Embassy of India Newsletter- September 2019

INDIA NEWSLETTER Indian Embassy, Vienna

Published by the Embassy of India, Vienna Year 9 • Issue 84 • September 2019

ALSO FIND INSIDE:

Trade Fairs in India

State Profile- GOA

Know India Program

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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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NEWS FLASH

01

The Ministry of Railways has sought the approval of the Union cabinet to build three new dedicated freight corridor (DFC) networks at a total investment of about Rs 3 trillion (US$ 43.5 billion).

02

The Centre has planned to introduce light urban rail transit system 'Metrolite' - in small cities and towns having lesser estimation of ridership, with each train having three coaches and a restricted speed of 25 kmph.

03

Amplus Energy

Solutions has announced an investment of Rs 500 crore (US$ 69.5 million) for its next open access solar project of 100MW in the district Deoria of Uttar Pradesh.

04

The upcoming

plasma-based world's largest reactor, which aims to demonstrate that it is possible to produce commercial electricity from clean energy source fusion, is empowering industry globally, including Indian manufacturing.

05

The Ministry of Rural Development has joined hands with Tata Trusts to set up a not-for-profit company to provide professional support to Indian rural artisans to sell their products globally.

06

Scientists at IIT Hyderabad have created lowcost, environment-friendly solar cells by employing an off-the-shelf dye used to make kumkum or vermilion in India.

07

India received the highest-ever FDI inflow of US $ 64.37 billion during FY19.

The path-breaking reform measures undertaken during the last financial year have resulted in this new all-time high, according to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)

08

The Khadi

and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) turnover crossed Rs. 74,323 crore (US$ 10.33 billion) in 2018-19 with the sale of Khadi products seeing a growth of over 145 per cent since 2014-15.

09

Odisha has received the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag for its ‘Odisha rasagola’, less than two years after West Bengal won its own GI tag for the delectable eastern sweet.

10

The Union Government plans to register around 150 million workers over the next three years under its new leading pension scheme Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PM-SYM).

This scheme is to bring social security to informal sector workers.

11

The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019, has been passed from both the houses, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and will become law once the President gives the permission. The bill is aimed to bring many changes in transportation system and to upgrade road safety and transport services.

12

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) delivered a Chetak helicopter to the Indian Navy, with the latest communication and navigation systems

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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 India's tech industry to touch $350 bn by 2025: NasscomMcKinsey study: BS ----------------------------------

Assuring that the growth of Indian IT sector is well on track, industry lobby Nasscom said that the sector would nearly triple its revenues of $350 billion by 2025.

The report released by Nasscom and McKinsey, titled Perspective 2025: Shaping the Digital Revolution', said the industry is "well on track" to grow from $132 billion in FY 2014-15 to $225 billion by 2020 and further touch $350 billion by 2025.

Out of the $350 billion, exports are expected to account for about $280 billion and $70

billion would be from the domestic market.

According to Nasscom, the Indian IT sector has a chance to grow and expand significantly as the range of products and services requiring enabling of information technology widens.

Also according to the report the next $100 billion would help add around two million jobs in the sector. "The industry is expected to grow at over 11 per cent to $225 billion in 2020 and 10 per cent-plus to $350 billion by 2025.

About 1.2-2 million people will be added with the next $100 billion revenue," the report said.

The report further added that driven by the adoption of digital technology, the total

addressable market for global technology and business services will likely expand to about $4 trillion by 2025, growing at an average annual rate of about 3.6 percent.

Also it said that, the global and domestic market presents a huge opportunity for companies that can build expertise in these new technologies and deliver value through them.

"The technology and services industry in India has become a transformational partner for its customers. The report identifies innovative and disruptive technologies that will shape the enterprise of the future," B V R Mohan Reddy, Chairman, Nasscom, said.

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Managing Director India Noshir Kaka added that IT companies trying to prosper in this day and age will have to work in six new areas, including the Internet of Things (IOT), cyber security, social, mobility, analytics and cloud.

Amazon opens its largest campus in the world in Hyderabad: Livemint

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Amazon India inaugurated the largest company-owned campus, worldwide, in Hyderabad on 21st August 2019, the only one outside the US. The e-commerce firm will house more than 15,000 employees out of the over 62,000 members of the India team.

The move is part of Amazon’s expansion plans in India, where retail markets are still to a large extent driven by traditional neighbourhood stores.

“Over the last 15 years we have invested significantly in India across 30 office spaces, the AWS (Amazon Web Services) APAC (Asia Pacific) Region in Mumbai, 50 fulfilment centres in 13 states, as well as hundreds of delivery stations and sort centres, creating nearly 200,000 jobs in India," said Amit Agarwal, senior vicepresident and country manager, Amazon India.

Amazon’s new campus building, located in Hyderabad’s financial district near Hi-Tech city, is also a step towards countering Walmart Inc., which had acquired India’s largest

e-commerce firm Flipkart last year .The new campus is spread over 9.5 acres, and is its largest tech base outside the Seattle headquarters, which has about 155,000 contract employees.

Telangana is home to one-third of Amazon’s total India employee base across six offices, including the new campus building.

The e-commerce giant has three fulfilment centres in the state, offering more than 3.2 million cubic feet of storage space to sellers, two sort centres with 100,000 sq. ft of processing capacity and 90 delivery stations.

This is one of the largest centres of a multinational company in the country. The India unit of Intel, the US-based chip design company, announced in 2017 that it will invest ₹1,100 crore to expand its research and development centre in Bengaluru, making it the largest such centre outside the US. Intel’s 620,000 sq. ft facility is part of Intel’s existing 44-acre campus on Sarjapur Ring Road in the city. More recently, Swedish retail giant Ikea had also opened its first Indian outlet in Hyderabad, which is built over an area of 400,000 sq. feet.

and a considerably lower fee if the visit to the country falls during April to June lean period.

Speaking at the inauguration of a meeting with state government representatives on tourism, minister Prahlad Patel said the move was to encourage tourists to visit India.

"India to offer 30-day etourist visa with $10 fee during lean period April to June and $25 fee during peak tourism period from July to March," he said.

While the Home Ministry has approved the new visa regime, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is soon expected to give its approval on the fee aspect, officials said.

A new five-year e-tourist visa will also be introduced with $80 fee and a one year e-tourist visa with $40 fee, Patel said.

"For Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, lean period visa fees is USD 10 and for e-visa of 30 days, 1 year and 5 years is USD 25," he said.

Ikea India opens online store in Mumbai: PTI/ ET -----------------------------------

Swedish home furnishings major Ikea launched its online store in Mumbai offering more than 7,500 products.

It said the online store is India to introduce part of its new multichannel approach to reach 100 million flexible e-tourist visa customers in the next three years.

Mumbai will see a regime based on multichannel offer including tourist footfall: PTI smaller format stores, and a big -------------------------------format store in Navi Mumbai, it India introduced a flexible e- said in a statement. tourist visa regime based on "India's retail landscape is tourist footfall, with higher fee changing at a scale and pace not for July to March peak season seen before driven by increasing India Newsletter • 6

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urbanisation and changing customer behaviours. To be a key partner to the many of India in this journey, Ikea is also transforming. Today marks an important occasion in our history as we roll out our multichannel, digital first approach with Mumbai being amongst the first few markets worldwide, where we are bringing alive this transformation," Ikea India CEO Peter Betzel said.

The online store will offer 1,000 products priced below Rs 200, it said adding that all the prices are the same across India, both in offline store and online.

In India, Ikea currently has more than 55 suppliers with 45,000 direct employees and 400,000 people in the extended supply chain.

It added that so far, more than 3 million customers have visited its first store in Hyderabad.

RIL unveils blockbuster US$15 billion deal with Saudi Aramco: IBEF -------------------------------

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is selling a 20 per cent stake in the company’s flagship chemicals and refining business to Saudi Aramco in a deal valued at US$ 15 billion. The deal is a part of a plan to make RIL a zero-debt company in coming years.

Saudi Aramco will invest into Reliance for a 20 per cent stake in oil-to-synthetic chemical division at an enterprise estimation of US$ 75 billion for the O2C division, which will be demerged into a separate subsidiary in the

following five years. In addition to the stake deal to Aramco, RIL will raise US$ 1 billion from BP Plc, which will obtain a 49 per cent stake in RIL's petro-retailing business for Rs 7,000 crores (US$ 1 billion) said by Ambani.

Ambani is aiming to cut RIL's ballooning debt in the wake of spending as much as US$ 50 billion to move its telecom business to the top position in India within three years of starting operation, surpassing Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd. As a major aspect of the proposed deal, Saudi Aramco will also supply 500,000 barrels for each day of crude oil on a long-term premise to RIL's Jamnagar refinery.

"This deal couldn't just ensure constant crude oil supply to RIL's twin refineries yet additionally get pricing advantage and give RIL cushion from the uncertain global crude oil market," an expert with a domestic brokerage said on state of namelessness. "For Saudi Aramco, this deal gives a much looked for after foothold in India." The proposed deal, when finished, is relied upon to essentially improve RIL's debt profile.

Govt may permit 100% FDI in contract manufacturing: PTI ----------------------------------

The government is working on a proposal to allow 100 per cent FDI in contract manufacturing with a view to attract overseas investments, sources said.

According to the existing foreign investment policy, 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) is permitted in the manufacturing

sector under the automatic route. A manufacturer is also allowed to sell products manufactured in India through wholesale and retail channels, including through e-commerce, without government's approval.

"The current policy does not talk about contract manufacturing and it is not clearly defined in the policy. Big technology companies across the world are going for this, so there is a need for a clarification on the matter which government is considering positively," they said.

The commerce and industry ministry is working on a proposal that would be finalised soon and sent for Union Cabinet's approval.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech in July had proposed relaxation in the FDI norms for certain sectors such as aviation, AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming and comics), insurance, and single brand retail with a view to attract more overseas investment.

FDI in India dipped 1 per cent to USD 44.36 billion in 2018-19.

Last year, the government had relaxed FDI rules for several sectors, including single brand retail, nonbanking financial companies and construction.

Foreign investments are considered crucial for India, which needs billions of dollars for overhauling its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth.

FDI helps in improving the country's balance of payments situation and strengthen the rupee value against other global currencies, especially the US dollar.

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transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

Government approves sanction of 5,595 electric buses under FAME scheme: PTI/ ET --------------------------------

The government has sanctioned 5,595 electric buses in 64 cities for intracity and intercity operations under the second phase of FAME India scheme in order to push for clean mobility in public transportation.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises had invited expression of interest (EoI) from cities with million-plus population, smart cities, state or UT capitals and special category states for submission of proposal for deployment of electric buses on operational cost basis.

During the process, the Department of Heavy Industry received 86 proposals from 26 states or UTs for the deployment of 14,988 e-buses.

“After evaluation of these proposals as per EoI, on the advice of Project Implementation and Sanctioning Committee (PISC), the government sanctioned 5,095 electric buses to 64 cities or state transport corporations for intra-city operation, 400 electric buses for intercity operation and 100 electric buses for last mile connectivity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC),” an official release said.

Each selected city or STUs (state transport undertaking) is now required to initiate the procurement process in a time bound manner for deployment of sanctioned electric buses on operational cost basis, it added.

As per EoI, buses which satisfy required localisation level and technical eligibility notified under FAME India scheme phase II will be eligible for funding under FAME India scheme phase II, release added.

The buses are expected to run about 4 billion kilometers during their contract period and are expected to save cumulatively about 1.2 billion liters of fuel over the contract period, which will result into avoidance of 2.6 million tonne of CO2 emission.

India-France to jointly build, run space-based ship tracking system: The Hindu --------------------------------

The world’s first space-based automatic identification system (AIS) to track merchant ships on a real-time basis will be built and operated jointly by India and France, the French space agency (Centre national d'études spatiales or the National Centre for Space Studies — CNES) has said.

CNES President JeanYves Le Gall and K Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), signed an agreement recently to start development and production of a constellation of satellites on which studies have been underway for more than a year.

The pact between the two space agencies was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France.

The constellation carrying telecommunications (AIS), radar and optical remote-sensing instruments will be capable of monitoring ships in the Indian Ocean, CNES said in a statement.

The International Maritime Organization’s International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires AIS to be fitted aboard all ships of 300 gross tonnage and upwards engaged on international voyages, cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards not engaged on international voyages and all passenger ships irrespective of the size. The requirement took effect on December 31, 2004.

AIS is designed to provide information about a ship to other vesels and to coastal authorities, automatically.

India has installed a Long-Range Identification and Tracking system (LRIT) for ships as well as a terrestrial-based AIS, but their range and functionality is limited, a government official said.

LRIT can predict the position of a ship every six hours or at least four times a day while the terrestrial-based AIS has a coverage range of 40 nautical miles.

The satellite-based AIS will significantly boost India’s coastal surveillance mechanism and maritime security, the official said.

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FORUM FOR INDIAN SCIENCE DIPLOMACY India unveils the Draft on E-Commerce Norms --------------------------------

To protect consumers’ interest, the Government of India has proposed guidelines for ecommerce firms that entail a 14-day deadline to effect refund request, mandate etailers to display details of sellers supplying goods and services on their websites and moot the procedure to resolve consumer complaints. The consumer affairs ministry has sought views of stakeholders on the draft guidelines on ecommerce by September 16.

Meanwhile, the government is planning to come out with a national e-commerce policy to facilitate achieving holistic growth of the sector. The ecommerce sector in India has been witnessing an explosive growth fuelled by the increase in the number of online users, growing penetration of smartphones and the rising popularity of social media platforms. The e-commerce sector in India is estimated to reach USD 230 billion by 2028, accounting for 10 per cent of India’s retail business.

DRDO successfully flight-tests Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles --------------------------------

Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) on 4 August successfully flight-tested its state-of-the-art Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missiles (QRSAM) ) against live aerial targets from Integrated

Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.

Two missiles, developed by DRDO, were tested against two live targets meeting complete mission objectives of engaging the targets. QRSAM, with many state of the art technologies, engaged the targets at different ranges and altitudes. The system is being developed for the Indian Army with search and track on move capability with very short reaction time.

ISA membership to be opened up for more countries --------------------------------

India has ratified the amendment to the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Agreement (ISA) for opening up the ISA membership to all United Nations member states. This will put solar energy on the global agenda with universal appeal for developing and deploying solar energy. Earlier only countries lying between 23.5 degrees latitude of the equator could join as full members. It will further lead to ISA initiative benefitting the world at large, enabling countries such as Germany and South Korea to join.

ISRO’s commercial wing begins operations --------------------------------

The New Space India Limited (NSIL), the newly established commercial subsidiary of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has got its first customer - an American space rideshare company, Spaceflight. The American firm

has bought a payload slot on the first commercial launch of ISRO’s newest rocket – Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The first flight of SSLV is slated to take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre later this year. SSLV is designed to inject small satellites weighing up to 500 kg in low-earth orbits, and NSIL has been tasked with the production of the rocket in collaboration with private players. The first SSLV mission will deploy the commercial spacecraft in two different orbital planes. Spaceflight is a rideshare company that provides launch and mission services to its customers using rockets of different agencies. It has executed nine missions with ISRO, sending over 100 spacecraft to orbits aboard its launch vehicles. NSIL is ISRO’s second commercial arm after Antrix Corporation.

Study on benefits from alternatives to burning in Agriculture -------------------------------A new economic study shows that thousands of farmers in northern India could increase their profits if they stop burning their rice straw and adopt no-till practices to grow wheat.

Alternative farming practices could also cut farmers' greenhouse gas emissions from on-farm activities by as much as 78% and help lower air pollution in cities like New Delhi.The study demonstrates that it is possible to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in a way that is profitable to farmers and scalable.

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MAKE IN INDIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS world’s fastest growing market for Google Play downloads in the second and third quarter of 2018.

Over the next five years, rise in mobile-phone penetration and decline in data costs will add 500 million new internet users in India, creating opportunities for new businesses.

Investment / development:

India is currently the world’s second-largest telecommunications market with a subscriber base of 1.20 billion and has registered strong growth in the past decade and half.

The Indian mobile economy is growing rapidly and will contribute substantially to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to report prepared by GSM Association (GSMA) in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As of January 2019, India has witnessed a 165 per cent growth in app downloads in the past two years.

The liberal and reformist policies of the Government of India have been instrumental along with strong consumer demand in the rapid growth in the Indian telecom sector. The government has enabled easy market access to telecom equipment and a fair and proactive regulatory framework that has ensured availability of

telecom services to consumer at affordable prices.

The deregulation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms has made the sector one of the fastest growing and a top five employment opportunity generator in the country.

Market Size: With 604.21 million internet subscribers, as of December 2018, India ranks as the world’s second largest market in terms of total internet users.

Further, India is also the world’s second largest telecommunications market, with total subscriber base of 1,183.51 million at the end of March 2019.

Moreover, in 2017, India surpassed USA to become the second largest market in terms of number of app downloads.

The country remained as the

Major

With daily increasing subscriber base, there have been a lot of investments and developments in the sector. FDI inflows into the telecom sector during April 2000 – March 2019 totalled to US$ 32.82 billion, according to the data released by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Some of the developments in the recent past are: During the first quarter of 2018, India became the world’s fastest-growing market for mobile applications. The country remained as the world’s fastest growing market for Google Play downloads in the second and third quarter of 2018.

Bharti Airtel is planning to launch 6,000 new sites and 2,000 km of optical fiber in Gujarat in 2018-19.

The number of mobile wallet transaction increased 5 per cent India Newsletter. 10

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month-on-month to million in July 2018.

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providers offering dark fibre, electronic mail and voice mail.

As of June 2018, BSNL is expected to launch its 5G services by 2020.

The Government of India has introduced Digital India programme under which all the sectors such as healthcare, retail, etc. will be connected through internet.

Vodafone India and Idea Cellular have merged into ‘Vodafone Idea’ to become India’s largest telecom company, as of September 2018.

Government Initiatives: The government has fasttracked reforms in the telecom sector and continues to be proactive in providing room for growth for telecom companies.

Some of the other major initiatives taken by the government are as follows: The Government of India is soon going to come out with a new National Telecom Policy 2018 in lieu of rapid technological advancement in the sector over the past few years.

The policy has envisaged attracting investments worth US$ 100 billion in the sector by 2022.

The Department of Information Technology intends to set up over 1 million internet-enabled common service centres across India as per the National e-Governance Plan.

Achievements: Department of Telecommunication launched ‘Tarang Sanchar’ - a web portal sharing information on mobile towers and EMF Emission Compliances.

Six-fold increase in Government spending on telecommunications infrastructure and services in the country – from Rs 9,900 crores (US$ 1.41 billion) during 2009-14 to Rs 60,000 crores (US$ 8.55 billion) (actual + planned) during 2014-19.

Over 75 per cent increase in internet coverage – from 251 million users to 446 million.

Country-wide Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) coverage doubled – from 700,000 km to 1.4 million km.

Five-fold jump in FDI inflows in the Telecom Sector – from US$ 1.3 Billion in 2015-16 to US$ 6.1 billion in 2017-18 (up to December 2017).

Road Ahead: Revenues from the telecom equipment sector are expected to grow to US$ 26.38 billion by 2020. The number of internet subscribers in the country is expected to double by 2021 to 829 million and overall IP traffic is expected to grow 4-fold at a CAGR of 30 per cent by 2021.

The Indian Government is planning to develop 100 smart city projects, where IoT would play a vital role in development of those cities. The National Digital Communications Policy 2018 has envisaged attracting investments worth US$ 100 billion in the telecommunications sector by 2022. The Indian Mobile Value-Added Services (MVAS) industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.3 per cent during the forecast period 2015– 2020 and reach US$ 23.8 billion by 2020. App downloads in India are expected to increase to 18.11 billion in 2018F and 37.21 billion in 2022F.

FDI cap in the telecom sector has been increased to 100 per cent from 74 per cent; out of 100 per cent, 49 per cent will be done through automatic route and the rest will be done through the FIPB approval route.

FDI of up to 100 per cent is permitted for infrastructure India Newsletter • 11

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS - Latest News and Developments Digital Udaan gets partnership from Facebook: IBEF --------------------------------

Reliance Jio Infocomm entered in partnership with US social media giant, Facebook Inc, to inaugurate a nation-wide digital literacy initiative, Digital Udaan, for its rising base of Jio Phone users and other first-time internet users.

Under the initiative, Jio will draw interact with users each Saturday to notify them on highlights of its 4G VoLTE highlight telephone, that is Jio Phone. It will focus on the utilization of different applications and web wellbeing, including the utilization of Facebook to connect with loved ones in a secure way. The digital literacy engagement will be undertaken via audio-visual training in 10 regional languages.

Facebook is an ally in mission for initiative to reach every town and villages to achieve 100% digital literacy.

Digital Udaan, is a program for inclusive information, education and entertainment.

I Squared Cap to invest $300 million in telecom infra platform Lightstorm: Livemint -------------------------------

network in its National Digital Communications Policy-2018, which aims to attract $100 billion in investments in digital communications.

I Squared Capital invested $150 million in Amplus in April 2015 and helped it to grow to become India’s largest rooftop solar power producer by over 400% annually before selling its stake. The firm has offices in New York, Houston, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Indian smartphone market grew 5 per cent in Q2: IBEF --------------------------------

Six out of each seven smartphones sold in India had a place with top five smartphone brands - Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Realme and OPPO - as the smartphone market grew 5 per cent in the second quarter (Q2) of 2019.

The India smartphone market is progressively determined by affordable smartphones (Rs 7,000-Rs 25,000). smartphone brands are focused on driving consumer updates from entry level purchasers to affordable and premium segment (Rs 25,000) with interesting new suggestions. During Q2 2019,

Samsung,Lava and itel enrolled a growth. Nokia had a YoY drop of 21 per cent in shipments.

The main five featured phonebrands contributed 78 per cent of the shipments.

Reliance Jio, BSNL drive telecom subscriber base to 1,183.77 mn in April: PTI ---------------------------------The country's telecom subscriber base grew marginally to 1,183.77 million in April on account of net mobile customers gain by Reliance Jio and state-run telecom firm BSNL, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) report.

"The number of telephone subscribers in India slightly increased from 1,183.51 million at the end of March 2019 to 1,183.77 million at the end of April 2019, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.02 per cent," Trai said in subscriber report for April.

Out of 317 broadband service providers, top-five service providers constituted 98.68 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers April. This includes Reliance Jio with 314.81 million broadband subscribers, Bharti Airtel 115.71 million, Vodafone Idea 109.66 million, BSNL 22.29 million and Tata Teleservices 1.94 million broadband subscribers.

New York-based I Squared Capital plans to invest around $300 million in Lightstorm Telecom Ventures, its telecom infrastructure platform in India.

I Squared Capital’s focus on setting up a carrier-neutral telecom infrastructure platform comes against the backdrop of the National Democratic Alliance government's focus on fibre India Newsletter. 12

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INDIAN STATE ECONOMIC PROFILE GOA Goa is located in the western region of India. The state shares its border with the Arabian Sea to the west, Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the south and the east. It is one of the fastest growing states in the country. Goa has a coastline of about 104 kms and inland waterways of about 250 km. The coast is full of creeks and estuaries formed by rivers.

At current prices, Goa’s Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) was Rs 702.67 billion (US$ 10.90 billion) in 2018-19.

The NSDP (in Rs) increased at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.12 per cent between 2011-12 and 2017-18.

The state has one of the highest per capita NSDP in the country, which stood at about Rs 420,383 (US$ 6,523) in 2017-18.

Goa has a strong presence in mining, tourism and pharmaceuticals sectors. Mining (iron ore and manganese), pharmaceuticals, iron and steel industries are present in North Goa while mining and

shipbuilding industries are present in South Goa. Exports of iron ore from the state reached 9.93 million tonnes in 2017-18.

As of April 2019, Goa had a total installed power generation capacity of 567.23 MW. Tourism is the largest segment in the services sector.

Goa is traditionally known as a tourist paradise for its natural scenery, beautiful beaches and cultural diversity. During 2017, Goa witnessed arrivals of 6,895,234 domestic tourists and 890,459 foreign tourists. Up to December2018, 8.01 million tourists have visited the state.

Goa has also emerged as a manufacturing base for several leading companies in areas such as fertilisers, tyres and tubes, cement, electrical machinery, fish-net making machines, automatic washing machines, printed circuit boards,pharmaceuticals and machinery. pharmaceutical Cumulative FDI received by Goa between April 2000 and December 2018 reached US$ 981 million.

Major initiatives taken by the government to promote Goa as an investment destination are: ► As of May 2019, Goa had seven formally approved and three notified Special Economic Zones (SEZs). ► The state Government has been proactive in encouraging public-private partnerships for promoting tourism by instituting a corpus fund. ► A new export policy for the state is also being prepared in order to promote exports for manufactured goods and surplus agriculture produce. ► A new IT policy has also been started to develop infrastructure , employment and investment opportunities to promote IT sector in Goa. ► The state Government is also working on a new tourism policy with a vision of overall tourism development and to engage with private players to invest and develop infrastructure in the state.

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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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20-21 NOVEMBER 2019

India 3rd Largest Asian Economy

6th Largest World Economy Projecting GDP

Growth Rate of 7 Per Cent In 2019-20

11th Global FDI

Confidence Index 2018 Rank

Taj Diplomatic Enclave Hotel, New Delhi, India

USD 1.55 trillion Domestic Growing Young Consumer Market

3rd Largest Economy By GDP (PPP)

2nd largest

Emerging Market for FDI

Why Participate India’s Largest European Industry Platform Sectoral Roundtables Partner Focus: Indian States & E29 Countries Exposition / Interactive Tech Space Sectoral Field Visits B2B Meetings Start-up Connect / Hackathon

ORGANISED BY

www.ie29.in

Confederation of Indian Industry

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Speakers

E29 Countries

Indian Ministries and State Governments

Albania Austria Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland

E29 Heads of State / Ministers Diplomats Leading Industry representatives Young Entrepreneurs Media

Greece Hungary Iceland Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania North Macedonia Malta Moldova Montenegro

Norway Poland Romania Serbia Slovak Republic Slovenia Sweden Switzerland Turkey

Sectors of Collaboration Opportunities in India Artificial Intelligence • 3rd in Artificial Intelligence Research across the globe • 3rd highest early adoption of AI • Among top 20 countries in Artificial Intelligence readiness • USD 957 billion potential

Smart Cities • 100 Indian cities • US $ 650 billion infrastructure investments over next 20 years • 402 Projects already commissioned worth US$ 60+ billion

Renewable Energy • Leader of International Solar Alliance (ISA) • 5th largest installed renewable energy and 4th largest installed wind capacity in the world

IT & ITeS • Largest (56%) Global Outsourcing market in the world • 75% of global digital talent in India • World’s third largest tech start-up hub • US $ 350 billion by 2025

Pharma • 3rd largest in terms of volume, 13th largest in terms of value

• 6th Largest installed solar power capacity in the world

• Largest supplier of generic medicines: 50% of global demand

• 60 Solar Cities announced : 50 Solar Parks (40 GW) announced

• 4th largest medical device market in Asia • US $280 billion healthcare market by 2020

• 100% FDI allowed in Renewables sector

• US $8 billion Medical equipment opportunity for E29

• 392 investment projects worth US $ 25.3 billion For Participation, Branding and Sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Ms Sanskriti Shukla Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) The Mantosh Sondhi Centre, 23, Institutional Area Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110003, India T: +91 11 2463 1343; 2462 9994-7 E: sanskriti.shukla@cii.in | W: www.cii.in India Newsletter. 16

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GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

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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• 21

Indian Embassy, Vienna

The office of Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to Government of India in partnership with East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) invites proposals from technology partners for recovery of land at Ghazipur open dump site in New Delhi by demonstration/ implementation of technology for amelioration of the landfill waste.

Multiple technologies may be selected for implementation at the Ghazipur Landfill site, operating in parallel to address the landfill challenge in a multi-pronged fashion.

Pilot demonstration units will be set up in the land adjacent to the landfill and the waste from the landfill will be provided to each pilot project. The implementation of the pilot demonstration project provides an opportunity for companies across the world to validate technologies in real-time conditions.

The RFP is in a partnership mode; the advantage of partnering with the Government of India for technology deployment would allow access and exposure to the Indian market and conditions.

Link to the Request for Proposal http://psa.gov.in/rfp/ For any further information please contact the following person under intimation to this Embassy: Ms. Shailja Vaidya Gupta Adviser (Scientist 'G') Department of Biotechnology Ministry of Science and Technology Block-2, CGO Complex, Lodi Road New Delhi - 110 003, India.

Ph: +9111 24363748 email: shailja@dbt.nic.in

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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

Sikkim meaning in Sikkim. Diverse rituals, songs, dances, traditional dresses, folklores and legends fill up the cultural canvas of the State.

The chimes of bells in the temples and the flutter of prayer flags in the monasteries create a feeling of righteousness and healing of spirit and soul. Feel rejuvenated, energised and spirituality enlightened in this holy land. Sikkim has a spectacular diversity of natural habitats and wildlife within a small geographic area of just 7,096 Sq. Km. Phensang Monastery, Sikkim

Sikkim situated in the Eastern Himalayan region with an area of 7,096 sq km and altitude ranging from 300m to 8,586m above sea level is a wonderland blessed with natural abundance from icy cold deserts, flowering alpine meadows, to lush green forests and emerald mountain lakes. The crowning glory of this wonderland is undoubtedly the magnificent Mt. Khangchendzonga (8,586m), the third highest mountain of the world. The mountain is not merely a physical entity but the abode of guardian deity whose benign watchfulness ensures peace and prosperity of the land.

It is possible to move from the sub-tropical heat of the lower valleys to the cold of the rugged mountain slopes that ascend up to the areas of perpetual snow in a matter of few hours. Such a steep rise in altitude over a very short distance, allows the land to host a robust natural heritage and wealth. The snow-capped mountain ranges, lush thick forests, plunging mountain valleys flush with rich flora and fauna, picture perfect villages, groves of rhododendrons, hot –springs, waterfalls, perennial streams and grand rivers Teesta and Rangit all contribute to shape Sikkim as a magical, mystical wonderland.

Keeping in tune with the natural diversity, Sikkim has an equally rich and diverse demographic structure with myriad of communities and religions and intricately knit colourful cultures, the basic connecting factor being the warm, welcoming nature of the people everywhere.

The phrase “Atithi Devo Bhava� finds its true

Places to visit in Sikkim: GANGTOKPerched on steeply-tiered hills in the eastern Himalayas, the picturesque city of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, is set against the backdrop of the majestic Mt Kanchenjunga (Khangchendzonga). A tourist hotspot, it invites adventure seekers for its well-laid trekking trails and avenues for mountain biking, hiking, paragliding and river rafting. The city allows you to let loose your inner daredevil and explore the mighty Himalayas like never before.

LACHUNGSurrounded by beautiful waterfalls, crystal-clear streams, snow-capped mountains and orchards of peaches, apricots and apples,lies the

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Indian Embassy, Vienna

picturesque town of Lachung, in Sikkim. A mountain hamlet, about 120 km from Gangtok, it is perched at an altitude of 8,858 ft. The quaint town of Lachung invites adventure lovers, who come here for trekking and snow sports. The popular trekking destination of Zero Point is one of the major attractions, where visitors can get sweeping views of the panoramic surroundings.

Mt Kato's pristine slopes are popular for skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing. Lachung comes to life during the Saga Dawa festival, celebrated in the month of June.

small shrine called ‘Tsangkhang’, which was founded by Lhatsun Chhenpo between 1650 and 1651 AD. This shrine was later shifted to the present site and re-established in 1705 by Chhogyal Chhagdor Namgyal and Lama Khanchhen Rolpai Dorje (first head lama of Pemayangtse Gompa). A small religious structure near the entrance has a sacred statue of Dorje Phagmo (Vajra Varahi) that was given to Chogyal Gyurmed Namgyal by Terton Terdag Lingpa of Tibet as a gift upon marrying his daughter.

PELLING-

SINGSHORE BRIDGE-

Offering jaw-dropping views of the Himalayas and the snow-capped Kanchenjunga (Khangchendzonga), the third-largest peak in the world, Pelling, in Sikkim, is a gorgeous tourist destination. With charming houses perched atop a wooded ridge, this hill town is framed by spectacular natural forests, making it a natural paradise. Sitting at a height of 2,150 m, Pelling is a base for several trekking routes.

Connecting two gorges in the west of Sikkim, the Singshore suspension bridge is believed to be the highest bridge in the state and the secondhighest in Asia, with a height of over 100 m. This architectural marvel, with a length of approximately 200 m, can be reached easily from Pelling, which is 25 km away. The bridge offers a spectacular view of picturesque surroundings. Dotted with gushing waterfalls and crisscrossed by a winding stream, the landscape enthralls one with its beauty and serenity. Apart from the months of July and August, the bridge is open for visitors all year round from 6 am to 6 pm. A short walk from the bridge lies the Alpine cheese factory where one can sample excellent Gouda cheese.

PEMYANGTSE MONASTERYBuilt for Ta Sangs (pure Tibetian monks) in 1705, this three-storeyed monastery is one of the most renowned in the state of Sikkim.It started with a

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

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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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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 - 44

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. Aniket Govind Mandavgane, First 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 and comm.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 17500 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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