The cells in our body get affected when there is nutritional deficiency and infection. Along with that free radicals also pose a threat by affecting the youth of the skin. The antioxidants present naturally in our body help reduce this effect. But there are also many fruits which have antioxidant qualities which make us immune. Antioxidants are the molecules which prevent oxidation from other molecules. These are found in good quantity in fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are also known as scavenger because they help diminish the free radicals from our body and clean the blood.

Some fruits and vegetables which contain antioxidants are carrots, tomato, berries, garlic, red grapes, and cauliflower. Carrots contain beta carotene which is a very strong antioxidant. This is also present in sweet potatoes and turnips. Tomatoes have lycopene. This protects our lungs, heart and breasts from cancer. Berries, plum and raspberry have proanthocyanidin antioxidant which is very good for our heart and skin. Garlic fights free radicals, stops blood clot to protect our heart. Dry fruits and fish also have antioxidants in plenty. Red grapes have resveratrol and quercetin which prevent platelets from sticking to each other. They help in keeping blood vessels open. It also lessens the threat of Cancer, gastric ulcer and stroke. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have indole carbonell which protects from many types of cancers.

This book written by Abhijeeth Bhattacharjee (published in the year 2020 by Penman Books, Delhi) under the title of  “Event Management: A Zero Investment Start-up Business”, is a pioneering effort from a maven in the field of Event Management with little more than  4000 plus events to his credit. There are altogether 15 chapters including two case studies in this volume. The author was motivated in this area when present Hon’ble Prime Minister addressed the youths ‘Job Creators’ and ‘Not Job Seekers’. The author spent 25 years in developing the business, with zero capital, undoubtedly a praiseworthy concept. Because the author by quitting Government job has initiated the venture and subsequently has proved that “where there is a will there is a way”. During the course of developing his business, he has coined a new word ‘Eventpreneur ‘by combining two words – Event and Entrepreneur.
  The book presents a practical way of thinking about strategy and competition and addressing the issues on aspiring ‘Eventpreneurs’ and also presented with facts and figures dos and don’ts of  the existing Event Managers.  The author feels that every entrepreneur has the opportunity to shape their own destiny.
Keeping in mind of this, the volume covers the various facets of Event Management and elucidates how one can start their business journey in Event Management with Zero Capital. The book emphasises that money as a resource, is not much of a constraint but the entrepreneurial zeal to take risks and have a passion for the business, in that case an entrepreneur will be successful ‘Eventpreneur’.
 The volume deals with all the practical aspects of the business starting from conceptualisation and design of the event to actual execution. It is a road map to success through some important tips, tools, techniques, and pragmatic approach towards making a successful career in Event Management. The author has reiterated that one should not take the easy path and rather than to take the difficult and arduous path, and face challenges all the time.  According to the author, Event Management is an amazing business which gives absolute delight of achieving success, not only money-wise but also satisfaction. As an example, the author has cited the case of a propriety firm which can be started with zero investment and gradually it can be scaled up to a Private limited company later on may be  in the next 3-4 years.

 Also in social life, according to the author, ‘Events’ are the celebrations that provide an opportunity to meet and share happy moments with family members, relatives, colleagues, and friends. A family event is envisaged as an opportunity to meet old friends and relatives and develop new relationships through matrimonial alliances.

 Before winding up in nutshell, I wish to mention few lines. At the outset, I congratulate the author Abhijeeth Bhattacharjee for lucidly presenting important tips, tools, techniques, and pragmatic approach towards making a successful career in Event Management. In this book, he has narrated how one can start his/her journey in Event Management with Zero Investment which is really praiseworthy information. The book has added special flavour as two cases, one on – Event Designing of Factory Inauguration and Unveiling of the Foundation Stone and other one on Event Designing of a Social Event (Wedding Event), are stimulating.

Dr. Shankar Chatterjee

 Former Professor& Head (CPME)

NIRD &PR (Govt. of India),

Hyderabad-500 030

Telangana, India

Email <shankarjagu@gmail.com>

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves proposed acquisition of compulsorily convertible preference shares and equity of Nxtra Data Limited by Comfort Investments II.

The proposed combination pertains to the acquisition of compulsorily convertible preference shares and a few equity shares of Nxtra Data Limited by Comfort Investments II. Further, it is stated that the CCPS shall be converted to equity shares upon completion of the valuation.

Comfort Investments II is a specialpurpose vehicle incorporated in Mauritius, created for the purposes of the proposed transaction and is owned and controlled by the investment funds advised by affiliates of the Carlyle Group Inc. The Carlyle Group Inc. is a global alternative asset manager, which manages funds that invest globally.

Nxtra Data, and unlisted entity incorporated in India, is a fully owned subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Limited which provides an integrated portfolio of colocation, cloud and managed services across Indiathrough its 10 data centers located in India(including 2 partner datacentres in Mumbai) across 7 locations.

The Bureau of Police Research and Development is celebrating its Golden Jubilee Anniversary tomorrow, i.e., 28^th August, 2020. Sh. G Kishan Reddy, MoS Home, has consented to be the Chief Guest and Sh. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Home Secretary, MHA, will be the Guest of Honour.  Due to the Corona pandemic, the function will be conducted on virtual mode. The function will be viewed by the BPR&D Hqrs., its outlying units, States’ Police and CAPFs through the video link provided for this purpose. 

The Bureau of Police Research and Development was raised on 28^th August, 1970, through a resolution of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, with a mandate to promote excellence in policing, promote speedy and systematic study of police problems, apply science and technology in the method and techniques by the Police. The Bureau was initially started with two Divisions, i.e., Research, Publication & Statistics Division and Development Division. In 1973, the Training Division was added, on the recommendation of the Gore Committee on Police training. In 1995, Correctional Division was started to study the issues of Prisons and Prison Reforms. In 2008, the National Police Mission was added and Development Division was restructured as Modernization Division.

Over the years, the BPR&D has transformed through several additions of responsibilities into the present role. Now, with the raising of a new unit, Central Academy for Police Training at Bhopal, specialized as Centre of Excellence for Police & Correctional Administration, BPR&D has 6 outlying units.

The contribution of the BPR&D to Indian Police has been aptly summed up by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah on its 49^th Foundation Day, while ushering the Bureau into its 50^th year of existence:

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, today held a detailed discussion with Chief Ministers and State Agriculture Ministers on recent agriculture market reforms and the new Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund of Rs. 1 Lakh Crore. The event was conducted through Video Conference and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Uddhav Thackeray, and Agriculture Ministers of Rajasthan, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, and Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Shri Purshottam Rupala and Shri Kailash Choudhary participated in the discussion.

During the discussion, Shri Tomar emphasized that the focus of the fund is to improve post-harvest management infrastructure and availability of community farming assets, and it is to be ensured that small and medium farmers receive the full benefit. The Chief Ministers and State Agriculture Ministers gave full assurance that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring utilization of the Rs 1 lakh crore fund, and new infrastructure will be created in all the villages.

Cabinet Secretary holds a video conference (VC) with the Chief Secretariesand Health Secretaries of nine States and one UT at 1030 hrs today. The States/UT attending  the VC were Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, alongwith the Union Health Secretary, DG ICMR and Member  (Health), NITI Aayog. The VC was convened to review and discuss the COVID management and response strategy in these States/UT.

Union Health Secretary made a detailed presentation on the current status of COVID-19 in these States/UT, with a focus on districts reporting high case fatality and the need to refine as well as strengthen approach and strategiesrelating to testing, contact tracing, surveillance, containment, home isolation, availability of Ambulances, hospital beds, oxygen, treatment protocols, etc. It was observed that out of the total deaths in the country in the last two weeks, 89% of deaths are in these 10 States/UT and hence, these States/UT need to have continued and rigorous vigil so as to contain the spread of infection as well as take steps to reduce fatalities.

The States/UT were advised to proactively take stepstowards reducing case fatality to less than 1% across all districts focusing on :

1. Effective containment, contact tracing & surveillance
2. Ensuring that at least in 80 % of new positive cases, all close contacts should be traced and tested with 72 hours
3. Ensuring a minimum of140 tests per million per day in all districts while targeting a positivity/confirmation rate of <5%
4. Leveraging Antigen tests in containment zones / healthcare settings & retesting of all symptomatic negatives with RT-PCR
5. Regular monitoring of home isolation patients (tele-calling and home visits) and ensuring timely admission to healthcare facility if SPO2 level falls below the designated level
6. Putting in public domain the availability of beds and ambulances across COVID facilities while significantly reducing ambulance response time
7. Saving lives by effective clinical management of all cases
8. Monitoringweek-wise fatality rates for each health facility with particular focus on vulnerable patients (Comorbid, patients > 60 years’ age)
9. Upgrading COVID dedicated facilities based on case load
10. Monitoring availability and usage ofnecessary drugs, masks and PPE kits in all facilities
11. Focus on Behavioral Change Communication promoting COVID appropriate behavior consisting of social distancing, wearing of masks, hand hygiene, cough etiquettes etc.

The Chief Secretaries explained about the current situation in the States/UT and their preparedness to tackle the spread of COVID-19, health infrastructure available to meet the challenge and steps taken to strengthen it further. States/UT also highlighted steps taken towards reducing case fatality as well as involving community in terms of COVID safe behaviour.

Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development Smt Smriti Zubin Irani today

said that the innovative spirit of India needs to be institutionalized for developing eco-friendly and cost-friendly alternative ideas that can also be utilized to create job opportunities. Speaking at the award giving ceremony for winners of the Textile Grand Challenge 2019 organized by Ministry of Textiles in keeping with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call to take decisive action for plastic waste management during his Independence Day speech on 15th August 2019, the Union Minister said that the contribution of innovative ideas by the participants is an indication that the legacy of Indiais steeped in equal opportunities for all.

Minister Smt Smriti Zubin Irani stressed on the need to upgrade textiles machine technology especially in the jute sector and proposed to organize a Grand Machinery Challenge for the Textile Sector to throw up new technologies.

Faceless E-Assessment scheme is a right step towards Minimum Government, Maximum Governance and the foundation stone for a transparent tax system. This is how Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Mumbai, Shri Patanjali Jha summarizes the new platform of Income Tax Department. He added that providing Ease of Tax Compliance and Opportunity to taxpayers before finalizing of Assessment Order are the core features of this scheme, while speaking at a webinar on ‘Faceless Assessment, Appeals & Taxpayer’s Charter’ jointly organized by the IMC Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry today.

Making a comparison between the faceless assessment system and the current system it replaces, the Principal Chief Commissioner explained how the new system is one designed for the 21st century. “There is no discretion in selection of assessment cases, while earlier, case selection used to happen manually. In place of single territorial jurisdiction, we now have automated random allocation of cases. While notices used to be issued both manually and on the system, issue of notices will now be done through a central mechanism (by NeAC) in electronic mode. There will be no physical meeting with any officer, no officer will call you to office and no more waiting outside office”, explained Shri Jha. He also noted, wide discretion and subjective assessment are being replaced by team-based assessment and a system wherein draft order is issued in one city, review is done in another city and finalization is done in yet another city, said the Principal Chief Commissioner. This apart, the scheme gives opportunity to taxpayers, in case of any order prejudicial before finalizing the Assessment order.

The Principal Chief Commissioner urged all taxpayers to visit the e-filing portal to understand how easy it is to use the platform from where all issues with the Department can be resolved easily. “On our part we expect you to understand and try to adapt; We will also provide suitable infrastructure facilities and ensure tax compliance is easy for tax payers”, stated Shri Jha

A National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) and a network of Regional e-Assessment Centres will be set up to implement the Faceless Assessment Scheme of the Income Tax Department, launched nation-wide by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 13th August, 2020. The regional assessment network would comprise assessment units, verification units, technical units and review units. The system allows for dynamic jurisdiction, team-based working, and functional specialization and does away with human interface altogether.

The Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax (ReAC) Mumbai, Smt. Lekha Kumar and Principal Commissioner of Income-Tax, Mumbai, Shri. Kaushal Shrivastava also addressed the participants and responded to their queries.

मंत्रिमंडल मे मेरे सहयोगी श्रीमान राजनाथ जी, Chief of Defence Staff जनरल बिपिन रावत जी, सेना के तीनों अंगों के प्रमुख, भारत सरकार के सभी उपस्थित उच्‍चाधिकारी, उद्योग जगत के सभी साथी, नमस्‍कार।

मुझे खुशी है कि भारत में रक्षा उत्‍पादन से जुड़े हुए सभी अहम stakeholders आज यहां मौजूद हैं। इस सेमिनार के आयोजन के लिए रक्षामंत्री राजनाथ जी और उनकी पूरी टीम को मैं बहुत-बहुत बधाई देता हूं। आज यहां हो रहे इस मंथन से जो परिणाम मिलेंगे, उनसे रक्षा उत्‍पादन के क्षेत्र में आत्‍मनिर्भरता के हमारे प्रयासों को अवश्‍य बल मिलेगा, गति मिलेगी और आप सबने जो सुझाव दिए हैं, आज आपने एक सामूहिक मंथन किया है, वो अपने-आप में आने वाले दिनों के लिए बहुत उपकारक होगा।

मुझे इस बात की भी खुशी है कि रक्षामंत्री श्री राजनाथ जी इस काम के लिए mission mode में पूरी तरह से जुटे हुए हैं। मुझे विश्‍वास है कि उनके इन अथक प्रयासों के कारण बहुत ही अच्‍छे परिणाम मिलना निश्चित है।

साथियो, ये किसी से छिपा नहीं है कि भारत कई सालों से दुनिया के सबसे बड़े Defence Importers में एक प्रमुख देश रहा है। जब भारत आजाद हुआ था तो उस समय रक्षा उत्‍पादन के लिए भारत में बहुत सामर्थ्‍य था। उस समय भारत में 100 साल से अधिक समय से स्‍थापित रक्षा उत्‍पादन का Ecosystem था। और भारत जैसा सामर्थ्‍य और potential बहुत कम देशों के पास था। लेकिन भारत का दुर्भाग्‍य रहा कि दशकों तक इस विषय पर उतना ध्‍यान नहीं दिया गया जितना देना चाहिए था। एक प्रकार से ये routine exercise बन गया, कोई गंभीर प्रयास नहीं किए गए थे। और हमारे बाद में शुरूआत करने वाले अनेक देश भी पिछले 50 साल में हमसे बहुत आगे निकल गए। लेकिन अब स्थिति बदल रही है।

पिछले कुछ वर्षों में आपने अनुभव किया होगा कि हमारा प्रयास इस सेक्‍टर से जुड़ी सभी बेड़ियां तोड़ने का एक निरंतर प्रयास है। हमारा उद्देश्‍य है कि भारत में manufacturing बढ़े, नई technologies का भारत में ही विकास हो और प्राइवेट सेक्‍टर का इस विशेष क्षेत्र में अधिकतम विस्‍तार हो। और इसके लिए लाइसेंसिंग प्रक्रिया में सुधार, level playing field की तैयारी, export की प्रक्रिया का सरलीकरण, offset के प्रावधानों में सुधार; ऐसे अनेक कदम उठाए गए हैं।

साथियो, मेरा मानना है कि इन कदमों से भी अधिक महत्‍वपूर्ण है रक्षा क्षेत्र में देश में एक नई मानसिकता हम सब अनुभव कर रहे हैं, एक नई मानसिकता का जन्‍म हुआ है। आधुनिक और आत्‍मनिर्भर भारत के निर्माण के लिए रक्षा क्षेत्र में आत्‍मविश्‍वास की भावना अनिवार्य है। बहुत लंबे समय से देश में Chief of Defence Staff की नियुक्ति पर विचार किया जा रहा था, लेकिन निर्णय नहीं हो पा रहा था। ये निर्णय नए भारत के आत्‍मविश्‍वास का प्रतीक है।

बहुत लंबे समय तक रक्षा उत्‍पादन में विदेशी निवेश की अनुमति नहीं थी। श्रद्धेय अटल जी की सरकार के समय ये नई पहल की शुरूआत हुई थी। हमारी सरकार आने के बाद इसमें और सुधार किए गए और अब पहली बार इस सेक्‍टर में 74 पर्सेंट तक एफडीआई ऑटोमेटिक रूप से आने का रास्‍ता खोला जा रहा है। ये नए भारत के आत्‍मविश्‍वास का परिणाम है।

दशकों से Ordnance कारखानों को सरकारी विभागों की तरह ही चलाया जा रहा था। एक सीमित vision के कारण देश का नुकसान तो हुआ ही, वहां जो काम करने वाले लोग थे,‍ जिनके पास talent थे, commitment था, मेहनती थे, ये हमार बहुत ही अनुभव से संपन्‍न हमारा जो मेहनत करने वाला श्रमिक वर्ग वहां जो है, उनका तो बहुत नुकसान हुआ।

जिस सेक्‍टर में करोड़ों लोगों के रोजगार के अवसर बन सकते थे, उसका ecosystem बहुत ही सीमित रहा। अब Ordnance कारखानों का corporatization करने की दिशा में हम आगे बढ़ रहे हैं। इस प्रक्रिया के पूरा होने पर श्रमिकों और सेना, दोनों को बल मिलेगा। यह नए भारत के आत्‍मविश्‍वास का प्रमाण है।

साथियो, रक्षा उत्‍पादन में आत्‍मनिर्भरता को लेकर हमारा commitment सिर्फ बातचीत में या‍ फिर कागजों तक ही सीमित नहीं है। इसके कार्यान्‍वयन के लिए एक के बाद एक ठोस कदम उठाए गए हैं। CDS के गठन के बाद सेना के तीनों अंगों में procurements पर समन्‍वय बहुत बेहतर हुआ है, इससे defence equipments की खरीद को scale up करने में मदद मिल रही है। आने वाले दिनों में domestic industry के लिए orders का साइज भी बढ़ने वाला है। ये सुनिश्चित करने के लिए रक्षा मंत्रालय के कैपिटल बजट का एक हिस्‍सा अब भारत में बने उपकरणों के लिए अलग से रख दिया गया है।

हाल में आपने देखा होगा कि 101 defence items को पूरी तरह से घरेलू खरीद के लिए सुरक्षित कर दिया गया है। आने वाले दिनों में इस लिस्‍ट को और व्‍यापक बनाया जाएगा इसमें और items जुड़ते रहेंगे। इस लिस्‍ट का उद्देश्‍य आयात को रोकना मात्र नहीं है, बल्कि भारत में उद्योगों को प्रोत्‍साहित करने के लिए ये कदम उठाया गया है। इससे आप सभी सा‍थियों को, चाहे वो प्राइवेट सेक्‍टर हो, पब्लिक सेक्‍टर हो, MSME हों, स्‍टार्टअप हो, सभी के लिए ये सरकार की भावना और भविष्‍य की संभावना अब आपके सामने black and white में क्लियर है।

इसके साथ हम procurement प्रकिया को speed up करने के लिए, testing की व्‍यवस्‍था को streamline करने के लिए और क्‍वालिटी की requirements को rationalize करने के लिए भी लगातार काम कर रहे हैं। और मुझे खुशी है कि इन सभी प्रयासों को सेना के तीनों अंगों का बहुत ही coordinated रूप में, बहुत ही सहयोग है, एक प्रकार से pro-active भूमिका है।

साथियो, आधुनिक उपकरणों में आत्‍मनिर्भरता के लिए technology up-gradation जरूरी है। जो उपकरण आज बन रहे हैं उनका next generation तैयार करने पर काम करना भी आवश्‍यक है। और इसके लिए DRDO के अलावा प्राइवेट सेक्‍टर में और academic institutions में भी research और innovation को प्रोत्‍साहित किया जा रहा है। Technology transfer की सुविधा से हटकर Foreign partners के साथ Joint ventures के माध्‍यम से Co-production के मॉडल पर बल दिया जा रहा है। भारत के मार्केट साइज को देखते हुए हमारे Foreign partners के लिए अब भारत में ही production करना सबसे उत्‍तम विकल्‍प है।

साथियो, हमारी सरकार ने शुरू से ही Reform, Perform & Transform, इस मंत्र को ले करके हमने काम किया है। Red tapism कम करना और Red Carpet बिछाना, यही हमारा प्रयास रहा है। Ease of doing business को लेकर 2014 से अब तक जो सुधार किए गए हैं, उनका परिणाम पूरे विश्‍व ने देखा है। Intellectual property, taxation, insolvency and Bankruptcy, यहां तक कि Space और Atomic energy जैसे बहुत कठिन और जटिल, ऐसे जो विषय माने जाते हैं, उन विषयों पर भी हमने reforms करके दिखाए हैं। और आप तो अअब भलीभांति जानते हैं पिछले दिनों labour laws में reforms का सिलसिला भी लगातार जो शुरू हुआ है, चल रहा है।

कुछ साल पहले तक इस प्रकार के विषयों पर सोचा भी नहीं जाता था। और आज ये reforms जमीन पर उतर चुके हैं। Reforms का ये सिलसिला थमने वाला नहीं है, हम आगे बढ़ते ही जाने वाले हैं। इसलिए न थमना भी है और न थकना भी है; न मुझे थकना है न आपको थकना है। हमें आगे भी आगे बढ़ते रहना है और हमारी तरफ से मैं आपको बताता हूं ये हमारा commitment है।

साथियो, जहां तक infrastructure की बात है, जो defence corridors पर तेजी से काम चल रहा है, उत्‍तर प्रदेश और तमिलनाडु की सरकारों के साथ मिलकर state of the art infrastructure तैयार किया जा रहा है। इसके लिए आने वाले पांच सालों में 20 हजार करोड़ रुपये के निवेश का लक्ष्‍य रखा गया है। MSME और Start-ups से जुड़े Entrepreneurs को प्रोत्‍साहित करने के लिए IDEX की जो पहल की गई थी, उसके भी अच्‍छे परिणाम मिल रहे हैं। इस प्‍लेटफॉर्म के माध्‍यम से 50 से अधिक startups ने सैन्‍य उपयोग के लिए technology और products को विकसित किया है।

साथियो, मैं एक और बात आपके सामने खुले मन से रखना चाहता हूं। आत्‍मनिर्भर भारत का हमारा संकल्‍प inward looking नहीं है। Global economy को ज्‍यादा resilient, ज्‍यादा stable बनाने के लिए, विश्‍व में शांति के लिए एक सक्षम भारत का निर्माण ही इसका लक्ष्‍य है। यही भावना Defence manufacturing में आत्‍मनिर्भरता के लिए भी है। भारत में अपने कई मित्र देशों के लिए रक्षा उपकरण का एक भरोसेमंद सप्‍लायर बनने की क्षमता है। इससे भारत की strategic partnership को और बल मिलेगा और हिंद महासागर क्षेत्र में भारत की net security provider की भूमिका और सुदृढ़ होगी।

साथियो, सरकार के प्रयास और प्रतिबद्धता आप सभी के सामने हैं। अब आत्‍मनिर्भर भारत के संकल्‍प को हमें मिल करके इसे सिद्ध करना है। चाहे प्राइवेट सेक्‍टर हो या पब्लिक सेक्‍टर हो, या फिर हमारे foreign partners, आत्‍मनिर्भर भारत सभी के लिए Win-Win संकल्‍प है। इसके लिए आपको एक बेहतर ecosystem देने के लिए हमारी सरकार प्रतिबद्ध है।

यहां आपकी तरफ से जो भी सुझाव आए हैं वे बहुत ही उपयोगी सिद्ध होने वाले हैं। और मुझे बताया गया है कि Defence production and export promotion policy का draft सभी stakeholders के साथ साझा कि‍या गया है। आपके feedback से इस पॉलिसी को जल्‍द से जल्‍द लागू करने में मदद मिलेगी। यह भी जरूरी है कि आज का ये सेमिनार एक one time event न रहे बल्कि आगे भी ऐसे आयोजन होते रहें। इंडस्‍ट्री और सरकार के बीच लगातार विचार-विमर्श और feedback की स्‍वाभाविक culture बननी चाहिए।

मुझे विश्‍वास है कि ऐसे सामूहिक प्रयासों से हमारे संकल्‍प सिद्ध होंगे। मैं फिर एक बार, आप सबने समय निकाला, आत्‍मनिर्भर भारत बनाने के लिए आत्‍मविश्‍वास के साथ आप जुटे, मुझे विश्‍वास है कि आज जो संकल्‍प हम ले रहे हैं, इसको पूर्ण करने में हम सब ने अपनी जिम्‍मेदारी बहुत खूब अच्‍छे ढंग से निभाएंगे।  

मैं फिर एक बार आप सभी को बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं देता हूं।

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh listed out the salient features of the recently announced first Defence Production and Export Promotion policy at the Atmanirbhar Bharat Defence Industry Outreach Webinar which was jointly organised by Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence (MoD) here today.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had highlighted the need for achieving self-sufficiency in defence production in his clarion call on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ during his announcement of COVID-19 related economic package of Rs20 lakh crore on May 12, 2020. He further outlined his vision for the same on Jun 02, 2020; wherein five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat were identified as economy, infrastructure, systems, vibrant demography and demand.

Defence sector has already been identified as one of the core areas to boost ‘Make in India’ where immediate transformation is required. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also spelt out his vision of achieving five billion USD (Rs35,000 crore) defence related exports target to become net exporter of defence equipment in the next five years.

Towards this end, a draft Production and Export Promotion policy has been formulated and it was placed in the public domain seeking suggestins from various stakeholders.

The draft of Production and Export Promotion policy aims at providing greater visibility of Armed Forces requirements to the defence manufacturing industry. The policy proposes establishment of an aero-engines complex with focus on Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) as well as critical technologies. Under this policy export target has been set as 25 percent of the revenue. By 2025, this policy aims at achieving Rs 1.75 lakh crore in annual turnover.

To promote Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence manufacturing, a separate budget of Rs 52,000 crore has been set aside for procurement from domestic vendors.

Speaking on MoD recently issuing a negative list of 101 defence items on the valuable suggestion of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Rajnath Singh said, “After a certain period of time these items will not be procured from outside. This list is the beginning of a process that has the potential to transform the defence industry. This list of 101 items includes not only minor parts but also warfare systems, integrated platforms, combat vehicles. This list is just a beginning, so that in the coming time, defence equipment worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore will be purchased domestically.”

Raksha Mantri said that the government has made several bold policy reforms to promote self-reliance, in the defence sector. These include increasing the limit to 74 percent for Foreign Direct Investment through automatic route in the Defence sector and setting up of Defence corridors in UP and Tamil Nadu in addition to Strategic Partnership (SP) Model to promote investments, liberalisation of Industrial License regime, and ‘Defence Investor Cell’ to address the problems of investors.

Shri Rajnath Singh said, “Self-reliance is actually another form of our confidence and strength. According to the formula presented by our Prime Minister five ‘I’, i.e., Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation, we have taken steps towards increasing our own strength. Its results have also started coming in front of us.”

Speaking about the urge of Nations to become self-reliant, the Raksha Mantri said, “The spirit of ‘self-reliance’ has always been present in our society, our education and values. It has existed as part of us, from our tradition to modern times. It has existed from ‘the Vedas’ to ‘Vivekananda Ji’, from ‘the Geeta’ to ‘Gandhi Ji’, and from ‘Upanishads’ to ‘Upadhyay’ (Deendayal) ji. Everyone, whether they have been our great men or our governments, in their own way accepted the importance of self-reliance. But in the recent past, the emphasis placed on the call of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on atmanirbharta is unprecedented.”

While answering questions from the participants, Raksha Mantri said that corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) would be completed within a year. In response to another question, Shri Rajnath Singh replied that the two Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were targeted to attract thousands of crores of investments in the next five years.

Industry representatives also sought clarifications on various reforms introduced in defence acquisition procedure including offset provisions, reservation of items for procurement from MSMEs, definition of Indian vendor etc.

After the question and answer session, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the webinar.

Today’s webinar was another step of Outreach to Industry which aimed to evolve a mutually beneficial and pragmatic road map in consonance with industry expectations and capabilities.

The FICCI webinar which had representation from all three Services, MoD, DRDO and industry covered energising strategies to develop niche tech and promote culture of innovations. It was decided to develop large eco system with well-defined role for all stake holders/ MSMEs as tier-II / tier-III suppliers, start-ups and academia as innovators, industry houses as aggregators, testing & quality assurance services providers. To achieve the envisioned goal, Webinar encouraged innovation to make in India as an integral part of Global Supply Chain and top class destination for manufacture of defence equipment. It stressed to develop world class testing and evaluation infrastructure by utilising existing infrastructure with DRDO and private industry. The participants also discussed ways to develop manufacturing and sustenance eco system to help in life cycle support of indigenous equipment.

Chief of Defence Staff & Secretary Department of Military Affairs General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Prof VijayaRaghavan, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Raj Kumar, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy, President of SIDM Shri Jayant D Patil, FICCI President Smt Sangeeta Reddy, former president of SIDM Shri Baba N Kalyani, Chairman FICCI Defence committee S P Shukla, senior civil & military officials of MoD, Ordnance Factory Board, DPSUs and private industry participated in the webinar which was watched by nearly 2,000 participants from industry and academia.

Minister of Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat held a meeting with Chief Minister of Goa Shri Pramod Sawant through video conferencing today to discuss the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in the State. Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is under implementation in partnership with States to provide drinking water to every rural household of the country. The objective of the Mission is universal coverage i.e. every family in the village gets tap water connection in their households.

Jal Jeevan Mission’s vision is to ensure that every rural household has drinking water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long -term basis at affordable service delivery charges leading to improvement in living standards of rural communities. To assist, empower and facilitate States in implementation of the participatory rural water supply strategy, water security & building water infrastructure, Ministry of Jal Shakti is reviewing the progress regularly.

Goa is planning 100% tap connections to all households by 2020-21. Out of 2.6 lakh households in the State, 2.29 lakh households have household tap connections. In 2019-20, the State could provide only 1025 household tap connections. In 2020-21, 4,500 households provided with tap connections so far.

The Union Minister of Jal Shakti had a detailed discussion on the progress of the mission in the State with the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister assured to provide household tap connections to remaining households in rural areas of the State.

The Union Minister mentioned that Union Government led by Prime Minister is committed to provide all assistance to the State Government to achieve the goal of the mission. The Minister stated that providing potable water is a national priority for the Government. He stated that expeditious implementation of JJM will ensure that people living in rural areas will get potable water in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality on regular basis in their households on long-term basis; thus, ensuring our mothers, sisters and daughters a well-deserved ‘ease of living’ and dignified life. The Minister requested Goa Chief Minister to work in a ‘campaign mode’ and enable the households of marginalised sections of society with tap connections. Shri Shekhawat urged that priority should be given on saturating villages in water scarce areas and aspirational districts, SC/ ST dominated villages/ habitations & Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana villages.

The minister of Jal Shakti emphasized on strengthening of existing drinking water sources to ensure long-term sustainability of drinking water supply systems through convergence of various programmes like MGNREGS, JJM, SBM (G), 15^th FC Grants to PRIs, District Mineral Development Fund, CAMPA, CSR Fund, Local Area Development Fund, etc.

It was also emphasised the need for source strengthening and grey water management in each village. Sensor-based IoT solutions can be started in the State on pilot basis to measure and monitor water supply in villages. The minister also raised his concerns over high operation & maintenance cost of water supply in the State. It was further requested to open the water testing laboratories for public, so that people can test the water at reasonable rate.

It was highlighted that Goa can become a model state in public utility for water service delivery by assuring regular water supply and also ensuring responsive grievance redressal system.

Announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister in his address to the nation, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is under implementation in partnership with States/ UTs. The mission aims to provide Household Tap Connection to every rural household of the country by 2024. JJM is a time-bound, mission-mode programme that focuses on service delivery at household level, i.e.  water supply on regular and long-term basis in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality. The mission plans to holistically address the challenges, viz. depleting water sources, increasing water quality-issues, lack of in-village infrastructure, poor Operation & Maintenance, lack of resource efficiency, competing water demands from various sectors, etc.

The goal of the Jal Jeevan Mission is to improve lives of people by ensuring potable water in their households. The mission is not just about creating physical infrastructure but also forging partnerships with various organizations for smooth implementation of JJM. Therefore, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti has sought interest from foundations, trusts, NGOs, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), VOs, etc. to work closely with the mission as ‘Sector Partner’.  Organizations proactively working in the sectors such as water, sanitation and hygiene, natural resources management, community engagement, capacity building & awareness generation, education, health, tribal development, gender & equity, etc. with wide outreach and impact are expected to be associated with the mission. The interested agencies would have to submit their applications online by 16.09.2020 for consideration of the Mission. Details are available on https://jalshakti-ddws.gov.in/.

The Sector Partner will provide support to Mission/ States by working in the broad areas of the mission including selection of Implementation Support Agencies, forging partnership with State Water and Sanitation Mission, to bring together academic institutions, NGOs, civil society, and assisting assist the States to adopt appropriate O&M mechanisms to ensure long term sustainability of sources with special focus on water quality. Further, the scope of work for Sector Partner shall also include providing capacity building support to different stakeholders; identification of successful models in community mobilization for replication, field visits to understand social inclusion, social audit/ monitoring under JJM, etc.

There are many organizations, individuals already working in the field of water have shown genuine interests to be partner in the Jal Jeevan Mission. Thus, by engaging Sector Partners, JJM aims to harness the huge potential of the local community through Voluntary Organizations (VOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), social service & charity organizations, and professionals working in drinking water sector, who are willing to work towards mobilizing and enhancing the capacities of the communities to achieve the goal of the mission.

The mission aims at capacity building of Gram Panchayat and/ or its sub-committee, i.e., Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Paani Samiti on managerial, technical and financial aspects so that they can plan, manage, implement, operate and maintain the in-village water supply infrastructure. Communities are also to be enabled to take up surveillance of quality of water supplied by training five persons, preferably women, in every village for quality testing through Field Test Kits (FTKs). To take forward these activities, role of organizations working in rural areas will be very vital especially in mobilizing the community as well as handholding them.

For the success of this life changing mission, it’s necessary that Government and private/ corporate sector including voluntary & charity organizations join hands together to develop synergy for efficient outputs. To make water everyone’s business, the mission strives to build partnerships and work together with different stakeholders to achieve drinking water security for all.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the seminar on Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence Manufacturing via Video Conferencing today. Stressing on the need to become Atmanirbhar in Defence Manufacturing, the Prime Minister said our aim is to boost defence production, develop new technology and give significant roles to private players in the defence sector. 

Complimenting Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and his entire team for working on a mission mode and taking relentless efforts, the Prime Minister said that the objective of achieving self-reliance in defense production will definitely gain momentum from today’s seminar. 

The Prime Minister said when India became independent, it had a great potential and ecosystem for defense production in India but for decades no serious efforts were made. The Prime Minister remarked that the situation is now changing, continuous and persistent efforts are being undertaken to bring about reforms in the defence sector.  He enumerated several concrete steps undertaken in this direction such as  improvement in licensing  process, creating level playing field, simplification of export process.  

PM remarked that a sense of confidence in the defense sector is essential for building a modern and self-reliant India. Decisions such as appointment of CDS, which were pending for decades have been taken now, which reflects confidence of New India. Appointment of Chief of Defence Staff has resulted in better synergy and coordination among the three forces, and has helped in the scaling up of defence procurement. Similarly, he highlighted that opening of defence sector by permitting 74% FDI via automatic route reflects the confidence of new India.  

The PM said steps such as earmarking a part of the capital budget for domestic  procurement, 101 items for domestic procurement will encourage and give a fillip to domestic defence industries. He also said that the Government is working on speeding up the procurement process, streamlining the system of testing etc. Speaking about Corporatization of Ordnance factories, PM said once completed it will strengthen both the workers and the Defence sector. 

Emphasizing on the need for technology up-gradation for self-sufficiency in modern equipment, the Prime Minister said that in addition to DRDO, Government is encouraging Research and Innovation in the private sector and in academic institutions as well. The Prime Minister mentioned that emphasis is on co-production through joint ventures with foreign partners.  

Highlighting that the Government has been working on the mantra of Reform, Perform, and Transform, the Prime Minister said major reforms are underway in areas of Intellectual Property, Taxation, Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Space and Atomic Energy.  

On the infrastructure initiatives, the Prime Minister spoke about two defence corridors underway in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.  He said the state of the art infrastructure is being built in collaboration with the state government of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. An investment target of 20 thousand crores in the coming 5 years has been set for this. 

PM observed that the iDEX initiative which was launched to encourage entrepreneurs particularly those associated with MSME and Start-ups, is also getting positive results. Through this platform, more than 50 start-ups have developed technology and products for military use, he noted. 

The Prime Minister said that the goal is to build a capable India to make the Global Economy more resilient, more stable and to bring peace in the world. This is the idea behind Atmanirbharta in Defence Manufacturing. India has the potential to become a reliable supplier of defence equipment to many of its friendly nations. It will strengthen India’s strategic partnerships and strengthen India’s role as a  “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean region, the Prime Minister said.  

He said feedback and suggestions received on the  Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy Draft  will help in implementing this policy at the earliest. 

PM concluded by saying that collective efforts will help in releasing our resolve to become self- reliant, to become an Atmanirbhar Bharat.