Manufacturing sector needs to be strengthened for employment generation

Ministry of Micro,Small & Medium Enterprises Press Release dated 29th June 2021

Shri Nitin Gadkari says Manufacturing sector needs to be strengthened for employment generation

Posted Date:- Jun 29, 2021

Minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that the Manufacturing sector needs to be strenghtened for employment generation and eradicate poverty. Addressing the commerce and industry fraternity of Maharashtra during  the 16th Dr Gadgil Memorial lecture he said we have to make vision for the future in an integrated manner where conversion of knowledge into wealth takes place.

Shri Gadkari said talented young skilled manpower is the strength of the country. He said we need to reduce our imports and increase our exports. The Minister said policies have to be planned for socially and  econimically  backward areas to support entrepreneurs. He said decentralisation of industry is very important for development.

Full event link https://youtu.be/XFxoJYqWGW4

*****

Online licensing for use of Spectrum to conduct Experiments, Demonstrations, etc. now a reality

Ministry of Communication Press release dated 29 June 2021

Online licensing for use of Spectrum to conduct Experiments, Demonstrations, etc. now a reality


Department of Telecommunications expands Saral Sanchar Portal

Applications will be online, no physical interface necessary

Time bound processing: Deemed approval in certain cases

In an important initiative to encourage spectrum based applications and for experiment, demonstration and testing requirements, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing (WPC) today launched the initiative to facilitate online licensing for use of Spectrum to conduct Experiments, Demonstrations, etc.  The scope of existing Saral Sanchar Portal of DoT, on which application for Access Services, Internet Services and other licenses are being received, was expanded for receipt, processing and grant of licenses for spectrum to conduct experiment, demonstration, testing, manufacturing, etc.  With this addition, nearly all the permissions required from the WPC Wing, which include permissions for equipment type approval, satellite licenses, amateur licenses, allocations by Standing Committee of Radio Frequency Allocation, etc. have become online.

Launching these online licenses for experiments, Secretary Telecom, Shri Anshu Prakash expressed hope that this would boost the ecosystem of design and applications in wireless technologies.  The approval process will be faceless, transparent and also time bound.  The said permissions in the form of licenses will include the clearances for possessing wireless equipment, import of necessary modules & subsystems and demonstration of R&D products.  Hence separate permissions for related activities will not be required.  All permissions are now bundled together.

The following are the key features:

(i) Self-declaration (instant issue of licenses) for Indoor  Experimentation (R&D), Indoor Demonstration and  Manufacturing.

(ii) Just One license including all the licensing requirements of the  user – Use of Spectrum, Import of related products and sub- assemblies, demonstration, possession of wireless equipment  etc.

(iii) Deemed approval within 6 to 8 weeks from the date of  application for all outdoor radiating licenses.

(iv) The Spectrum is offered on “Non-interference and non- protection basis” and on “No commercial services”.

These measures would facilitate the Indian companies to strengthen R&D and manufacturing ecosystem and for creating Indian IPRs and Global solutions. This will also promote India as hub of wireless products and applications with potential of enhanced Indian contribution in global technology value chain.

****

SERB-DST partners with Intel India to launch first-of-its-kind initiative to advance deep tech-based research in India

The Indian research community will soon be able to pursue industry-relevant research opportunities in the areas of deep technologies that are novel, transformative, and can have a ground-breaking impact on a national scale.

The opportunities will be offered by the first-of-its-kind research initiative called ‘Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (FIRE)’ launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, in collaboration with Intel India on June 29, 2021.

It will increase research opportunities in the space of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), platform systems, circuits & architecture, Internet of Things (IoT), materials & devices, security, and so on from edge to cloud.

“It is our vision to promote research in the upcoming critical areas of science and engineering with Public-Private Partnerships as elaborated in the draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2021,” said DST Secretary Prof Ashutosh Sharma, speaking at the launch.

SERB-FIRE is a novel initiative to bring together industry and academia on a common platform to exchange ground-breaking ideas and co-promote innovative research. I believe this collaboration will open many new doors for exploration in scientific research, which could make India a key player in technology-based solutions,” he added.

Prof Sandeep Verma, Secretary, SERB, emphasized that SERB-FIRE promises to bring support for strong ideations, especially in futuristic S&T thematic areas, and aims to bring expertise in academia and industry together with a new model of cooperation.

“SERB-Intel collaboration will be an excellent opportunity for the scientists to join hands with Intel and together create a stimulating atmosphere for research in science and engineering. There is a synergy that could be built upon through this programme which would be governed by industry-specific problems,’’ Prof Verma said.

The FIRE program is a joint government and industry initiative with a co-funding mechanism to promote innovative technology solutions and strengthen academic research through collaboration with key research and development (R&D) organizations in India. Having been conceived in collaboration with Intel India, it is also being extended to other industry members, which would increase its impact and reach.

Jitendra Chaddah, Country Manager, Global Supply Chain, Intel India, pointed out that FIRE is a one-of-its-kind collaborative initiative that aims to transform the culture of research in India and strengthen the technology ecosystem. This is a critical program that will lead to impactful research outcomes in key technology areas like AI, ML, cloud, edge, and security at the national and global scale.”

The program intends to select highly impactful research projects in every cycle (typically once or twice a year), which have breakthrough potential at a national or global level. It will support the best researchers in academia with funding, mentoring, and industry connect.

As the next step, the FIRE program will share a Request for Proposal (RFP) and invite the Indian research community to submit research proposals.

Ministry of Science & Technology Press release dated 29 July 2021

SS/RP (DST Media Cell)

Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme

Ministry of Food Processing Industries Press release dated 29th June 2021

Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan Completes One Year


Seed Capital worth Rs. 25.25 Cr. disbursed to State Rural Livelihood Mission under the scheme

‘One District One Product’ of 707 districts approved for 35 States/UTs

54 Common Incubation Centres approved in the 17 States/UTsPosted Date:- Jun 29, 2021

The centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector, marks the completion of its one year.

सूक्ष्म उद्यमों के संबल की कहानी #PMFME योजना कह रही है अपनी ज़ुबानी।

आत्मनिर्भर भारत अभियान के तहत @MOFPI_GOI की महत्वकांक्षी योजना @PMFMEScheme के एक वर्ष पूरे होने पर, योजना से जुड़े सभी लोगों को ढेर सारी बधाई।#OneYearofPMFMEScheme pic.twitter.com/AGCpETnKxp— FOOD PROCESSING MIN (@MOFPI_GOI) June 29, 2021

Launched on 29th June 2020, the PMFME Scheme is currently being implemented in 35 States and Union Territories. The online portal for the application of the PMFME Scheme was made live on 25th January 2021. More than 9000 individual beneficiaries have registered on the portal, out of which more than 3500 applications have been successfully submitted under the scheme.

Milestones achieved under the PMFME Scheme

  1. One District One Product

Under the One District One Product (ODOP) component of the PMFME Scheme, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries approved ODOP for 707 districts for 35 States and UTs, including 137 unique products as per the recommendations received by States/UTs. 

The GIS ODOP digital map of India has been launched to provide details of ODOP products of all the States and UTs. The digital map also has indicators for Tribal, SC, ST, and aspirational districts. It will enable stakeholders to make concerted efforts for its value chain development.

  1. Convergence

Under the PMFME Scheme, the Ministry signed three joint letters with the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. 

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has signed six Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), and Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI).

An agreement has been signed with the Union Bank of India as the Nodal Bank of the scheme and MoUs with 11 banks as official lending partners for the PMFME Scheme.

  1. Capacity Building and Incubation Centres

Under the Capacity Building component of the PMFME Scheme, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) and the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT) have been performing a key role in providing training and research support to selected enterprises/groups/clusters in partnership with the State Level Technical Institutions. The training of 371 Master Trainers has been conducted under the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) & various food domains.

NIFTEM & IIFPT have prepared training modules on 137 ODOPs which include 175 Presentations, 157 Videos, 166 DPRs, and 177 Course Content/Handbooks. Training of 469 District Level Trainers has been conducted in 18 States/UTs and in progress in other States. 491 District Resource Persons have been appointed across 302 districts. 

Under the scheme, 54 Common Incubation Centres have been approved in the 17 States and UTs like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, J&K, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, and Uttarakhand. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries in collaboration with the IIFPT has developed an online portal for submission of Common Incubation Centre proposals and an online common incubation centre map for the facilitation of details of incubation centres across the country.

  1. Seed Capital

The component under PMFME for providing seed capital to SHGs is being implemented with the support of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and its network of State Rural Livelihood Mission (SRLMs) operating at the state level. The PMFME Scheme envisages financial support of Rs. 40,000 for working capital and purchase of small tools for each member of SHGs engaged in food processing activities. To date, NRLM has recommended 43,086 SHG members to State Nodal Agencies (SNA) for an amount of Rs. 123.54 Cr. SNA has approved the seed capital of 8040 members and disbursed the amount of Rs. 25.25 Cr. to SRLM.  

  1. Marketing and Branding

Under the scheme, MoUs have been signed with NAFED and TRIFED to take up the marketing and branding support for 10 products each. NAFED has selected products like Pineapple, Millet based products, Coriander, Makhana, Honey, Ragi, Bakery, Isabgol, Turmeric, and Cherry for branding and marketing support. TRIFED has selected products like Honey, Tamarind, Spices, Amla, Pulses/Grains/Millets, Custard Apple, Wild Mushroom, Cashew, Black Rice, and Wild Apple under the scheme.

  1. Institutional Mechanism

All the 35 participating States and UTs have constituted/ identified their respective State Nodal Agencies, State Level Approval Committees, District Level Committees, and State Level Technical Institutions. Moreover, a call centre has been established at NIFTEM to address queries and guide the stakeholders of the Scheme.

  1. Promotion and Publicity of the PMFME Scheme

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries in collaboration with States/UTs and Agricultural Universities is conducting nationwide promotion and publicity of the PMFME Scheme to sensitize the stakeholders via radio, print media, offline workshops, webinars, regional language brochures/booklets, outdoor publicity, and over digital media via website, apps and social media platforms. The PMFME Scheme monthly e-newsletter is being sent to more than 5 lakh stakeholders. The PMFME Podcast series has been launched to interact with Agri-business incubators, industry experts, and startups.  

To commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence, under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiative, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries is conducting 75 Unique One District One Product (ODOP) webinars/offline workshops across the country in collaboration with States/UTs, NIFTEM, and IIFPT. A weekly series of success stories titled “Kahaani Sukshma Udyamon Ki” has been launched to bring 75 stories of existing micro food processing enterprises.  

About the PMFME Scheme

Launched under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme that aims to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and to promote formalization of the sector and provide support to Farmer Producer Organizations, Self Help Groups, and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain. With an outlay of Rs. 10,000 crore over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25, the scheme envisions to directly assist the 2,00,000 micro food processing units for providing financial, technical, and business support for upgradation of existing micro food processing enterprises.

For more details, visit:

https://pmfme.mofpi.gov.in/pmfme/#/Home-Page 

*****

APS/JKRelease Id :-1731151

Read this release in

Hindi

Enforcing Contracts Portal-Features & portal review

Dear Sir,

Please refer YouTube video link on Enforcing Contracts Portal-Features & portal review


https://youtu.be/0H3YoiquZgA

Extract copy of Press release issued by Ministry of Law & Justice dated 29th June 2021 given below for your reference :

Justice Department launches “Enforcing Contracts Portal”


The portal aims to promote ease of doing business and improve ‘Contract Enforcement Regime’ in country

The portal is envisioned to be a comprehensive source of information pertaining to the legislative and policy reforms being undertaken on the “Enforcing Contracts” parameters

The portal to provide easy access to latest information on commercial cases in  Dedicated Commercial Courts of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata

The portal to also provide access to repository of commercial laws for ready reference

On 28th June, 2021 an exclusive “Enforcing Contracts Portal” was inaugurated by Shri Barun Mitra, Secretary (Justice) at the Department of Justice, Delhi in the presence of senior officers of the Department of Justice.

Homepage of the Enforcing Contracts Portal :

https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image001TSUR.jpg

The Doing Business Report of World Bank Group benchmarks business regulations across 191 economies of the world. Within this, the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) index is a ranking system which is an indication of an economy’s position relative to that of other economies across 11 areas of business regulation. The “Enforcing Contracts” indicator is one such essential area that measures time and cost to resolve a standardized commercial dispute as well as a series of good practices in the judiciary. Currently, only the cities of Delhi and Mumbaiare under the purview of the Ease of Doing Business survey by World Bank. Kolkata and Bengaluru are likely to be included in the Doing Business Reportin future.

Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, as the nodal department has been monitoring an array of legislative and policy reforms to strengthen the “Enforcing Contracts” regime for Ease of Doing Business in India in coordination with e-Committee, Supreme Court of India and the High Courts of Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Karnataka. In close collaboration with all of them, Department of Justice has been aggressively pursuing various reform measures to create an effective, efficient, transparent and robust ‘Contract Enforcement Regime’.

Theportal is envisioned to be a comprehensive source of information pertaining to the legislative and policy reforms being undertaken on the “Enforcing Contracts” parameters. It includes the latest data related tothe functioning and disposal of commercial cases in the Dedicated Commercial Courtsof Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata. These Dedicated Commercial Courts have been established for speedy resolution of commercial disputesand boast of dedicated infrastructure and exclusive judicial human power.

In order to make access to information on commercial courtand related services easy, the portal contains several features such as details/links of the Dedicated Commercial Courts in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata ; instructive videos related to e-filing, advocate registration; manuals on using the Electronic Case Management Tools(ECMTs) like JustIS app for judicial officers and e-Courts services app for use by lawyers (developed by the e-Committee, Supreme Court of India)anda repository of all related commercial laws for ready reference.

The new portal also hosts online reporting by all High Courts regarding the Mediation and Arbitration centres annexed to the Commercial Courts in order to monitor and promote institutional mediation & arbitration by way of Pre-institution Mediation and Settlement(PIMS) of commercial cases. PIMS has been introduced with the aim of reducing pendency of cases and to promote mediation as a viable dispute resolution alternative in commercial cases.

The Enforcing Contracts portal direct URL link : https://doj.gov.in/eodb/

Ministry of Law & Justice Press release dated 29 June 2021

PM’s tweets on measures announced by FM

PM’s tweets on measures announced by FM


Boost to private investment in medical infrastructure

Focus on strengthening healthcare facilities for the children

Multiple initiatives for farmers, small entrepreneurs and self-employed persons

The measures will help to stimulate economic activities, boost production & exports and generate employment: PM

Measures demonstrate our Government’s continuing commitment to reforms: PM

The Prime Minister , Shri Narendra Modi has said that the measures announced by the Finance Minister today will help to stimulate economic activities, boost production & exports and generate employment. He also underlined the measures taken for healthcare, healthcare facilities for children, farmers, small entrepreneurs and self-employed persons.

In a series of tweets the Prime Minister said.

“Measures announced by FM @nsitharamantoday will enhance public health facilities, especially in under-served areas, boost private investment in medical infrastructure and augment critical human resources. Special focus is on strengthening healthcare facilities for our children.

Importance has been given to helping our farmers. Multiple initiatives have been announced which reduce their costs, increase their incomes & support greater resilience and sustainability of agricultural activities.

Further support has been announced for our small entrepreneurs & self-employed persons,to enable them to sustain their business activities but & expand them further. Several initiatives, including financial assistance are being taken to help those linked with tourism.

The measures will help to stimulate economic activities, boost production & exports and generate employment. Result linked Power Distribution Scheme and streamlined processes for PPP projects and Asset Monetisation demonstrates our Government’s continuing commitment to reforms.”

Measures announced by FM @nsitharaman today will enhance public health facilities, especially in under-served areas, boost private investment in medical infrastructure and augment critical human resources. Special focus is on strengthening healthcare facilities for our children.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 28, 2021

Finance Ministry release on the package can be seen here.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1730963

DS

PMO Press release dated 28 June 2021

Auction for Sale (Re-Issue) of (i) ‘5.63% GS 2026’, (ii) ‘GoI Floating Rate Bond 2033’, (iii) ‘6.64% GS 2035’, and (iv) ‘6.67% GS 2050’

The Government of India (GoI) has announced the Sale (Re-issue) of (i) ‘5.63% Government Security, 2026’ for a notified amount of Rs 11,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction, (ii) ‘GoI Floating Rate Bonds, 2033’ for a notified amount of Rs 4,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction,  (iii) ‘6.64% Government Security, 2035’ for a notified amount of Rs 10,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction,, and (iv) ‘6.67% Government Security, 2050’ for a notified amount of Rs 7,000 crore (nominal) through price based auction. GoI will have the option to retain additional subscription up to Rs 8,000 crore against the above Security/Securities. The auctions will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai Office, Fort, Mumbai on July 02, 2021 (Friday) using multiple price method.

Up to 5% of the notified amount of the sale of the Securities will be allotted to eligible individuals and Institutions as per the Scheme for Non-Competitive Bidding Facility in the Auction of Government Securities.

Both competitive and non-competitive bids for the auction should be submitted in electronic format on the Reserve Bank of India Core Banking Solution (E-Kuber) system on July 02, 2021. The non-competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. and the competitive bids should be submitted between 10.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. 

The result of the auctions will be announced on July 02, 2021 (Friday) and payment by successful bidders will be on July 05, 2021 (Monday).

The Securities will be eligible for “When Issued” trading in accordance with the guidelines on ‘When Issued transactions in Central Government Securities’ issued by the Reserve Bank of India vide circular No. RBI/2018-19/25 dated July 24, 2018 as amended from time to time.

Ministry of Finance Press release dated 28 July 2021

RM/MV/KMN

Presentation of stimulus package of Rs 6,28,993 crore announced by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to support Indian economy in fight against COVID-19 pandemic

Presentation of stimulus package of Rs 6,28,993 crore announced by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to support Indian economy in fight against COVID-19 pandemic

Ministry of Finance Press release dated Jun 28, 2021


Click here for the Presentation

****

RM/MV/KMN

Electrically configured nanochannels eliminating unwanted energy can revolutionize on-chip data communication and processing in future

Scientists have developed electrically configured nanochannels that can eliminate unwanted energy waste and promise wave-based computing. This can revolutionize on-chip data communication and processing in future.       

Conventional electronics is composed of logic circuits having a large number of transistors interconnected by metallic wires. The data carried by electric charges suffer undesirable heating limiting its integration density.

Spintronics, also known as spin electronics, or the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-state devices offer to harness electron spins. Their collective precession can carry information encoded in its amplitude, phase, wavelength, and frequency without any physical motion of particles, eliminating unwanted energy waste and promising wave-based computing.

To this end, Professor Anjan Barman and coworkers from the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, have developed electrically reconfigured parallel nanochannels that tune the behaviour of spin waves in nano-structure elements. They have done this by periodically tailoring the property that confers a preferred direction on the spin of a system, also called anisotropy using the electric field — technically called the principles of voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy. This work has been published in the journal ‘Science Advances’.

In the recent research, spin-waves were efficiently transferred through these nanochannels, and this could be switched ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’ and its magnitude altered by a meagre voltage of few volts. The team believes that in future, these nanochannels can be engineered further to transfer specific bands of frequencies through designed parallel channels towards development of on-chip multiplexing devices.

Figure: A. Schematic illustration shows the concept of spin-wave nanochannels. B. Schematic illustration shows the device structure and formation of nanochannels. Spin-wave frequencies versus wavevector when electric field, E is OFF (C) and ON (D). E. Heatmap plots show the spatial distribution of spin-wave intensity for spin-wave mode 2 and mode 1 at wavevector k = 7.1 × 106 rad/m.

Publication link:

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba5457

For more details, Anjan Barman, Senior Professor (abarman@bose.res.in), can be contacted.

****

Ministry of Science & Technology dated 28 June 2021

SS/RP