Indian Economy-News & Updates

[Hindustani78]

Alarmed by the incidents, railway minister Suresh Prabhu has sought an NIA probe into the recent spate of derailments suspecting sabotage.(AFP photo)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...d-prevented/story-AAeb4YWHddyNtq0uNLga2J.html

Sabotage attempts on tracks to derail trains continue to plague the railways with detection of two more such cases on Thursday causing serious concern for safety of rail operation.

Cases of man-made obstructions were discovered at Malda and Dhanbad divisions by alert railway staff on time, thereby averting major derailments, said a senior railway ministry official.

According to the official, the loco pilot of a passenger train detected fish plates missing between Koderma and Maheshpur under Dhanbad division and stopped the train .

Rail traffic was stopped for three hours and an FIR has been lodged in the matter.

In the second incident, fittings were found missing on a track between Bariarpur and Ratanour in Malda division.

Train movement was stopped and it resumed only after the replacement of fittings, the official said adding an FIR has been lodged in this matter too.

Earlier, a major mishap was averted on January 24 after a Jan Shatabdi Express loco pilot stopped the train spotting a 15-feet rail piece on the track near Diwa in Mumbai.

On January 23, another possible train accident was averted at Hajipur in Bihar due to an alert patrolling team of the railways. Two stone slabs that were placed on the track were detected on time and removed.

Alarmed by these incidents, railway minister Suresh Prabhu has sought an NIA probe into the recent spate of derailments suspecting sabotage.

Read: NIA to probe sabotage angle in train derailments in Kanpur, Andhra Pradesh

Railway board member (traffic) Mohd Jamshed has also cited 45 such cases involving outside interference on the tracks affecting train movement and causing loss of lives and revenue.

Chairman of railway board AK Mital on Monday said, “There is a substantial increase in the derailment case this year as compared against the same period last year and it is a serious concern for us.”

Thirty-nine people were killed after nine coaches of the Hirakhand Express derailed near Kuneru station in Andhra Pradesh on January 21.

Also read: Hirakhand Express derailment death toll rises to 40

On November 20 last year, 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Kanpur killing 151 people followed by the derailment of the Sealdah-Ajmer Express on December 28 near Rura station that left more than 50 passengers injured.

 

[Avon]

HPCL, Gail, ONGC to invest Rs 1.18 lakh crore in Andhra Pradesh

VISAKHAPATNAM: State-owned Hindustran Petroleum Corp, Gail and Oil & Natural Gas Corp together plan to invest Rs 1.18 lakh crore on oil and gas exploration and a new petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh.

Minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan announced these investments on Friday at the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, where the top executives of the oil firms signed the agreements.

Pradhan said global oil giant Saudi Aramco was looking at investing in Andhra Pradesh. A senior AP bureaucrat said the Saudi company's investment may take place through divestment of a stake by one of the state-owned oil and gas giants.

HPCL and Gail will jointly set up a greenfield 1-million-tonne standalone petrochemical complex in Kakinada, involving Rs 40,000 crore . The state government has agreed to earmark around 2,000 acres of land within the limits of the Kakinada Special Economic Zone for the project.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
02-February, 2017 17:50 IST
Direct and Transparent benefit to 81 crore people through 5.27 lakh Fair Price Shops: Shri Ram Vilas Paswan

Shri Ram Vilas Paswan congratulated Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitely on 1st February, 2017 for presenting a historic Budget for the year 2017-18. He said that Government’s yesterday budget is significant on two counts – In the first place Shri Jaitley presented the Rail Budget alongwith the General Budget breaking the colonial tradition of a separate Rail Budget since 1924. The second significant move is that by presenting the budget on 1st February, the Government Departments will get complete 12 months times to implement Government schemes and would get sufficient time before the onset of monsoon. This year’s Budget has once again reflected Government’s commitment towards socio-economic and political reforms.

Shri Paswan thanked the Finance Minister for deliberating upon the initiatives taken by the Government for taming price rise in his Budgetary Speech. As a result, the Government has been able to control inflation and the CPI based inflation has been reduced to 3.4% in December, 2016 from a level of 6% in July, 2016.

Government has moved from discretionary and favouritism based to a system and transparency based persistently for over 2 ½ years, the results of which are showing.

Shri Paswan elaborated the PDS Reforms being undertaken across the country in the implementation of the NFSA. The Minister was hopeful that by March-end this year majority of the States will have cashless arrangements for distribution of foodgrains. By June-end, all the 5.27 lakh FPS shops will be computerized; beneficiaries will be identified based on Aadhar. Most importantly, all these shops will have cashless system in place. This will ensure direct and transparent benefit to 81 crore beneficiaries. Central Government is assisting States in computerisation of FPS shops. The allocation of margin money for FPS operators has been increased to Rs. 4500 crores in the Financial Year 2017-18, which was Rs. 2500 crore in the present year.

Shri Paswan personally thanked the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi for successfully reigning in the price of Essential Commodities. He lauded the initiative of creation of Buffer Stock for pulses and increasing its size to 20 lakh MT. The Budget Estimate of Rs. 900 crore has been revised to Rs. 3400 crore to achieve the same. This move has also benefited lakhs of farmers in the country.

The total budgetary allocation for Consumer Affairs Department is Rs. 3727 crore out of which the allocation for PSF alone is Rs. 3500 crore.

NFSA has been implemented in the entire country in the current Financial Year. Accordingly, the allocation for food subsidy for the Financial Year 2017-18 has been increased to Rs.145138.60 crore which was Rs.130334.61 crore in the Fiancial Year 2016-17.

Centre has been persuading the States for adopting the Decentralized Procurement scheme as a result of which 17 states have adopted the DCP system. FCI has started Online Procurement and many states have also implemented it. This has created a positive impact on farmers who are now receiving payments directly in their accounts, transparently. The budgetary provision for DCP States has been increased to Rs. 38000 crore in the Financial Year 2017-18 which was Rs. 30672.96 crore in the present year.

****

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
02-February, 2017 17:31 IST
India and Italy Sign an MOU for Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector Especially on Safety Related Subjects

Ministry of Railways and Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) a Government Company of Italy managing the Italian railway sector have signed an MoU for technical cooperation in rail sector especially in the areas safety in train operations. On behalf of Ministry of Railways the agreement has been signed by Shri Vinod Kumar, Executive Director/Safety(coordination), Railway Board whereas it has been signed by Shri Renato Mazzoncini, CEO of FS Group, Italy.

The cooperation areas identified in this MoU includes safety audit of Indian Railways and measures required for enhancing safety in train operation, Assessment and certification of advanced technology based safety products and systems to Safety Integrity Level (SIL4), Training and competency development with focus of safety, Modern trends in Maintenance and diagnostic etc.

The MoU comes in the backdrop of emphasis given by Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Minister of Railways, Govt. of India on safety in railway operation. He has directed Railway Board to collaborate with the international experts on this subject and identify the best practices in this field.

Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane Group (FS Group) is a fully owned company of the Italian Government working in the Railway Sector and is under Ministry of Treasure, Itlay. The Group, with its technical and managerial railway expertise, widely recognized at international level, is one of the most advanced worldwide player in many field, such as design and realization of High Speed and Conventional Lines, Safety Systems, Certification, Training and Operation and Maintenance.


The whole group currently employs about 69,000 persons and operates more than 7,000 trains per day, carrying over 600 million/year of passengers and 50 million tons of freight on a railway network of more than 16,700 km.

FS Italiane Group, through its controlled companies, has been working in 5 continents, in more than 60 countries, with branches in : Abu Dhabi, Riad, Muscat, Doha, Istanbul, Alger, Bucharest. FS Italiane has controlled companies in many countries, among the others in France, in Germany, in Serbia.

*******

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways03-February, 2017 17:30 IST
Installation of CCTV Cameras in Railway Stations

The Government has provided funds to the tune of ₹ 500 Crores have been sanctioned for provision of CCTV surveillance cameras at 983 stations. As of now, there are about 344 railway stations, where CCTV cameras have been provided. The Zone-wise details of some of the Railway Stations where CCTV cameras have been provided are given below. As regards the target for provision of CCTV cameras at all 983 identified stations, the same is March, 2019.


**********

Ministry of Railways
03-February, 2017 17:28 IST
Indian Railways to eliminate all Unmanned Level Crossings on Broad Gauge in next 3 -4 years

Safety Measures by Ministry of Railways

It is the endeavour of Railways to eliminate all unmanned level crossings(UMLCs) in a phased manner by either of the following:

· Closure – Closing unmanned level crossings having NIL/Negligible Train Vehicle Unit (TVU).

· Merger – Merger of unmanned level crossing gate to nearby manned or unmanned gates or subway or Road Under Bridge (RUB) or Road Over Bridge (ROB) by construction of diversion road.

· Provision of Subways/ RUBs

· Manning – Phased manning of unmanned level crossings which cannot be eliminated by above means.

Ministry of Railways has announced a specific sub-mission to eliminate all unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge in next 3-4 years.

Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO) is developing vandal proof rugged Train approach based warning system for unmanned L.C. Gates in association with IIT/Kanpur and Space Application Centre /Ahmedabad. Besides, various measures taken by Indian Railways to prevent accidents at unmanned level crossings are as under:

· Social awareness campaigns to educate road users with the use of various print and electronic media for observance of safe practices prescribed in Motor Vehicle Act and Indian Railways Act and joint ambush checks along with civil police to counter misadventure in front of approaching trains.

· SMS Campaigns to create awareness amongst road users.

· Zonal Railways have also been advised to deploy Gate Mitras/Gate Counselors at identified vulnerable unmanned level crossings to counsel the road vehicles users for observance of safe practice while negotiating unmanned level crossings.


Safety is accorded the highest priority by Indian Railways and all possible steps are undertaken on a continual basis including upgradation of technology to prevent accidents and to enhance safety. These include complete track circuiting of stations, Axle Counter for Automatic clearance of Block Section Counters (BPAC), Electrical/Electronic Interlocking System, Interlocking of Level Crossing Gates, Auxiliary Warning System (AWS), Vigilance Control Device (VCD) in locomotives, Colour Light LED Signals, Train Protection Warning System (TPWS), Train Collision Avoidance System(TCAS), Fog Safe Device (FSD), use of 60kg rails and Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers, long rail panels, better welding technology in the tracks, digital types of machines for Ultrasonic Flaw Detection (USFD), electronic monitoring of tracks using Track Recording Cars (TRC) and portable Oscillation Monitoring System (OMS), progressive use of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches, Centre Buffer Couplers in Integral Coach Factory (ICF) design coaches, Remote Monitoring and Management of Locomotives and Trains (REMMLOT), Air Conditioning (AC) of locomotive cabs, Installation of video/voice recording system on locomotives.

Enhancement in technology in Indian Railways is a continuous process. The above mentioned technologies are being proliferated in Indian Railways progressively depending upon codal life of equipments and availability of resources, traffic density of routes etc.



This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 03.02.2017 (Friday).

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[Hindustani78]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india...terror-case/story-Q0VX6c8iBIEJojZjJRneVO.html
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will probe the alleged attempt to blow up the Raxaul-Sitamarhi rail track near Ghorasahan in Bihar’s East Champaran district. The agency will also probe if some of the accused arrested in the Ghorasahan case were also involved in the Indore-Patna Express derailment, which killed 148 people near Kanpur on November 20.

The central agency established to combat terror in India has registered a fresh case in the matter.

Acting public relations officer of NIA, Ankur Garg, told HT over phone that a team of the central probe agency, comprising inspector general Manoj Shukla and deputy inspector general Prashant Kumar, was camping at Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran district, since January 27 to investigate the Ghorasahan incident.

Top police officers said the state government had asked the Raxaul GRP to hand over the case to the NIA after the Centre’s notification to it specified that all big cases being probed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), besides terror-related offences, should be investigated by the NIA.

On Friday, three arrested accused — Moti Paswan, Umashankar Patel and Mukesh Yadav —were brought to Patna and produced before the designated NIA court, which sent them to Beur central jail in the state capital under judicial custody till February 17.

 

[proud_indian]

Railways to replace conventional coaches with modern LHB

The LHB coaches are equipped with modern technology to prevent capsizing of coaches

Press Trust of India | New Delhi January 22, 2017 Last Updated at 16:40 IST

Photo: Shutterstock​

• ALSO READ
  
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Capsizing of conventional coaches in three consecutive major train derailments since November last year has pushed the Railways to go for complete elimination of old-designed compartments at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) near Chennai and opt for modern Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) ones.

The LHB coaches are equipped with modern technology to prevent capsizing of coaches during the derailment.


As per the plan, manufacturing of ICF conventional coaches will be fully stopped from 2018-19 and production of LHB coaches will be expedited from 2017-18 in a big way to provide a safer and comfortable ride for passengers.

Nine coaches of Hirakund Express derailed last night near Kuneru station in Andhra Pradesh out of which four overturned. Earlier also several coaches capsized during the two major derailments near Kanpur in November and December last year, leading to greater causlaties.

While the production target of LHB coaches has been increased from 1,697 in 2016-17 to 2,384 in 2017-18, there will be 3,025 LHB coaches manufactured in 2018-19, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

According to railways rolling stock production programme, there will be only 801 conventional coaches manufactured in 2017-18, and subsequently no such coaches will be produced.

The official said a massive retrofitting exercise is being undertaken to convert existing conventional coaches into LHB ones by providing crashworthiness features in these coaches.

All safety parameters of LHB coaches like strong couplers and anti-climbing features are being provided during the retrofit exercise.

Currently, railways have about 50,000 conventional coaches which will be retrofitted with modern safety features in phases.

http://www.business-standard.com/ar...l-coaches-with-modern-lhb-117012200489_1.html

@anant_s @Nilgiri

Isn't it a good step in right direction?

they should have abandoned this obsolete technology of 1940's way earlier but as we say "Der aaye durust aaye"

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...teps-in-to-fast-track-relief-payment-4509662/

The Railway Claims Tribunal Principal Bench in Delhi has taken suo motu cognizance of three major derailments recently in Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and filed cases for claims in a first such order.

Departing from established norms, it has ordered its zonal benches to register cases, where the claimants live instead of piling up cases on local benches under whose jurisdiction the accidents have taken place. The order has paved way for immediate release of compensation by setting an upper limit of six weeks for hearings. As per records, the process of realisation of claims usually takes up to four years, thanks to legal tangles.

But after this order, all that the local benches now need to do is verify that a claimant appearing before it is the same person mentioned in the official accident report, a job that should not take more than one hearing. According to the Tribunal, the Railways has identified all the victims.

The Tribunal has cut out the need for lawyers and legal processes by asking local benches to help applicants free of cost. As a result, the process of trials and recording of oral evidences will now be done away with.

The order was conveyed to the Railway Ministry earlier this week for compliance.

As many as 150 people had died in a rail accident near Kanpur. Over 60 people were injured in another accident near Allahabad. In a derailment near Kuneru in Andhra Pradesh, nearly 40 people were killed and 30 injured.

The Tribunal passed the order to negate possibility of victims and their families being duped by middlemen. In certain cases, even lawyers, according to information with the Tribunal, dupe or harass claimants by unnecessarily delaying cases. This is because from the date of the filing of a claim, Railways counts six per cent interest over and above the compensation amount.

Currently, the Railways gives Rs 8 lakh to families of each deceased and those who have suffered permanent disability. Those with other kinds of injuries are paid lower amounts. “The date of hearing shall be fixed not later than six weeks from the date of issue of notices and on being served, the additional registrar/assistant, registrar of the respective benches shall themselves offer assistance to the applicants….,” the order said.

A racket of lawyers and middlemen often dupe victims and families by delaying the process for years. As a result, the Railways is used to giving out hefty interests.

 

[MKC]

Railways to show green signal to a train in Andaman and Nicobar
240-km track from Port Blair to Diglipur will benefit tourists, defence forces.
267
SHARES
Avishek G Dastidar | New Delhi | Updated: February 6, 2017 7:11 am

You can soon take a train to get here. Express file photo

A 240-KM broad-gauge railway line connecting two major islands, with bridges and stations along the coast, will be part of an ambitious rail link connecting Port Blair with Diglipur on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — a first in the country that will bring the archipelago on the rail map.

The Railway Ministry is set to approve the project, which will connect the Union Territory’s capital city in the south with the largest town on the north Andaman island currently linked by a 350-km bus service that takes over 14 hours and a ship that takes around 24 hours. There is no air connectivity.

According to an internal survey report of the ministry, the cost of the line will be Rs 2,413.68 crore with a negative rate of return on investment of -9.64 per cent. The Railways considers a line to be commercially viable if this figure is at least a positive of 12 per cent. But the ministry is set to approve this project owing to its “uniqueness and strategic importance”, according to documents reviewed by The Indian Express.

The ministry’s Planning and Finance directorates cleared the project last week saying it is desirable because “it is unique, away from the mainland, and has tourism potential.”

Giving a fillip to the rail link, the Union Territory administration has agreed to share 50 per cent of the project’s operational cost — or loss.

“As soon as the line is commissioned, tourism will see a jump from the current 4.5 lakh visitors a year to around 6 lakh a year, as per our estimates. So even though the railway survey shows a negative return, our assessment is otherwise. However, we have agreed to share the operational losses, if any,” Jagdish Mukhi, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, told The Indian Express.

According to the UT administration, the line has tourism potential and is of “immense strategic value” to the defence forces because Diglipur is just 300 km by sea from the southern coast of Myanmar — a broad-gauge train line from Port Blair to Diglipur will take three hours at the most.

The Railways’ Planning wing has suggested that the project may be taken up as part of the strategic lines it will build for Defence ministry, such as those in the border regions of the Northeast. The Finance arm has said that it may be taken up as a national project, like the Kashmir link, in which the general exchequer is billed. The Railway Board will take a final view on this issue soon.

The initial survey for the proposed line was completed in December 2014 but the plan was dropped. Last year, the project received a fresh push when the Railways updated the survey and the UT administration said it would chip in.

Among the major tourist attractions in Diglipur are the Ross and Smith islands. “These are just two of the main attractions. Lakhs of tourists take great pains to reach there from Port Blair every year. With the railway line in place, that part essentially become a part of the capital, beneficial to tourists, local residents and the defence forces,” said Mukhi.

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...aman-and-nicobar-port-blair-diglipur-4509732/

---------------------------------------------
I don't know how can Union Territory administration share 50 per cent of the project’s operational cost — or loss which comes as ₹1200 crore...........

Wouldn't it be good if they go for meter gauge instead of broad gauge?

 

[Hindustani78]

http://zeenews.india.com/bihar/biha...near-buxar-station-no-casualties_1974143.html
Buxar: A bomb blast took place on a railway track near Buxar station in Mughalsarai-Patna section in Bihar on Monday.

The blast took place at 12:10 pm.

However, no damage to property or life was reported. An inquiry has been ordered in this matter.

Further details are awaited.


First Published: Monday, February 6, 2017 - 15:07

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Commerce & Industry
06-February, 2017 17:09 IST
Export of Cash Crops

Government provides financial and technical assistance to the growers and other stakeholders to boost export of cash crops namely tea, coffee, rubber, spices, tobacco and cashew which includes, inter alia, participation in trade fairs, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, brand promotion, public relation campaigns and incentives for export of value added products.

The Government has introduced unified export promotion scheme for merchandise exports including that of cash crops viz. Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS). The scheme provides incentive in the form of duty credit scrip to the exporter to compensate for his loss on payment of duties. The incentive is paid as percentage of the realized FOB value (in free foreign exchange) for notified goods going to notified markets.

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

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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
06-February, 2017 17:07 IST
Production and Import of Natural Rubber

The details of total production, consumption and import of Natural Rubber (NR) in the country during the last three years are as under:

Year-Production(Tonne)-Consumption(Tonne)-Import(Tonne)

2013-14-774,000-981,520-360,263
2014-15-645,000-1020,910-442,130
2015-16-562,000-994,415-458,374


The increase in import of NR into the country can be primarily attributed to the gap between production and consumption of NR in the country and lower prices of block rubber in international markets as compared to the sheet rubber in domestic market.

Cost of production of rubber varies from region to region and depends upon a number of factors such as labour wages, value of land, input costs, etc. Rubber Board has undertaken a study to work out the cost of production of Natural Rubber. However, final report has not yet been submitted.

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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
06-February, 2017 17:05 IST
Pan India E-Auction of Tea

The auction module of Pan India e-auction was rolled out successfully by Tea Board in June, 2016 across different auction centres of the country. There has not been any major problems with this module. The post auction settlement module was implemented from 14thSeptember, 2016. There have been some operational problems in this modulemainly relating to reconciliation of payment. Tea Board held a detailed deliberation with the stakeholders on 17th October, 2016 and decided to keep the post auction settlement process on hold with effect from 18th October, 2016. It has now been decided to select a new settlement banker.

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



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Ministry of Commerce & Industry06-February, 2017 17:05 IST
Export of Basmati Rice

Details of quantum and value of basmati rice exported from the country to various countries, including Iran, during the last three years (top 10 countries), are as under:



Quantity in lakh MT; Value in US$ Million

Country Name
2013-14
Quantity -Value
2014-15
Quantity-Value
2015-16
Quantity-Value


Saudi Arabia
8.26
1108.90
9.67
1188.23
9.49
842.22

Iran
14.40
1834.55
9.36
1108.50
6.95
571.19

UAE
1.48
196.51
2.79
314.76
6.12
475.18

Iraq
2.20
271.14
2.35
259.13
4.18
340.97

Kuwait
1.76
247.95
1.66
250.53
1.81
211.68

U K
1.19
130.73
1.36
147.63
1.88
143.14

U S A
1.03
143.86
0.89
132.30
1.21
131.55

Yemen Republic
1.47
183.94
1.74
196.15
1.42
110.49

Oman
0.43
58.63
0.56
68.83
1.05
92.84

Canada
0.29
37.97
0.26
37.51
0.36
38.49

Other Countries

5.03
650.73
6.37
814.69
5.97
519.64

Total
37.54
4864.91
37.02
4518.26
40.45
3477.39

Source: DGCI&S

In order to protect its domestic paddy growers, Iran has been imposing temporary ban (usually from end July to early January of next year) on import of rice. The ban was imposed w.e.f. 21st July 2016. However, the ban is not India-specific.

A 20-member trade delegation, led by the Chairman, Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), visited Iran from January 28-30, 2017. Meetings were held with the Departments of Government of Iran and importers’ association. A sales promotion event was organized on January 29, 2017, which was attended by about 250 participants, including media, Government officials and importers.

APEDA directly, and through All India Rice Exporters Association, participates in trade fairs in Iran to promote export of Basmati rice along with other agro products. APEDA, under its plan scheme, also provides assistance to exporters for building up image of their brands through advertisement in print and electronic media.

This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. NirmalaSitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.


*****

Ministry of Commerce & Industry
06-February, 2017 17:04 IST
Cashless Transactions

The Government is trying to promote cashless transactions as far as practically possible.

Digital payments give fillip to financial inclusion. It also enables digital trail of financial transactions leading to better tax compliance and reduces cost maintaining cash. Increased digital transactions will also enable small and micro enterprises to access formal credit.

A commercial establishment/industry registered as Merchant is expected to pay to the Acquiring Bank an amount out of their collections based on Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) which shall not be more than 1 % in case of debit cards.

This information was given by the Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. NirmalaSitharaman in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

*****

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Steel06-February, 2017 17:25 IST
Steel Consumption


The per Capita steel consumption of total finished steel stood at 63 kg. in the country (source: JPC) while for 2016, the world average was at 208 kg. (Source: World Steel Association, which reports data on a calendar year basis). The level of consumption of steel in a country depends on a number of factors, including stage of development, speed of economic growth etc.


The consumption of total finished steel in rural India during last three years is given below based on a Study conducted by the Joint Plant Committee (JPC). Government encourages increasing steel consumption in the country, including rural areas.


Year-
Consumption of total finished steel in rural India
Qty. (mt.)
% change over last year

2013-14
9.26
2.4

2014-15
9.49
2.5

2015-16
9.74
2.6

Source: Joint Plant Committee JPC; mt.=million tonnes


To lend support to the domestic steel industry and provide a level playing field, The Government has imposed Minimum Import Price. As a result:-


1. Total steel import have dropped by 37% to 6.02 million tonnes during April – December 2016 as compared to the corresponding period last year.

2. Exports have increased by 64% to 5.8 million tonnes during April – December 2016 as compared to the corresponding period last year.

3. Post notification of MIP in February, 2016, prices increased till May, 2016 which subsequently declined again in June, 2016 before stabilizing with a modest rebound in August, 2016. Thereafter, prices maintained an increasing trend till January, 2017, with the current prices (of Hot Rolled/Cold Rolled Coils) about 40% higher than the pre-MIP prices (January, 2016).


In order to promote the country’s steel industry, Government has taken a number of steps including Notification of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, increasing Customs Duty, imposition of Safe-guard duty and Anti-Dumping Duty on a number of steel products.


This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel Sh. Vishnu Deo Sai in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

*****

Ministry of Steel
06-February, 2017 17:22 IST
Exploration of Iron Ore



The Indian steel industry has been pursuing research & development (R&D) activities for beneficiation of iron ore / fines / slimes. The Government is also supplementing the R&D efforts of the industry by providing financial assistance for R&D activities with regard to beneficiation & agglomeration of the iron ore & fines.

The research and development activities in SAIL’s captive Iron ore mines are undertaken by Research & Development Centre of Iron and Steel (RDCIS) unit at Ranchi. The following are R& D projects undertaken:

(i) Improvement in sinter productivity through deep beneficiation and agglomeration technologies for rational utilization of low grade iron ores and fines by National Metallurgical laboratory (CSIR-NML)

(ii) Quality Improvement of Low Grade Iron Ore by RDCIS, SAIL

(iii) Beneficiation of iron Ore slimes from Barsua by RDCIS, SAIL

Details of exploration of iron ore by NMDC are as under:

(i) NMDC is continuously carrying out mineral exploration activities involving drilling activities in its iron ore mining leases in Bacheli & Kirandul complexes at Bailadila, South Bastar, Dantewada District, Chhattisgarh and Donimalai & Kumaraswamy, Bellary District, Karnataka.

(ii) NMDC has signed a tripartite MoU in Madhya Pradesh and under this MoU, NMDC is conducting exploration in Sidhi iron block in parts of Sidhi & Singrauli District, Madhya Pradesh.

(iii) Iron ore exploration is being done by NMDC under JV company in Jharkhand in Sasangada iron ore area, West Singhbhum District.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel Sh. Vishnu Deo Sai in reply to a question in Lok Sabha today gave this information.

*****

 

[MKC]

Kochi | Kerala

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Commerce & Industry08-February, 2017 17:00 IST
Production of Coffee Seeds In Andhra Pradesh

The year-wise coffee production in Andhra Pradesh during the last three years is as under:

Year-Production in MT

2013-14-7320
2014-15-7425
2015-16-9200

The Cauvery variety of coffee is more suitable for coffee cultivation in the Western Ghats areas and is not recommended for the coffee growing areas of Andhra Pradesh. ln order to improve the productivity in the coffee growing tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, improved varieties like Sln.SA, Sln.5B and Sln.8 are being promoted by the Coffee Board as they have better adaptability to these areas. Besides, the Coffee Board has introduced various on-farm training programs and exposure visits to improve the coffee productivity in Andhra Pradesh.

Wi-th the aim to give visibility to the coffee produced by the native tribal growers of Andhra Pradesh in the national/international markets, the Coffee Board has developed an exclusive logo under the brand name of "Araku valley". The Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC) of Government of Andhra Pradesh has already taken steps to market the coffee under the brand name 'Araku Valley'. Coffee Board is providing support for marketing of coffee by providing incentives @Rs.10 per kg of coffee marketed through designated channels. Besides, the Coffee Board has introduced incentives for organic certification of tribal coffee, so as to facilitate better market access and premium to the tribal growers.


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


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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
08-February, 2017 16:59 IST
Production of Spices

The annual production of spices in the country is around 6 million tonne, out of which 14% is exported while the rest is available for domestic consumption which is sufficient to meet the domestic demand. Government implements several programmes for increasing production and availability of spices such as Cardamom through the Spices Board and other spices through the State Horticulture Missions under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). While on one hand, programmes aimed at increasing production and ensuring remunerative prices to farmers through pre and post harvest management and support activities are undertaken, on the other hand, the industry is assisted through adoption of upgraded technology in spice processing, setting up of quality evaluation labs, quality certification and making them available for exports.


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


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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
08-February, 2017 16:58 IST
Probe Into Illegal Dumping of Rubber

Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) conducts anti-dumping investigations on the basis of a duly substantiated petition filed by the domestic industry (DI) alleging dumping of goods into the country causing injury to the DI. The basic intent of the anti-dumping measures is to eliminate injury caused to the DI by the unfair trade practices of dumping from exports from other countries and to create a level playing field for the DI.

Currently the following anti-dumping investigations on imports of rubber are under progress in DGAD:


(i) “Polybutadiene Rubber or PBR” originating in or exported from Korea PR, Russia, South Africa, Iran and Singapore vide notification No. 14/40/2016-DGAD dated 16.09.2016 based on the petition filed by M/s Reliance Industries Limited.


(ii) Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) of 1500 series and 1700 series , originating in or exported from European Union, Korea RP and Thailand vide notification No. 14/10/2015-DGAD dated 14.01.2016 based on the petition filed by M/s Indian Synthetic Rubber Pvt. Limited and Reliance Industries Limited.


(iii) Certain Rubber Chemicals, namely TDQ & PX-13 originating in or exported from European Union and MOR and MBTS originating in or exported from China PR vide notification No. 15/5/2016-DGAD dated 08.07.2016 based on the petition filed by NOCIL Limited.


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


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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
08-February, 2017 16:57 IST
Exchange of tariff Concession under APTA

The Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA,formerly the Bangkok Agreement) is an Agreement signed since 1975. The current membership of APTA consists of six countries, namely, Bangladesh, China, India, Lao PDR, Republic of Korea, and Sri Lanka. Three Rounds of tariff concessions have already been exchanged among the member countries till 2003. The tariff concessions being granted to APTA member States, on Margin of Preference basis, are being expanded under the fourth round of exchange of tariff concessions.The APTA Ministerial Council in its meeting held on 13th January, 2017 has formally approved the implementation of the fourth round of exchange of tariff concessions.

APTA is a preferential treaty based on Margin of Preference. Concessions on tariff lines offered by China and Korea, inter-alia, cover certain textiles and chemical products, which are likely to benefit the Indian exporters. Some of items on which concessions have been offered by China and Korea include certain organic and inorganic chemicals, knitted and crocheted fabrics, and articles of apparel and clothing accessories etc.

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


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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
08-February, 2017 16:55 IST
Export of Tea by Small Tea Growers

Small tea growers in West Bengal and Kerala have shown their interest to export their produce to foreign countries on their own. So far four applications have been received in the Tea Board for issue of export license from organizations promoted by small tea growers and one registered small tea grower has been issued tea export licence.


In order to motivate small tea growers to work as collectives by formation of self Help Groups (SHGs), financial assistance is provided under the Small Growers component of the “Tea Development & Promotion Scheme” being implemented by the Tea Board. The Self –Help Groups are encouraged to supply green leaf directly to the factory for better price realization. So far, 332 SHGs of small tea growers have been formed. Further, in order to encourage the small tea growers to have their own tea manufacturing factories and get better price for their produce, the Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 2003 has been amended and mini tea processing factories have been exempted from obtaining any registration/ no objection certificate.


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

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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
08-February, 2017 16:53 IST
Profit/Loss making PSUS

There are six (06) Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) under the administrative control of this Ministry viz. MMTC Ltd., State Trading Corporation of India Ltd., STCL Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of STC of India Ltd.), PEC Ltd., ECGCLimited and Indian Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). All these CPSEs fall in the category of trading PSUs.

All the above CPSEs, except STCL Ltd. and PEC Ltd.,are profit making PSUs. STCL Ltd., which was making losses since 2008-09, consequent to Government approval for winding up, has filed a winding up petition in High Court of Karnataka during 2013, which is pending for disposal. PEC Ltd. has made losses during the last two financial years i.e. 2014-15 and 2015-16. As per Memorandum of Understanding signed by PEC with Department of Commerce for the year 2015-16, PEC has got a study conducted by a professional consultancy firm for preparation of Revival plan as per Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) guidelines.

Though various schemes and programmes are implemented by the Ministry, none of them fall within the category of flagship programmes.

The Government regularly reviews the performance of CPSEs to strengthen them.

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


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Ministry of Commerce & Industry
08-February, 2017 16:50 IST
Growth in Exports

As per the export data available upto November, 2016, the India’s exports have registered a positive growth since September 2016 in US$ terms continuously with respect to corresponding month in the previous year.


The Government has taken following measures to promote the country’s exports:

(i) The New Foreign Trade Policy (2015‐20) was announced on 1st April, 2015 with a focus on supporting both manufacturing and services exports.


(ii) The Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) was introduced in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-20 on April 1, 2015 with 4914 tariff lines at 8 digit levels. MEIS aims to incentivize export of merchandise which is produced/manufactured in India. Rewards @ 2-5% under MEIS are payble as a percentage of realized FOB value of covered exports, by way of the MEIS duty credit scrip, which are transferable and can also be used for payment of a number of duties including the basic customs duty. At present, 7914 tariff lines at 8 digit HS Codes are covered under MEIS scheme.



(iii) . The Government launched Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS) in the FTP 2015- 2020. The Scheme provided rewards to service providers of notified services who are providing service from India.


(iv) The Government is implementing the Niryat Bandhu Scheme with an objective to reach out to the new and potential exporters including exporters from Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and mentor them through orientation programmes, counselling sessions, individual facilitation, etc., on various aspects of foreign trade for being able to get into international trade and boost exports from India.


(v) By way of trade facilitation and enhancing the ease of doing business, Government reduced the number of mandatory documents required for exports and imports to three each, which is comparable with international benchmarks. The trade community can file applications online for various trade related schemes. Online payment of application fees through Credit/Debit cards and electronic funds transfer from 53 Banks has been put in place.


(vi) Interest Equalization Scheme on pre & post shipment credit launched to provide cheaper credit to exporters.


(vii) Further, the Government continues to provide the facility of access to duty free raw materials and capital goods for exports through schemes like Advance Authorization, Duty Free Import Authorization (DFIA), Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) and drawback / refund of duties.


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


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Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises
08-February, 2017 14:16 IST
Concession and Exemption Given to PSUs

So far as the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) under the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) is concerned, they are incurring losses due to number of factors such as poor order book, shortage of working capital, surplus manpower, obsolete plant and machinery and difficulty to adjust to changing market conditions etc.

The details of concessions and exemptions in r/o of CPSEs under DHI are as follows:

• Cement Corporation of India (Rajban Unit in Himachal Pradesh) has been availing 100% excise duty exemption since 2010. It has availed excise duty concession amounting to Rs.7.37 crore and Rs.9.02 crore in the year 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively.

• Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd. was in receipt of grant for meeting its additional operational costs on account of transportation. It has availed grant amounting to Rs.83.50 crore and Rs.50.00 crore during 2015-16 and 2016-17 respectively.

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

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[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Railways
08-February, 2017 18:37 IST
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu Launched the first Phase of the Station Redevelopment Program comprising 23 major Railway Stations of Indian Railways

In order to transform the face of the Indian Railways, Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched the first Phase of the World’s largest Station Redevelopment Program comprising 23 major Railway Stations on Indian Railways network. Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar was present to grace the occasion. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A.K. Mital, Member Engineering, Railway Board, Aditya Kumar Mittal, Member Traffic, Railway Board, Shri Mohd. Jamshed and other Board Members and other distinguished guests were present to grace the occasion.


Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that the Railways have certain advantages out of which one is holding of land on a large scale. He said that Railway Stations is a place where lots of people wait to board a train and thus Railway Station can be developed into an iconic property. He said that the properties of the Railways have a unique characteristic. He stated that the Ministry of Urban Development is collaborating with the Ministry of Railways to develop smart stations because smart stations are a pre-requisite for becoming a smart city. He further said that the project of re-developing 400 A1 and A Category Stations in the country is the biggest non-fare revenue generating programme which will be done on PPP model through a fair bidding system conducted by the respective Zonal Railways. He said that in the first phase, 23 stations will be bid out and redeveloped to the fullest use where so many facilities can be enjoyed by the passengers at one place. He also directed all the General Managers/DRM through video conferencing to collaborate with the Station Government for re-development of Stations.


Welcoming the Minister of Railways and other delegates, Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A.K. Mital said that our effort for last 10 years will see a culmination as we launch the first lot of stations for redevelopment through public-private partnership. These stations have been selected for this phase after detailed feasibility studies carried out by our Strategic Advisors, The Boston Consulting Group. He said that Railways mission is to redevelop railway stations using the surplus revenue that will be generated from commercial development of spare railway land.




BACKGROUND:

The 400 stations to be redeveloped will provide amenities and services to the passengers in line with best in class railway stations. The stations will be redeveloped through public-private-partnership (PPP) model without straining Railways' finances.



In the first phase, 23 stations will be bid out some of which include Chennai Central, Ranchi, Udaipur City, Indore, Yesvantpur, Bangalore Cantt., Visakhapatnam, Howrah, Kamakhya, Faridabad, Jammu Tawi, Secunderabad, Vijayawada, Kozhikode and Bhopal. Railways will provide approximately 140 acres of encroachment free land at these stations to the developers on a 45 year lease. Indian Railways has also appointed nodal officers in each zone to ensure smooth interactions with the developers. The phase is expected to be of approximately ₹ 6000 -9,000 Crore in size. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is the strategic advisor for this program and based on the commercial assessment conducted by them and several rounds of discussions held with the developers and zonal railways, Indian Railways team is confident that the round will generate sufficient market interest.


The redeveloped stations will improve passenger experience by providing amenities like digital signage, escalators / elevators, self ticketing counters, executive lounges, luggage screening machines, walkways, holding areas for passengers, grand and distinctive roofing and flooring, free and paid Wi-Fi etc. The program will benefit more than 100 cities and 16 million passengers per day across the country. Moreover, the commercial development undertaken near the stations will become nerve centers of the city and provide quality retail, commercial and hospitality development.



Railway Board has devised an innovative plan to provide these amenities through PPP model by leveraging the real estate available at the railway stations. With an overall size of 1 lakh crore, the program is one of the largest PPP program undertaken in the country. The program will provide approximately 2,200 acres of prime land to the private developers across top 100 cities of the country. A committee of eminent experts would be formulated to provide suggestions to Zonal Railways on proposals submitted by bidders in addition to the technical and financial committee recommendations. Commercial potential of this vacant Railway land at/near stations will be leveraged to develop world class stations with no additional funding required from the Railways. The program is expected to generate a surplus in excess of ₹ 10,000 Crore for the Indian Railways which can be invested in other modernization projects. Select high potential stations will be made as iconic stations and will be developed as per highest global standards and design norms.

ome of the Railway Stations in the Phase 1 of Station Redevelopment Programme



To maximize commercial potential of the public assets, Indian Railways plans to bid out the projects through a transparent and competitive method. Taking cue from global best practices, Indian Railways has adopted the so called “modified Swiss challenge” methodology for the bidding process.



Indian Railways has reached out to the private developers and investors through road shows in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Abu Dhabi to gauge market interest and receive feedback on the bidding process. Railway Board has also engaged with the zonal railways through multiple workshops to accurately assess land availability.



The launch event for the program, conducted at Rail Bhavan and several zonal railway offices was attended by more than 100 developers and other potential bidders who expressed high level of interest in bidding for these stations.



After the first phase, 100+ stations are expected to be launched in Phase 2 and the remaining A1 and A stations will be launched in Phase 3 of this program.



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Ministry of Railways
08-February, 2017 16:16 IST
Water Management Policy In Indian Railways

A draft policy on Water Management in Indian Railways is under consideration, and consultation with other stakeholders is under process. The objective is to improve water use efficiency by setting up Water Recycling Plants, Rain Water Harvesting Plants, Sewage Treatment Plants and Effluent Treatment Plants on railway land.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 08.02.2017 (Wednesday).

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Ministry of Railways
08-February, 2017 16:14 IST
Plantation on Railway Land

Ministry of Railways finalised a model agreement in consultation with Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to be entered between Zonal Railways and respective State Forest Department in January 2016 for plantation of trees on Railway land along the railway track and station yards without transferring the ownership of the land in favour of State Forest Department. As per the provisions of the model Agreement, cost of the plantation including its protection and maintenance can be borne by State Forest Department or Railway Administration or can be shared by both. The plantation work on Railway land along the railway track has already been started under this agreement in the States of Punjab (approx. 91000 saplings) and Haryana (approx. 15000 saplings) in the jurisdiction of Northern Railway in the last monsoon season.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 08.02.2017 (Wednesday).

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