24-Jul-2022: Major Ports Exempted Ro-Pax/Passenger Ferries from paying Port and Vessel related Charges for next 6 Months
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is promoting the Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax/Ferry waterway transportation which has lower emissions compared to other modes of transport for the same amount of cargo. Also, there is a significant time and cost saving compared to the traditional transportation modes. Concurrently traffic congestion on road/railways, noise pollution and the accidents on the roads may also get reduced. Such water-based transportation service is an effective measure to lower the logistics costs, reducing travel time and promotion of coastal shipping on several feasible routes.
In order to provide some quick respite to this sector from the impact of Global Increase in Price of Fuel, MoPSW has directed all Major Ports to exempt all berth hiring and vessel related charges being currently levied to the Ro-Pax/Passenger Ferries for the next six months with immediate effect.
The cost of Marine fuel ‘Low Sulphur High Flash High Speed Diesel’ (LSHFHSD) has increased from Rs.76,000/KL to Rs.1,21,000/KL. Similarly, the cost of ‘Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil’(VLSFO) has increased from Rs.40608/KL to Rs.80917/KL. It is to be noted here that in the beginning of FY 2021-22 the cost of marine fuel-LSHFHSD used to be 10-15% less than retail diesel-HSD. Hence, effectively the rise is more than 40%.
To discuss the Impact of High Marine Fuel Prices and GST on Ferry Operations Union Minister MoPSW Shri Sarbananda Sonowal had recently held meeting with Navneet Mohan Kothari, Joint Secretary (GP Division) Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Niba Ram, Joint Commissioner, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance and other senior officials.
In this regard he had also written letters to Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs and Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas highlighting this issue and requested them to extend their support for this sector by reducing taxes and price of the Fuel respectively. MoPSW has also requested all the states to lower their rates of VAT over the HSD used by this sector.
It is noteworthy that, marine fuel prices inclusive of taxes have cascading effect on the full value chain of Mass Surface Water transport system and ecosystem, the burden of which the ferry operators cannot pass on to the common public who has the option of using other Government subsidized public transport system of rail or road. These operational hurdles will ultimately act as stumbling block in establishing this budding ecosystem of surface water transportation in the country.
As per the notification no.1212017- Central Tax (rate) dated 28.06.2017, it is mentioned that service of transportation of passengers through inland waterways is exempted from GST. lf in case the GST component, applicable on spares and MRO services of the ferries, is passed on to the passengers where Mass Surface Water transport system and ecosystem is competing against the Govt. heavily subsidised Road, Rail and Air travel under Regional Air connective scheme UDAN, the price of tickets will increase and, the demand of the service may be impacted negatively.
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “The rising Fuel cost at international level is now making our local Ro-Pax and Passenger Ferry operations unviable so this exemption of vessel and port related charges by MoPSW will provide the necessary breather to this sector for the next 6 months. We have also requested MoPNG to consider reduction in Fuel prices and Ministry of Finance to lower the associated taxes on it so as to provide the necessary support to this sector in present circumstances.”
The Ro-Pax services implemented by Deendayal Port Authority between Ghogha and Hazira under Sagarmala Programme have reduced travel time from 12 hrs. to 4 hrs. This Ro-Pax ferry service have carried over 78,000 vehicles and more than 2.6 lakh passengers since inception. Similarly, Maharashtra Maritime Board initiated Ro-Pax ferry service on Mumbai - Mandwa route. Project resulted in saving of around 3 hours of road travel against 45 minutes by sea route. More than 5.5 Lakh passengers have availed this Ro-Pax service and more than 1 lakh vehicles have been transported.
In order to promote the surface water transportation and to encourage the newly emerging inland passenger and vehicle movement eco system of the country, the various issues of rising Global Marine Fuel prices and their bunker pricing, ineffective GST input credit for Ferry Operators, Growing difference between the cost of Marine Fuel and Retail Fuel should be looked into and necessary consideration should be given to promote this sector.
19-Jul-2022: Development of ports
The power for establishment of new Major Ports and administrative control of Major Ports vests with the Central Government. Establishment & administrative control of Non Major Ports are within the purview of respective State Governments. As per the provisions of the Major Port Authorities, Act, 2021, the Boards of the respective Major Ports are authorized to make rules or regulations to develop and provide infrastructure facilities and such other infrastructure in the interest of the Major Port. Keeping in view the future requirements, Major Ports are developing some berths, terminals, oil jetties, etc. to enhance their capacity and operational efficiency.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways has identified 81 Public Private Partnership (PPP) Projects (value Rs. 42,300 Crore) till financial year 2024-25 for developing major ports’ berths, terminals, oil jetties, etc. As on March-2022, the capacity of Major Ports of India is 1598 MTPA, whereas the Major Ports have handled 720 MT traffic during the financial year 2021-22.
21-Jun-2022: MoU signed between Directorate General of Shipping and Indian Navy for transition of Indian Navy Personnel to Merchant Navy
The Directorate General of Shipping under Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways has issued DGS Order No 17 dated 20th June 2022 detailing 16 transition schemes for Indian Navy Personnel to Merchant Navy. These transition schemes have been drawn after a detailed discussion with Indian Navy.
These Schemes enable smooth transition of the retiring Indian Navy Personnel into Merchant Navy by acquiring necessary certification to work on Merchant Ships in accordance with the Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping Convention of International Maritime Organisation.
To implement these schemes, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, AVSM, NM, Chief of Personnel on behalf of Indian Navy and Shri Amitabh Kumar, Director General of Shipping, on behalf of Directorate General of Shipping, Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways, Govt. of India.
Some of the key highlights of the transition schemes are:
- It caters for transition of personnel involved in Engine Room work on Naval Ships that is from rating to artificers to Engineers and also provides option for those working on electrical duties as well as mechanical engine duties.
- It caters for equivalent transition with minimum bridge courses, sea-service & examination of those who during their tenure with Indian Navy have reached a certain position but were unable to gain step by step STCW Certification.
- It further provides various options to Indian Navy Personnel from NCV Ship to Foreign Going Ships certification.
- It also caters for step by step STCW Certification right from Officer in-charge of an engineering branch to second engineer to Chief Engineer of a merchant ship to be gained by an Indian Navy personnel as he progresses in his career in Indian Navy. This helps when a Naval engineering personnel leaves Indian Navy only after a few years of service, yet the necessary STCW Certification facilitates his smooth transition to merchant navy.
- It smoothens the process of Mechanical Artificers to become Chief Engineer of Merchant Ships operating in Near Coast Area and with propulsion power less than 3000 KW.
- It allows for Electrical Engineers and Electrical Artificers to become Electro-technical officers of Merchant ships with respective bridging courses.
- Specialist executive branch officers of the Indian navy to obtain Certificate of Competency as Officer in charge of navigational watch on ships of 500 gross tonnage or more (i.e. 2nd Mate (FG/NCV)), Chief Mate and Master (Foreign going and Near coastal voyages) of a merchant navy vessels.
- Indian navy executive branch officer to obtain Certificate of competency as “Officer in charge of navigational watch on ships of 500 gross
- The radio officers of the Indian navy can obtain certificate of competency as General radio operators of Merchant navy vessels. The Indian navy deck sailors can transit to merchant navy deck ratings forming part of a navigational watch. Indian navy Chefs to Certified merchant navy cooks.
The scheme envisages acceptance of training given by the Indian Navy to its officers and ratings and the sea service experience on Indian Naval or cargo ships on the basis of a certificate issued by the Indian Navy.
15-Jun-2021: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ministry of Civil Aviation sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Development of Sea Plane Services in India
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ministry of Civil Aviation for development of Sea Plane services in India was signed today. Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State (I/C) Civil Aviation Shri Hardeep Singh Puri were present during the MoU signing ceremony held today at Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Signing of this MoU is a major milestone for making seaplanes project a reality very soon. This MoU envisages development of Non Scheduled/Scheduled operation of seaplane services within territorial jurisdiction of India under RCS-UDAN scheme of government of India. As per MoU, a Co-ordination Committee with officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) and Ministry of Tourism (MoT) is to be set up for timely completion of operationalisation of Seaplane services at various locations. MoCA, MoPSW, SDCL (Sagarmala Development Company Limited) will consider operationalising of Seaplane operating routes as identified/suggested by all agencies.
Speaking on this occasion, the Minister of State (I/C) for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya said that signing of the MoU will be a game changer both for Indian Maritime and Civil Aviation sector as it will not only enhance seamless connectivity across the nation by promoting eco-friendly transportation through Seaplanes but also give a boost to the tourism industry.
On the occasion, the Minister of State (I/C) for Civil Aviation Shri Hardeep Singh Puri said that this MoU between the two Ministries will help in expediting the development of new water aerodromes and also operationalization of new seaplane routes in India. He further stated that this will give a big fillip to the provision of a new kind of tourism service in India.
MoPSW would identify and develop water front infrastructure of Aerodromes/locations and obtain required statutory clearances /approvals in coordination with MoCA, DGCA and AAI by defining the timelines for all activities involved in the development of facilities for starting seaplanes operations.
MoCA would carry out bidding and select potential airlines operators based on their commercial consideration through bidding process, incorporate the locations/routes as identified by MoPSW & routes identified through bidding process in UDAN scheme document. MoCA is also obliged to provide funds/financial support in respect of water aerodromes awarded under RCS-UDAN scheme and coordinate with Chief Secretaries of all States for the Seaplanes operations.
Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman, Airport Authority of India along with other senior officials were present at the occasion.
21-Dec-2020: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways identifies new routes for RO-RO, RO-PAX & Ferry Services
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has been working continuously for the promotion of Coastal Shipping under Sagarmala Programme. The Sagarmala programme is the flagship programme of the Ministry to promote port-led development in the country through harnessing India’s 7,500 Km long coastline and potentially navigable waterways.
MoPSW has identified Domestic locations namely Hazira, Okha, Somnath Temple, DIU, PIPAVAV, Dahej, Mumbai/JNPT, Jamnagar, Kochi, Ghogha, Goa, Mundra and Mandvi and 6 International routes, connecting 4 international destinations namely Chattogram (Bangladesh), Seychelles (East Africa) Madagascar (East Africa) and Jaffna (Sri Lanka) from Indian major coastal port towns for the commencement of ferry services through inland waterways.
MoPSW, through Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), is desirous of facilitating the companies to operate RO-RO, RO-PAX and Ferry services on various routes across the nation and provide the required support to make the project operational.
MOPSW has recently successfully implemented one of such ferry routes by deploying RoPAX vessel ferry service between Hazira and Ghogha. This ferry service has reduced the distance between Ghogha and Hazira from 370 Km to 90 Km and travel time from 10 to 12 hours to about 5 hours. This will result in huge savings of fuel (approx. 9000 litres per day)
To replicate the success of the above business model, MoPSW now encourages the private operator to identify the routes, which offers potential to commence the RO-RO, RO-PAX ferry service based on the localized demand to promote the supplementary and sustainable mode of the transportation through coastal/inland water. The purpose is to:
- Create a supplementary mode of transportation, which will not only be beneficial for the daily commuters, tourists’ movement and cargo transportation but also helpful in reducing carbon footprint by shifting to environment-friendly mode of transportation from rail and road.
- Provide impetus to the tourism industry
- Create job opportunities in the coastal regions
- Saving in terms of both cost and time for the users
- Decongest road and rail networks
Sagarmala Development Company Ltd will support the initiative by providing equity to the project in SPV framework, if required, and provide other assistance and facilitation to the private Operator(s) including obtaining various permissions and approvals from regulatory and statutory Government Authorities.
10-Sep-2020: Shri Mansukh Mandaviya launches ‘SAROD-Ports’ today
Union Minister of State for Shipping (I/C) Shri Mansukh Mandaviya today launched ‘SAROD-Ports’ (Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes - Ports) through virtual ceremony today in New Delhi.
Speaking at the launching, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya termed SAROD-Ports as a game changer and added that it will become the pivotal mechanism of ummeed (hope), vishwas(trust) and nyaya (justice) in the Port sector of India. Shri Mandaviya also added that enforcement of concession agreements in the letter and spirit is on the utmost priority. SAROD-Ports will resolve the disputes in fair and just manner while saving huge amount of legal expenditure and time.
Dr Sanjiv Ranjan, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping said that all major Ports are shifting towards ‘Landlord Model’ in the days to come. Many concessioners will be working with the Major Ports. SAROD-Ports will inspire confidence in the private players and will ensure right kind of environment for our partners. It will promote ease of doing business in the maritime sector because of the fast, timely, cost effective and robust dispute resolution mechanism.
SAROD-Ports is established under Societies Registration Act, 1860 with the following objectives:
- Affordable and timely resolution of disputes in fair manner
- Enrichment of Dispute Resolution Mechanism with the panel of technical experts as arbitrators.
SAROD-Ports consists members from Indian Ports Association (IPA) and Indian Private Ports and Terminals Association (IPTTA).
SAROD-Ports will advise and assist in settlement of disputes through arbitrations in the maritime sector, including ports and shipping sector in Major Port Trusts, Non-major Ports, including private ports, jetties, terminals and harbours. It will also cover disputes between granting authority and Licensee/Concessionaire /Contractor and also disputes between Licensee/Concessionaire and their contractors arising out of and during the course of execution of various contracts.
‘SAROD-Ports’ is similar to provision available in Highway Sector in the form of SAROD-Roads constituted by NHAI.
Background: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved amendments in the Model Concession Agreement (MCA). In January,2018. The amendments in the MCA, envisaged constitution SAROD-PORTS as dispute resolution mechanism for PPP Projects in the Major Ports.
16-Jul-2022: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh chairs the 5th joint meeting of 6 Science Ministries and departments; emphasises integrated Start-Ups and integrated R&D
Continuing with the trend initiated by him of holding joint meetings of different scientific streams in order to break the silos and evolve a synergistic integrated approach, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today chaired the 5th joint meeting of six Science Ministries and departments, including Science & Technology, Biotechnology, CSIR, Earth Sciences, Space and Atomic Energy, wherein the Minister emphasised integrated Start-Ups and integrated R&D.
During the meeting that lasted over two hours, the Minister was informed that 214 areas requiring science/technology intervention were identified and mapped from 40 odd Line Ministries for Scientific Applications and Technological Solutions by all the six science departments including Space and Atomic energy.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, the ever increasing requests from Line Ministries for scientific applications and solutions have vindicated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of involving Science Ministries and Departments to solve the technical and complex issues of General Ministries and Departments. He also called for evolving a holistic framework of budget sharing, while delivering scientific solutions and inputs to Line Ministries.
Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that in 2015, on the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an extensive brainstorming exercise was held in Delhi where representatives from different ministries and departments engaged in an intense interaction with scientists from ISRO and the Department of Space to work out as to how best the Space technology could be utilised as a modern tool for supplementing, improving and expediting infrastructural development as well as implementation of various welfare schemes.
The Minister informed that 32 Ministries and Departments approached for ‘problem statements’. CSIR will lead 20 challenge areas and participate in 46 challenge areas posed by Line Ministries as the entire exercise is being coordinated by CSIR. He also referred to different scientific applications for sectors like agriculture, food, education, skill, railways, roads, Jal Shakti, power and coal to name a few that have worked out since the launch of the initiative in September last year. Apart from other Science Departments, DBT and ISRO have also submitted their preference for leading in solution development/deployment for few challenges.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, on the lines of Central Ministries/Departments, 172 major issues have been identified by 36 States/UTs and 163 technology problems have been posed by States seeking solutions from 24 Central ministries / departments. He expressed satisfaction that within six months’ time, STI (Science Technology & Innovation) mapping exercise for all the 28 States and 8 UTs have been completed. He added that mapping of States, including NE was done in terms of innovation ranking, startup ranking, number of S&T Organizations, R&D labs, universities, Incubators, Start Ups, MSMEs, industries, Clusters, Grassroots Innovations, etc.
Dr Jitendra Singh asked all the Science Ministries and Departments to prepare in advance the agenda and themes of the breakaway sessions for the State S&T Ministers Conference to be held this year. He said, state-specific discussions could be included in the in the first ever National Science Conclave involving states, industry representatives and other stakeholders.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, before the proposed Science and Technology Communication Centre (STCC) comes into force, the success stories of all the departments must be compiled and disseminated to common people to create general awareness about India’s Scientific Prowess. He also directed that workshops on success stories must be organized at regular intervals.
The meeting was attended by Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Secretary, DST, Secretary D/o Space, Secretary, M/o Earth Sciences, Secretary, D/o Biotechnology, Secretary, DAE, Secretary, Capacity Building Commission and representatives and senior officials of other science departments.
10-Aug-2021: Global S&T Research and Initiative
The Ministry of Science and Technology, through Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) have played a key role in developing global S&T partnerships in critical areas including energy, water, health and astronomy. India has key partnerships in the emerging areas of Science and Technology and supporting Research and Development focused to address the India specific issues related to critical areas in energy, water, health and astronomy. Major missions have been launched in the mutually agreed areas of Global Interest through regular mode and under Public Private Partnerships. All Departments under the Ministry have dedicated Programme Divisions supporting Innovations, Research Development and Demonstration (R, D & D) Projects and Capacity Building in the flagged Areas. India is a partner in many multilateral initiatives addressing global challenges such as clean energy through Mission Innovation, Anti-Microbial Resistance through Global AMR Research and Development (R&D) Hub, Grand Challenges India and others. India has emerged as a key mover of global S&T partnerships in critical areas to make the world a better and more scientific place to live in.
The Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union) catalyzing investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all. Mission Innovation was launched during 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in November 2015, in presence of Hon’ble Prime Minister, India along with world leaders. Department of Biotechnology is the nodal agency for coordinating national efforts in clean energy R, D & D and implementing various activities in close collaboration with DST and other line ministries. India, During Phase I played crucial role in MI Activities at global level by participating through DBT, DST and CSIR in eight Innovation Challenges and co-leading three challenges (Smart Grids, Off-Grid access to Electricity and Sustainable Biofuels). India has set up Clean Energy International Incubation Center to provide support to start-ups for providing the most impactful clean energy solutions for the societal good.
Building on success of last five year’s joint efforts, India along with other MI members has also agreed to continue its commitment for phase 2.0 for another 5 years through the Missions and Platforms for translating knowledge into deployable solutions.
The Government of India has taken up strong national and international research programs to address COVID-19 related challenges, primarily focused on basic research, diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines development in close collaboration with industries and start-up companies. The pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for India to harness the indigenous bio-manufacturing capacities for the global good. Considering the availability of a safe and efficacious vaccine for COVID-19 for effective control of the pandemic, the Government of India is supporting vaccine development and manufacturing activities through both national efforts and international partnerships. Currently, in India, 03 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 have been approved for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Besides these, about 04 vaccine candidates are in clinical stage of development and 01 candidate is in advanced pre-clinical stage of development. Many other vaccine candidates by industry and academia are in pre-clinical and early stages of development. India is one of the few countries in the world which has a promising pipeline of vaccine candidates of different platforms in various stages of clinical development. Under the Partnerships for Advancing Clinical Trials (PACT) initiative, Department of Biotechnology (DBT) partnered closely with the Ministry of External Affairs for strengthening clinical trial capacities in neighboring countries. DST is making Interventions on Yoga and Meditation on mental health of students, healthcare workers and senior citizens during the pandemic. Yoga-based rehabilitation program for COVID-19 patients etc. are some of the unique engagements of India in comparison to other countries in tackling the pandemic. CSIR has supported projects for development of the needed Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) molecules for standardizing the process, scale-up and establishing production line of these molecules for the development of Vaccines for COVID-19. Apart from this, many bilateral and multilateral collaborative joint calls for COVID-19 across multiple platforms have been undertaken.
3-Aug-2021: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh says, Government is promoting Science and Technology (S&T) with emphasis on emerging areas and their application for the development and support to the weaker sections of society
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that the Government is promoting Science and Technology (S&T) with emphasis on emerging areas and their application for the development and support to the weaker sections of society through various Schemes and Programmes being implemented by the Ministry of Science & Technology through Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
In a statement laid on the table of the Rajya Sabha today in reply to a question pertaining to “Mission Innovation”, the Minister said, Department of Biotechnology has supported 64 projects in last 5 years and nearly 39,000 rural, SC/ST and women population including youth have been benefitted through the implementation of the projects in agriculture and allied sectors. Ministry is also engaged in focused translational research in emerging disciplines to make the technologies affordable and accessible to the weaker sections of the society. Some of the focused emerging areas are Clean Energy, Drug Development and Diagnostics, Nanotechnology, Vaccine research and few others.
DBT has also launched a Special Program on Bioresource Technology Clusters. 9 Clusters have been established so far. It is also implementing a scientists-farmers partnership scheme named as Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN), Under this programme, so far 36 Biotech-KISAN Hubs have been established covering all 15 agro-climatic zones in the country. The activities of the programme have been implemented in 112 Aspirational Districts and have benefitted over 2,00,000 farmers directly or indirectly.
The Mission Innovation is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union) catalysing investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all. Mission Innovation was launched during 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in November 2015, in presence of Hon’ble Prime Minister, India along with world leaders. India has played pivotal role in Mission Innovation programs, by participating in various areas of Clean Energy Innovation Challenges through collaborative projects and also supporting start-ups at their early stage of innovations.
Building on success of last five years joint efforts, India along with other MI members has also agreed to continue its commitment for phase 2.0 for another 5 years through the Missions and Platforms for translating knowledge into deployable solutions.
Funds Allocated, released and utilized under Mission Innovation during each of the last three years-
|
Amount in Rs. (Cr) |
||
|
Year |
Allocated |
Released and Utilized |
|
FY 2018-19 |
68.52 |
41.24 |
|
FY 2019-20 |
44.63 |
29.63 |
|
FY 2020-21 |
34.09 |
19.97 |
|
Total |
147.26 |
90.85 |
Government has allocated funds to R&D projects under Smart Grids engaging various Indian and Foreign institutes and industries. Department of Science & Technology is supporting R & D Projects on Smart Grid at various National Institutes, Universities, IITs in collaboration with partnering institutes from Canada, Norway, UK, Germany, USA, Australia, Italy. Government has allocated Rs. 4.05 crores to support the projects on smart grids, also committed an amount of Rs. 18 Crore for India-Sweden Collaborative Industrial Research & Development Programme 2020 on Smart Grids. A total of eleven projects have been supported for R&D on Smart Grid.
21-Sep-2020: Schemes of the Ministry of Science & Technology to provide attractive avenues and opportunities to Indian researchers residing in foreign countries to work in Indian Institutes and Universities
The Ministry of Science & Technology has formulated following schemes to provide attractive avenues and opportunities to Indian researchers who are residing in foreign countries to work in Indian Institutes and Universities.
- Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA) Faculty Scheme: This Scheme is to bring overseas scientists and academicians including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to India to work in public funded Institutions and Universities for a specific period of time. The scheme offers adjunct / visiting faculty assignments to overseas scientists including Indian researchers to undertake high quality collaborative research in cutting edge areas of science and technology with one or more Indian collaborators.
- Ramanujan Fellowship: This Fellowship provides attractive avenues and opportunities to Indian researchers of high calibre, who are residing abroad, to work in Indian Institutes/Universities in all areas of Science, Engineering and Medicine. It is directed to scientists and engineers below the age of 40 years, who want to return to India from abroad.
- Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship: The programme is to encourage scientists (Indian Nationals) working outside the country, who would like to return to the home country to pursue their research interests in Life Sciences, Modern Biology, Biotechnology, and other related areas.
- Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP): This program provides opportunity to early, intermediate and senior level researchers to establish their research & academic career in Basic biomedical or Clinical & Public Health in India. These fellowships are open to all eligible researchers who wish to relocate or continue to work in India.
- Scientists/ Technologists of Indian Origin (STIO) in Indian research Laboratory: There is a provision to appoint Scientists/ Technologists of Indian Origin (STIO) on a contractual basis at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratories to nurture a research field in their area of expertise.
- Senior Research Associateship (SRA) (Scientist's Pool Scheme): This scheme is primarily meant to provide temporary placement to highly qualified Indian scientists, engineers, technologists, and medical personnel returning from abroad, who are not holding any employment in India. The Senior Research Associateship is not a regular appointment, but is a temporary facility to enable the Associate to do research/teaching in India while looking for a regular position.
Ministry of Science and technology does not keep track or estimates the number of Indian scientists, who leave India to work in other countries. However, to avoid brain drain Ministry of Science and Technology is promoting global level of research through implementation of various competitive schemes / programmes such as Core Research Grant, Research fellowships such as JC Bose and Swarna Jayanti fellowship etc. There are some special schemes for young scientists e.g. Start-up Research Grant, National Postdoctoral Fellowship etc. for making them independent and motivate them to remain in the country. Towards gaining global competitiveness Ministry of Science is also connecting Indian Research with Global research through International bilateral and multilateral S & T cooperation with about 80 countries and various multilateral organizations/agencies.
1-Jul-2022: Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI organized Stakeholder Evaluation Workshop on Krishi UDAN 2.0
Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India in collaboration with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) organised a stakeholder workshop for evaluation of Krishi UDAN 2.0. The conference brought together experts from Air Cargo Sector for highlighting the benefits of Krishi UDAN and how domestic air cargo players can work in convergence and creating a seamless transaction across the value chain.
The workshop was chaired by Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA, and was moderated by Smt. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary-MoCA. The Workshop was attended by Shri Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCA, Shri Saurabh Endley, Joint Secretary- MoD North-eastern Region, Shri Ashutosh Dey, Joint Secretary, DONER, Shri Ajay Kumar, CEO, AAICLAS, senior dignitaries from MoCA, AAICLAS, FICCI, MoA&FW, Department of Fisheries, 26 Airport Directors (APDs) across the country and various other stakeholders of Indian Air Cargo Sector.
Highlighting the importance of workshop on Krishi UDAN, Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA said, “Such workshop helps in having a meaningful discussion and act a brainstorming session for new ideas. During the 2 years of Covid-19 Pandemic, there was a great realisation that the cargo can play a major role in sustainable options of Airlines. Our country is a vast country which has diversified agriculture produce, and it is in the interest of the airline and the airport to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products which will lead in creating a sufficient demand for local producers in domestic as well as international market. We (MoCA) are willing to work on some pilot projects with the help of agricultural department and state governments regarding a transport subsidy scheme which will help in faster transportation.”
Smt Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA, made a presentation on "Krishi UDAN 2.0 Evaluation", highlighting the achievements, scope, impact on Agriculture industry and future of Krishi UDAN. Performance of the scheme with respect to various airports was also deliberated. It was also informed that 5 new airports namely Belagavi, Jharsuguda, Jabalpur, Darbhanga and Bhopal are to add to the list of existing 53 list of Krishi UDAN airports. With this, 58 airports would be actively participating in Krishi UDAN.
Another presentation on domestic and international cargo in India was made by Shri Ajay Kumar, CEO-AAICLAS, which highlighted the growth and impact of AAICLAS on the Agricultural industry and how AAICLAS is helping in Krishi UDAN.
A Q&A session was also held after the presentations where various industry players give their suggestions on how to make transportation of agricultural and perishable products better and timely.
Krishi UDAN Scheme 1.0 was launched in August 2020, on international and national routes to assist farmers in transporting agricultural products so that it improves their value realization. Improving the scheme further, Krishi UDAN 2.0 which was announced on 27 September 2021 will focus on transporting perishable food products from the hilly areas, north-eastern states, and tribal areas.
7-Jun-2022: Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launches National Air Sports Policy
The Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia today launched National Air Sport Policy 2022 (NASP 2022). NASP 2022 lays out the vision of making India as one of the top sports nations by 2030, by providing a safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem in India.
The event was graced by Shri Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Shri Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Shri Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Smt. Rubina Ali, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Shri SK Mishra, Joint Secretary, MoCA, Shri Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCA, Shri PK Thakur, Deputy Director General, MoCA and other dignitaries from AAI, MoCA, DGCA and BCAS.
Air sports, as the names suggests, encompasses various sports activities involving the medium of air. These include sports like air-racing, aerobatics, aero modeling, hang gliding, paragliding, para motoring and skydiving etc. India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, diverse topography, and fair-weather conditions. It has a large population, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation. The NASP 2022, is a step in this direction. It has been drafted based on the inputs received from policy makers, air sports practitioners and public at large and will ensure establishment of good quality of infrastructure, equipment, instructors and services.
The policy will cover the following air sports in India: -
- Aerobatics
- Aero modeling and model rocketry
- Amateur-built and experimental aircraft
- Ballooning
- Drones
- Gliding and powered gliding
- Hang gliding and powered hang gliding
- Parachuting (including skydiving, BASE jumping and wing suits etc.)
- Paragliding and para motoring (including powered parachute trikes etc.)
- Powered aircraft (including ultra-light, micro light and light sports aircraft etc.)
- Rotorcraft (including autogyro)
Under the new policy, there will be four-tier governance structure for air sports in India namely
- Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex governing body
- National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
- Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate; and
- District-level air sports associations, as appropriate.
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation said, “It is time for India to take its rightful place and become global capital of air sports. We want to create an environment of adventure, thrill and sports in the country. For this, we will leverage the energy of our youth below the age of 35 which accounts for 70 percent of India's population which is larger than the total population of Europe and three times that of USA. India has a huge geographical expanse, extending from the Himalayas and the mountainous regions to our states in the northeast to the plains in central India to the coastal regions on the western-eastern coastline, and therefore you have the ability in this country to have the widest diversity of air sports”
The policy, according to Minister, will serve to attract air sports enthusiasts from all over the world, especially those who live in areas where harsh winters prevent them from participating. He believes that air sports enthusiasts from Europe, North America, and Australia would flock to India to practice in the winters.
Speaking on the future of Air Sports in India, he said “From a small market size of around 5,000 odd air sports practitioners creating around Rs 80-100 crore of annual revenue in India, I feel we can target over Rs 8,000 – 10,000 crore annual revenue and generate over 1,00,000 direct jobs. The economic multiplier benefits in terms of travel, tourism, support services and local infrastructure development will be over three times.”
Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia also interacted with 2 Indian Air Sports Players – Ms. Shital Mahajan and Ms. Rachel Thomas. Both are sky drivers and Padma-Shri awardees. Ms. Shital Mahajan is known as the first woman to perform an accelerated free fall jump over the Antarctica from 10,000 feet, the youngest woman to jump over both the North and South Poles and the first woman jumper to perform it without trials while Ms. Rachel Thomas was the first Indian woman to skydive from 7,000 feet over the North Pole. Both Air sports enthusiasts expressed their gratitude for introducing National Air Sports Policy which will help India become air sports hub by 2030.
Key Objectives of NASP 2022:-
- Promote an air sports culture in the country
- Enable adoption of international good practices in safety including but not limited to, air sports infrastructure, equipment, operations, maintenance and training
- Develop a simple, stakeholder-friendly and effective governance structure
- Enhance participation and success of Indian sportspersons in global air sports events; and
- Promote design, development and manufacturing of air sports equipment in India in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.