Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)celebrated its 5^th Annual Day in New Delhi today.The function was attended by Secretary WCD, Rabindra Panwar, alongwith other senior officials of the Ministry, its associated Statutory/Autonomous Bodies and representatives from the States and Union Territories.  As part of the Advocacy, souvenirs to commemorate the Annual Day was unveiled during the event.

Lastyear, CARA has conducted various training programmes and workshops at national and state levels for all the stakeholders of the adoption programme.  It has also carried out a number of advocacy programs through various mediums for creating awareness and sensitization of general public and reached out to citizens through various inter-active programmes like Jan Sampark and through Social Media platforms.  It is giving emphasis to the rehabilitation of older and special needs children in various Child Care Institutions across the country.

CARA is an apex body of Government of India for promoting and facilitating In-country Adoption and is the designated Central Authority for regulating Inter-country Adoption.  CARA was designated as a Statutory Body on 15 Jan 2016, under the provisions of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

***

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to relax the conditions regarding declaration of FASTag Fee lanes for 30 days from today at the identified 65 high cash transactions fee plazas of NHAI. The concerned fee plazas have been allowed to convert up to 25 per cent of all fee lanes to hybrid (cash plus FASTag) lanes during this time.

The move comes in the wake of NHAI raising concerns regarding high cash transactions on its 65 identified fee plazas. NHAI has pointed out that most of the fee plazas are functioning with one hybrid lane on each side and while efforts are being made to bring more fee plazas within the ambit, the said identified fee plazas were facing heavy traffic rush on the hybrid lanes.

With a view to save the citizens from inconvenience, the Ministry has decided that depending on the traffic pile up at these 65 fee plazas, not more than 25 percent FASTag lane of Fee Plaza may be temporarily converted to hybrid lanes.  This is to be considered and decided on a case to case basis not below the level of the RO concerned. In a directive issued to NHAI in this regard, the Ministry has said that daily evaluation of such cases be made to take necessary corrective action and a summary report on daily basis be sent to the Ministry.

The Ministry has further asked NHAI to ensure that the least possible number of the declared FASTag lane of Fee Plaza be converted into the hybrid lanes temporarily and further that at least 75% lanes of these 65 fee plaza remain declared and operational as ‘FASTag lane of Fee Plaza’ in order to incentivize the vehicles carrying FASTag.

The Ministry has emphasized that this temporary measure is to be adopted for 30 days only for such 65 fee plazas to facilitate smooth flow of traffic so that no inconvenience is caused to the citizens. NHAI shall take necessary measures within this time to ensure smooth flow of traffic through the fee plazas and ensure declaring “FASTag lane of Fee Plaza” for all the lanes within this period.

 

List of 65 fee plazas of NHAI with relaxation of 30 days wef 15th January 2020
S.no.	PLAZA NAME	RO	PIU
1	Sadahalli	Bangalore	Bangalore
2	Vadodara	Gandhinagar	Ahmedabad
3	Boriach	Gandhinagar	Surat
4	Gharonda Toll Plaza	Chandigarh	Ambala
5	Electronic City Elevated: 1) Bangalore Up Ramp @ chainage KM 18/000	Bangalore	Ramnagara
6	Bhagwada	Gandhinagar	Surat
7	Ladowal Toll Plaza	Chandigarh	Ambala
8	Bharthana/ Karjan	Gandhinagar	Bharuch
9	Khaniwade	Gandhinagar	Surat
10	Chandimandir Toll Plaza	Chandigarh	Chandigarh
11	Choriyasi	Gandhinagar	Surat
12	Jaladhulagori toll plaza	Kolkata	Kolkata
13	Charoti	Gandhinagar	Surat
14	Sambhu Toll Plaza	Chandigarh	Ambala
15	L&T PANIPAT	Chandigarh	Ambala
16	Rajchandrapur Toll Plaza	Kolkata	Kolkata
17	Khed-Shivapur	Mumbai	Pune
18	Khedki Daula	Delhi	Gurgaon
19	dapar	Chandigarh	Mohali
20	Krishnagiri	Chennai	Krishnagiri
21	Taswade	Mumbai	Kolhapur
22	Kumbalam	Kerala	Coachin
23	Narmada Bridge	Gandhinagar	Bharuch
24	Towards Bangalore Km.26.075	Bangalore	Bangalore
25	Vikravandi	Chennai	Villupuram
26	Palliyekarra	Kerala	Palakkad
27	Ring Road	Gandhinagar	Ahmedabad
28	beharmpur	Chandigarh	Mohali
29	Kini	Mumbai	Kolhapur
30	Omallur	Chennai	Salem
31	Sengurichi	Madurai	Trichy
32	Ahmedpur	Lucknow – East	Lucknow
33	Anewadi	Mumbai	Pune
34	Brijghat	Lucknow – West	Moradabad
35	Samayapuram	Madurai	Trichy
36	Doddakarernahalli (Nelamangala Toll) Karekal Cross	Bangalore	Hassan
37	Kaniyur	Chennai	Coimbatore
38	Pantagi	Hyderabad	Hyderabad
39	Dankuni	Kolkata	Durgapur
40	Ahmedabad	Gandhinagar	Ahmedabad
41	Vijayamangalam	Chennai	Salem
42	Nawabganj	Lucknow – East	Lucknow
43	Towards Nelamangala Km.14.875	Bangalore	Bangalore
44	Manguli	Bhubaneswar	Bhubaneswar
45	Palayam	Chennai	Salem
46	Raikal	Hyderabad	Hyderabad
47	Dhareri Jattan	Chandigarh	Mohali
48	Paranur	Chennai	Kancheepuram
49	Thirumandurai	Madurai	Trichy
50	Moratandi	Chennai	Villupuram
51	Attibele Grade section Toll Plaza at km 32/700	Bangalore	Ramnagara
52	Kodai	Madurai	Madurai
53	Vaiguntham	Chennai	Salem
54	Negadiya	Jaipur	Udaipur
55	Karabylu(Bellur Toll)	Bangalore	Hassan
56	Gegal	Jaipur	Ajmer
57	Anand	Gandhinagar	Ahmedabad
58	Ronahi	Lucknow – East	Lucknow
59	Barajod (earlier Sikandara )	Lucknow – West	Kanpur
60	Bharudi	Gandhinagar	Rajkot
61	Kishangarh	Jaipur	Jaipur
62	Vasad	Gandhinagar	Ahmedabad
63	Borkhedi	Nagpur	Nagpur
64	Hoskote	Bangalore	Bangalore
65	Samakhiyali

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari has lauded the contribution of all stakeholders in NH sector for their contribution in erecting world class road infrastructure in the country. He said, it was their efforts that yielded a record construction length of 29 km per day of NH last year. Giving away the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ to outstanding performers in NH sector last evening in New Delhi, the Minister exuded confidence that this record will be surmounted by achieving the construction target of 50 km per day in the coming days.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari addressing the gathering after giving away the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ to outstanding performers in NH sector last evening in New Delhi.

‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ were instituted in the year 2018. The first cycle of awards in 2018 received wide participation from around the country. Following the success of the first cycle, the Ministry decided to make the National Highways Excellence Awards an annual feature. The aim is to recognise companies which are performing exceptionally well in the construction, operations, maintenance and tolling stages of highway development as well as in the arena of road safety.

The motive behind starting an annual awards program is to create a spirit of healthy competitiveness amongst all stakeholders involved in the development of highway infrastructure in the country and to contribute to the larger goal of expanding the road network in the country. By announcing awards each year, the Ministry would acknowledge exceptional work being done in various aspects of highway management and recognize those agencies which are going beyond the scope of their work to deliver the finest quality of services.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari felicitating a young road engineer at the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ function last evening in New Delhi.

This year, the nominations were opened on August 19th, 2019. An impartial and independent evaluation process was adopted which had objective and quantifiable assessment parameters.

The seven award categories are:

1.         Excellence in Project Management,

2.         Excellence in Operation and Maintenance,

3.         Excellence in Toll Management,

4.         Excellence in Highway Safety,

5.         Innovation,

6.         Outstanding Work in Challenging Conditions, and

7.         Green Highway.

Each award category had its own pre-defined eligibility criteria, assessment parameters and scoring rubrics. This year, 104 applications were received across these seven categories on an online application platform designed by NIC. The applications are spread across the entire country. The assessment was carried out in three months. Each application underwent multiple rounds of scrutiny. First the data and documents submitted by the applicants were evaluated, and then shortlisted projects were visited on-site by a team of trained experts to corroborate the submitted data from findings on the field. Detailed project profiles of the top 40 shortlisted projects were presented before an esteemed jury panel, who checked all the aspects of each projects and finalized 12 winners across the seven categories.

Toll authorities which have managed the best implementation of FASTag technology were also awarded for increased automation in toll collection.

***

RCJ/MS

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari has lauded the contribution of all stakeholders in NH sector for their contribution in erecting world class road infrastructure in the country. He said, it was their efforts that yielded a record construction length of 29 km per day of NH last year. Giving away the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ to outstanding performers in NH sector last evening in New Delhi, the Minister exuded confidence that this record will be surmounted by achieving the construction target of 50 km per day in the coming days.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari addressing the gathering after giving away the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ to outstanding performers in NH sector last evening in New Delhi.

‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ were instituted in the year 2018. The first cycle of awards in 2018 received wide participation from around the country. Following the success of the first cycle, the Ministry decided to make the National Highways Excellence Awards an annual feature. The aim is to recognise companies which are performing exceptionally well in the construction, operations, maintenance and tolling stages of highway development as well as in the arena of road safety.

The motive behind starting an annual awards program is to create a spirit of healthy competitiveness amongst all stakeholders involved in the development of highway infrastructure in the country and to contribute to the larger goal of expanding the road network in the country. By announcing awards each year, the Ministry would acknowledge exceptional work being done in various aspects of highway management and recognize those agencies which are going beyond the scope of their work to deliver the finest quality of services.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari felicitating a young road engineer at the ‘National Highways Excellence Awards’ function last evening in New Delhi.

This year, the nominations were opened on August 19th, 2019. An impartial and independent evaluation process was adopted which had objective and quantifiable assessment parameters.

The seven award categories are:

1.         Excellence in Project Management,

2.         Excellence in Operation and Maintenance,

3.         Excellence in Toll Management,

4.         Excellence in Highway Safety,

5.         Innovation,

6.         Outstanding Work in Challenging Conditions, and

7.         Green Highway.

Each award category had its own pre-defined eligibility criteria, assessment parameters and scoring rubrics. This year, 104 applications were received across these seven categories on an online application platform designed by NIC. The applications are spread across the entire country. The assessment was carried out in three months. Each application underwent multiple rounds of scrutiny. First the data and documents submitted by the applicants were evaluated, and then shortlisted projects were visited on-site by a team of trained experts to corroborate the submitted data from findings on the field. Detailed project profiles of the top 40 shortlisted projects were presented before an esteemed jury panel, who checked all the aspects of each projects and finalized 12 winners across the seven categories.

Toll authorities which have managed the best implementation of FASTag technology were also awarded for increased automation in toll collection.

***

Indian Railways and Railway Energy Management Company Ltd. (REMCL – a Joint Venture of Ministry of Railways & RITES Ltd.) organized a Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet on 09^th January, 2020 in New Delhi. The objective of the Investors’ Meet was to disseminate information about the opportunities available under renewable energy in Indian Railways. In the meet, experience of developers with Railways and key benefits of partnering with Indian Railways was showcased.

The Investors’ Meet was attended by leading financers and institutions including Department for International Development, Government of United Kingdom (DFID), Asian Development Bank (ADB), GIZ from Germany, AFD from France, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB) as well as leading renewable energy organizations such as Softbank Energy, L&T, Renew Power, Sembcorp, Amplus Solar, SunEdison and Gensol. They shared their expectations of being partners in the journey of renewable energy of Indian Railways. The investors acknowledged the efforts of Indian Railways in leading the development of renewable energy in the country and expressed strong support to Indian Railways on the path of going green and achieving the net zero carbon emissions target by 2030.

The meet was chaired by Member Traction, Railway Board, Shri Rajesh Tiwari. In the meet, Shri Tiwari gave an overview of Railways’ power scenario and the opportunities for various stake holders in the renewable energy sector. Shri Tiwari mentioned about the steps being undertaken by Indian Railways to reduce the cost of power procurement and the benefits of signing PPAs with Indian Railways such as low off take risk and clarity on roof rights.

Chairman, REMCL, Shri Rajeev Mehrotra, CEO, REMCL, Shri Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Additional Member, Electrical, Smt. Manju Gupta and other senior officials of Railway Board were also present during the meet.

Indian Railways has recently invited bids for 47 MW rooftop solar projects and 249 MW of wind solar hybrid projects. This meet was supported under the Power Sector Reforms Programme, as a part of cooperation agreed in the MoU signed between UK’s DFID and Indian Railways on 2^nd December 2019.

*****

‘Saksham’, an annual one-month long, people-centric fuel conservation mega campaign of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is going to be launched on 16^th January by Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in a function to be held in Delhi.

 

 

PCRA and Oil & Gas companies shall carry out various interactive programs during this month-long campaign.  Activities like ‘Saksham’ Cycle Day, Cyclothons, Workshops for drivers of commercial vehicles, Seminars for housewives/cooks on adopting simple fuel saving measure, Nationwide campaign through Radio, TV, Digital Cinemas, Outdoor etc. are planned with an aim to reach the nook and corner of the country with the message of fuel conservation, Greener Environment and better Health. PCRA also plans to make use of the social media platforms for various customized campaigns on fuel conservation through Facebook, twitter, MyGov.

PCRA has been creating awareness amongst the general public about the need for fuel conservation and adopting tips for saving the fuel. PCRA has prepared a comic book jointly with NCERT on the theme ‘Fuel Conservation’ aimed at younger generation especially the school children and is available on E-Pathshala on NCERT website.

Petroleum Conservation and Research Association (PCRA) in association with Institute of Petroleum-Dehradun has developed high energy efficient PNG burner/Gas stove for household where piped gas is supplied which will save gas as compared to modified LPG stove for PNG.

On mass awareness about fuel conservation, PCRA has developed attractive messages and recently developed an animated documentary ‘Pollution Ka Solution” which is available on PCRA website and YouTube.

The annual Saksham National Competition which generally is launched in the month of July, involving schools and students in Essay, Painting and Quiz competition is a big hit now. This year the competition has achieved reaching a record breaking figure of participation of 1.48 crore students.

As a part of involvement with the public in the field, an awareness Campaign on 100 busiest intersections of Delhi through CRRI on encouraging switching-off engine at red light behavior was recently carried out by PCRA and the outcome of this campaign was remarkable with encouraging results of approx. 22% reduction in idling fuel losses for petrol fuel “before” and “after” the campaign phase. Similarly, approx. 14%, 12% and 19% reduction in Diesel, CNG and LPG respectively was observed due to awareness campaign.

‘Saksham’ is strengthening its foot print as a flagship Fuel Conservation mega campaign program of the country.

******

YB/SK

The Industrial Relations Code, 2019’ and ‘The Code on Social Security, 2019’, as introduced in Lok Sabha have been referred by the Speaker to the Standing Committee on Labour headed by Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, MP for examination and report. The committee have decided to invite memoranda containing views/suggestions separately on each Code from the public in general and NGOs/ Experts/ Stakeholders and Institutions in particular.

The procedure for submitting written memoranda/suggestions and tendering oral evidence before the committee can be seen at our website www.loksabha.nic.in under link ‘Committees’→ Press Release.

 

*****

RCJ/IA

Secretary, MHRD, Shri Amit Khare held a meeting with Vice Chancellor, (VC), Prof. Yogesh Kumar Tyagi along and the Registrar of University of Delhi at 4:00 PM today at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.

The University authorities apprised the Secretary that the administration is taking all steps to implement the decisions arrived at as per the Record of Discussions held on 5^th December, 2019 in MHRD.

The university vide letter dated 20.12.2019 has already clarified to all colleges/institutions to appoint ad-hoc/temporary/ contract/ guest faculty as an interim arrangement before filling up the permanent vacancy.

Further, the university has taken up the issue of additional requirement of faculty under EWS scheme with UGC. The University will be finalizing the proforma for promotion of teachers.  It has also been clarified that the University shall continue the counting of past service as per UGC Regulations.

The Secretary appealed to the concerned stake holders to withdraw their agitation and work for the smooth functioning of the institutions/colleges in the interest of the students. MHRD is committed to protect the legitimate interest of all the stake holders.

 

*****

Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Finland Mr Jukka Juusti signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further defence cooperation between India and Finland, here today. The MoU on co-operation in the field of Production, Procurement, Research and Development of Defence related Equipment and Industrial cooperation has been inked on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue 2020. Under the broad ambit of the MoU, cooperation between Finnish companies and Indian Defence Public Sector Undertakings could be explored.

A draft MoU between the two countries in the field of defence cooperation amongst others was under discussion since the DefExpo 2018 and has now been formalised in the run up to DefExpo 2020, to be held in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow between February 5-9, 2020.

In 2019, Mr Juusti had led a delegation to Aero India in Bengaluru and post his visit, the Permanent Secretary had evinced their interest to participate in the ‘Make in India’ vision and formalise an arrangement for Defence Industrial cooperation through an MoU.

On February 13, 2016, Prime Minister of Finland Mr Juha Sipila had bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to India for the inauguration of the ‘Make in India’ week. In April 17, 2018, Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with Mr Sipila during the first India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm, Sweden. Also, a delegation from Finland had visited India between November 29 – December 02, 2018 to explore new business opportunities for Finnish companies.

 

ABB/SS/Nampi/Savvy/MTJ

The Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (IC), ShriPrahlad Singh Patel launcheda month long special exhibition titled Indian Heritage in Digital Space and a two day long first international heritage symposium today in New Delhi. The exhibition was organized in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The exhibitionwill remain open for public till 15th February, 2020. Secretary of Department of Science & technology Shri Ashutosh Sharmawas also present on this occasion.

Speaking on the occasion ShriPrahlad Singh Patel said that visitors in this exhibition will be able to see the recreations of the socio-cultural life and traditions of Hampi, architectural and conjectural reconstructions of several important structures and experience demystification of many murals. This is a good initiative, use of technology in heritage is very important but it should not be limited to research only, it should reach topeople in such a way that they get a chance to know and understand the unseen aspects of heritage sites easily.

Shri Patel further said that the Prime Minister always says that we have world class heritage and peoplefrom acrossthe globe visit India to see our rich cultural and historical heritage. In such a situation, we should introduce the history and features of these heritages through the use of technology.A person who comes to museum should be guided by use of technology so that it enriches their experience of the visit.

This special exhibition showcase adaptation and infusion of technologies being developed under the Indian Digital Heritage (IDH) initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India in the cultural heritage domain of the country. The exhibition demonstrate the outcome of two flagship projects viz., A digital mini-spectacle to showcase the glory of Hampiand Augmented reality based interactions with physical models of monuments; that are completed under the DST mentored initiative Indian Heritage in Digital Space (IHDS). These two projects are executed by a multi-disciplinary teams from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, National Institute of Design Bengaluru, CSIR-CBRI Roorkee, Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, and a women-led, IDH start-up Vizara Technologies, New Delhi. The goals of these projects are to create digital installations using 3D laser scan data, AR, holographic projections and 3D fabrication,to provide interactive and immersive experiences showcasing the glory of Hampi and five Indian monuments namely KashiVishwanath Temple, Varanasi; TajMahal, Agra; Sun Temple,Konark; Ramachandra Temple, Hampi ; and RaniKiVav, Patan .

This special exhibition, first of its kind in India,has a major focus to display the latest interventions in the cultural heritage domain, that are being driven by cutting-edge technologies such as 3D fabrication, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality, Holographic Projections and Projection Mapping etc.  A special installation named ‘ViRaasat’, consisting of a scaled down 3D printed replica shall provide a mixed reality experience to visitors for selected monuments, using laser-scanning, 3D modelling and rendering, 3D printing, computer vision and spatial AR.

*******

No imports will be allowed without HSN code into the country said the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal in New Delhi today. He was speaking at the 6th National Standards Conclave on the subject of Standards for Trade Facilitation.

Commerce & Industry Minister further said that henceforth there must be zero tolerance for substandard products and services from industry and consumers. He further stated that Government will support industry in every way to establish standards for Indian goods and services to meet international requirements so that brand India is recognized in the world as a provider of quality products and services. Unless Indian business and industry make standards its calling card, India will not be able to reach the target of a USD 5 trillion economy, said Piyush Goyal. The Government is committed to establishing standards of Indian products and services to world class levels which will enable our exports to be accepted globally due to the quality of goods and services, added the Minister. He said Made in India should carry the commitment of 130 crore people towards quality, sincerity, customer satisfaction and not be second best.

Commerce and Industry Minister further said that it is an unfortunate reality for India that the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) entered into with other countries has not led to the growth of India’s trade and business because the poor quality of the products and services that get restricted with non-tariff barriers when exported. He further elaborated on this point with the number of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) in countries like US (8000), Brazil (3879), China (2872) and India with only 439 TBTs. This illustrates the fact as to the manner in which India and rest of the world are looking at the concept of quality in products and services, said the Minister.

Commerce and Industry Minister further stated that the time has come to get out of the mind set of subsiding exports and adopt the mantra of zero defect zero effect in order to ensure that emerging India will be the destination for quality products and services. He said that the need of the hour is to get cracking towards a zero defect policy, that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has articulated a number of times. The Minister said that the quality standards must be accepted as the reality of an emerging India, an India that wishes to be recognised as a country manufacturing quality products.

Commerce and Industry Minister informed that the new Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act is relooking at all standards for goods and services in order to balance the interest of consumers with that of the industry which will enable the culture of quality to take root in the country and production or import of substandard products and services will not be tolerated any longer.

Commerce and Industry Minister urged BIS, FSSAI and other departments of the Government, that are mandated to set up and establish standards, to work in mission mode so that goods and services produced and imported in India meet international quality requirements. This will help India to engage with the world on equal and reciprocal terms.

Commerce and Industry Minister hoped that this will see a new era of quality production of goods and services in the country and quality will be the buzzword and the collaborative approach of Government, industry and consumer will help in setting up and upgrading standards to give the best products and services to the consumers and also ensure the protection of the environment.

The 6th National Standards Conclave is being held in Delhi on 15-16 January 2020 and is organized by Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Export Inspection Council of India (EIC), National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) and the Centre for Research on International Trade.

***

India’s overall exports (Merchandise and Services combined) in April-December2019-20* are estimated to be USD 397.48 billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 0.93 per cent over the same period last year. Overall imports in April-December 2019-20* are estimated to be USD 455.14 billion, exhibiting a negative growth of (-)5.82 per cent over the same period last year.

*Note: The latest data for services sector released by RBI is for November 2019. The data for December 2019 is an estimation, which will be revised based on RBI’s subsequent release.

I. MERCHANDISE TRADE

EXPORTS (including re-exports)

Exports inDecember 2019 were USD27.36 billion, as compared to USD27.86 billion in December 2018, exhibiting a negative growth of (-)1.80 per cent. In Rupee terms, exports were Rs. 1,94,764.74 crore in December 2019, as compared to Rs. 1,97,044.76 crore in December 2018, registering a negative growth of (-)1.16 per cent.

In December 2019, major commodity groups of export showing positivegrowth over the corresponding month of last year are

Cumulative value of exports for the period April-December 2019-20 was USD239.29 billion (Rs.16,84,558.61 crore) as against USD244.08 billion (Rs.17,02,261.31 crore) during the period April-December 2018-19, registering a negative growth of (-) 1.96 per cent in Dollar terms (negative growth of (-)1.04 per cent in Rupee terms).

Non-petroleum and Non Gems and Jewellery exports in December 2019 were USD21.05 billion, as compared to USD21.16 billion in December 2018, exhibiting a negative growth of (-)0.54 per cent. Non-petroleum and Non Gems and Jewellery exports in April-December 2019-20 were USD177.81 billion, as compared to USD177.65 billion for the corresponding period in 2018-19, anincrease of 0.09 per cent.

IMPORTS

Imports in December 2019 were USD38.61 billion (Rs.2,74,883.64 crore), which was 8.83 per cent lower in Dollar terms and 8.24 per cent lower in Rupee terms over imports of USD42.35 billion (Rs.2,99,553.40 crore) in December 2018. Cumulative value of imports for the period April-December 2019-20 was USD357.39 billion (Rs.25,14,783.82 crore), as against USD392.31 billion (Rs.27,37,092.01 crore) during the period April-December 2018-19, registering a negative growth of (-)8.90 per cent in Dollar terms (negative growth of (-)8.12 per cent in Rupee terms).

Major commodity groups of import showing negative growth in December 2019 over the corresponding month of last year are:

CRUDE OIL AND NON-OIL IMPORTS:

Oil imports inDecember 2019 were USD10.69 billion (Rs. 76,136.69 crore), which was 0.83 percentlower in Dollar terms (0.18 percent lower in Rupee terms), compared to USD10.78 billion (Rs. 76,275.54 crore) in December2018. Oil imports in April-December 2019-20 were USD95.69 billion (Rs. 6,73,447.56 crore) which was 11.78 per cent lower in Dollar terms (11.13 percent lower in Rupee terms) compared to USD108.47 billion (Rs. 7,57,772.55crore), over the same period last year.

In this connection it is mentioned that the global Brent price ($/bbl) has increased by 16.63% in December 2019 vis-à-vis December 2018 as per data available from World Bank.

Non-oil imports inDecember 2019 were estimated at USD27.92billion (Rs. 1,98,746.95 crore) which was 11.56 per cent lower in Dollar terms (10.99 percent lower in Rupee terms), compared to USD31.57billion (Rs. 2,23,277.86 crore) in December 2018. Non-oil imports in April-December 2019-20 were USD261.70 billion (Rs. 18,41,336.26 crore) which was 7.80 per cent lower in Dollar terms (6.97 percent lower in Rupee terms), compared to USD283.84 billion (Rs. 19,79,319.46 crore) in April-December2018-19.

Non-Oil and Non-Gold imports wereUSD25.45 billion in December 2019, recording a negative growth of (-)12.24 per cent, as compared to Non-Oil and Non-Gold importsof USD 29.00 billion in December 2018. Non-Oil and Non-Gold imports wereUSD238.64 billion in April-December 2019-20, recording a negative growth of (-)7.90 per cent, as compared to Non-Oil and Non-Gold importsUSD 259.11 billion in April-December 2018-19.

 

II. TRADE IN SERVICES

EXPORTS (Receipts)

As per the latest press release by RBI dated 15^thJanuary 2020, exports in November2019 were USD 18.00 billion (Rs. 1,28,584.48 crore) registering a positive growth of 7.91 per cent in dollar terms, vis-à-vis November2018. The estimated value of services export for December 2019* is USD 17.92 billion.

IMPORTS (Payments)

As per the latest press release by RBI dated 15^th January 2020, imports in November 2019 were USD 11.47 billion (Rs. 81,969.39 crore) registering a positive growth of 13.48 per cent in dollar terms, vis-à-vis November 2018. The estimated value of service Import for December 2019* is USD 11.32 billion.

III.TRADE BALANCE

MERCHANDISE: The trade deficit for December 2019 was estimated at USD11.25 billion as against the deficit of USD14.49 billion inDecember 2018.

SERVICES: As per RBI’s Press Release dated 15^th January2020, the trade balance in Services (i.e. Net Services export) for November, 2019 is estimated at USD6.52 billion.

OVERALL TRADE BALANCE: Taking merchandise and services together, overall trade deficit for April-December 2019-20* is estimated at USD57.66 billion as compared to USD89.46 billion in April-December 2018-19.

 

*Note: The latest data for services sector released by RBI is for November 2019. The data for December 2019 is an estimation, which will be revised based on RBI’s subsequent release.       

 

MERCHANDISE TRADE

 

EXPORTS & IMPORTS  : (US $ Billion)
(PROVISIONAL)
	DECEMBER	APRIL-DECEMBER
EXPORTS(including re-exports)
2018-19	27.86	244.08
2019-20	27.36	239.29
%Growth 2019-20/ 2018-19	-1.80	-1.96
IMPORTS
2018-19	42.35	392.31
2019-20	38.61	357.39
%Growth 2019-20/ 2018-19	-8.83	-8.90
TRADE BALANCE
2018-19	-14.49	-148.23
2019-20	-11.25	-118.10
EXPORTS &IMPORTS: (Rs. Crore)
(PROVISIONAL)
	DECEMBER	APRIL-DECEMBER
EXPORTS(including re-exports)
2018-19	1,97,044.76	17,02,261.31
2019-20	1,94,764.74	16,84,558.61
%Growth 2019-20/ 2018-19	-1.16	-1.04
IMPORTS
2018-19	2,99,553.40	27,37,092.01
2019-20	2,74,883.64	25,14,783.82
%Growth 2019-20/ 2018-19	-8.24	-8.12
TRADE BALANCE
2018-19	-1,02,508.64	-10,34,830.70
2019-20	-80,118.90	-8,30,225.21

 

 

SERVICES TRADE

 

EXPORTS & IMPORTS (SERVICES) : (US $ Billion)
(PROVISIONAL)	November 2019	April-November 2019-20
EXPORTS (Receipts)	18.00	140.27
IMPORTS (Payments)	11.47	86.44
TRADE BALANCE	6.52	53.83
EXPORTS & IMPORTS (SERVICES): (Rs. Crore)
(PROVISIONAL)	November 2019	April-November 2019-20
EXPORTS (Receipts)	1,28,584.48	9,86,225.58
IMPORTS (Payments)	81,969.39	6,07,776.64
TRADE BALANCE	46,615.09	3,78,448.94
Source: RBI Press Release dated 15thJanuary 2020

 

*Note: The latest data for services sector released by RBI is for November 2019. The data for December 2019 is an estimation, which will be revised based on RBI’s subsequent release.

 

* Link for Quick Estimates:

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Moving ahead after the recent amendments MMDR Act 1957 and the CMSP Act 2015,the Ministry of Coal is initiating the process for auction of coal mines for sale of coal.Expected to be held in multiple tranches, the first tranche is proposed to be launched in the current financial year. The Union Ministerfor Coal and Mines ShriPralhad Joshi said that this is a historic step towards Ease of Doing Business and democratization of coal and mining sectors.

A Discussion Paper containing the draft methodology and key bidding terms and conditions on the auction of coal mines for sale of coal has been uploaded on https://www.coal.nic.in/ and  https://www.coal.nic.in/content/nominated-authority.  A tentative list of mines along with mine-specific details  are also provided at https://coalblock-is.cmpdi.co.in/pages/dashboard.php

The Ministry of Coalhas urged interested stakeholders to view the Discussion Paper and the mine specific details and submit their views/ suggestions, indicate their preferences for the mines to be considered for auction under the first tranche, as per the instructions provided in the Discussion Paper.

The Ordinance promulgated last week, amended the CM(SP) Act, 2015 and MMDR Act, 1957,whereby the restriction on prior experience in coal mining was removed thus enabling wider participation in auction of coal mines. Further, the Ordinance also enables auction of unexplored and partially explored coal blocks for mining through prospecting license-cum-mining Lease (PL-cum-ML).These steps are expected to result in opening up of the coal sector completely for commercial mining to local as well as global firms. This would further boost economic growth and employment generation.

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SP/NG

“Gaganyaan” space astronauts will start their training this month, most likely in the third week of January.

This was disclosed here today by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh who also said that the training of the astronauts for India’s first human space mission will take place in Russia.  Four astronauts have been identified for the mission, he added.

It was further disclosed by the Minister that four astronauts, shortlisted for the mission, will receive training for 11 months.  All the four astronauts selected for the mission are men but their identity cannot be revealed.

After 11 months of training in Russia, the astronauts will receive module specific training in India. In that, they will be trained in crew and service module designed by ISRO, learn to operate it, work around it and do simulations.  As per the ISRO sources, India’s heaviest launch vehicle “Bahubali” GSLV Mark-III will the carry astronauts to space.

Rs.10,000 crores has already been sanctioned by the Union Cabinet  for  the Gaganyaan project. This followed the announcement made by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the Independence Day last year, stating that the Gaganyaan launch will coincide with the 75th year of India’s Independence.

Though the first Indian to go into space was Rakesh Sharma in 1984 but the spacecraft in which he went was not Indian.  Therefore, Gaganyaan will be the first – ever human space mission conceived and developed in India, as a distinct illustration of the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” vision.

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has saluted the  courage and valour of  the Indian Army personnel on the occasion of Army Day.

“भारत की सेना मां भारती की आन-बान और शान है। सेना दिवस के अवसर पर मैं देश के सभी सैनिकों के अदम्य साहस, शौर्य और पराक्रम को सलाम करता हूं।

Our Army is known for its valour and professionalism. It is also respected for its humanitarian spirit. Whenever people have needed help, our Army has risen to the occasion and done everything possible! Proud of our Army”, the Prime Minister said.

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