India Indian Economy + Infra Archive

[Nilgiri]

India’s State-Led Payment Network Is Growing. Now Nation Wants to Export It

India’s state-led payments system, United Payments Interface (UPI), was first rolled out in 2016 and is currently used by 175 million people.

finance.yahoo.com

A surge in e-commerce and declining cash usage during the COVID-19 pandemic have boosted India’s state-led shared payments infrastructure.

According to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the nation will have processed over $425 billion in commerce by the end of this year. Emboldened by growth and eyeing expansion, the United Payments Interface’s (UPI) umbrella organization is thinking about exporting the model to other countries.

Developed under state guidance and regulated by the country’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, the payments interface began as part of the larger India Stack project, which pooled application programming interfaces (APIs) that could be used by public and private actors to build digital infrastructure.

(more at link)

 

[Jackdaws]

NEW DELHI:

The Indian Railways
has disqualified the bid of a consortium of a

Chinese company
and an Indian firm for the manufacturing of 44

Vande Bharat
trainsets costing nearly Rs 1,800 crore. Now there are only two valid bids of

BHEL
and Medha Servo Drives. Medha, which had got the contract for the manufacturing for the first two such trains, has quoted the lowest bid, sources said.


Only three players had bid for this big contract including the CRRC-Pioneer Electric India, a joint venture between Beijing based

CRRC Yongji Electric Ltd
and India’s Pioneer Fil-Med Ltd, which has its plant in Haryana. It took almost four weeks for the railways to evaluate the tenders and take the final call. Railway officials had earlier told TOI that the tender committee would take the decision on the validity of bids.



READ ALSO:

• Vande Bharat train bid only for desi companies

Before applying for the train set procurement tender, the CRRC-Pioneer Electric India had applied for registration here after it was made mandatory for companies with beneficial ownership in countries sharing land borders with India to get registered for participating in public procurement contracts.


Exact reasons for disqualification of this JV’s bid was not available till Tuesday evening. The JV had also put its bid when the railways had invited bids for procurement of these trains early this year. It had become a major issue in the light of India-China face off on the Ladakh border. The tender was cancelled and the ministry had claimed that the decision was taken on technical ground.


READ ALSO:

• China link: Tender for 44 Vande Bharat trains cancelled

Later the ministry had tweaked the tender conditions to make it an indigenous tender with stipulation of minimum local content of 75%.


Interestingly, the railways had carried a series of probes into the role of its senior officials posted at ICF, Chennai who were involved in the manufacturing of the first two Vande Bharat trainsets. They were accused of putting conditions that restricted the participation of bidders. “The number of bidders were more than compared to now and finally there are only two bidders,” said a railway ministry source.

 

[Nilgiri]

Most auto-makers end 2020 on the fast lane; CV sales still lagging

Most report double-digit sales growth

www.thehindubusinessline.com

 

[xizhimen]

China co gets contract for part of Delhi-Meerut RRTS project​

PTI | Jan 4, 2021, 05:33 IST

NEW DELHI: The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has awarded a contract to a Chinese company, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering CompanyLimited, for the construction of a 5.6-km underground stretch, from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad, of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project.

The NCRTC, which is executing the country's first Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), said the contract was awarded following the set procedure and guidelines.

"Approvals have to be taken at various levels for bids that are funded by multilateral agencies. This bid was also awarded following the set procedure and guidelines. Now, all the civil work tenders of the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor have been awarded and the construction is going on in full swing to commission the project in time," an NCRTC spokesperson said.

A controversy had erupted in June last year after the STEC emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of the 5.6-km tunnel on one of the stretches of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project amid a standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

The 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and procurement is governed by the guidelines of the bank and the government. According to the ADB's procurement guidelines, vendors from all member countries of the bank are eligible to participate in the bidding process without any discrimination.

The NCRTC had invited bids for the construction of the tunnel from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad of Delhi Ghaziabad Meerut RRTS corridor on November 9, 2019. Five companies submitted technical bids and all the five bidders qualified in the technical bid evaluation.

China co gets contract for part of Delhi-Meerut RRTS project - Times of India

India Business News: The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has awarded a contract to a Chinese company, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited, fo

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

[Nilgiri]

In India, Smartphones and Cheap Data Are Giving Women a Voice

About 200 million women in the country are illiterate. But voice memo and image-sharing apps make it easier to connect, communicate, and run businesses.

www.wired.com

Ravi Agarwal, author of the 2018 book India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World's Largest Democracy says that for many Indians, the smartphone is their first private TV screen, personal music player, computer, and camera. Agarwal compares it to the experience of owning a car for the first time—autonomy, privacy, and mobility.

This is particularly true for women, who are less likely to be literate or employed in the formal workforce. Even among the literate, many read and write in one of India’s more than 30 official languages—another hurdle to accessing the internet on personal computers and laptops with English keyboards. In 2015, only 10 percent of internet users in India’s rural areas were women. As smartphones and data plans have become more accessible, that figure has risen to roughly 30 percent, according to IAMAI, a trade group of internet and telecom companies.


Companies including Google, Intel, and Facebook have worked with local organizations to make it easier for women to access the internet. Google and Tata Trusts, for example, run the Internet Saathi, or Internet Friend, program, which trains rural women to be digital pioneers. They are taught to use smartphones in sessions where they are provided with phones and power banks. By December 2019, the program had trained more than 83,300 women to be Saathis. In turn, they had introduced over 34 million women to the internet.

(More at link)

 

[Nilgiri]

New Year cheer: Nomura’s business index hits a new high - Pehal News

NEW DELHI: In an encouraging begin to the new yr, monetary companies main Nomura on Monday mentioned its weekly tracker

www.pehalnews.in

NEW DELHI: In an encouraging begin to the new yr, monetary companies main Nomura on Monday mentioned its weekly tracker that measures economic normalisation in India, has touched a new high beginning January reflecting a additional moderation in new instances and likewise indicated an financial upcycle in 2021.



Led by an enchancment in mobility indices, in sync with the vacation season, the Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI) picked as much as 94.5 for the week ending 3 January from a mean of 91.7 December.

“Since its trough in April, economic normalisation has continued nearly uninterrupted, with NIBRI ending 2020 just around 5.5 percentage points below pre-pandemic activity levels,” Nomura mentioned in its report ‘Economic normalisation continues apace’.

Finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey in an interview instructed ET that transactions below the products and services tax (GST) present that the economic system is on a continued path of restoration even after a resurgence of Covid-19 forcing reimposition of motion restrictions and lockdowns in main elements of the nation.

December GST collections at report Rs 1.15 lakh crore, up about 12% year-on-year, was the very best since April 2019 whereas the tempo of contraction in exports slowed to 0.8% final month from 8.74% decline in November.

As per the Nomura tracker, energy demand has additionally been robust, though the newest week corrected by 2.7% week-on-week after rising by 2.7% and three.1% over the previous two weeks. The labour participation charge eased to 40.3% in early January from 40.9% in December.

“This faster normalisation reflects a further moderation in new cases, despite the festive and winter season,” it mentioned, including that in tandem, exercise knowledge like auto gross sales, import development, GST proceeds, manufacturing PMI and diesel gross sales improved.

Similarly, the well being of the India’s manufacturing sector continued to strengthen with the IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rising to 56.4 in December, a tick larger than November’s studying of 56.3, knowledge launched on Monday confirmed.

The Japanese monetary companies agency mentioned that whereas weak international development and a sudden volte-face on home pandemic management are key quick time period dangers, over the medium time period, simpler monetary circumstances, stronger international demand and accelerated vaccinations may result in an financial upcycle in 2021.

 

[Nilgiri]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1346094033957838849

 

[Nilgiri]

More logistics expansion by DFC:

Two 1.5 Km long, Heavy Haul Double Stack Container Trains powered by electric locos were flagged off by Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi from DFC's New Ateli & New Kishangarh stations today.

 

[Nilgiri]

PLI (Production linked incentive) aims to remunerate manufacturers for increasing total manufacturing output and the production of key goods in India.

For example, if a company manufactures 1000 units in India on an annual basis then increases to 2000 units, the government will issue an incentive for the additional 1000 units. Previous incentive schemes have provided between 2-6% of sales depending on the sector and size of the factory. As a result, these manufacturers could either produce more for the Indian market or produce in India to export to other countries.

Many mobile phone manufacturers, including Foxconn, Pegatron and Apple already manufacture their products in India. In just two years, India has become the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer (after China), as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world.

Source: https://www.inaa.org/india-launches...e PLI scheme, where the,of key goods in India.

===============================================================

Essentially its a subsidy for increased production in key sectors to boost them. It is one part of larger operationalising of equity and fiscal room to reboot Indian economy back into higher growth rate as covid pandemic crisis recedes.

PLI outlay:

7,500 crore is about 1 billion USD for reference.

Total scheme of 200,000 crore (so far) is about 27 billion USD. Most of it will be 3 year program, some of it 4 year and telecoms is 5 year.

@Indos @Saithan @Madokafc @#comcom at al.

 

[Madokafc]

PLI (Production linked incentive) aims to remunerate manufacturers for increasing total manufacturing output and the production of key goods in India.

For example, if a company manufactures 1000 units in India on an annual basis then increases to 2000 units, the government will issue an incentive for the additional 1000 units. Previous incentive schemes have provided between 2-6% of sales depending on the sector and size of the factory. As a result, these manufacturers could either produce more for the Indian market or produce in India to export to other countries.

Many mobile phone manufacturers, including Foxconn, Pegatron and Apple already manufacture their products in India. In just two years, India has become the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer (after China), as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world.

Source: https://www.inaa.org/india-launches-new-pli-scheme-to-grow-its-manufacturing-base/#:~:text=The PLI scheme, where the,of key goods in India.

===============================================================

Essentially its a subsidy for increased production in key sectors to boost them. It is one part of larger operationalising of equity and fiscal room to reboot Indian economy back into higher growth rate as covid pandemic crisis recedes.

PLI outlay:

7,500 crore is about 1 billion USD for reference.

Total scheme of 200,000 crore (so far) is about 27 billion USD. Most of it will be 3 year program, some of it 4 year and telecoms is 5 year.

@Indos @Saithan @Madokafc @#comcom at al.

Other country other scheme to attract foreign Investment and domestic Investment

From PWC about Corporate tax in Indonesia,

Indonesia - Corporate - Tax credits and incentives

Detailed description of corporate tax credits and incentives in Indonesia

taxsummaries.pwc.com

 

[Gary]

PLI (Production linked incentive) aims to remunerate manufacturers for increasing total manufacturing output and the production of key goods in India.

For example, if a company manufactures 1000 units in India on an annual basis then increases to 2000 units, the government will issue an incentive for the additional 1000 units. Previous incentive schemes have provided between 2-6% of sales depending on the sector and size of the factory. As a result, these manufacturers could either produce more for the Indian market or produce in India to export to other countries.

Many mobile phone manufacturers, including Foxconn, Pegatron and Apple already manufacture their products in India. In just two years, India has become the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer (after China), as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world.

Source: https://www.inaa.org/india-launches-new-pli-scheme-to-grow-its-manufacturing-base/#:~:text=The PLI scheme, where the,of key goods in India.

===============================================================

Essentially its a subsidy for increased production in key sectors to boost them. It is one part of larger operationalising of equity and fiscal room to reboot Indian economy back into higher growth rate as covid pandemic crisis recedes.

PLI outlay:

7,500 crore is about 1 billion USD for reference.

Total scheme of 200,000 crore (so far) is about 27 billion USD. Most of it will be 3 year program, some of it 4 year and telecoms is 5 year.

@Indos @Saithan @Madokafc @#comcom at al.

Is there any plan for microchip design and manufacturing? I don't know if this had anything to do with the Indian economy but what is the current state of Indian chip technology?

 

[Jackdaws]

Is there any plan for microchip design and manufacturing? I don't know if this had anything to do with the Indian economy but what is the current state of Indian chip technology?

Nah, India doesn't have a chip manufacturing unit, AFAIK.

 

[Nilgiri]

Is there any plan for microchip design and manufacturing? I don't know if this had anything to do with the Indian economy but what is the current state of Indian chip technology?

Tbh, India has missed out on lot of basic PCB that delivers huge bulk to electronics production...so chips story is more of the same overall.

But the summary is something like this:

ISRO design + production 180 nm established, there is research + work to 70 nm move now. These are proprietary chips (non-commercial)

Military (DRDO etc) research and proprietary chip fap also fairly established around 150nm currently for application where COTS stuff is more security risk etc.

Commercial = 0 production (massive near unmovable capital sink in Taiwan, SoKo and China given India late to field)

Commercial RnD (Intel etc), commensurate with Indian potential or even better.

Startup scene more application based rather than production, but some promising signs.

More (and some pics/summary etc), can click "show this thread" at bottom there:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1286896465894207494

@Gautam @Milspec @Rajaraja Chola might have more to say if they are around.

 

[Nilgiri]

Original Credit to Alstom.

@Vergennes

 

[Rajendra Chola]

Tbh, India has missed out on lot of basic PCB that delivers huge bulk to electronics production...so chips story is more of the same overall.

But the summary is something like this:

ISRO design + production 180 nm established, there is research + work to 70 nm move now. These are proprietary chips (non-commercial)

Military (DRDO etc) research and proprietary chip fap also fairly established around 150nm currently for application where COTS stuff is more security risk etc.

Commercial = 0 production (massive near unmovable capital sink in Taiwan, SoKo and China given India late to field)

Commercial RnD (Intel etc), commensurate with Indian potential or even better.

Startup scene more application based rather than production, but some promising signs.

More (and some pics/summary etc), can click "show this thread" at bottom there:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1286896465894207494

@Gautam @Milspec @Rajaraja Chola might have more to say if they are around.

Indian design over microchip is very much complete. We have huge companies in Chennai and Bangalore just doing chip design. Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Broadcom. Add to that many local Indian companies which many haven't even heard off, are doing 3rd party design contracting for many reputed chip companies. My close friend is still working in one in Chennai.

But manufacturing wise we have 0. Everytime a design is made, prototype is made and sent from US or Japan or Taiwan. Even on electronic production we are trying to scale up only on mass consumer products like TV or mobiles or nowadays tab and laptops. But there is a huge market outside of those consumer products which we have probably 2-3% market share in the world. Oh yea we have huge PCB manufacturing capabilities by lots of EMS firms but somehow even Foxconn or Sanmina India couldn't compete with their Chinese counterparts of their own companies with labour and land prices low in India. That's cos every component for mounting on PCB has to come from China, Thailand and Taiwan.

The situation is changing now. Especially in the last 2 years. I was surprised to find RF cables being made in India (I ordered those from Canada) from reputed manufacturers. Verizon is making telecom products in India (for eg) and many such companies I can't reveal. India needs to pull up the socks in battery and electric car components manufacturing now. But barring chip manufacturing, (some new investments are being made around Chennai this year for small scale factory by a private company), Electronics manufacturing we are looking bright.

 

[Nilgiri]

Indian design over microchip is very much complete. We have huge companies in Chennai and Bangalore just doing chip design. Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Broadcom. Add to that many local Indian companies which many haven't even heard off, are doing 3rd party design contracting for many reputed chip companies. My close friend is still working in one in Chennai.

But manufacturing wise we have 0. Everytime a design is made, prototype is made and sent from US or Japan or Taiwan. Even on electronic production we are trying to scale up only on mass consumer products like TV or mobiles or nowadays tab and laptops. But there is a huge market outside of those consumer products which we have probably 2-3% market share in the world. Oh yea we have huge PCB manufacturing capabilities by lots of EMS firms but somehow even Foxconn or Sanmina India couldn't compete with their Chinese counterparts of their own companies with labour and land prices low in India. That's cos every component for mounting on PCB has to come from China, Thailand and Taiwan.

The situation is changing now. Especially in the last 2 years. I was surprised to find RF cables being made in India (I ordered those from Canada) from reputed manufacturers. Verizon is making telecom products in India (for eg) and many such companies I can't reveal. India needs to pull up the socks in battery and electric car components manufacturing now. But barring chip manufacturing, (some new investments are being made around Chennai this year for small scale factory by a private company), Electronics manufacturing we are looking bright.

Yep massive capital sink like I said, even for PCB.

Hopefully some good flow of it for this decade more than last one, PLI hopefully will help.

 

[Nilgiri]

Aeromag

www.aeromag.in

AAI’s Chennai Airport has been witnessing tremendous traffic growth over the years which has necessitated the revamp of the airport aimed at providing a world -class terminal to passengers. The second phase of Chennai Airport Modernization commenced in the year 2019 when Hon’ble Prime Minister of India laid the foundation stone for the prestigious project.

The modernization of the Chennai Airport is planned in two stages. The first stage has seen dismantling of the existing Domestic Terminal T-2 with an area of 19,250 sqm. for construction of new facility which is scheduled to be commissioned by June 2021. The second stage will be the demolishment of International Terminal T-3, with an area of 42,300 sqm. and construction of New Terminal. The total project will be commissioned by December 2022.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 2467 Cr which also includes integration of airside corridor for seamless flow, augmentation of contact bays, integration of multi-level mechanized car park and Metro rail.

The New combined terminal (Stage-1+ Stage-2) which will function as one large Integrated terminal for International and Domestic operations having a total area of 2,18,000 sqm. will enhance the present capacity from 21 million passengers per annum to 35 million passengers per annum.

The design of roof is most important as it gives the structure an iconic look. It is derived from the traditional form of local art and culture; the movement of traditional costume from Tamil Nadu’s Bharatanatyam dance. The pleats in these costumes open beautifully when the dancer forms particular postures and the roof will reflect the movement and lightness of the garment. The fabric-like roof lightly sits above the terminal with the ripples creating from layers of curvature roof structure. The roof then cantilevers over the forecourt road to create a welcoming space and weather protection for the passenger and visitors alike. Evidently, the new terminal and its interiors will reflect an array of aesthetic elements taken from the rich cultural repository of Tamil Nadu.

The new terminal will also be GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) compliant, with various eco-friendly materials planned to be used during the construction phase. A host of new facilities will ensure passengers flow is smooth and safety/security aspects are given equal importance. Apart from multiple lounges and master concessionaires; Automated Tray Retrieval System (ATRS), Self-Baggage Drop (SBD) Passenger Flow Monitoring System (PFMS) and Boarding Process Control e-Gates will enhance passenger convenience.

With the commissioning of Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP), the present 1200 car parking capacity will increase to 3000. The buildings will accommodate car parking area along with spaces created for commercial use.

AAI has also taken up works to enhance the efficiency of operational area (airside) of the airport by constructing Rapid Exit Taxiways (RET’s), taxiways to the main runway (07/25), taxiway straightening works etc. The RETs will reduce runway occupancy time of aircraft. The introduction of MARS (Multi Apron Ramp System) ensures optimal usage of tarmac/Apron.

Commissioning of New Terminal will not only create new opportunities for the communities around airport but will also provide the required impetus to health and educational tourism

Chennai Airport is the fourth biggest airport in India in terms of passenger handled every year. With the new terminal coming up, Chennai Airport will be termed as one of the unique engineering marvels

 

[Nilgiri]

8 lanes, 1350km, 90,000cr (~12.5 billion USD), estimated completion: Jan 2023.

Will reduce travel time from about 24 hours (currently) to ~12 hours.

I especially like the wildlife/animal corridor underpass and overpasses.

Work in progress from 2020:

 

[Jackdaws]

This is in addition to the Bombay Nagpur one being built. Nagpur is almost exactly in the center of the country.

 

[crixus]

This is in addition to the Bombay Nagpur one being built. Nagpur is almost exactly in the center of the country.

Infra is where even opposition appreciates Mr Gadkari