Embassy of India Newsletter- July 2019

INDIA NEWSLETTER Indian Embassy, Vienna

Published by the Embassy of India, Vienna Year 9 • Issue 82 • July 2019

#Indian Railways # RAILYEAROFCHANGE

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Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen

Governance and Services on Demand

Digital Empowerment of Citizens

Digital India programme is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Find out more under:

www.digitalindia.gov.in

Infrastructure Development

Accelarate Manufacturing Growth

Focus on Skill Development

Sustainable Energy Sufficiency

Improved Business Environment

The Government of India has prepared a five-pillar strategy to drive India’s growth, which offers multiple avenues of collaboration and investments. Find out more under:

www.makeinindia.com

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POSITIVE NEWS FLASHES

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India's manufacturing, Workforce under engineering and contract employment in India infrastructure sector is grew at a compounded expected to add 58,200 new annual growth rate (CAGR) jobs between April- of 16.3 per cent between September 2019.

2015-18 to 3.3 million,

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Workforce under contract employment in India grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.3 per cent between 2015-18 to 3.3 million, according to a report by the India Staffing Federation (ISF).

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India's Wholesale

Price Index (WPI) reached a 22-month low of 2.45 per cent in May 2019, supported by fall in food prices, fuel and power items, as per the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

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Foreign portfolio

investors (FPIs) were net buyers in the Indian capital markets in June 2019 with a net monthly inflow of Rs 11,132 crore (US$ 1.60 billion).

India's foreign

direct investment (FDI) inflows increased 6 per cent in 2018 to reach US$ 42 billion on the back of investments in according to a report by the manufacturing, financial India Staffing Federation services and communication (ISF). sectors.

Public cloud services income in India is estimated to grow 24.3 per India is going to set cent in 2019 to US$ 2.4 billion in 2019. up its own space station, marking its biggest leap yet in space exploration, The currency according to Mr K Sivan, trading platform for retail Chairman, Indian Space Organisation trading will be launched by Research (ISRO). the Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL) on August 05, 2019, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Indian Railway

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Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) and French Railways (SNCF) & AFD, a French Agency have signed Tripartite Agreement on June 10, 2019 to support the Railway Station Development Program in India.

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New business premium for India's life insurance industry grew 41.15 per cent year-on-year to Rs 28,395.89 crore (US$ 4.09 billion) in May 2019

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The expanse of the Indian market has allowed Google to develop new products in the country and take it to the global level, as per Mr Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, Google.

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India is expected to have 920 million unique mobile subscribers, including 88 million 5G connections by 2025, according to the GSM Association, a global telecom industry body.

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Housing sales in seven major Indian cities increased 13 per cent yearon-year between JanuaryMarch 2019.

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ANNOUNCEMENT FOR AUSTRIAN CITIZENS e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) for Austrian citizens The Government of India has extended e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) scheme to the citizens of Austria w.e.f. 26th February 2016. Under e-Tourist Visa scheme, citizens of Austria may now apply online (https:// indianvisaonline. gov.in/visa/ tvoa.html) to obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization for travelling to India. This facility is also available to the citizens of Montenegro.

Queries related to e-TV; for any assistance call 24x7 Visa support center at +91-11-24300666 or send email to indiatvoa@gov.in.

Instructions for e-Visa

1. e-Visa has 5sub-categories i.e. e-Tourist visa, e-Business visa, e-Medical visa, e-Medical Attendant visa and e-Conference visa.

2. Applicants of the eligible countries/territories may apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 120 days.

3. e-Visa fee is country/Territory specific.

4. Applicant should carry a copy of Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) along with him/her at the time of travel.

5. Biometric details of the applicant will be mandatorily captured at Immigration on arrival in India.

6. The validity of e-Visa (except e-Conference visa) will be 60 days from the date of arrival in India.

7. This facility is in addition to the existing Visa services.

8. e-Visa can be availed for maximum of three times in a calendar year i.e. between January to December.

9. e-Visa is non-extendable, non-convertible & not valid for visiting Protected/Restricted and Cantonment Areas.

NEWS ARTICLES Budget carrier Wizz Air plans to introduce India flights: Bloomberg ----------------------------------

Discount carrier Wizz Air Holdings Plc is considering using a new fleet of long-range narrowbody Airbus SE jets to launch flights from London to Dubai and even central Europe to India in a further challenge to network rivals.

The new 20 A321 XLR planes will allow Wizz to broaden its footprint and beef up capacity on existing destinations, Chief Executive Officer Jozsef Varadi said in an interview. The Budapest-based airline has no plans to deploy them on transAtlantic routes. Wizz, eastern Europe’s biggest discount carrier,

announced the XLR order at the Paris Air Show shortly after Airbus unveiled the model -- the newest member of its A320family -- as a challenge to Boeing Co. in medium-haul markets. Varadi said the jet, which has a range of 4,700 nautical miles and 239 seats in a high-density layout, will allow Wizz to add another couple of hours of flying time to operations currently limited to five or six hours.

“We’ll connect the dots of our existing network but we’ll be looking at new opportunities, too," he said in London. “The XLR will be delivered in four years so we have plenty of time to work it out." The A321 planes, both the standard and long range versions, will comprise 80% of the fleet in

four years. Varadi said he’d switch to the model entirely if all the airports Wizz serves had runways long enough to accommodate the plane.

The XLR deal is part of a 50-plane purchase by Wizz investor Indigo Partners. Some of the jets will go to Frontier Airlines in the US and Chile’s JetSmart. Indigo’s role was to secure the best prices through a bulk deal, but sales contracts are with individual airlines, Varadi said.

The CEO, who founded Wizz in 2004 and took it public in 2015, said he’s “upbeat" about market conditions in Europe despite a June 16 warning from the region’s biggest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, that earnings India Newsletter. 4

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are being squeezed by a fare war on short-haul routes.

Wizz has a market capitalization of 3.39 billion euros ($3.9 billion), 48% that of Lufthansa, while Ryanair is worth almost 60% more than the German company.

points such as entry point check, entry in to Security Check, aircraft boarding, additionally this would also facilitate self-bag drop and check-in, using facial recognition to identify pax and data recall. Digi Yatra would facilitate paperless travel and avoid identity check at multiple points, an official release had earlier said.

Hyderabad airport launches Face Recognition system for entry: PTI Hyderabad For enrolment, one can ----------------------------------visit any of the FR Registration The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here has initiated Face Recognition (FR) system on a trial basis for passengers for entry into the aerodrome, sources said on Tuesday. The trials, which are being carried out under Centre’s Digi Yatra programme started from July 1 and would continue till July 31, they said adding over 180 passengers enrolled voluntarily for the trials at the airport.

“The airport has set up dedicated FR Registration counters near the Domestic Departure Gates No 1 and 3. The registration is available from 8am to 8pm for passengers who would like a new digital experience and is completely voluntary. On the first day (July 1), over 180 passengers enrolled voluntarily for DigiYatra trials at Hyderabad Airport,” the sources said.

The initiative comes under the Digi Yatra programme by the Government. Digi Yatra is a government initiative for digital processing of passengers at the airports. Passengers would be automatically processed based on facial recognition system at check

Counters at the airport with a valid government identity card, contact details and get his or her face captured by the camera, Airport sources said.

Once this is done, a CISF personnel physically checks the applicant’s government ID proof and post successful verification, a unique DigiYatra/FR ID for the passenger is generated.

An exclusive e-gate is available at the Departure Gate No 3, where the enrolled passenger can get his or her boarding card scanned, face the FR Camera, which matches and verifies the credentials along with the itinerary details.

Upon successful verification, the passenger gets checked-in and the e-gate opens all done in split seconds. “Since, this is a trial phase, CISF personnel will still physically verify the travel docs and ID details of FRregistered passenger at the departure gate,” sources said.

India-EU Seminar on Talent Mobility held in Pune from 14-15 June 2019 -----------------------------------

An India-EU Seminar on Talent Mobility was organized by International Labour Organisation in partnership with India Center for Migration, a research think tank of the Ministry of External Affairs, on June 14-15, 2019 in Pune, Maharashtra. The seminar focused on three sectors (IT industry; automotive industry and start-ups) vis-à-vis mobility of professionals, businesses and entrepreneurs along the India-EU corridor.

In his keynote address, Sh. Sanjiv Arora, Secretary (Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) highlighted the need to strengthen and expand the scope of cooperation for enhancing mobility along the India-EU corridor. The seminar witnessed active participation from the several young entrepreneurs; professionals; European Member States; International Organisation for Migration (IOM); NASSCOM; local business chamber namely Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture.

Infosys inks strategic partnership with Toyota Material Handling Europe:Livemint Currently, the FR trials -----------------------------------

at Hyderabad Airport are being offered to passengers travelling with hand baggage only and are those who are bound for the select cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Vijaywada.

India's second largest IT services firm Infosys has signed a longterm strategic partnership with Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE).

As its IT services partner , Infosys will help TMHE in its India Newsletter • 5

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digital transformation journey by facilitating transformation to a scalable digital hybrid cloud platform, providing application services, digital workplace, infrastructure management and a dedicated data center operation.

Infosys will help drive innovation and optimization agenda backed by Next Generation AI and automation solutions and deliver a future ready landscape for TMHE, the company said in a BSE filing.

“We are delighted to be working with TMHE in their digital transformation journey.

By offering end-to-end services leveraging our deep expertise in executing complex programs, we will assist TMHE modernize its legacy applications, bolster agility and drive efficiencies.

The establishment of a data center to focus on TMHE’s needs is an integral part of our commitment to find unique solutions and models to drive operational excellence for our clients," Jasmeet Singh, executive vice president and global head of manufacturing, Infosys, said. of each district.

Johan Kroon, CIO, Toyota Material Handling Europe, said, “As a leading industrial technology company, we are committed to constantly innovating to accelerate our digital transformation and leveraging the potential of new technologies to enhance our competitiveness and cost optimization efforts".

Japan’s Akatsuki fund plans to invest in India’s vernacular segment: Livemint ---------------------------------

Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund (AET Fund), a Japanese venture capital fund, is planning five more early-stage investments in the vernacular segment in India with an average ticket size of $500,000, according to the fund’s top executive.

The AET fund has made 10 early-stage investments in India since its launch in March. It has invested in startups such as Doubtnut, Planet Superheroes, LBB and Mech Mocha. The fund has a corpus of $50 million for investments in India and the US. The venture capital arm of Japan’s Akatsuki Inc. follows a co-investment model and typically does partner deals with other VCs such as Accel Partners, Blume Ventures, Sequoia, Inventus, Chiratae, DSG, 3one4, Infoedge and Shunwei.

The AET Fund’s principal partner Yuki Kawamura said consumer segments such as vernacular video, vertical media, mobile gaming and live streaming will be its key focus areas in India.

India’s vernacular content market is seeing an upsurge in terms of investments and monthly user growth. Kawamura said however that the segment is largely unexplored with a large demand-supply gap.

Kawamura said the fund will keep its focus on the vernacular segment though it won’t differentiate on consumer segments for investments.

Although the bulk of the fund’s investments are in the content and discovery space, it has also invested in B2B ecommerce startup ShopKirana.

“We will invest across segments including in content, media,

lifestyle and entertainment startups with near term focus on vernacular content," Kawamura said.Since its inception in 2017, the fund has made over 30 investments in Japan, India and the US. Kawamura said the fund is also open to collaboration within its portfolio brands.

“AET Fund is a pure financial play vs. strategic investment (fund). Hence, if we see there’s an opportunity to increase the value of portfolio companies by collaborating together, there’s no reason to not doing it," he said.

The AET Fund is committed to closing deals worth at least $1.5 million in seed to early-stage startups, with an option of follow-up investments.

“We’re seeing good traction from our current portfolio, so we are likely to raise our next fund in the next 2-3 years. Also, now, we see so many opportunities in content, media and entertainment space in India, we’re considering to start our own business in this verticals as a part of Akatsuki’s operating team. Which should have a synergetic effect with our portfolio companies," Kawamura said.

From smart water pumps to drones: Technology is changing Indian farms: Alok Kirloskar/ IBEF -----------------------------------

Disruptive technologies and innovations in application engineering are fast changing farming practices in India. From preparing the land to sowing, to reaping and mentoring of the crop, everything today can be done with the aid of sophisticated technology driven systems.

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Digital India is a programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

Irrigation also has become highly evolved with sophisticated fluid management systems that are well suited for meeting the challenges of bringing fresh water to the farmer’s fields, irrespective of the location, and providing him a complete control over his available water resources.

These hi-tech pumps systems are ensuring supply of adequate and timely potable water to farms in the recesses of the country, notwithstanding the challenges such as difficult terrains or steep gradients, fluctuating or inadequate water pressure, water sources with high impurities, high iron and chlorine content and unplanned irrigation leading to water shortage and wastage.

On the other hand, precision agricultural technology, such as those used in drones, is aiding farmers to better plan and monitor their crops, to ensure greater productivity.

The most remarkable factor about these new-generation farm technologies is that they are completely indigenously engineered and manufactured, hence affordable, widely available and easily serviceable.

Heavy investments are being made in R&D efforts today, particularly focused on the development of such hitech yet cost and energyefficient farm solutions that are suitable and convenient for all.

By deploying smart pumps, the farmer is able to

DIGITAL INDIA

save on a critical resource and reduce his cost on water drastically. Without the need to be present 24x7 to monitor his watering systems also frees-up his valuable time to attend to other important tasks such as buying or selling in mandis or in acquiring knowledge for better farming practices and improving his yield.

Adaption of drone technology in agriculture is leading to ease of the process of production and enhanced productivity, both in terms of quality and quantity.

India's 2019-20 sugar production at 282 lakh tonnes: IBEF ---------------------------------

Industry body Indian Sugar Mills Association has pegged India's 2019-2020 sugar creation gauge 28.2 million tons, somewhere around 19 per cent more than 2018-19 for the most part because of decrease in region under stick in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

In the last piece of June 2019, the complete land under sugarcane in the nation is assessed to be around 4.93 million hectares in 2019-2020 Sugar Season (SS), which is over 10% lower than 2018-2019 SS stick zone of around 5.50 million hectares.

As per ISMA, during 2018-19 SS, till 30th June 2019, about 32.80 million tons huge amounts of sugar have been delivered and another 0.1 – 0.15 million tons is required to be created in the unique season till September, 2019 in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, taking complete sugar generation in 2018-19 SS to around 32.90 – 32.95 million tons. In the current season 2018-19, about 295 million liters

of ethanol produced using B substantial molasses/sugarcane juice have been provided to the OMC's up until this point.

According to norms, this is proportionate to sugar redirection of around 0.3 million tons.

ISMA gauges creation of around 28.2 million tons huge amounts of sugar in the season 2019-2020, which is around 4.7 million tons lower than the current year 2018-19 SS production of around 32.95 million tons, down 14.26 per cent. The above is an estimate figure of sugarcane and sugar creation in 2019-20 SS. The opening stocks as on 1st October 2019 is relied upon to be an unsurpassed high of around 14.5 million tons. When contrasted with a regularizing prerequisite of around 0.50 million tons on first October of any year as opening stocks, the industry is superfluously conveying around 9.5 million tons huge amounts of sugar stock.

India-Japan research project to ease traffic congestion ----------------------------------

A joint research project on ‘Multimodal Smart Transportation (M2Smart)’ has been initiated by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad.

The India-Japan research project has been designed collaboratively by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JSTA) and JICA as a scheme of ‘Science Technology Partnership for Sustainable Development’. It has been jointly undertaken by IIT-H, Nagoya Electric Works Co Ltd, Nihon University and Tokyo Institute of Technology.

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FORUM FOR INDIAN SCIENCE DIPLOMACY Collaboration among government agencies for Cancer research --------------------------------

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), of the Government of India have signed an MOU for supporting joint collaborative research programmes in the area of Cancer, to work towards the common goal of tackling cancer and this is expected to bring a quantum change in the present scenario of cancer research. This MOU covers new and affordable technologies, clinical trials, translational research, interventions, training and infrastructure development.

CERN Exhibition comes to India --------------------------------

The ‘Accelerating Science’ Exhibit, flagship travel science exhibition of Geneva based European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) is coming to India for the first time. The exhibit will be on show in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi between May 2019 and March 2020.

India and CERN have enjoyed a fruitful partnership since 1960s and the exhibition will showcase some of India’s biggest contributions to world’s biggest science projects, including CERN. It is jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science & Technology (DST).

IISc reports breakthrough in superconductivity at room temperature --------------------------------

Physics Letters.

Curd-based wound healing gel developed --------------------------------

Superconductivity at ambient temperature has been sought for about a century. A team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has claimed that their material exhibits major properties of superconductivity at ambient temperature and pressure. The material consists of nanostructured films and pellets made of silver nanoparticles embedded in a gold matrix. Interestingly, silver and gold independently do not exhibit superconductivity. The team examined 125 samples, of which 10 showed a drop-in resistance signaling the onset of superconductivity at up to 13 C. Further research is underway.

Scientists from IIT-Kharagpur have synthesised a low-cost gel from curd which retards the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and also enhances wound healing. The new product is made from the drainage water of curd, which is usually discarded. However, the water is a rich source of bioactive peptides. The curdbased gel is low in cost and has considerable therapeutic properties in wound healing.

The study has been published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

IIT Madras develops novel technique having applications in optoelectronics

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A team of researchers from the Indian Institute of TechnologyMadras have discovered that the photoluminescence of tungsten diselenide can be enhanced 30 times by dropcasting gold nano particles, onto a two-dimensional film.

The photo-luminescence properties have applications in the field of communication and computation. It can also be be used in devices such as quantum LEDs. The study has been published in Applied

PSA invites applications to form PM-STIAC lead Consultative Groups The Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Dr K. Vijay Raghavan has invited applications from scientists, economists and social sector specialists for forming “consultative groups” in specialized areas. The invite is for early and mid-career Indian scientists working in India or abroad across academia, industry and non-governmental sectors to lay stronger foundations in fundamental research useful for national development. The initiative is getting good response from the concerned stakeholders and is anticipated to be a major step towards building a better science and society connect.

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MAKE IN INDIA RAILWAYS

Dedicated Corridors:

The Indian Railways is among the world’s 3rd largest rail networks. The Indian Railways route length network is spread over 115,000 km, with 12,617 passenger trains and 7,421 freight trains each day from 7,349 stations plying 23 million travellers and 3 million tonnes (MT) of freight daily. India's railway network is recognised as one of the largest railway systems in the world under single management.

The railway network is also ideal for long-distance travel and movement of bulk commodities, apart from being an energy efficient and economic mode of conveyance and transport. Indian Railways was the preferred carrier of automobiles in the country with loading from automobiles traffic growing 16 per cent in 2017-18.

The Government of India has focused on investing on railway infrastructure by making investor-friendly policies. It has moved quickly to enable Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

in railways to improve infrastructure for freight and high-speed trains. At present, several domestic and foreign companies are also looking to invest in Indian rail projects.

Market Size: Indian Railways’ revenues increased at a CAGR of 6.20 per cent during FY07-FY18 to US$ 27.71 billion in FY18.

Earnings from the passenger business grew at a CAGR of 6.43 per cent during FY07-FY18 to reach US$ 7.55 billion in 2017-18P. Freight revenue rose at a CAGR of 6.36 per cent during FY07-FY18 to reach US$ 18.16 billion in 2017-18.

India was among the top 20 exporters of railways globally, as of 2017. India’s exports of railways have grown at a CAGR of 27.05 per cent during 2010-2017 to US$ 303.29 million. Exports of railways in 2018 stood at US$ 454.99 million.

Freight

‘Dedicated Freight Corridors’ are planned to be ‘freight-only’ corridors which will make it cheaper, faster, and more reliable to move goods between industrial heartlands in the North and ports on the Eastern and Western coasts. These freight-only railway lines along congested transport corridors were envisaged to ramp up the average speed of freight, which had reduced considerably to 20 kmph.

Dedicated freight corridors is a very important step towards imporving the freight operation process in the country, majorly the Golden Quadrilateral, linking the four metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Howrah and its two diagonals (Delhi-Chennai and MumbaiHowrah)comprising 16% of the route,that carried over 52% of passenger traffic and 58% of freight traffic. This made the trunk routes highly saturated, with line capacity utilisation reaching as high as 150%. Thereby, these freight corridors were proposed to ensure a more reliable, economical and faster transportation of goods. The cost for these Dedicated Freight Corridors along the Eastern and Western routes, spanning 3,360 route km, has been estimated at usd 12 Billion India Newsletter. 9

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With overall progress of over 35% achieved so far, these corridors seek to bring a paradigm shift in Railway Freight Operations in the country, thus providing relief to the heavily congested Golden Quadrilateral.

A Special Purpose Vehicle, ‘Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited’ (DFCCIL) has been setup under the Ministry of Railways to facilitate the functioning of these corridors.

To resolve the increasing need for road decongestion, accident reduction and ensuring energy security, the Government has launched this initiative to aid growth of rail transportation in India. The corridor will be built along the Golden Quadrilateral that connects Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Howrah and its two diagonals (Delhi – Chennai and Mumbai – Howrah) that constitute a total of 10,122 kms. These corridors carry the heaviest traffic and are highly congested.

The new corridors will permit the trains to carry higher loads, in a more reliable manner. These lines are also being built to maximise speeds to 100 km/hour, up from the current average freight speed of 20 km/hour.

They will carry a capacity of 6,000 to 12,000 gross tonne of freight trains. Additionally, the DFCs will also reduce transit time from freight source to destination.

this corridor is set to increase from 0.69million TEUs (Twentyfoot Equivalent Units, an inexact unit used for describing cargo capacity) in 2005-06 to 6.2 million TEUs in 2021-22.

Eastern Dedicated Freight CorridorThe 1,856-km long Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor will be divided into two segments, an electrified double-track segment of 1,409 km between Dankuni in West Bengal and Khurja in Uttar Pradesh and a single line segment of 447 km between Ludhiana – Khurja – Dadri. This project is expected to benefit the transportation of coal for power plants, steel, food grains, finished steel and cement. The total traffic in ‘up’ direction is likely to reach 116 million tonnes and 28 million tonnes in ‘down’ direction in 2021-22, a significant part of which would get diverted to the Dedicated Freight Corridor.

The Ministry of Railways has plans to build four more Dedicated Freight Corridors.

The DFCCIL has been assigned the task to conduct preliminary engineering and traffic survey for the proposed projects. Next in line are East – West Corridor (Kolkata – Mumbai) which will be approximately 2,330 route km in length; North – South Corridor (Delhi – Chennai) of approximately 2,343 route km; East Coast Corridor (Kharagpur-Vijaywada) close to 1,100 route km; and the Southern Corridor (Chennai Goa) of approximately 899 route km.

Western Dedicated Freight CorridorCovering a distance of 1,504 km, from JNPT to Dadri via Vadodara-AhmedabadPalanpur-PhuleraRewari, Western DFC will pass through Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. It is proposed to join the Eastern Corridor at Dadri.

The Western Corridor primarily comprises of container traffic from JNPT and Mumbai Port in Maharashtra and other ports, including Pipavav, Mundra and Kandla in Gujarat. This corridor also facilitates transportation of fertilisers, food grains, iron and steel and cement, among other commodities. The share of container traffic is expected to increase and reach a level of 80% by 2021-22. Further, the rail share of container traffic on

Investments/ Developments Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into Railways Related Components from April 2000 to December 2018 stood at US$ 940.92 million.

Following are some of the major investments and developments in India’s railways sector: In December 2018, France-based Alstom announced plans to augment its coach production capacity at its facility in Sri City from 20 cars per month to 24 cars per month. Also, it will set up a new production line to increase capacity to 44 cars per month by the end of 2019.

In December 2018, the Prime Minister of India laid the foundation stone for the third phase of the Pune metro.

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Indian Railways- Latest News & Developments Longest electrified railway tunnel in India commissioned: The Hindu --------------------------------

The South Central Railway (SCR) added another feather in its cap by commissioning the longest electrified tunnel of 6.6 km built at a total cost of ₹460 crore ( approx. 66 mn USD) between Cherlopalli and Rapuru stations. The tunnel is part of the recently completed Obulavaripalli-Venkatachalam new railway line.

Construction of the longest tunnel between Cherlopalli and Rapuru in a record time of 43 months was the major challenge for commissioning of this important and vital railway link as it has reduced distance between Krishnapatnam Port and hinterland areas by 60 km said General Manager Gajanan Mallya.

If the average travel time taken by goods train from Krishnapatnam Port to Obulavaripalli is 10 hours, with the newly commissioned line, the travel time gets reduced to about 5 hours. The tunnel will facilitate operating freight trains on ObulavaripalliVenkatachalamKrishnapatnam Port new railway line for a distance of 113 km.

Railways signs MoU with REL for upgrading signalling system: PTI ------------------------------The Railways has signed an MoU with RailTel Enterprises Limited (REL), a whollyowned subsidiary company of RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, to upgrade its signalling system on four busiest sections.

The project includes setting up automatic train protection system with Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based Mobile Train Radio Communication System (MTRC) along with a provision of Electronic Interlocking (indoor), wherever required, the RailTel said in a statement.

The MoU was signed by executive director of Signal Development (Railway Board), Pradeep M Sikdar, Member (Signal & Telecom) of Railway Board, Kashinath, and CMD of Railtel, Puneet Chawla.

The train control system modernisation project will be implemented on some of the busiest routes on Indian Railway with heavy traffic.The pilot project, with an estimated cost of Rs 1609 crore, is expected to be completed in 24 months.

In a first for Indian Railways, eight trains from Bihar to have 'Entertainment-onDemand' facility soon: The Indian Express --------------------------------In a first for the Indian Railways, the Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) has come up with an ‘Entertainment-onDemand’ (EoD) facility for passengers through an incoach video and audio streaming platform.

The facility will allow the passengers onboard to watch videos and listen to audio of their choice from a large digital library to kill the boredom during the journey. More interestingly, it would be free of cost for the entire journey.

The six express trains slated to have the facility from August are the Patna-Mumbai Suvidha express, PatnaBandra Humsafar express, Patna-Kota Express-I, PatnaHowrah Jan Shatbdi express and Patna-Ranchi Janshatbdi express and the Patna-Kota express-II. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Prasad, Spokesperson of the Danapur divison (ECR) also said, that there will be special category for elderly passengers with devotional songs, bhajans etc.

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Harvesting rainwater and solar power: Guntakal in Andhra Pradesh becomes first railway station to install 'Ulta Chaata': DNA -------------------------------In a first of its kind initiative in Indian Railways, the Guntakal railway station in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh has installed "Ulta Chaata" (Inverted Umbrella ), a type of canopy which can harness solar power and also harvest rainwater.

The innovative move by South Central Railway's Guntakal division is part of "Greener Railways" initiative undertaken by Indian Railways.

Six such "Ulta Chaatas," which are canopies shaped like inverted umbrellas with solar panel fitted on top, were installed at the railway station.

The main purpose of each canopy is to utilise the sustainable space and harness solar power besides providing shelter for seating with mobile and laptop charging facilities.

The canopy is also called "Model 1080" due to its geometrical angles of the internal structure. The simple design of the umbrella, which is normally used for protection from rain, is taken as the base design.

Tinsukia Railway station gets ravishing makeover: India TV -------------------------------

Tinsukia Junction railway station in Assam got a ravishing makeover bringing it at par with airports in terms of modern amenities, hygiene, and comfort, fulfilling the aspirations of people of NorthEast.

A total amount of Rs 5 crore has been invested in this redevelopment project. From the provision of a new executive lounge to renovated waiting halls, the station has been provided with a slew of modern facilities and amenities.

One of the major highlights of the renovated station is a new airconditioned paid executive lounge, made at par with those at airports.

The Executive lounge offers separate sitting and dining space, a pantry area along with attached washrooms.

For hassle-free movement of passengers, six commercial outlets have also been built for the hawkers.

New water booths have been provided along with separate low height booths for Divyangans.

IREE13th International Railway Equipment Exhibition 2019 from 22nd to 24th October 2019 at Aerocity (near Airport) , New Delhi, India.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with Ministry of Railways, Government of India, is organizing Asia’s largest event for the Rail Transportation Sector,IREE -13th International Railway Equipment Exhibition (IREE)2019, scheduled from 22nd to 24th October 2019 at Aerocity (near Airport), New Delhi, India.

For more information kindly contact: Mr Rajesh Wadhwa, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), 249-F, Udyog Vihar, Phase IV, Gurgaon.

Tel: 00-124-4013875; Email :rajesh.wadhwa@cii.in Website: www.ireeindia.com

India Newsletter . 12

Indian Embassy, Vienna

INDIAN STATE ECONOMIC PROFILE CHHATTISGARH Chhattisgarh is located in central India. It is among the richest Indian states in terms of mineral wealth, with 28 varieties of major minerals, including diamonds. Chhattisgarh ranked 4th in terms of value of mineral production (excluding atomic, fuel and minor minerals) in India, with a 15.66 per cent share in 2017-18.

At current prices, gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Chhattisgarh stood at Rs 3.12 trillion (US$ 43.20 billion) in 2018-19. GSDP (in Rs) of the state at current prices grew at a CAGR of 10.18 per cent between 2011-12 and 2018-19.

Total mineral production in the state during 2017-18 was worth Rs 9,184 crore (US$ 1.42 billion). Moreover, considerable reserves of bauxite, limestone and quartzite are available in the state. Chhattisgarh is the only state in India that produces tin concentrates.

The state accounted for 35.4 per cent of tin ore reserves of India. During 2017-18, tin concentrate

production in the state stood at 16,758 kgs.

Chhattisgarh's combined exports of aluminum & products, iron ore, iron & steel products, and cement from Chhattisgarh reached US$ 931.63 million in FY18 and US$ 266.97 million between Apr-Dec 2018.

The natural resources, policy incentives and infrastructure in the state support investments in the iron and steel, cement and power sectors.

Korba district in Chhattisgarh is known as the power capital of India. As of February 2019, Chhattisgarh had a total installed power generation capacity of 14,044.10 MW. Moreover, considerable reserves of bauxite, limestone and quartzite are available in the state.

The Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) has set up industrial growth centers, five industrial parks and three integrated infrastructure development centers (IIDC).

Major initiatives taken by the government to promote Chhattisgarh as an investment destination are: ► As per State Budget 2018-19, all 26 industrial areas under Directorate of Industries will be upgraded. ► A wide range of fiscal and policy incentives for businesses have been announced under the state’s Industrial Policy 2014-19.

Government of ► The Chhattisgarh plans to set up a food processing park in Rajnandgaon district on around 303 hectares of land. ► Chhattisgarh state Government, in partnership with Indian Railways will build two fully electrified rail corridors in the state at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 1.56 billion). ► As per Budget 2018-19, the state government allocated Rs 5,178 crore (US$ 716.87 million) for the development of roads & bridges in the state.

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Indian Embassy, Vienna

INDIAN TRADE FAIRS INTERESTED IN VISITING A TRADE SHOW IN INDIA? In case your company is interested in visiting a tradeshow/B2B event in India, be it one listed here or another one that came to your attention, get in contact with us via comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in to get more information about possible assistance/subsidies.

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GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

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Mumbai (July 17) • Hyderabad (July 19) Chennai (July 22) • Bangalore (July 24) Kolkata (July 26) • New Delhi (July 28).

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Global Housing Technology Challenge- India (GHTC-India) Global Housing Technology Challenge- India (GHTC-I) intends to get the best globally available innovative construction technologies through a challenge process. It aims to demonstrate and deliver ready to live-in houses in minimum time and minimum cost with high-quality of construction in a sustainable manner.

This challenge seeks to promote future potential technologies through Incubation support and accelerator workshops, in order to foster an environment of research and development in the country. The process flow chart of GHTC- India is summarized as below:

www.ghtc-india.gov.in India Newsletter• 18

Indian Embassy, Vienna

INVEST INDIA The Investors Desk of the Make in India Campaign The national investment promotion agency, provides handholding and facilitation services for attracting investments, including: Following up on approvals from Government departments/ agencies on behalf of the investor and the investing community.

Providing handholding facilitation services from the point of arrival to the point of departure, including land/site identification and entry procedure advisory. Interacting with all States in a Hub & Spoke Model and providing investors with State policies relating to land/labour/capital and investment.Fixing meetings/ appointments between investors and different Government departments/agencies.

The team of domain and functional experts provide sector- and state-specific inputs, and handholding support to investors through the entire investment cycle, from preinvestment decision-making to aftercare.

Invest India assist with: ■ Market strategy ■ Business plan advisory ■ Location identification ■ Expediting regulatory approvals ■ Facilitating meetings with relevant government and corporate officials ■ Initiating remedial action on problems faced by investors

Contact Information

Mr. Anmol Bansal +91 9821 897 017 (Direct) anmol.bansal@investindia.org.in +91 11 2419 0300

www.investindia.gov.in

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Indian Embassy, Vienna

TOURISM

Telangana

Telangana, the 29th and youngest state of India, formally recognized on June 2, 2014 is a treasure trove of tourist destinations. Telangana is known for its hospitality and multicultural and pluralistic society. Hyderabad, the capital city of this state is the fifth largest city in India and home to some of India's best educational institutions, public sector and defence companies and a thriving global services sector and film industry and known for its world famous Hyderabadi Biryani.

Constituting a major part of Deccan plateau, Telangana has a pleasing climate, with abundant natural and water resources. The state is the gateway to Krishna and Godavari Rivers in South India and is considered the seed capital of India. One of the wealthy economies in India, Telangana is here to take its rightful place in the country, as a highly developed state and society with a proud history and grand heritage.

Telangana apart from the historical perspective of various dynastic and regional and cultural influences offers its visitors a plethora of places of pristine natural beauty. With serene lakes, verdant woods, rocky regions, abundant wildlife, flora and fauna, elaborately carved temples, magnificent palaces and forts reflecting architectural blends of Hindu, Pathan and Persian styles. The artistic temper of the local people finds expression in the varied art forms of the different tribes and regions of Telangana in paintings, handicrafts in wood and metal and textile of International repute.

Charminar, Hyderabad, Telangana

Telangana is famous world-wide for its amazing Bronze castings that require exquisite skills for creating incredible idols. Nirmal town is worldfamous for its varied range of handicrafts made using best traditional techniques to create masterpieces. Other prominent art works of the state include Nizamabad panels, Nirmal painted furniture, Dokra castings, Silver Filigree, Cheriyal Scroll Paintings, Bidri craft, Pembarthi brassware etc.

Places to visit in Telangana: CHARMINARThe most prominent landmark located right in the heart of Hyderabad is a four-sided archway with four soaring minarets of 48.7m, Charminar.

Hyderabad’s signature building, it was built in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad. You will find 45 prayer spaces and a mosque in Charminar. The imposing structure looks awe inspiring during the night when it is illuminated. The essence of Charminar lies in four things - the laid back crowds, the packed markets, the lip smacking biryani and the Irani chai!

BIRLA MANDIRThis white marble temple of Lord Venkateshwara floats on the city skyline, on Kala Pahad. The idol in the temple is a replica of the one at Tirumala Tirupati.

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Indian Embassy, Vienna

NAGARJUNA SAGAR DAM-

POCHARAM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY-

NagarjunaSagar Dam is considered one of largest dams built in recent times in Asia. As the tallest masonry dam and the largest canal system network in India, the dam was completed in the year 1969 and has a majestic height of 124 meters. It is 1 km long, and has 26 crest gates.

The dam can store upto 11,472 million cubic meters of water in the reservoir.

A beautiful landscape and strikingly scenic water body adds beauty to the impressive structure. The dam derives its name from a nearby hillock and island called Nagarjunakonda, where an ancient Buddhist Guru had once lived.

There is a famous and well-maintained museum here that houses ancient artifacts. Apart from the lake where regular boating facilities are provided, tourists can also visit other attractions such as Ethipothala waterfalls, and Srisailam Wildlife Reserve close by.

The 130 sq km sanctuary is home to various wildlife including leopard, wolf, chital, sloth bear, sambar, jackal and peacock. The watchtower in the thick of the forest offers an excellent overview of the dense forest and the lake within.

Pocharam is 15 km from Medak town.

NIZAMABAD-

One of the most famous monuments in Telangana, the Thousand Pillar Temple was built by the Kakatiya King, Rudra Deva in 1163 AD. The temple represents the intricate Chalukyan style of temple architecture at its finest. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya it is loaded with meticulously designed pillars, richly carved icons, and rock cut elephants that represent the incredible detailing of Kakatiya architecture.

Nizamabad, a district in Telangana, is aptly known as a rich heritage site. It is a place where time tells stories of the glorious history of the Nizams who once ruled this place and where different communities and cultures co-exist in perfect harmony. Nizamabad is equally blessed by nature as well with beautiful lakes like Alisagar and Nizamsagar.

WARANGAL FORTAlso known as the highlight of the region, the Warangal Fort was built during the reign of Kakatiyas in the 13th Century. The temple is a combination of geometrical intricacies and splendid arches, and consists of 45 towers and pillars in total. An interesting fact about the fort is that the ‘Ekasshila’, a beautifully carved gateway in the fort is now the official symbol of Telangana.

THOUSAND PILLAR TEMPLE-

INDIA PERSPECTIVES MAGAZINE ONLINE

www.indiaperspectives.in

India Perspectives Magazine

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ndia Perspectives, the flagship magazine of the Ministry of External Affairs. The magazine is printed in 16 languages and goes to 170 countries, disseminating interesting information about India’s rich culture and tradition.

For a copy of the magazine, mail us at: poip@mea.gov.in

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GUIDE FOR TRAVELLERS - BAGGAGE RULES

Printed at: Viba Press P. , 9810049515

APP

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INDIA-AUSTRIA BY AIR

TOURIST HELPLINE

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YOGA, BOLLYWOOD DANCE AND HINDI CLASSES AT THE EMBASSY

■ The Embassy of India invites Yoga enthusiast for free yoga classes at the Embassy. The classes are organized in various categories and are conducted by Ms. Neelam Vats, Yoga Teacher at the Culture Center, Kaerntner Ring 2, Vienna.

■ Free Hindi learning class are held every Monday, 18.30 hrs. at the Culture Center of the Embassy at Kaerntner Ring 2, Vienna.

■ Free Bollywood dance classes are held every Tuesday from 18.00-19.00 hrs. at the Culture Center of the Embassy at Kaerntner Ring 2, Vienna.

■ For further information regarding the Yoga class timings and Hindi learning classes kindly visit Embassy's website or write an e-mail to : tic.vienna@mea.gov.in

■ For more information on Bollywood classes kindly send an e- mail to ccl.vienna@mea.gov.in

INDIAN EMBASSY LIBRARY

■■ The Embassy’s library is opened daily from 10 am to 1 pm without appointment.

■■ Our collection contains more than 2000 titles in dozens of categories.

■■ For appointments outside the opening hours or other inquiries, please contact us under info.vienna@mea.gov. in or 015058666 44 ■■ Download our latest catalog of books under indianembassy.at/pdf/EmbassyLibrary.pdf

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Indian Embassy, Vienna

NOTICE BOARD EMBASSY’S LIBRARY ■■ The EMBASSY’S library is open DAILY from 10am to 1pm without appointment.

■■ For a complete list of books available in our library, visit our website www.eoivienna.gov.in .

■■ For scheduling an appointment outside the opening hours, please contact the information assistant under info.vienna@mea.gov.in or 01 505 8666

BUSINESS CENTRE ■■ The EMBASSY’S Business Centre is opened DAILY from 10am to 1pm.

■■ For scheduling an appointment outside the opening hours, please contact the commercial wing under the contact given below.

■■ Marketing Assistant: comm1.vienna@mea.gov.in or 01 505 8666 31

STUDENTS WELFARE OFFICER ■■ Mr. Brijesh Kumar, Second Secretary in this Embassy has been designated as Officer to look after welfare of Indian Students in Austria and Montenegro.

■■ His contact details are: 0043 1 505 866 16 and ccl.vienna@mea.gov.in

MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS GOES MOBILE ■■ Avail services : passport, visa, consular assistance ■■ Ask your Minister : on the go, anytime, anywhere ■■ Follow your PM : on his visits abroad ■■ Find the nearest Indian Mission/Post : for emergency consular assistance ■■ Be informed : about India’s Foreign Relations on the move and form your own opinions ■■ Know more : about how to undertake Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and Haj Pilgrimage ■■ Download and watch : pictures & documentaries on India ■■ Play and Personalize : what you need, when you need ■■ Share and contribute : your views, pics & suggestions Ministry of External Affairs proudly presents “MEAIndia” – an integrated smart app for mobile and other hand held devices ‘MEAIndia’ is now available for download on App Store and Google Play Store.

FACEBOOK & TWITTER ■■ Our Facebook and Twitter pages target the India-Austria community and covers subjects such as Business, Culture, Embassy News, India-related events and programmes in Austria, and much more.

■■ We have reached the 16000 followers mark on Facebook!

■■ ‘ Like’ our facebook page and be the first to know!

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INDIA NEWSLETTER

Disclaimer: Most of the Information collected in our Newsletter is through secondary research and Embassy of India, Vienna is not responsible for any errors in the same.

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