Smart cities need to be customised to Indian context: Piyush Goyal
Development of smart cities in the country will have to be customised to the Indian context while leveraging on economies of scale to make the requisite technology affordable, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal today said. Addressing Smart Cities India Expo here, he said the development of smart cities or towns would have to be done “smartly”. The smart city concept should be practical, doable and affordable, which can be deliberated, discussed and then implemented, he added. “We got to think smart when we think of smart cities or smart technologies playing a role in India. How can we do it customised to the Indian context. How can we do it with the bare bone essentials, which would help have an impact. How can we do it to scale so that we can leverage the large economies of scale,” Goyal said. The Centre had in January announced the first batch of 20 smart cities in 11 states and New Delhi. These 20 cities proposed an investment of Rs 50,802 crore over the next five years. The minister said the power of economies of scale, the power of leveraging billion plus aspiring individuals, ensuring affordability to make a programme self sustainable, practical application in the Indian context are the keys to the implementation of smart cities. Goyal said India has certain challenges but the country that has demographic advantage also offers huge market opportunities. He talked about importance of disposal of wastage for the smart city movement and stressed on the need for adequate dustbins at an affordable cost. Citing the example of electric distribution network, Goyal said there is a need to replace the existing meters with smart meters, which in Indian context should have tamper-proof mechanism and two-way communication. “That’s the smart meter I am looking for. I don’t think it should cost more than $12-15. If we can do it at $15, I have a proposition of 250 million smart meters. That is the scale at which India offers opportunities,” he said. On energy efficiencies, Goyal highlighted that the Centre is running a 770-million LED bulb programme, which will cost less than $1 billion with no government investment. The cost of the LED bulb has come down by 83 per cent from Rs 310 to Rs 54.90 per piece, Goyal said adding people could save $6.5 billion every year in their electricity bills by switching to LED bulbs. Anthony Sherman Authentic Jersey
Gas Connections in Villages
The Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan informed that it is Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) aim to increase the National LPG coverage to 75 % with minimum 60 % coverage at State level and at least one distributor in each block by 2019. Further, the Government has launched “Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana” for providing LPG connections to 5 crore women belonging to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families over a period of 3 years starting from FY 2016-17. Priority will be given to those States where LPG coverage is lower than the national coverage. Currently, the process for setting up of more than 1800 new LPG distributorships is at different stages of selection across the country. Nicolas Meloche Jersey
Inspection to be carried in Chennai airport after several complaints received
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju today ordered Airports Authority of India (AAI) to carry out an inspection of the Chennai Airport, which has seen over 40 incidents of collapse of glass panels, granite slabs and false ceiling since 2013. The government-run airport operator has also been asked to fix the maintenance issues at the earliest, Raju said in a tweet today. “Recd (received). several msgs (messages) on maintenance issues at Chennai airport. Passed orders for inspection by senior officers and immediate rectification,” Raju tweeted. The Chennai airport was upgraded and modernised by the AAI in 2013 at an investment of over Rs 2,000 crore. The airport is, however, facing multitude of problems both relating to structural as well as maintenance issues. Last month alone, three incidents of a portion of false ceiling crashing down were reported at the airport. Alex Cappa Jersey
E-comm, tech startups to dominate hiring landscape: TeamLease
E-commerce and tech startups are likely to dominate hiring landscape in the coming months as the sector is likely to witness a 23.6 per cent growth in jobs during April-September, says a report. According to the TeamLease Employment Outlook Report, the increase in consumer spending and the renewed focus on market expansion will have a positive impact on hiring. However, manufacturing & engineering and infrastructure seem to be bearing the brunt of negative sentiment created by the slow progress of Make in India initiative. On the functional front, sales, IT and blue collar profiles will benefit substantially from the net positive sentiment. The rush to acquire driving and delivery skills seems to be boosting the demand for blue collar jobs. “Make in India initiative which was the critical driver of employment sentiment over the past couple of half years seems to be losing its sheen. In fact, the job market is maturing and giving way to business growth leading hiring. We are confident the buoyancy created will stabilise the market and lead to job creation,” TeamLease Services Senior Vice President Kunal Sen said. Hiring is largely clustered in metros and Tier I cities. In terms of cities, except for Kolkata and Ahmedabad, most of the cities reported positive job outlook. Tier II and III cities are also expected to contribute to the optimism as consumer spending in organised retail chains and e-commerce in these geographies are picking up steam. The study covered nine key industry verticals namely FMCG, manufacturing & engineering, BFSI, telecommunication, pharma & healthcare, IT, retail and e-commerce & technology startups across eight cities. Alex McGough Authentic Jersey
Work on phase I of coastal road in Mumbai to start by December
Work on the first phase of the much-delayed Rs 14,000-crore coastal road project in Mumbai is expected to start by the end of this year, Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said today. The municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai will implement the 34-km project in eight phases. “We have invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from interested parties and waiting for the pre-bids to come out. We are hopeful that by November or December we will be able to start the civil work on the first phase,” Mehta said at a seminar here. He said the first phase includes a road from Priyadarshani Park to Bandra. It would provide an alternative to the existing traffic-clogged Western Express Highway. Mehta said the draft Development Plan 2034 for the city is ready and by the end of this month it will be made public for suggestions. The draft DP 2034 was first announced in February last year, only to be withdrawn two months later after being criticised for errors such as wrong reservations applied to certain zones and plots. Ryan Miller Authentic Jersey
Air India flying high on State Assembly elections
The Assembly elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are helping Air India in its bid to become profitable, giving it a financial bonanza, albeit one underwritten by the taxpayer. The airline is expected to rake in about ?23 crore for the 32 special charters that it is operating to transport security forces from one corner of the country to another to ensure that the election process passes off peacefully. Air India has already flown 32 special charters and is likely to operate three more till May 16 when votes are cast in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, ending the poll process in these States and Union Territory. The airline has deployed its Airbus A-320 aircraft for these charters flights. Sources told BusinessLine that the aircraft were chartered only for a particular flight between various cities from which the forces need to move. “No airline will agree to keep the aircraft out of commercial service for the entire duration of the elections,” a senior official said. The Election Commission has deployed over 32,000 personnel from Central police forces in Tamil Nadu, while 12,000 will be deployed in Kerala for the polling on May 16. The majority of the forces were airlifted from Kolkata to the two States after being deployed in West Bengal and Assam. Nearly 80,000 CPF were deployed in West Bengal. The process of electing State Assemblies started in March when the Election Commission announced that Tamil Nadu and Kerala as also Puducherry will go to polls on May 16. It also announced that West Bengal would have a six-phase poll starting on April 4 and ending on May 5, while Assam would have a two-phase poll on April 4 and 11. Counting of votes will take place on May 19. Brooks Orpik USA Womens Jersey
MMRDA starts bidding process for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link
In a major development in the much ambitious Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) today started the bidding process for the project and the contract will be awarded in the next 5-6 months. “Yesterday, we received the approval from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for funding the project and today we started the bidding process,” Metropolitan Commissioner UPS Madan said at an event here. He said in the next 5-6 months, the contract will be awarded for Rs 17,500 crore worth project. The project completion deadline has been set at 2019, but the commencement is itself getting delayed. There was delay in signing of loan agreement between Maharashtra government and JICA for the project where the state will borrow to the extent of 80 per cent of the total cost. As per MMRDA’s plan, the MTHL will have a total of six lanes, three in either direction. Of the total 22-km, 16.5-km will be bridge component and the balance would be on coast at Sewri and Nhava. Earlier, there were plans to have a metro line for public transport on MTHL, but it has been shelved off by MMRDA officials to have a toll-based bridge.
India to connect better with neighbours via infra projects
With support of Asian Development Bank (ADB), India is developing various infrastructure projects worth $5 billion in South Asia to improve connectivity in the region. “With ADB support, India is presently developing two priority road corridors. The first will connect India with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan through the ‘chicken neck’ area of North Bengal,” Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said today. He was speaking at the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) 2025 workshop here. The second road corridor will establish India-Myanmar connectivity in Manipur, he said, adding Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) at Agartala and Petrapole on India-Bangladesh border will be operationalised. “Another ICP at Moreh on India-Myanmar border will be developed. We are also planning to establish ICPs and improved Land Customs Stations (LCS) at key border points with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan to ease the movement of goods and people within the subregion. “India is planning to develop regional connectivity projects worth almost $5 billion in SASEC,” he said. India has also been assisting its neighbours in the sub-continent to improve their power situation. The India-Bangladesh transmission line is providing safe and reliable interconnection of the power grids to supply 500 MW of power to Bangladesh, he said. The 1,320 MW Maitree Thermal Power Project, a joint venture of NTPC and Bangladesh Power Development Board, will be developed, he said. The Power Grid Corporation of IndiaBSE -0.56 % is also engaged in developing three 230 kv transmission lines in Myanmar with the support of a credit line of $64 million between the Exim Bank of India and the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, he added. Discussions are also on for a 1,680 km mega gas pipeline project linking Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan with India, he said, adding that at the request of the four participating countries, ADB has agreed to house the secretariat of this project. Recently, India has launched a major port-led development initiative called ‘Sagarmala’, which will help modernise ports and coastlines to contribute more to growth. “Apart from the modernisation of the existing ports in the east coast, India is developing two new ports on the same coast line at Dugarajapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Sagar Island in West Bengal. These ports will further enhance our trade with the neighbours and ASEAN countries,” Das said. Das further said India is also developing the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), with ADB as lead partner, and Vizag Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) project is part of the first phase. The goal of the ECEC is not only to generate domestic output and employment, but also to create a more competitive environment for the development of trade and industry in the region, he said. The ECEC will facilitate the movement of the bulk of India’s major natural resources like coal and iron ore and can serve as a node for extractive and downstream value-added industries, he said. About 90 per cent of India’s trade by volume and 70 per cent by value are moved through ports and the major ports thus play a key role in facilitating external trade. The focus has been on improving the port infrastructure, modernisation of existing facilities and increasing the capacity and draught at ports, he said. Mika Zibanejad Womens Jersey
Samsung, Micromax, Intex lead Indian smartphone market in Q4
Samsung Electronics, Micromax Informatics and Intex led the Indian mobile phone market in the quarter ended March, when midpriced smartphones captured the biggest slice of the market by volume for the first time, exceeding the share of entry-level devices. It was a huge quarter for Indian brands – their share of the smartphone market was at an all-time high of 45%, while 67% of all phones shipped were made in India, according to CyberMedia Research’s India mobile handset report on Tuesday. The mid-price segment – devices costing Rs 10,000-15,000 – accounted for about 22% of smartphone shipments in the quarter, overtaking the Rs 6,000-8,000 band, which typically leads by volume share. “The increase has been primarily due to introduction of shipments by LeEco and launch of new handsets/significant increase in shipments from Lenovo, Oppo, LG, Panasonic, Micromax, Intex, Lyf and Vivo,” said Faisal Kawoosa, lead analyst at CyberMedia Research’s telecom practice. The smartphone category registered an impressive 21.4% year-onyear growth even as the average price of these devices surged, while sales of feature phones fell and the overall market shrank. Smartphone shipments climbed to 23.6 million units, although they dropped 8% from the previous quarter, on the back of an inventory build-up in the three months ended December, which added to the cyclical trough seen during the first quarter every year. The average selling price of a smartphone increased to Rs 12,983 in March from Rs 10,364 a year earlier and Rs 12,285 in December, CyberMedia said. India shipped 52.8 million handsets in the January-to-March period compared with 55.4 million a year earlier. The number declined 12.8% from 60.5 million in the quarter ended December. Sales of feature phones declined 17% sequentially and 19% on year to 29.2 million units in the quarter. Samsung led with a 28% share in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market, followed by Micromax with 16% and Intex with 12%. The No. 4 and No. 5 positions were taken by Lenovo and Reliance Jio, with 9% and 8% shares, respectively. CyberMedia was the second agency to report Jio’s entry in the top five smartphone space with its Lyf-branded phones, after Counterpoint Technology Market Research said last week the company’s share was 7%. Samsung also led the overall market with a 25% share, followed by Micromax (13%) and Intex (12%). The market share of Chinese and other global brands declined by a few percentage points. “While the global players are increasingly focusing on 4G LTE technology, domestic players could still see some profits in 3G technology. Moving forward, it would be all about 4G LTE and 2016 is the year when a major transformation is expected in the telecom sector with respect to change in technology,” said Krishna Mukherjee, telecoms analyst at CyberMedia. Fozzy Whittaker Authentic Jersey
Snapdeal gross sales growth dives
Online marketplace Snapdeal, one of SoftBank’s biggest bets in India, registered a slower growth in its gross sales for the year ended March 2016 as it fought rivals Amazon and Flipkart in a fierce battle for supremacy of the Indian e-commerce space. Numbers shared by SoftBank in its earnings presentation on Tuesday said Snapdeal’s gross merchandize value, or GMV, grew 90% at the end of the financial year 2015-16 against 301% in the previous fiscal. This comes on the back of Amazon weaning away marketshare from domestic players, more so from Snapdeal. GMV is the overall sales done by merchants on an e-commerce platform, without factoring discounts and returns, out of which e-tailers get between 5-20% as margin depending on the category. GMV has been a key metric to determine the lofty valuations of e-commerce companies in India but Snapdeal’s founder & CEO Kunal Bahl recently posited he no longer sees it as the only metric worth chasing. But that wasn’t the case always – Bahl had said last year that Snapdeal would top Flipkart’s GMV at the end of 2015. SoftBank holds around 32% in Snapdeal, which closed last year with $3.5-4 billion in GMV as reported earlier. The country’s largest online retailer Flipkart too has been grappling with growth slowdown in the backdrop of Amazon’s aggressive moves. The Bengaluru-based e-tailer is expected to have closed December 2015 with a GMV of $4.5-5 billion while Amazon’s India unit grew 250% in terms of GMV against 2014, albeit on a smaller base. None of the e-commerce companies officially share GMV numbers. When contacted, a Snapdeal spokesperson said in an emailed response, “Rapid growth year on year, followed by a doubling of business on a much larger base, is an indicator of the pace at which we are growing. Our shipment volumes have grown rapidly and in the period Jan-March 2016, our shipment volume was 1.96 times of the volume in the same period last year. All our growth initiatives are aligned with our vision of having 20 million daily transacting users (DTUs) on our platform by the year 2020.” Earlier in February, Snapdeal closed a $200-million financing round, majority of which saw secondary transactions. It got a primary capital infusion worth Rs 335 crore during the same time, valuing the company at $6.5 billion. SoftBank, which is also a major investor in app-based cab aggregator Ola, reported that the company has improved its expected time of arrival by 55% and has the largest network of cabs in the country. Ola competes with San Francisco-based Uber which has been playing aggressively in India. Oyo Rooms, a hotel aggregator, has turned profitable on an aggregate level while registering 15 times growth in its business, the earnings presentation by SoftBank said. Aldon Smith Womens Jersey