slows, it requires fewer inputs.On the other hand, India's imports from China - an eclectic mix of electronics, fertilizers, iron and steel, and machinery - have increased rapidly. The Indian economy is on a path to recovery, recording higher growth rates by the quarter; as China's growth softens, the bilateral trade deficit will likely widen further.
But don't panic yet. So far we have looked only at China's bilateral trade deficit with India. Let's take the next step and consider second-round effects. To the extent that a slowing China depresses global commodity prices, India is a net gainer, as it is an overall net importer of commodities. In fact, 70 per cent of India's overall trade deficit is due to commodity imports. This second-round effect may blunt or even fully offset the direct impact of a slowing China on India's overall trade deficit.
What role does the rupee play in all of this? On a real trade-weighted basis, the rupee has appreciated 9 per cent since the start of 2014. Although the pace moderated in 2015, it has still strengthened 3 per cent for the year to date.
With the yuan adjustment a fortnight ago having weakened the rupee and other EM currencies, India's export competitiveness has likely been preserved against the backdrop of its previous appreciation (and, at a stretch, has even improved). So there's nothing to worry about there, as long as the pace of depreciation remains gradual.
An optimist might even claim that the rupee's depreciation would lift India's exports, but we think such a conclusion would be premature. Our analysis of India's exports suggests that the currency explains only a small part (17 per cent) of India's export performance. While there could be many factors, key among them is the rising import content of India's exports. A weaker rupee may now lead to costlier imports, blunting the net impact of export competitiveness.
We find that the majority of India's export performance is explained by global demand conditions (33 per cent) and, most importantly (and most surprisingly), domestic bottlenecks (50 per cent). These bottlenecks range from poor-quality connectivity between factories and ports, to cumbersome regulatory requirements faced by businesses.
So everything points to one direction: undertake important structural reforms to ease domestic bottlenecks. This would not only create stronger domestic markets capable of delivering higher economic growth, but also make exports more competitive in the face of any global slowdown China may cause.
A good start would be for the Narendra Modi government to reach out to different political parties and get a quality goods and services tax (GST) bill passed, as that could transform India into one common national market, delivering huge efficiency gains.
Govt to remove duty anomalies in medical devices sector
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The government is working on several steps, including removing duty anomalies, to boost medical devices manufacturing sector and make it a $50 billion industry in the next five years, a top official said on Friday.
Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, V K Subburaj, said that soon recommendations will be made to rectify the inverted duty structure for the growing medical devices sector. He said departments of health and pharmaceuticals along with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is working on the matter and soon they will make recommendations to the revenue department on the issue.An inverted duty structure impacts domestic industry adversely as manufacturers have to pay a higher price for raw material in terms of duty, while imported finished products land at lower duty and cost lesser.
The important hurdle (which the sector is facing) is the regulatory mechanism. The duty structure has to be modified. Health, DIPP and Pharma are jointly discussing the issue. Probably by next week, we will finalise the recommendations", Subburaj said here at a CII function.
Domestic medical devices makers have been asking the government to address this issue. We will ensure that this deficiency gets corrected very shortly. That will set the tone for medical devices industry in the country, he added. Commenting on the potential of the sector, he said: Now we have to scale it to $50 billion and to enable that, we have to take policy decisions.
Currently, the medical devices industry in India is estimated to be $5 billion annually. The secretary also said the department is working to create a separate vertical for medical devices in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
"Once it becomes a $50 billion industry, I do not think we can afford to combine it with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. There should be a separate Act for the sector, he said. We have combined it with drugs for long and that mistake is likely to be sorted out shortly. I think very shortly we will have a separate vertical within this Act exclusively for medical devices," Subburaj said.
Earlier, different departments were handling different issues related with the sector such as - quality control was looked after by the Health ministry, FDI by the DIPP and export was taken care by the Commerce Ministry. The department, he said, is also working on the issue of the preference purchase procedures.
"We are discussing with the electronics and MSME departments to see that products manufactured in India, especially made by medium and small scale sector, get preference for purchase, "he said.
The government is working on several steps, including removing duty anomalies, to boost medical devices manufacturing sector and make it a $50 billion industry in the next five years, a top official said on Friday.
Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, V K Subburaj, said that soon recommendations will be made to rectify the inverted duty structure for the growing medical devices sector. He said departments of health and pharmaceuticals along with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is working on the matter and soon they will make recommendations to the revenue department on the issue.An inverted duty structure impacts domestic industry adversely as manufacturers have to pay a higher price for raw material in terms of duty, while imported finished products land at lower duty and cost lesser.
The important hurdle (which the sector is facing) is the regulatory mechanism. The duty structure has to be modified. Health, DIPP and Pharma are jointly discussing the issue. Probably by next week, we will finalise the recommendations", Subburaj said here at a CII function.
Domestic medical devices makers have been asking the government to address this issue. We will ensure that this deficiency gets corrected very shortly. That will set the tone for medical devices industry in the country, he added. Commenting on the potential of the sector, he said: Now we have to scale it to $50 billion and to enable that, we have to take policy decisions.
Currently, the medical devices industry in India is estimated to be $5 billion annually. The secretary also said the department is working to create a separate vertical for medical devices in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
"Once it becomes a $50 billion industry, I do not think we can afford to combine it with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. There should be a separate Act for the sector, he said. We have combined it with drugs for long and that mistake is likely to be sorted out shortly. I think very shortly we will have a separate vertical within this Act exclusively for medical devices," Subburaj said.
Earlier, different departments were handling different issues related with the sector such as - quality control was looked after by the Health ministry, FDI by the DIPP and export was taken care by the Commerce Ministry. The department, he said, is also working on the issue of the preference purchase procedures.
"We are discussing with the electronics and MSME departments to see that products manufactured in India, especially made by medium and small scale sector, get preference for purchase, "he said.
Gold price recovers on jewellers buying, global cues
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After falling for three straight days, gold prices recovered by Rs 50 to Rs 26,700 per ten grams at the bullion market on Friday, supported by fresh purchases by jewellers to meet seasonal demand amid a firming global trend.
Silver also rebounded by Rs 600 to Rs 34,800 per kg on increased offtake by industrial users and coin makers.Traders said emergence of buying by jewellers and retailers, triggered by festive season and a better trend in global market, mainly led to recovery in prices of both the precious metals.
Globally, gold rose 0.7 per cent to $1,132.55 an ounce and silver climbed 0.5 per cent to $14.56 an ounce in Singapore.
In the national capital, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity were up by Rs 50 each to Rs 26,700 and Rs 26,550 per ten grams, respectively. The precious metals had lost Rs 925 in the previous three sessions.
Sovereign, continued to trade steady at Rs 22,500 per piece of eight grams.
Tracking gold, silver ready recorded a handsome gain of Rs 600 to Rs 34,800 and weekly-based delivery by Rs 780 to Rs 34,295 per kg.
On the other hand, silver coins held steady at Rs 50,000 for buying and Rs 51,000 for selling of 100 pieces.
After falling for three straight days, gold prices recovered by Rs 50 to Rs 26,700 per ten grams at the bullion market on Friday, supported by fresh purchases by jewellers to meet seasonal demand amid a firming global trend.
Silver also rebounded by Rs 600 to Rs 34,800 per kg on increased offtake by industrial users and coin makers.Traders said emergence of buying by jewellers and retailers, triggered by festive season and a better trend in global market, mainly led to recovery in prices of both the precious metals.
Globally, gold rose 0.7 per cent to $1,132.55 an ounce and silver climbed 0.5 per cent to $14.56 an ounce in Singapore.
In the national capital, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity were up by Rs 50 each to Rs 26,700 and Rs 26,550 per ten grams, respectively. The precious metals had lost Rs 925 in the previous three sessions.
Sovereign, continued to trade steady at Rs 22,500 per piece of eight grams.
Tracking gold, silver ready recorded a handsome gain of Rs 600 to Rs 34,800 and weekly-based delivery by Rs 780 to Rs 34,295 per kg.
On the other hand, silver coins held steady at Rs 50,000 for buying and Rs 51,000 for selling of 100 pieces.
Vodafone India to launch 4G service by year-end
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Vodafone India on Friday said it will launch its fourth-generation (4G) mobile telephony services by 2015-end, an announcement that comes days after market leader Bharti Airtel rolled out its own.
The rollout will match the upcoming 4G commercial launch by Reliance Jio.
"Important data markets, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Kochi, will be part of the first wave of the rollout," the company said in a statement in the national capital.
In addition, Vodafone India will introduce its own 3G networks in 7 circles - Assam, the North-East, Uttar Pradesh-West, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala and Odisha, to expand its overall 3G footprint to 16 circles across the country.
"Testing of 4G services has commenced successfully.Vodafone India has partnered with leading global technology infrastructure service providers for the network rollout," the statement said.
Pan-India 4G services will be launched at "an appropriate time", it said.
Bharti Airtel on August 6 announced launch of its 4G mobile phone services to cover nearly 300 towns in coming weeks. The launch came ahead of Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of the cash-rich conglomerate Reliance Industries, starting 4G voice and data services in December.
"With some of the latest technological developments on the anvil, Vodafone is building a robust and resilient network architecture with a strong backhaul to support the volumes and need for speed from customers," the Vodafone statement said.
Vodafone India had successfully acquired additional 4G (LTE) spectrum in 5 circles - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Kerala and Karnataka in February 2014 auctions. These circles together contribute close to 50 per cent of the total data revenues for Vodafone India.
Globally, Vodafone has launched 4G in 18 countries. There are over 20 million 4G customers across the group and its 4G propositions are enhanced with a mixture of music, sports and TV content to increase adoption and usage.
In preparation for the India rollout, Vodafone India had in 2014-15 set up a record number of over 23,000 tower sites, taking its overall network footprint to more than 1,31,000 sites.
"Over the last few months, Vodafone India has taken several steps to modernise its radio network and switching systems. Charging platforms have also been upgraded to facilitate a wider bouquet of products and services," it said.
Major investments have been made in high-capacity fibre/backhaul to significantly increase the Internet connectivity to the rest of the world.
"Vodafone India remains committed towards making significant investments in network expansion and for enhancing overall customer experience," the statement said.
Vodafone India on Friday said it will launch its fourth-generation (4G) mobile telephony services by 2015-end, an announcement that comes days after market leader Bharti Airtel rolled out its own.
The rollout will match the upcoming 4G commercial launch by Reliance Jio.
"Important data markets, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Kochi, will be part of the first wave of the rollout," the company said in a statement in the national capital.
In addition, Vodafone India will introduce its own 3G networks in 7 circles - Assam, the North-East, Uttar Pradesh-West, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala and Odisha, to expand its overall 3G footprint to 16 circles across the country.
"Testing of 4G services has commenced successfully.Vodafone India has partnered with leading global technology infrastructure service providers for the network rollout," the statement said.
Pan-India 4G services will be launched at "an appropriate time", it said.
Bharti Airtel on August 6 announced launch of its 4G mobile phone services to cover nearly 300 towns in coming weeks. The launch came ahead of Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of the cash-rich conglomerate Reliance Industries, starting 4G voice and data services in December.
"With some of the latest technological developments on the anvil, Vodafone is building a robust and resilient network architecture with a strong backhaul to support the volumes and need for speed from customers," the Vodafone statement said.
Vodafone India had successfully acquired additional 4G (LTE) spectrum in 5 circles - Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Kerala and Karnataka in February 2014 auctions. These circles together contribute close to 50 per cent of the total data revenues for Vodafone India.
Globally, Vodafone has launched 4G in 18 countries. There are over 20 million 4G customers across the group and its 4G propositions are enhanced with a mixture of music, sports and TV content to increase adoption and usage.
In preparation for the India rollout, Vodafone India had in 2014-15 set up a record number of over 23,000 tower sites, taking its overall network footprint to more than 1,31,000 sites.
"Over the last few months, Vodafone India has taken several steps to modernise its radio network and switching systems. Charging platforms have also been upgraded to facilitate a wider bouquet of products and services," it said.
Major investments have been made in high-capacity fibre/backhaul to significantly increase the Internet connectivity to the rest of the world.
"Vodafone India remains committed towards making significant investments in network expansion and for enhancing overall customer experience," the statement said.
Brookfield buys into Indian infra with road and power deal
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Canada's Brookfield Asset Management on Friday made its first significant investment in Indian infrastructure, buying six road and three power projects from Gammon Infrastructure Projects.
A consortium composed of Brookfield and the Core Infrastructure India Fund Pte Ltd are buying the projects, six of which are operational, said Ambit Holdings, which advised Gammon on the deal.Indian infrastructure firms have spent the last two years trying to sell assets to pay down debts after an economic downturn squeezed cash flows and damaged their balance sheets, although interest from foreign investors has remained muted.
"This transaction represents Brookfield's first major investment in Indian infrastructure, and provides us a great platform to participate in the Indian growth story over the long term," Anuj Ranjan, Managing Partner at Brookfield, said in a statement.
Brookfield is a global asset manager with more than $200 billion in assets under management.
The sale will allow Gammon, a medium sized Indian infrastructure firm, to cut its consolidated debt to Rs 2,229 crore ($337 million) from Rs 3,947 crore.
Canada's Brookfield Asset Management on Friday made its first significant investment in Indian infrastructure, buying six road and three power projects from Gammon Infrastructure Projects.
A consortium composed of Brookfield and the Core Infrastructure India Fund Pte Ltd are buying the projects, six of which are operational, said Ambit Holdings, which advised Gammon on the deal.Indian infrastructure firms have spent the last two years trying to sell assets to pay down debts after an economic downturn squeezed cash flows and damaged their balance sheets, although interest from foreign investors has remained muted.
"This transaction represents Brookfield's first major investment in Indian infrastructure, and provides us a great platform to participate in the Indian growth story over the long term," Anuj Ranjan, Managing Partner at Brookfield, said in a statement.
Brookfield is a global asset manager with more than $200 billion in assets under management.
The sale will allow Gammon, a medium sized Indian infrastructure firm, to cut its consolidated debt to Rs 2,229 crore ($337 million) from Rs 3,947 crore.
General Awareness
Union Government announces 98 selected smart city
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Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu today announced a list of 98 cities and towns selected for development as smart cities.
These cities and towns were nominated by respective States and Union Territories at the end of first stage of ‘City Challenge’ competition in which all the urban local bodies in each State and UT were evaluated based on their financial and institutional capacities and past track record.
Shri Naidu gave details of profiles of all the selected cities and towns in terms of population and characters of each city/town.
- 24 cities are capital cities;
- 24 are business and industrial centres;
- 18 are of cultural and tourism importance;
- 5 are port cities and three are educational and healthcare hubs.
In terms of population ;
- 8 have population up to one lakh. These being: Panaji, Diu,Silvassa, Kavaratti, Dharmashala, New Town Kolkata, Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh and Namchi(Sikkim)
- 35 have population between one and five lakhs;
- 21 cities are in the population range of five to ten lakhs;
- 25 have population of above 10 lakhs and below 25 lakhs;
- 5 in the range of 25 to 50 lakhs and
- Four viz., Chennai, Greater Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Greater Mumbai have population above 50 lakh.
List of 98 Cities selected under Smart Cities Mission
Sl. No. Name of State/UT No. of cities shortlisted Names of selected Cities Population of Cities 1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands 1 1. Port Blair 1,40,572 2. Andhra Pradesh 3 1. Vishakhapatnam 18,78,980 2. Tirupati 3,74,260 3. Kakinada 3,50,986 3. Arunachal Pradesh 1 1. Pasighat 24,656 4. Assam 1 1. Guwahati 9,62,334 5. Bihar 3 1. Muzaffarpur 3,93,724 2. Bhagalpur 4,10,210 3. Biharsharif 2,96,889 6. Chandigarh 1 1. Chandigarh 10,55,450 7. Chhatisgarh 2 1. Raipur 10,47,389 2. Bilaspur 3,65,579 8. Daman & Diu 1 1. Diu 23,991 9. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1 1. Silvassa 98,032 10. Delhi 1 1. New Delhi Municipal Council 2,49,998 11. Goa 1 1. Panaji 1,00,000 12. Gujarat 6 1. Gandhinagar 2,92,797 2. Ahmedabad 55,77,940 3. Surat 44,67,797 4. Vadodara 17,52,371 5. Rajkot 13,23,363 6. Dahod 1,30,530 13. Haryana 2 1. Karnal 3,02,140 2. Faridabad 14,14,050 14. Himachal Pradesh 1 1. Dharamshala 22,580 15. Jharkhand 1 1. Ranchi 10,73,427 16. Karnataka 6 1. Mangaluru 4,84,785 2. Belagavi 4,88,292 3. Shivamogga 3,22,428 4. Hubballi-Dharwad 9,43,857 5. Tumakuru 3,05,821 6. Davanegere 4,35,128 17. Kerala 1 1. Kochi 6,01,574 18. Lakshadweep 1 1. Kavaratti 11,210 19. Madhya Pradesh 7 1. Bhopal 19,22,130 2. Indore 21,95,274 3. Jabalpur 12,16,445 4. Gwalior 11,59,032 5. Sagar 2,73,296 6. Satna 2,80,222 7. Ujjain 5,15,215 20. Maharashtra 10 1. Navi Mumbai 11,19,000 2. Nashik 14,86,000 3. Thane 18,41,000 4. Greater Mumbai 1,24,00,000 5. Amravati 7,45,000 6. Solapur 9,52,000 7. Nagpur 24,60,000 8. Kalyan-Dombivali 15,18,000 9. Aurangabad 11,65,000 10. Pune 31,24,000 21. Manipur 1 1. Imphal 2,68,243 22. Meghalaya 1 1. Shillong 3,54,325 23. Mizoram 1 1. Aizawl 2,91,000 24. Nagaland 1 1. Kohima 1,07,000 25. Odisha 2 1. Bhubaneshwar 8,40,834 2. Raurkela 3,10,976 26. Puducherry 1 1. Oulgaret 3,00,104 27. Punjab 3 1. Ludhiana 16,18,879 2. Jalandhar 8,68,181 3. Amritsar 11,55,664 28. Rajasthan 4 1. Jaipur 30,73,350 2. Udaipur 4,75,150 3. Kota 10,01,365 4. Ajmer 5,51,360 29. Sikkim 1 1. Namchi 12,190 30. Tamil Nadu 12 1. Tiruchirapalli 9,16,674 2. Tirunelveli 4,74,838 3. Dindigul, 2,07,327 4. Thanjavur, 2,22,943 5. Tiruppur, 8,77,778 6. Salem, 8,31,038 7. Vellore, 5,04,079 8. Coimbatore, 16,01,438 9. Madurai, 15,61,129 10. Erode, 4,98,129 11. Thoothukudi 3,70,896 12. Chennai 67,27,000 31. Telangana 2 1. Greater Hyderabad 67,31,790 2. Greater Warangal 8,19,406 32. Tripura 1 1. Agartala 4,00,004 33. Uttar Pradesh** 12 1. Moradabad 8,87,871 2. Aligarh 8,74,408 3. Saharanpur 7,05,478 4. Bareilly 9,03,668 5. Jhansi 5,05,693 6. Kanpur 27,65,348 7. Allahabad 11,12,544 8. Lucknow 28,17,105 9. Varanasi 11,98,491 10. Ghaziabad 16,48,643 11. Agra 15,85,704 12. Rampur 3,25,313 34. Uttarakhand 1 1. Dehradun 5,83,971 35. West Bengal 4 1. New Town Kolkata 36,541 2. Bidhannagar 6,33,704 3. Durgapur 5,71,000 4. Haldia 2,72,000
- Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu today announced a list of 98 cities and towns selected for development as smart cities.These cities and towns were nominated by respective States and Union Territories at the end of first stage of ‘City Challenge’ competition in which all the urban local bodies in each State and UT were evaluated based on their financial and institutional capacities and past track record.Shri Naidu gave details of profiles of all the selected cities and towns in terms of population and characters of each city/town.
- 24 cities are capital cities;
- 24 are business and industrial centres;
- 18 are of cultural and tourism importance;
- 5 are port cities and three are educational and healthcare hubs.
In terms of population ;- 8 have population up to one lakh. These being: Panaji, Diu,Silvassa, Kavaratti, Dharmashala, New Town Kolkata, Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh and Namchi(Sikkim)
- 35 have population between one and five lakhs;
- 21 cities are in the population range of five to ten lakhs;
- 25 have population of above 10 lakhs and below 25 lakhs;
- 5 in the range of 25 to 50 lakhs and
- Four viz., Chennai, Greater Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Greater Mumbai have population above 50 lakh.
List of 98 Cities selected under Smart Cities MissionSl. No. Name of State/UT No. of cities shortlisted Names of selected Cities Population of Cities 1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands 1 1. Port Blair 1,40,572 2. Andhra Pradesh 3 1. Vishakhapatnam 18,78,980 2. Tirupati 3,74,260 3. Kakinada 3,50,986 3. Arunachal Pradesh 1 1. Pasighat 24,656 4. Assam 1 1. Guwahati 9,62,334 5. Bihar 3 1. Muzaffarpur 3,93,724 2. Bhagalpur 4,10,210 3. Biharsharif 2,96,889 6. Chandigarh 1 1. Chandigarh 10,55,450 7. Chhatisgarh 2 1. Raipur 10,47,389 2. Bilaspur 3,65,579 8. Daman & Diu 1 1. Diu 23,991 9. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1 1. Silvassa 98,032 10. Delhi 1 1. New Delhi Municipal Council 2,49,998 11. Goa 1 1. Panaji 1,00,000 12. Gujarat 6 1. Gandhinagar 2,92,797 2. Ahmedabad 55,77,940 3. Surat 44,67,797 4. Vadodara 17,52,371 5. Rajkot 13,23,363 6. Dahod 1,30,530 13. Haryana 2 1. Karnal 3,02,140 2. Faridabad 14,14,050 14. Himachal Pradesh 1 1. Dharamshala 22,580 15. Jharkhand 1 1. Ranchi 10,73,427 16. Karnataka 6 1. Mangaluru 4,84,785 2. Belagavi 4,88,292 3. Shivamogga 3,22,428 4. Hubballi-Dharwad 9,43,857 5. Tumakuru 3,05,821 6. Davanegere 4,35,128 17. Kerala 1 1. Kochi 6,01,574 18. Lakshadweep 1 1. Kavaratti 11,210 19. Madhya Pradesh 7 1. Bhopal 19,22,130 2. Indore 21,95,274 3. Jabalpur 12,16,445 4. Gwalior 11,59,032 5. Sagar 2,73,296 6. Satna 2,80,222 7. Ujjain 5,15,215 20. Maharashtra 10 1. Navi Mumbai 11,19,000 2. Nashik 14,86,000 3. Thane 18,41,000 4. Greater Mumbai 1,24,00,000 5. Amravati 7,45,000 6. Solapur 9,52,000 7. Nagpur 24,60,000 8. Kalyan-Dombivali 15,18,000 9. Aurangabad 11,65,000 10. Pune 31,24,000 21. Manipur 1 1. Imphal 2,68,243 22. Meghalaya 1 1. Shillong 3,54,325 23. Mizoram 1 1. Aizawl 2,91,000 24. Nagaland 1 1. Kohima 1,07,000 25. Odisha 2 1. Bhubaneshwar 8,40,834 2. Raurkela 3,10,976 26. Puducherry 1 1. Oulgaret 3,00,104 27. Punjab 3 1. Ludhiana 16,18,879 2. Jalandhar 8,68,181 3. Amritsar 11,55,664 28. Rajasthan 4 1. Jaipur 30,73,350 2. Udaipur 4,75,150 3. Kota 10,01,365 4. Ajmer 5,51,360 29. Sikkim 1 1. Namchi 12,190 30. Tamil Nadu 12 1. Tiruchirapalli 9,16,674 2. Tirunelveli 4,74,838 3. Dindigul, 2,07,327 4. Thanjavur, 2,22,943 5. Tiruppur, 8,77,778 6. Salem, 8,31,038 7. Vellore, 5,04,079 8. Coimbatore, 16,01,438 9. Madurai, 15,61,129 10. Erode, 4,98,129 11. Thoothukudi 3,70,896 12. Chennai 67,27,000 31. Telangana 2 1. Greater Hyderabad 67,31,790 2. Greater Warangal 8,19,406 32. Tripura 1 1. Agartala 4,00,004 33. Uttar Pradesh** 12 1. Moradabad 8,87,871 2. Aligarh 8,74,408 3. Saharanpur 7,05,478 4. Bareilly 9,03,668 5. Jhansi 5,05,693 6. Kanpur 27,65,348 7. Allahabad 11,12,544 8. Lucknow 28,17,105 9. Varanasi 11,98,491 10. Ghaziabad 16,48,643 11. Agra 15,85,704 12. Rampur 3,25,313 34. Uttarakhand 1 1. Dehradun 5,83,971 35. West Bengal 4 1. New Town Kolkata 36,541 2. Bidhannagar 6,33,704 3. Durgapur 5,71,000 4. Haldia 2,72,000
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