Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (#FAME) –

Union Government on 1 April 2015 launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) – India Scheme. The scheme was launched as part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility to boost eco-friendly vehicles sales in the country. Facts about FAME India scheme Objective- to support the hybrid or electric vehicles market development and its manufacturing eco-system in the country in order to achieve self-sustenance in stipulated period. The overall scheme is proposed to be implemented over a period next 6 years i.e. till 2020. It envisages providing Rs 795 crore support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles. It also seeks to provide demand incentives to electric and hybrid vehicles from two-wheeler to buses. Implementation- It will be implemented in phases. The Phase-1 will be implemented over a two year period in FY15-16 and FY16-17. Based on the outcome and experience from the Phase-1, it will be reviewed for implementation after 31 March 2017. Then appropriate fund will be allocated for future. Four focus areas of scheme- Technology development, Pilot Projects, Demand Creation and Charging Infrastructure. In the first two years Rs 260 crore and Rs 535 crore will be spent on the focus areas.

#PradhanMantri #KaushalVikas Yojana--- A New Direction Towards Empowerment of Youth

Skill and knowledge are the two driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country. Countries with higher level of skills fare better to cope with the challenges of emerging economies in the present day world.

            In any country, youth is primarily the focus for any program for skill development. Our country is better placed in this regard. We have a vast majority of population in the productive age group. This provides a great opportunity to India. It also poses a great challenge. Benefits will flow to our economy only if our  population, particularly the youth, is healthy, educated and properly skilled.

            India with its an unrivalled youth demographic, is definitely poised for a big boost in terms of socio-economic development.  We have 605 million people below the age of 25. They can act as agents of change, by being empowered with various employable skills which will enable them to make impact not only on their livesbut also on the lives of other individuals.

The recently approved Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), is a flagship scheme for imparting skill training to youth, focussing on improved curricula, better pedagogy and  trained instructors. The training includes soft skills, personal grooming, behavioural change et al.

           The scheme is being implemented by the newly created Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It will cover 24 lakh youths. The Skill training would be based on the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and industry led standards. Under the scheme, a monetary reward is given to trainees on assessment and certification by third party assessment bodies. The average monetary reward is around Rs.8,000 per trainee.

            The skill training will be on the basis of demand assessed by the recently conducted skill gap studies by the NSDC for the period 2013-17. The central and state governments, industry and business houses will  be consulted for assessment of further demands. For this, a demand aggregator platform is also being launched. The target for skill development  will also take into account the  demands from various other flagship programs launched in recent times such as Make in India, Digital India, National Solar Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

            The PMKVY, will primarily focus on the first time entrants to the labour market and target mainly drop outs from Class 10 and Class 12. The scheme will be implemented through NSDC training partners. At present, NSDC has 187 training partners in around 2,300 centres. In addition, central  and state government affiliated training providers are also to be roped in for imparting training under the scheme. All training providers will have to undergo a due diligence process, for being eligible under the scheme. Sector Skill Councils and the stategovernments are also to monitor skill training program under PMKVY.

            Under the scheme, a Skill Development Management System (SDMS), will be put in place to verify and record details of all training centres, quality of training and courses. Biometric system and video recording of the training process will also be ensured wherever possible. Trainees will also be required to give feedback which willbe the key element for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the PMKVY scheme. A robust grievance redressal system will also be made operational to address grievances. Further,an online citizen portal will be put in place to disseminate information about the program.

            Out of the total outlay of Rs.1120 crore, on skill training of 14 lakh youth, special emphasis is being given to recognition of prior learning. An amount of Rs.220 crore is being provided for this purpose. Rs.67 crore has been earmarked for awareness generation and youth mobilisation. Mobilisation of youth is to be done through Skill Melas at the local level with the help of state governments, municipal bodies, pachayati raj institutions and community based organisations. Another Rs.67 crore has been provided, under the scheme on mentorship support and placement facilitation. An allocation of Rs.150 crores has been made for training of the youth from the North-East region.

            Skill and entrepreneurship development is one of the high priority areas of the present Government. The newly formed Ministry of Skill and Entrepreneurship Development, is to play a critical role in fulfilling the objectives of the ‘Make in India’ campaign, a major initiative to turn India into a major manufacturing hub. The Ministry is to play a pivotal role in creating a skilled workforce to meet the demands of growing economy in different sectors including the manufacturing sector.

            A new National Policy for Skill and Entrepreneurship Development has also emerged to cover the entire gamut of initiatives in this direction. The Policy is to lay a roadmap for boosting growth creating quality  manpower. It has set a target for skilling 500 million persons by the year 2022.

            The efforts in this direction, is being carried on a mission mode. The National Skill Development Mission, an umbrella body, has three institutions under it. The National Council on Skill Development-under the chairmanship of Prime Minister, is to give policy direction and review skill development efforts. The National Skill Development Coordination Board, under the chairmanship of Vice Chairman NITI Aayog is to enumerate strategies to implement the decisions of PM’s council. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a non-profit company, is to meet the skill training requirements of the labour market including the unorganisedsector.                                                                                                                                  

            India has marked its presence as one of the fastest growing economies of the world. It is expected to rank amongst the world’s top three growth economies and amongst the top three manufacturing destinations by 2020. With the help of favourable demographic factors and sustained availability of quality workforce, our country is poised to make its imprint on global economy.

            The newly announced scheme, PMKVY, with its thrust on skill development to build human capital for future markets is sure to reap benefits for our economy. The new Policy and a Mission mode approach to deliver results will usher in a new era in the development of human resources and industry.

#ForeignTradePolicy 2015-2020 Unveiled

#ForeignTrade Policy 2015-2020 Unveiled

Two New Schemes – “Merchandise Exports From India Scheme” And “Services Exports From India Scheme” Introduced

  

The much awaited #ForeignTradePolicy 2015-20 was unveiled today by Minister of Commerce & Industry Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, at Vigyan Bhawan. The new five year Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-20 provides a framework for increasing exports of goods and services as well as generation of employment and increasing value addition in the country, in keeping with the “Make in India” vision of Prime Minister.  The focus of the new policy is to support both the manufacturing and services sectors, with a special emphasis on improving the ‘ease of doing business’.

   During her address Mrs. Sitharaman stated that there were various forces shaping India and its equation with the rest of the world.  She urged the Government and industry to work in tandem to deal with the challenges posed.

   The release of Foreign Trade Policy was also accompanied by a FTP Statement explaining the vision, goals and objectives underpinning India's Foreign Trade Policy, laying down a road map for India’s global trade engagement in the coming years.  The FTP Statement describes the market and product strategy and measures required for trade promotion, infrastructure development and overall enhancement of the trade eco system. It seeks to enable India to respond to the challenges of the external environment, keeping in step with a rapidly evolving international trading architecture and make trade a major contributor to the country’s economic growth and development.  She promised to have regular interactions with all stakeholders, including State Governments to achieve the national objectives.FTP2015-20. introduces two new schemes, namely “Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS)” for export of specified goods to specified markets and “Services Exports from India Scheme (SEIS)” for increasing exports of notified services, in place of a plethora of schemes earlier, with different conditions for eligibility and usage.  There would be no conditionality attached to any scrips issued under these schemes.  Duty credit scrips issued under MEIS and SEIS and the goods imported against these scrips are fully transferable. For grant of rewards under MEIS, the countries have been categorized into 3 Groups, whereas the rates of rewards under MEIS range from 2% to 5%. Under SEIS the selected Services would be rewarded at the rates of 3% and 5%.

Measures have been adopted to nudge procurement of capital goods from indigenous manufacturers under the EPCG scheme by reducing specific export obligation to 75% of the normal export obligation. This will promote the domestic capital goods manufacturing industry.  Such flexibilities will help exporters to develop their productive capacities for both local and global consumption.  Measures have been taken to give a boost to exports of defense and hi-tech items.  At the same time e-Commerce exports of handloom products, books/periodicals, leather footwear, toys and customized fashion garments through courier or foreign post office would also be able to get benefit of MEIS (for values upto 25,000 INR).  These measures would not only capitalize on India's strength in these areas and increase exports but also provide employment.

   Commerce Minister stated that although exports from SEZs had seen phenomenal growth, significantly higher than the overall export growth of the country, in recent times they had been facing several challenges.  In order to give a boost to exports from SEZs, government has now decided to extend benefits of both the reward schemes (MEIS and SEIS) to units located in SEZs.  It is hoped that this measure will give a new impetus to development and growth of SEZs in the country. 

   Trade facilitation and enhancing the ease of doing business are the other major focus areas in this new FTP. One of the major objective of new FTP  is  to move towards paperless working in 24x7 environment.  Recently, the government has reduced the number of mandatory documents required for exports and imports to three, which is comparable with international benchmarks.  Now, a facility has been created to upload documents in exporter/importer profile and the exporters will not be required to submit documents repeatedly.  Attention has also been paid to simplify various ‘Aayat Niryat’ Forms, Manufacturers, who are also status holders, will now be enabled to self certify their manufactured goods in phases, as originating from India with a view to qualifying for preferential treatment under various forms of bilateral and regional trade agreements.  This “Approved Exporter System” will help these manufacturer exporters considerably in getting fast access to international markets.

   A number of steps have been taken for encouraging manufacturing and exports under 100% EOU/EHTP/STPI/BTP Schemes.  The steps include a fast track clearance facility for these units, permitting them to share infrastructure facilities, permitting inter unit transfer of goods and services, permitting them to set up warehouses near the port of export and to use duty free equipment for training purposes.

   Considering the strategic significance of small and medium scale enterprise in the manufacturing sector and in employment generation, ‘MSME clusters’ 108 have been identified for focused interventions to boost exports. Accordingly, ‘Niryat Bandhu Scheme’ has been galvanized and repositioned to achieve the objectives of ‘Skill India’.  Outreach activities will be organized in a structured way at these clusters with the help of EPCs and other willing “Industry Partners” and “Knowledge Partners”. 

#Nano drone in your palm

The robust Skeye nano drone not only fits comfortably in one’s palm but is also easy to charge

Drones are a remarkable technological advancement. They are not only dead useful and are handy, and are built using the best approaches mankind has ever known. After Google launched its project drone, a chain reaction started and many other companies came up with their own designs of drones that provide a wide array of functionalities. Ranging from delivery services in hard to reach regions to spraying fields with pesticides to collect data aerially to formulate dynamically updated maps, these drones have proved that they are capable of doing almost any task.

One of the main objectives of building drones was to use the machines to spy and collect information that cannot be accessed easily. This is why it is essential that they have insignificant size so they become difficult to spot. Skeye nano drone fits this description perfectly.

When weather conditions are drastic and unfavourable, it is very difficult for these drones to stay up in the sky. Skeye nano drone is very robust. It can fly even in biting winter and in rain. But its small size makes it difficult to control it in windy situations. It is an easily pocketable drone as it measures only 1.57 square inches. Skeye nano drone is a quadcopter style drone. It has 4 perfectly balanced miniature rotators that keep it up. It looks like a child’s toy but this little hero is self sufficient. There is absolutely no quantifiable reason to underestimate its functionality.

This little flying box has a self stabilizing mechanism that helps maintain its balance and not get swayed by strong winds. Its gyros and accelerometer functionalities keep it steady. The implementation posed quite a difficulty to the developers. It provides sensitivity controls in three layers which in turn provide it with different piloting abilities to suit its flying under different conditions. It provides a basic mode for beginners who want to adjust their hands on this flying machine. The second mode is for advanced pilots and the last mode is for professionally trained drone veterans.

It is very simple to charge the drone. It has a slot which connects a USB charger to charge it. Customized charger is available with the packet itself. A charging round of about 30 minutes provides it enough power to stay in the air for an approximate of 7-8 minutes. Now, that is not too much, but because of its size, a constraint on the size of the battery was a major parameter.

It is available for an affordable price of $59. Now you will have to be very careful about your privacy for anyone can keep an eye on your house. It implements Ready To Fly technology (RTF) with 6 axis flight control system which makes it handy. It also has the ability of pulling off stunts smoothly with its aerobatic flip capability and LED light for flying in the night.

The new multilateral financial architecture

The announcement by Britain, France, Germany, Australia and Brazil to join the China-promoted Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (#AIIB) has taken the world by surprise. AIIB, dismissed just months ago by western countries as another flamboyant plan by China, is now clearly accepted as a tangible game changer in the multilateral financial architecture.

What really reveals the scope and potential of AIIB, however, is Beijing's brilliant and calibrated March 29 vision for transnational economic corridors for Asia, inviting the world to participate in this ambitious web of cross-border physical, financial and business connectivity.

India, along with 45 other countries including Indonesia and Singapore, is a founder member of AIIB. AIIB's voting structure may be based on purchasing power parity and gross domestic product (GDP). If that happens, India will become the second-largest shareholder, and must aim to influence these institutions.

China's intended role for AIIB is not so different from the existing Western lenders like the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have configured the system to suit their needs. In AIIB, China has replicated the formation and functioning of these institutions.

In formation,

• The IMF and WB were post-war efforts by the US to capitalise on a fiscally-weak Britain and extend control over the Sterling Area by internationalising trade rules (for example, reduction of tariffs) and foreign exchange rules (for example, no devaluation) while financing post-war economic growth. AIIB is a post-recession effort by China to capitalise on a fiscally-weak US and European Union, to limit US economic influence in Asia by internationalising infrastructure development.
   
• The AIIB focus on infrastructure is a masterstroke. Infrastructure is China's competency. The China Development Bank (CDB) already has 16 per cent committed abroad. By some estimates, CDB and China's Exim Bank, together provide more aid to Asia than the WB and Asian Development Bank, combined. In 2014, G20 leaders pledged to advance global GDP by 2 per cent, using infrastructure as a key instrument.
   
• As the US did, China wants to keep majority shareholding, so it can influence AIIB's course - an opportunity it did not get with the WB and IMF (both under 5 per cent) or the BRICS bank (equal 20 per cent). China is rumoured to be seeking a 50 per cent voting share of AIIB's initial capital of $50 billion.

China is leveraging legitimate concerns. Developing countries are frustrated with the Western institutions' unfair standards, ineffective aid policies and interference in local policy-making. The pressure on South Korea and Indonesia to open their domestic economies to foreign investment, in return for financial assistance during the 1997 Asian crisis, has not been forgotten.

There's also China's strategic interest looking for multilateral legitimacy and funding. Global participation in China-led projects, it hopes, will dilute its reputation in parts of Africa and Asia of an abrasive and transactional foreign aid policy.

In functioning,

• The vision for AIIB and China's infrastructure projects like the Maritime Silk Road, Silk Road Economic Belt, and Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, coincide. This is how the US uses IMF multilateral funding for projects in Ukraine, Iraq and Afghanistan.
   
• The World Bank and IMF co-opted countries. China will go beyond, to co-opt long-term investors such as pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies, which have $50 trillion in capital. China will invest its own $3-trillion reserves in projects promising higher returns than US Treasury Bills. The US has done that successfully for decades by recycling petro dollars into developing countries.
   
• AIIB will be a platform for renminbi internationalisation, just as the IMF and WB were for dollar internationalisation. It can then raise and extend loans in renminbi on a large scale, an experiment that CDB has already undertaken.

The formidable intentions of AIIB and the new transnational corridors project are both a challenge and an opportunity for India.

If AIIB takes equity stakes in transnational infrastructure projects, it has geopolitical implications. Islamabad awarding management control of its Gwadar Port to China in 2013, created a stir in India and the West. Imagine China's clout within India if AIIB owns or manages India-located projects such as the Bangladesh-China-Myanmar-India corridor, and the many internal industrial corridors that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has planned with foreign funding.

The opportunity for India then, is to influence and partner both AIIB and the nascent BRICS bank on favourable terms. Infrastructure is the focus of BRICS bank too, but so is sustainable development. Developing countries, including India, can seek financing for climate change technologies, environment protection, affordable drugs and other technology-based public service delivery solutions. This will leverage India's IT prowess and Brazil's sustainable development experience. The first president of the BRICS bank from India should set this course.

India is at a critical juncture. It is one of the largest recipients of WB aid, loans that can be cannibalised as these new institutions emerge, so it must capitalise on its early placement in the new multilateral financial architecture. Else, as the experience with the United Nations Security Council, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation shows, a missed opportunity in the beginning will take years to make up - if ever.

saina nehwal no1

For a country starved of successes at the individual level in world sport, Saina Nehwal’s feat of becoming the first Indian woman shuttler to reach the No.1 position in the world is a stupendous achievement. The 25-year-old Nehwal — a resident of Hyderabad — achieved this mark during the course of the 2015 India Open Super Series badminton tournament, after defeating the reigning world champion, the Spaniard Carolina Marin, in the semi-finals. Nehwal eventually won, defeating former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Indonesia. Amidst the collective disappointment in the cricket-mad country following India’s loss to Australia in the World Cup, Nehwal’s mark has offered a moment of immense pride and delight for Indian sports-lovers. Very few Indians have reached the pinnacle of individual sports. In badminton, only Prakash Padukone had reached the No.1 mark, more than three decades ago. Nehwal now occupies a distinguished position in Indian sport along with achievers such as chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and boxer Mary Kom, both of whom reached the top positions in the respective individual sports.

Nehwal’s ascent was aided by the fact that the reigning Olympic badminton champion, Li Xuerui from China, sustained an injury and has played sparingly in the past few months. It is Nehwal’s persistent competitiveness that has allowed her to remain in the top echelons of her sport, and helped her reach the summit at an opportune time. She had won five major tournaments since 2014 — the Indian Open Grand Prix twice, the Australian Super Series and the China Open in 2014, and the India Super Series in 2015. Credit must also go to Nehwal’s coaches over the years, who include Dronacharya award winner Syed Arif, badminton legend Pullela Gopichand and the present coach Vimal Kumar, who is also a former Indian champion. As with other Indian sportspersons — Viswanathan Anand in particular — Nehwal’s success could spur other Indians to take a liking to that sport and inspire them to seek competitive pursuits. The lack of adequate sporting infrastructure, the general absence of a sporting culture, and the domination of cricket in media coverage of sports in the country have meant that Indian achievements in individual sports are few and far between. Here is hoping that such triumphs as Nehwal’s are not flashes in the pan but the start of a trend of strong competitiveness among individual sportspersons, at least in badminton. The victory of male shuttler K. Srikanth in the same tournament — which lifted his world ranking to No.4 — suggests there is indeed something strong brewing in Indian badminton.

Health and Family Welfare Ministry to Implement #RSBY Scheme from Tomorrow

Health and Family Welfare Ministry to Implement RSBY Scheme from Tomorrow

Labour and Employment Ministry Transfers RSBY Scheme

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY ) of the Labour and Employment Ministry will now be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In pursuance of a recent policy decision of the Government, the Labour and Employment Ministry is handing over the RSBY scheme to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with effect from tomorrow( 1st April 2015).The decision will come in to force on as is, where is basis.

The RSBY, the health insurance scheme for BPL(below poverty line) families was launched for the workers in the unorganized sector in the FY 2007-08 and it became fully operational from 1st April 2008. It provides for IT-enabled and smart –card-based cashless healthy insurance, including maternity benefit cover up to Rs. 30,000/- per annum on a family floater basis to BPL families (a unit of five) and 11 occupational groups in the unorganized sector. The ‘’Unorganized workers social Security Act, 2008” came into operation w.e.f 31st December 2008 and it encompassed ten social security schemes benefitting the unorganized workers including the RSBY.

The scheme has benefitted 3,85,15,411 families up to 31st March 2014. As many as 10311 hospitals are rendering services to the insured persons which include 6093 private hospitals and 4218 Government hospitals. Insurance Companies both of public and private sector (Govt-4, Private-12) are participating in this flagship scheme. Central share to the tune of Rs. 3738.05 crores was released by GOI during the last six years and the release during current FY is Rs 548.20 up to 23rd March 2015.

Out of 29 States and 7 Union Territories, the scheme was never operational in 3 States and 4 UTs and was operational for some time and then stopped in 5 States and one UT. In 21 States and one UT, the scheme is under continuous implementation starting from FY 2008-09. Altogether, 548 districts [out of the country total of 676 districts] have been covered under RSBY so far and 128 districts have never implemented RSBY.

In India, out of the estimated workforce of 47 crores, only eight crore are organized workers and thirty nine crore are workers in the unorganized sector.