India Empire July 2018

India-Business, Diplomatic, Political and Diaspora Connectivity

iNDiA

empire

Editor’s Desk

Volume 14 No. 2 July 2018 www.indiaempire.com RNI No.: DELENG/2005/16693

GLOBAL ADVISORY BOARD Mr Inder Singh, Dr Rami Ranger, Dr Kamalanathan Sappani, Mr Mridul Pathak, Ms Priya Tandon

“Infrastructure sector is all about building assets for the country. It is part of nation building” —Gautam Adani

Editor Sayantan Chakravarty

T

he person charged with improving and building infrastructural assets for India is none other than Mr Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Shipping. He has had the unenviable task of ushering in a sea and visible change in India’s infrastructural capabilities at all levels—surface, river and ports.

India’s growth and development into an infrastructural superpower hinges on vital decision-making that is going on at the highest levels of the NDA Government, led by Editor Chakravarty meets Minister Gadkari at his residence Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Gadkari responded to our questions on a number of key segments like the Bharatmala Pariyojana—an umbrella programme for the highways sector that aims to optimize the efficiency of road traffic movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps, the Peripheral Expressways in the NCR and the ones from Ahmedabad to Vadodara, Mumbai to Pune, Ahmedabad to Pune, and Bengaluru to Chennai, Namami Gange—a Mission Mode initiative of the Government, National Mission for Clean Ganga, Sagarmala and Unnati projects, and expansion of ports among others.

We have strong segments on Cuba, diaspora, and business and governance.

There’s also an event coverage that’s exhaustive.

Let’s hope you enjoy navigating through our pages.

Sayantan Chakravarty

Consulting Editor Yogesh Sood (Business and Commerce) Sipra Das (Photography) Kul Bhushan Jayant Borkar (Mumbai Affairs) Sanjay Sharma (BJP Affairs) Paras Ramoutar (Caribbean Affairs) Vishnu Bisram (New York) Premchand Ramlochun (Mauritius) Liladhar J. Bharadia (Kenya) Jay Banerjei (Toronto) Head—Art and Print Jaydev Bisht Additional Contributions From Arul Louis, Nishant Arora, Yogi Ashwini, Ajay Sharma Registered Office: N-126, II Floor, Greater Kailash I, New Delhi - 110 048.

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Sayantan Chakravarty is in a select group of 12 writers chosen by Scholastic Education to promote advanced English literature for schools worldwide. Included in the group are Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats, R K Narayan (Padma Vibushan and Sahitya Award winner), journalist and poet Walt Whitman, writer Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), poet Nissim Ezekiel (Sahitya Akademi Awardee), writer Jerome K Jerome (author of Three Men in a Boat), poet Edward Lear, Roald Dahl (16th on Time Magazine’s list of greatest British writers).

Sayantan Chakravarty’s stories featured in Best of Indian Express of 25 years and among select stories in Best of India Today’s 25 years.

PiCtures Š siPra das

PHOTO GALLERY

H.E. Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra making a point at a press briefing

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Business and

Governance

MAKE IN INDIA

SAMSUNG’S LARGEST GLOBAL HUB

INDIA IS OVER THE MOON

T

he world's largest mobile factory unveiled by South Korean tech giant Samsung in Noida will not only generate more jobs but also make India a global export hub, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on July 9, 2018 while inaugurating the new facility spread over 129,000 sq metres at Sector 81, Noida. Mr Modi said Samsung will export 30 per cent of the handsets made at the Noida factory to other markets.

"India is currently second in terms of phone manufacturing. Out of 120 mobile factories, 50 are in Noida only. Altogether, over 400,000 people are working in those units and Samsung is spearheading this with a workforce of 70,000 people. The new facility with give direct jobs to 1,000 people, taking the existing workforce at this plant to 6,000. The best part is that the company will export 30 per cent of the handsets made here to other markets," Mr Modi told the gathering at Noida.

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Metro ride

The Prime Minister said the new mobile manufacturing unit will make India-South Korea relations stronger as Samsung's biggest global R&D centre was already here.

"Almost every middle class Indian family is using at least one Korean product. Samsung has a distinct space in India.

India is going through digital transformation and I encourage more companies from South Korea to come and invest here," Mr Modi noted.

Launched in the presence of Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in who took the Metro to reach the facility, the plant will help Samsung India double its annual mobile production capacity to 120 million units by 2020.

All Samsung mobile phones, including the flagship Galaxy S9, S9+ and Galaxy Note 8, are being manufactured at the Noida plant.

"We are aligned with government policies and will continue to seek their support to achieve our dream of making India a global export hub for mobile phones," said HC Hong, Chief Executive Officer, Samsung India. The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior Samsung officials including Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee. President Moon Jae-in said the new facility will create a

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 9, 2018 travelled in the Delhi Metro along with visiting South Korea President Moon Jae-in. The dignitaries boarded a train on the Blue Line route connecting Dwarka to Noida City Centre around 4.30 p.m. at the Mandi House station and alighted at the Botanical Garden station around 5 p.m. Mr Modi and the South Korean President were on way to the Samsung Electronics facility in Noida, where Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was scheduled to join them. new era for India-Korea ties. "I am happy to see Korean companies participating in India's digital transformation and I have full support for them," the South Korean President told the gathering. Yogi Adityanath also invited more South Korean firms to come and invest in the state.

"I fell proud as an Indian today. This is a great milestone in the history of Samsung India which will take our country's manufacturing abilities to newer heights," Asim Warsi, Global Vice President, Samsung India, said on the sidelines of the event. â??

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BUSINESS WITH SOUTH KOREA

REACHING NEXT LEVEL IN RELATIONS: S.KOREAN PRESIDENT

S

outh Korean President Moon Jae-in on July 9, 2018 expressed the hope that his visit and interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help to take bilateral economic relations to the next level, even as both leaders later jointly launched the world's largest mobile handset factory by Samsung in Noida. President Moon arrived in the capital on July 8, 2018 on his maiden official visit to India leading a 100-member business delegation. "Our bilateral trade of $20 billion annually, although not insignificant, is falling below our expectations," Moon said in his address at the India-Korea Business Forum in New Delhi organised by industry chamber FICCI. The South Korean President pointed out that improving economic relations with India was a key element of his country's new Southern policy. "My new Southern policy is aligned with Modi's Act East policy. Both the policies will come to completion when prosperity spreads across the Asia," he said. "This policy aims to move beyond economic cooperation to building a prosperous people-centric community of peace," he added.

Noting that there are 500 Korean companies doing business in India, Moon said: "The Indian Government is planning to build 100 smart cities and construct industrial corridors to link the major cities. It is our wish to participate in these infrastructural projects."

He said a financing arrangement of USD 10 billion has been earmarked by the Korean government for infrastructure development in India. He also said that an MoU on bilateral scientific cooperation is to be signed on Tuesday that will include "industrial technology" in the scope of the agreement. Mr Moon noted that his Southern policy aims to raise Korea's relations with India to the level of those with the four major powers around the Korean peninsula.

In his address, Indian Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu

CEREMONIAL wELCOME South Korean President Moon Jae-in was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 10, 2018. The President and his wife Kim Jung-sook were received by his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind, his wife Savita Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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said that official talks are already underway to improve and upgrade the existing Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), or the free trade pact, with South Korea. Mr Prabhu also said the government is actively pursuing the idea of setting up Special Economic Zones â??

(SEZs) in India exclusively for Korean companies.

COMMENT

Samsung India puts Noida on top

By Nishant Arora

I

n front are open fields with grazing cattle, to the left are under-construction residential societies and to the right is its existing facility—this where Samsung has set up what is the world's largest mobile factory.

Not China or South Korea—and certainly not the US— the tag of housing the world's largest mobile factory has straight away put Noida on top of the world manufacturing map when it comes to consumer electronics.

One of the first electronics manufacturing facilities set up in the country in the early 1990s, the plant started by manufacturing TVs in 1997. The current mobile phone manufacturing unit was added in 2005.

In June 2017 the South Korean giant announced a Rs 4,915 crore investment to expand the Noida plant and, after a year, the new facility is ready to double production. The company is currently making 67 million smartphones in India and with the new plant being functional, it is expected to manufacture nearly 120 million mobile phones. Not just mobiles, the expansion of the current facility will double Samsung's production capacity of consumer electronics like refrigerators and flat panel televisions, further consolidating the company's leadership in these segments.

According to Mr Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, the new facility gives Samsung an advantage by reducing the time to market. “This will help Samsung bring some local features to the devices powered by R&D here. Apart from this, the company can also bring in export opportunity for Samsung to SAARC and other regions,” Mr Pathak told IANS. Samsung has two manufacturing plants—in Noida and in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu—five R&D centres, and one design centre in Noida, employing over 70,000 people and expanding its network to over 1.5 lakh retail outlets.

Established in 1995, Samsung India laid the foundation stone of Noida plant next year. In 1997, production commenced and the first television was rolled out. In 2003, refrigerator production began. By 2005, Samsung had become market leader in panel TVs and in 2007, the existing Noida facility started manufacturing mobile phones.

In 2012, Samsung became the leader in mobile phones in the country and the Noida facility rolled out the first-ever “Galaxy S3” device. Today, Samsung is the market leader across mobile segments. The company currently has over 10

per cent of its overall production in India and aims to take it to 50 per cent over the next three years.

“For Samsung, India is among the top five smartphone markets globally. The US is saturated and Korea and Brazil are not growing significantly. India is a big opportunity across price segments, including 2G feature phones. It makes sense for Samsung to build a bigger manufacturing base here,” Mr Jaipal Singh, Senior Market Analyst, IDC, told IANS. “They are now looking at building a complete ecosystem.

After smartphones, they can go into building top-of-the-line products in other categories like TVs, refrigerators as advance manufacturing in India still lags behind. With the new facility, Samsung is going to have an edge over its rivals,” Mr Singh noted.

According to Mr HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung India, a bigger manufacturing plant will help them cater to the growing demand for Samsung products across the country.

Samsung India, that registered 27 per cent growth in mobile business revenue for the financial year 2016-17— accounting for a whopping Rs 34,300 crore of its reported Rs 50,000 crore sales— won't be able to hide the smile as ❐ the new facility kicks off production.

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BUSINESS

Boeing Expands Indian Presence

G

lobal aerospace major Boeing in June expanded its engineering and technology centre in Bengaluru and said it would hire 1,500 more engineers to drive digital innovation.

“The new centre has doubled our footprint, which will enable our employees to work on new technologies that will drive aerospace innovation from India for the world,” said Boeing’s Indian arm in a statement here.

The company plans to hire an additional 1,500 employees to ramp up the headcount at the Boeing India Engineering and Technology Centre to 2,500 over the next few years from 1,000 in the specialized fields of IT, engineering and research and development (R&D). “The new facility will have software technologies for design, manufacturing and service offerings and to scale up aerospace, engineering and R&D activities,” said the statement.

From an IT perspective, the focus at the centre will be on Product Lifecycle Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Data Analytics and Software Design for aerospace. The centre will build teams for advanced aerospace research in materials and manufacturing, aircraft structures and airplane health management. The teams will

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Mr Ted Colbert

innovate in digital aviation, electrical, mechanical and systems design and provide support for lab and flight testing for aircraft.

“We see India as a hotbed for path-breaking software solutions that can redefine the way the world designs, operates and manages airplanes. The IT talent and capabilities in the country will be an enabler for our success the world over,” said Boeing’s Chief Information Officer Ted Colbert on the occasion.

The facility will also have an integrated lab for IoT, Analytics and Mobility, a 3DX lab to develop 3D experiences, a Systems Integration Lab and a Proof of Concepts Lab. “Over 25 collaboration areas in the centre will enable teams to develop, scale and deliver aerospace innovations with agility. The facility will also drive strategic initiatives like Digital Transformation,” noted the statement. The company is also developing skills in the Indian aviation sector by partnering with vocational training institutes, industrial training institutes and its local partners to train workers for the aerospace industry.

“The new centre reflects an agile and driven Boeing in India, one that inspires people to collaborate and accelerate stepchange innovation,” said Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar in the statement.

SKILLING INDIA Aerospace major Boeing and Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) inaugurated the Air India-Boeing Accelerated Apprenticeship Programme to skill Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) in India.

According to Boeing, a lack of practical skills and training has resulted in low employability of AMEs, of which only 2 per cent receive type-rated licenses. “To fill this need gap, Boeing and AIESL announced the launch the Accelerated AME Apprenticeship Programme in 2017,” Boeing said in a statement.

“The programme has so far received a huge response with over 1,300 applications for the entrance examination which was held online across 10 cities in India”

BUSINESS

Mr Narendra Modi

“ELIMINATED MIDDLEMEN”: PM

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi in June said his flagship programme “Digital India” helped citizens by eliminating middlemen and promoted 4Es—Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment.

“We launched Digital India with a very simple focus--to ensure more people can benefit from the joys of technology, especially in rural areas,” he said while interacting via NaMo App with the beneficiaries of Government’s flagship schemes across the country.

To make this possible, the Government worked on a holistic policy consisting of connecting villages through optical fibre, educating citizens digitally, providing service delivery through mobiles and promoting electronics manufacturing. This was his sixth outreach with the beneficiaries of Government schemes through video conferencing.

The event was streamed in social media site Facebook to over 50 lakh beneficiaries, including those from common service centres, NIC centres, National Knowledge Network, BPOs, mobile manufacturing units and MyGov volunteers.

Modi stated that the initiative had brought about a movement for digital payments, thereby eliminating the concept of middlemen. “Due to technology, railway tickets can be booked online, bills can be paid online... all this brings great convenience. We ensured that the advantages of technology are not restricted to a select few but they are there for all sections of society. We have strengthened the net-

work of Computer Science Corporations (CSCs),” he said.

“Various provisions like online payment of bills, including BHIM App, online booking of railway tickets and electronic delivery of scholarships and pensions to bank accounts, had greatly reduced the hassles of common people,” Mr Modi mentioned. He added that the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) had provided digital skill and training to 1.25 crore people, out of which 70 per cent candidates were from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities.

He also said the scheme had been a major tool in bringing digital transformation in rural areas, and in the NorthEast. “Under our North-East BPO Promotion Scheme (NEBPS), we are not just providing employment to youth in cities but also in the Northeast. The India BPO promotion scheme and a separate BPO promotion scheme for the Northeast is creating new opportunities relating to the sector,” he added. He said the Digital India had transformed the BPO sector as it had now spread to small towns and villages, creating employment opportunities.

Mr Modi said that the Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) scheme was launched to promote electronic manufacturing in India and it would provide employment to close to six lakh people. India has 120 mobile phone manufacturing factories now compared to just two such units in 2014, he said, adding it had offered direct and indirect employment to more than 4.5 lakh citizens. ❐

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COvER STORy

Interview with Mr Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Shipping

REVAMPING

INDIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE Mr Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping is tasked with bringing about a visible and sea change in India’s infrastructural capabilities at all levels—surface, river and ports. He conveys to India Empire Magazine’s Editor and Publisher Sayantan Chakravarty his views on a range of issues hold the key to India’s growth and development into an infrastructural superpower

Please tell us about the On Bharatmala Pariyojana, a lasting legacy, and an impactful programme of the Government.

This is a new umbrella program for the highways sector that aims to optimize the efficiency of road traffic movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps. Special attention has been paid to fulfilling the connectivity needs of areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, border areas, backward and tribal areas, coastal areas and trade routes with neighboring countries under the programme. Multi-modal integration is one of the key focuses of this programme. A total of around 53,000 kms of national highways have been identified to

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improve National Corridor efficiency, of which 24,800 km are to be taken up in Phase-I, which will be implemented over a period of five years i.e. 2017-18 to 2021-22 in a phased manner. This includes 5,000 km of the National Corridors, 9,000 km of Economic Corridors, 6,000 km of Feeder Corridors and Inter-Corridors, 2,000 km of Border Roads, 2,000 km of Coastal Roads and Port Connectivity Roads and 800 km of Green-field Expressways. Total likely fund provision for Bharatmala Phase-I is Rs 5,35,000 crore. Bharatmala will be a major driver for economic growth in the country. It is estimated that more than 35 crore man-days of employment shall be generated under Phase-l of the programme.

Pictures Š siPra Das

Mr Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Shipping

july 2018 | india empire 15

COvER STORy upgrade of India’s sovereign rating from Baa3 positive to Focus on Large Cities of Ganga Main Stem Baa2 stable on November 10 towns with a total sewage generation of 1897 Mld contribute almost 64% 16, 2017, Moody’s Investors of total sewage (2953 Mld) discharge from the 97 towns to river Ganga Service upgraded the issuer ratings of NHAI to Baa2 from Baa3 and revised the outlook to stable from positive.

The project of Peripheral Expressways around Delhi, comprising Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) emanating from NH-1 (near Kundli) and terminating at NH-2 (near Palwal), bypassing Delhi aims to decongest Delhi and reduce pollution levels in the NCR. While the EPE is being developed by the NHAI, the WPE is being developed by Detailed project report (DPR) for a length of about the State of Haryana. Each of these Expressways is 135 km 6,400 km has been completed by National Highways Au- long, leading to an outer-outer ring road of 270 kms for thority of India (NHAI). Further, works for a length of Delhi. These Peripheral Expressways are to be access con3,876 km has been awarded and DPR for 21,000 km is in trolled six-lane roads. progress. In addition, DPR for a length of 900 km has been completed by National Highways Authority of Expressways seems to be the new buzzword in InIndia (NHIDCL) and DPR for a length of about 4,100 km dian highways. Please give us an idea… is in progress.

The Delhi-Meerut Expressway aims to provide a fast link between the two cities. The alignment of DME starts The NHAI under your leadership is rapidly in- from Nizammudin Bridge from Delhi and follows existing creasing road length in the country. Kindly elaborate NH 24 upto Dasna. While one leg of DME will continue on this… from Dasna on NH 24 to Hapur, a Greenfield alignment Faster development of national highways is our prior- has been planned from Dasna to Meerut. The 8.7 km, 14ity. The construction of national highways in 2017-18 stood lane highway is being completed in a record time of about at 1,22,434 km in comparison to 1,03,933 km in 2016-17, 15 months as against the originbal scheduled completion 1,00,475 in 2015-16, 96,214 km in 2014-15, 92,851 km in period of 30 months. This first stretch from Nizamudin 2013-14. The construction target for 2018-19 has been set Bridge to UP Border is provisioned with with 14 lanes, and at 16,418 km, of which 9,698 km will be constructed by has several features that would help reduce pollution. These Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 6,000 km by include a 2.5 metre wide cycle track on either side of the NHAI and 720 km by NHIDCL. The targets are 67 per cent highway, a vertical garden on the Yamuna Bridge, solar lightmore than the 9,829 km length of National Highways con- ing system and watering of plants through drip irrigation structed during 2017-18. It has also been decided that all only. project executing agencies should take up 100 per cent comThe 473 km expressway will link Ahmedabad-Vadodara pletion of the projects awarded pre-2014 and those awarded Expressway to Mumbai-Pune Expressway thus providing in 2014-15 and 2015-16.The target for award has been set at Expressway connectivity from Ahmedabad to Pune for a 20,000 km during the current year, i.e. 2018-19. This is length of about 650 Km. The project will be taken up in about 25 per cent more than the 17,055 km awarded during three phases. Land acquisition, environment clearance etc 2017-18. are at advanced stage of approval for Phase I and II. Bids RBI has appreciated the highway infrastructure devel- have also been invited for the First package of of phase -1. opment sector in its Annual Report 2016-17, noting that Bangalore-Chennai Expressway is a green-field alignthere is a decline in cost and time overruns to the tune of ment and will be operated with a closed toll system. There Rs 1.5 billion and an all-time rise in award and construction are two existing roads connecting Bangalore-Chennai, one of highways projects including a peak of daily additions to is via Hoskote (Bangalore)-AP then to Chennai and second the roads constructed. Further, it pointed out that stalled is via Electronic City (Bangalore) Hosur (Tamil Nadu) and projects had declined, both in terms of value and numbers. then to Chennai. The alignment of proposed expressway is Another creditworthy development was that following the passing in between these two stretches. The processes of

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land acquisition, environment and other pre-construction activities are under progress.

Kindly give us an overview of Namami Gange, a Mission Mode initiative of this Government…

A total of 109 projects have been undertaken under Namami Gange. These include 102 projects on sewage infrastructure with 94 of them on the River Ganga, and eight on the tributaries, eight on bioremediation, 20 concerning modular infrastructure related to decentralized treatment. Sixty eight projects are upcoming on tributaries. The project includes rural sanitation for 4,465 villages along the River Ganga. The total sanctioned cost is Rs 18,438.94 crore, with Rs 16,984 crore going towards sewage infrastructure.

Initiatives taken up by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) include integration of STPs in seven towns—Kanpur, Allahabad, Mathura, Patna, Kolkata, Howrah-Bally, Bhagalpur—with hybrid annuity-based projects. The major focus would remain on 10 major towns which together contribute 64 per cent of sewage discharge into the River Ganga. The total STP capacity of 1,109 MLD is being created in these towns at a cost of Rs 9,883 crore.

The performance evaluation of existing STPs has been completed in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Close monitoring of milestones is on, while field visits have increased, besides regular follow-up with state agencies. Project engineers for Haridwar and Varanasi have been appointed by the NMCG. Another impactful initiative of the BJP-led NDA Government is the Sagar Mala Project. Kindly expand on the salient features of this project…

To assist in the implementation of projects, Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL) was incorporated on August 31, 2016 after receiving Cabinet approval on July 20, 2016 for providing funding support to project SPVs and residual projects under Sagarmala. The subscribed share capital of Rs 125 crore has been released to SDCL in addition to the earlier released subscribed share capital of Rs 90 crore. The first AGM of SDC was held on December 28, 2017. Recently, the fifth Board Meeting for FY 2017-18 for SDCL was held on March 27, 2018. SDCL has identified a few SPVs for the purpose of equity investment in-line with Sagarmala objectives. Additionally, SDCL is also in process of preparation of DPRs for specific projects that could provide avenues for future equity investment by the company. Process is underway for appointment of MD and

functional directors.

A roadmap has been created for increasing the Indian port capacity to 3,500+ MMTPA to cater to the projected traffic of 2,500 MMTPA by 2025. For all the 12 major ports, master plans have been finalized. From the port master plans, 112 port capacity expansion projects (cost: Rs. 69,636 crore) have been identified for implementation over next 20 years and are expected to add 780 MTPA to the capacities at major ports. Out of these 112 port master plan projects, 15 projects (cost: Rs 6,920 crore) have been completed, 39 projects (cost: Rs. 20,535 crore) are under implementation and 11 projects (cost: Rs. 5,485 crore) are under tendering.

Indian Railways is also implementing 35 projects (Project Cost: Rs. 46,336 crore) identified under Sagarmala Programme. Out of these 35 projects, 6 projects (cost: Rs. 2,191 crore) have been completed, 18 projects (cost: Rs. 24,932 crore) are under implementation, 1 project (cost: Rs. 300 crore) is under tendering, DPR is under preparation for 3 projects (cost: Rs. 5,123 crore) and 7 projects (cost: Rs. 13,790 crore) are at concept stage. 4 rail projects are to be taken up either as Non–Government Rail (NGR) or through JV model.

We understand that for improving connectivity to ports, Sagarmala and Bharatmala projects are linked at many places. What is the situation?

Total 115 road connectivity projects (Rs. 176,359 crore, 8,727 Km) have been identified under Sagarmala to be implemented by MoRTH, NHAI, State PWDs and Port Trusts. Out of total 115 road projects, 3 projects (Rs. 217 crore) have been implemented, 22 projects (Rs. 22,968 crore) are under implementation, 1 project (Rs. 60 crore) is under tendering, DPR prepared for 9 projects (Rs. 2976 crore), DPR under preparation for 25 projects (Rs. 11,664 crore) and DPR to be prepared for 55 projects (Rs. 138,473 crore). Out of these 115 road projects, 55 road projects (Rs.

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COvER STORy

“

The project of Peripheral Expressways around Delhi, comprising Eastern Peripheral Expressway and Western Peripheral Expressway emanating from NH-1 near Kundli and terminating at NH-2 near Palwal bypassing Delhi aims to decongest the national capital and reduce pollution levels in the NCR

20,725 crore, 1,166 Km) are included under Bharatmala programme. These 115 projects also include 10 freight friendly expressway projects that have been planned for improving the movement of containers to and from the ports. Two of these expressway projects—i.e. Ahmedabad to JNPT and Bangalore to Chennai are already under planning stage at NHAI. How about additional plans for new ports in India?

In addition to the port master plans 6 new port locations, namely Vadhavan (Maharashtra), Enayam (Tamil Nadu), Tajpur (West Bengal), Paradip Outer Harbour (Odisha), Sirkazhi (Tamil Nadu), Belekeri (Karnataka) have been identified. Techno-Economic Feasibility Reports (TEFR) have been prepared for 5 locations and is under preparation for Tajpur. DPR is under preparation for Port of Vadhavan, Enayam and Paradip Outer Harbour Project.

In-principle cabinet approval has been obtained for development of a trans-shipment port at Enayam.

The Indian Port Rail Corporation Limited (IPRCL) has taken up 35 last-mile works (cost: Rs. 18,832 crore) across 9 major ports. Out of this, 6 projects (cost: Rs. 101 crore) have been implemented, 9 projects (cost: Rs. 795 crore) are under implementation, 3 projects (cost: Rs. 798 crore) are under tendering, DPR has been prepared for 3 projects (cost: Rs. 89 crore), DPR under preparation for 4 projects (cost: Rs. 10,300 crore) and 10 projects (cost: Rs. 6,750 crore) are under planning and development.

The Coastal Berth Scheme has been extended up to March 2020 and its scope has been expanded to cover the cost of preparation of DPR and capital dredging at major ports. The scheme was also integrated into the Sagarmala Programme. Fifty projects (cost: Rs. 2,454 crore) have been taken up for financial assistance under the scheme. Of these 50 projects, 31 projects (cost: Rs. 1,412 crore) have been sanctioned for a total financial assistance of Rs. 586 crore and Rs. 334 crore has been released to major ports/State

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Maritime Boards/State Governments while the remaining 19 projects are under various stages of development and process of approval.

35 potential port-linked industrial clusters across three sectors, namely—Energy, Materials and Discrete Manufacturing, have been identified. These include 12 bulk clusters for basic input industries such as Power, Refineries & Petrochemicals, Steel and Cement and 23 discrete manufacturing clusters, in the labour intensive sectors of Electronics, Apparel, Leather Products, Furniture and Food-Processing etc.

The master plans for the proposed Maritime Clusters in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have been prepared.

Further, development of an SEZ at JNPT (cost: Rs. 476 crore) and Smart Industrial Port City (SIPC) at Paradip (cost: Rs. 2,770 crore) are under implementation. SIPC at Kandla (cost: Rs. 1,147 crore) and Coastal Employment Units (CEUs) at VoCPT and KPL are under development.

Please tell us about infrastructure cooperation with foreign countries that directly leads to Make in India…

Project Unnati was launched to benchmark operational and financial performance of the 12 major ports with selected Indian private ports and best-in-class international ports for identifying improvement areas, undertaking capability maturity assessment for key processes and functional capabilities and identifying gaps and areas for further strengthening, detailed deep-dive diagnosis and root cause analysis for the identified opportunity areas in each of the 12 major ports to understand underlying reasons for performance bottlenecks and developing practical and actionable solutions on the basis of root cause findings, and develop a comprehensive improvement roadmap for each of the 12 major ports.

Under Project Unnati 116 initiatives have been identified for various major ports. Out of the 116 initiatives, 86 have been implemented so far. These initiatives have resulted in the following improvements in the port sector. ❐

APPOINTMENTS

KEY JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT US President Donald Trump has appointed an IndianAmerican official, Raj Shah, to a key role in the contentious process of the appointment of the next justice of the Supreme Court, the White House announced in Mr Raj Shah July.

Shah will take leave from the position of Trump’s Deputy Principal Press Secretary to concentrate on getting the President’s nominee through the Senate approval process, White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders said. “Raj Shah will oversee communications, strategy and messaging coordination with Capitol Hill allies,” Sanders said in her statement.

Getting a successor to Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his resignation last week, approved by the Senate before the current session ends this year is a crucial task for Trump. One of the candidates in a short list of 25 potential nominees announced by Trump during his campaign included Judge Amul Thapar, who is now a federal judge in Kentucky. He has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.

“I think he’s absolutely brilliant, with the right temperament,” McConnell. The future orientation of the Supreme Court depends on who will succeed Kennedy, a conservative. The court is split with five judges nominated by Republican presidents and four by Democrats, ruling on many cases along ideological lines.

Trump already got one of his nominees, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, appointed to the Supreme Court during his first year in office. A controversial issue overwhelming the debate on the appointment of Kennedy’s successor is abortion, which was legalised by a Supreme Court decision in 1973 and may come up again before the court.

The Republicans have slender two-vote lead in the 100-member Senate and at least one Senator from the party, Susan Collins has said that keeping abortions legal would be a requirement for her to support the Trump nominee and another, Lisa Murkowski, has previously opposed efforts to overturn the 1973 ruling.

The 49 Democrats and the two independents are expected to oppose any Trump nominee and Shah will have to work with Republicans in Congress to get a majority backing for the candidate.

However, other factors are also at play, such as immigration, the powers of the president and any possible litigation involving the 2016 election of Trump and the alleged Russian interference.

—Arul Louis

20 india empire | july 2018

DEMOCRATIC PARTY CEO The Democratic National Committee (DNC), the decisionmaking body of the Democratic Party in the US, has tapped Indian American Seema Nanda to serve as its new CEO and handle day-to-day operations, making her the first from the comMs Seema Nanda munity to be named an operational head of a key American political party.

Nanda is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the largest human and civil rights organization in the US. She will start later in July in the new position, the DNC said in a press release on Friday.

As CEO, Nanda will manage the day-to-day operations of the organisation. The DNC coordinates strategy to support the party’s candidates throughout the country for local, state and national office.

As mid-term elections continue and the 2020 elections draw closer, hiring the management-oriented Nanda is a move away from more explicitly political executives who have led the troubled party in the past, Politico reported.

“I’m beyond excited that Seema is bringing her talent and brilliance to the DNC,” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a statement. “She is a seasoned manager who has a proven track record of success.”

Nanda previously worked as Perez’s chief of staff at the US Department of Labour. She replaces interim CEO Mary Beth Cahill, who took the helm of the DNC in February after replacing Jess O’Connell, a seasoned operative who left after less than a year on the job.

“People are hurting all across our country. I believe that Democrats are offering the positive solutions so desperately-needed right now--solutions forged by the strength of our diversity, the rigour of our ideas and the decency of our values,” Nanda said in a statement.

She also worked on the DNC transition team for Perez, which “took a fresh look” at the committee’s operations after the 2016 election, according to the DNC statement.

She has a background in labour and employment law and has worked in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

“As we head towards a crucial election, I’m one hundred per cent certain that Seema’s leadership will help the DNC capitalize on the unprecedented grassroots energy and enthusiasm surging throughout the country,” Perez said in a statement.

COlUMN: yOgI ASHWINI

MIND AND BODy

WHAT THE GURU

HAS TO OFFER

By Yogi Ashwini Yogi ashwini

T

here is pyramidal structure to Creation. Your position in the pyramid is determined by your desire. As one holds the hand of the Guru, he/she moves to that level of the pyramid and the desire manifests. The problem begins after; usually the person gets caught in the desire and is unable to move further. So he/she slips, and begins the downwards journey.

The problem of kalyug is that our desires are embedded in the physical, so even when one sets on a search for Guru, one measures him on physical yardsticks—how big is his ashram, how many factories does he own, etc. Beyond that, one is unable to comprehend, missing out on the essence of the Guru.

Today, one would give more respect to a Math’s teacher than a Guru, thinking, ‘At least he will teach me something, which I can use”. What the Guru has to offer, hardly anyone can comprehend or has the desire to receive.

It’s ok to be embedded in the physical because for majority that is the starting point, but if you have found a Guru and are walking his path and over a period of time your desires are still as they were, then you need to think, whether you are wrong or you are in the wrong place.

Long back, a Babaji came to meet me from Gyanganj (a village en route Kailash Mansarovar, where many yogis dwell). He was in Delhi for treatment of cancer, which was yet to manifest in his body, but which had been intimated to him by his Guru. He spoke of a lake of crocodiles in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, where a Mata ji does her sadhna. The crocodiles do her no harm.

I said, “I will go to meet her.” Babaji replied, “What will

38 india empire | july 2018

you achieve by meeting her? Her sadhna is her state of mind…the level you are at, you will not be able to comprehend.”

Yoga is not about achieving more in the physical, it is the journey of leaving the physical and achieving sidhhis to go beyond. You need not leave immediately, but the desire to leave should be there in you.

Rahim in a couplet explains that bishop, a powerful piece in the game of chess, can never become the queen.

He walks diagonally, kills powerful pieces, achieves physical feats, but cannot achieve the ultimate (become the queen in chess). While an ordinary pawn, walks straight, has little capacity, but if its focus is fixed on the last square, it becomes the queen. Similarly in life, if you have focus and desire for the last square, you too will achieve that. It is Guru and focus on desire for the Ultimate that will take you up the pyramid of evolution.

Today innovative terms like ‘love guru’, ‘business guru’, ‘management guru’ are popular. Earlier there was just Guru. This is indicative of the wrong thought process. Even pilgrimages have turned into picnic spots, where people go in the hope of fulfilling material aspirations. If your desires are rested in the physical, then you need not go to a Guru. Simple charity and service and following the laws of creation are enough to achieve physical desires. Guru is needed when you want to understand what lies beyond. ❐

—Yogi Ashwini is the Guiding Light of Dhyan Foundation and can be reached at www.dhyanfoundation.com

DIASPORA NEWS

DIASPORA

Diaspora remits USD 70 billion to India

By Ajay Sharma

A

ccording to the World Bank, India recorded USD 69 billion in remittance inflows in 2017, recording a 10% rise since 2016, equaling to an amount of USD 4,156 from each foreign national. With millions of Indians moving to overseas destinations for settlement and work, India is experiencing a heightened amount of in-flow of foreign exchange leading to positive economic growth and development of the country. The stark truth that Immigrant population has uplifted the remittance inflow of India, can be deduced from the fact that 20 million global Indians have send back a whopping USD 445 million to their families in 2016 alone, according to ‘One Family at a Time’ study by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Almost 80 percent of global remittances are majorly drawn by 23 countries led by India, China, the Philippines, Mexico and Pakistan, making India a powerhouse in terms of Remittance inflow. A large chunk of these remittances is put in to the overall progress and advancement of the nation and hence, valuable contribution of immigrants to India’s well-being is undeniable.

A UN Report has found that as many as 8.9 million Indians have relocated to the Gulf region led by UAE and Saudi Arabia. The foreign remittances act as a financial glue to the budgetary deficit faced by the country on several occasions. Also, it encourages large scale investment opportunities and the chief source that fuels this phenomenon is Immigration of Indians to international lands. Non-Residence Indians or NRIs not only send back a large part of their earnings back to India but act as brand ambassadors to India, representing India in the most positive light, thereby 40 india empire | july 2018

building solid value and positive image for India in overseas countries. This slew of foreign transfers not only builds the financial health of the nation but also benefits the overall development of the society in terms of education, healthcare and community growth. An increased level of Foreign Direct Investment is one of the vital drivers of financial fertility of India. This is backed by the fact that according to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), it is estimated that close to 25 million NRIs contribute to the Indian remittance pool. In majority of the instances these remittances act as a catalyst for the financial deficit the country faces at several points of time. There has been a finding that 4.5% of the domestic households receive a regular remittance for the maintenance of housing with states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh etc. being frontrunners of the same. Since the cost of sending back money to India is quite lesser compared to other countries, there is a higher frequency of money transfer via multiple means.

Foreign remittance has brought about an Economic, social and financial revolution for India, making us a leading recipient in terms of getting Remittance. For this to happen, offshore Immigration consultants facilitate the process of Immigration for Indian immigrants, making it easier for them to take the huge leap of moving to another foreign location. It is the right direction, helpful advice and accurate documentation provided by expert visa consultants that ensure the eligibility of the immigrant when they apply for Permanent Residence in developed countries such as Canada, Australia, USA, UK, Hong Kong etc. ❐ —The author is President, Abhinav Outsourcings Pvt. Ltd. He can be reached at ajay@abhinav.com

DIASPORA IN THE UNITED KINgDOM

DR RANGER IS CO-CHAIR OF CF INDIA

C

onservative Friends of India (CF India), a group affiliated to the Conservative Party which aims to build stronger links between the Conservative Party, the British Indian community and India, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rami Ranger, CBE and Mr Zac Goldsmith, MP as the organisations new Co-Chairmen.

Dr Ranger and Mr Goldsmith bring a wealth of experience to their new roles. Zac Goldsmith was first elected MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston in 2010 and has won a number of awards for his campaigns in Parliament.

Dr Rami Ranger CBE is a founding member of the Hindu Forum of Britain, and Chairman of the Pakistan, India & UK Friendship Forum, and the British Sikh Association. His company, Sun Mark Ltd, is the only company in the UK to have been awarded 5 consecutive Queens Awards for enterprise. He is also the Patron of the Punjabi Society of British Isles, the Combat Stress and a Fellow of the Prince’s Trust. As a key supporter of youth and skills development, Rami is a member of the government’s Apprenticeship Delivery Board and an Ambassador for the Food and Drinks Industry in the development of apprenticeships and job creation throughout the UK. In 2005 he was made a Member of the British Empire and in 2016 the Commander of British Empire for his services to British Business and the Asian Community.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP said, “The UK would not be the vibrant country that it is today without the enormous contribution of successive generations of British Indians. Conservative Friends of India plays an important role in strengthening the links between our Party and the British Indian community, and in supporting the flourishing friendship between the UK and India. I know that under Rami Ranger and Zac Goldsmith’s leadership, CF India will go from strength and strength as a valued part of our Conservative family.”

His Excellency the High Commissioner of India YK Sinha said, “I welcome the appointment of Dr Rami Ranger CBE as the Co-Chairman and look forward to working closely with the Conservative Friends of India to further UK India relations.”

Mr Ranger said, “I am deeply honoured to be appointed

Dr Rami Ranger, CBE with Mr Zac Goldsmith, MP

as Co-Chairman of Conservative Friends of India along with Zac Goldsmith MP, an organisation that recognises the contributions and values of the British Indian community within the United Kingdom and strives to build closer ties with India. “As Co-Chairman of the Conservative Friends of India, I will work to further enhance the involvement of the British Indian community in the political life of our great country which will bring about a positive change to the UK through their participation within the Conservative Party and political service in UK. I am putting together a new team at CF India which will help me with the required support network to truly allow CF India to capitalise and maximise on the significant and exciting opportunities we have at hand both in the UK and with greater trade and cultural ties with India as the UK’s key Commonwealth partner. The relationship between the Conservative Party, and the India diaspora, is the closest it has ever been”.

Zac Goldsmith MP said, “It is a real honour to be CoChairman of Conservative Friends of India, and to be able to work alongside Dr Rami Ranger CBE. CF India is already an important organisation, and it has an even brighter future. The British Indian Community is such an important part of what makes our country successful, and the relationship between Britain and India is not only a deep and lasting, it is becoming ever more important. Through CF India, we will continue to strengthen that bond.” ❐ july 2018 | india empire 41

DIASPORA

GuTERREs CONDEMNs JALALAbAD ATTACk

Mr Antonio Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the suicide attack in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad that killed 19 people, most of them Sikhs, and called for the protection of minorities, his spokesperson Farhan Haq said. “The SecretaryGeneral extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Haq said in July.

He noted that “the majority of victims belong to Afghanistan’s small Sikh and Hindu community”, adding: “The Secretary-General urges all parties to uphold their obligation to protect civilians, including minority communities, and cease targeting civilians and civilian facilities. Any attack deliberately targeting civilians is unjustifiable and in clear violation of international law,” he said.

Fourteen of the 19 killed were from the Sikh community remaining in Afghanistan and included parliamentary candidate Avtar Singh Khalsa and civil society activist Rawail Singh. Twenty others were injured in the blast which occurred when Sikhs and Hindus had gathered to meet with President Ashraf Ghani.

HONOR fOR IIT ALuMNI IIT Kharagpur will honour 13 alumni with the Distinguished Alumnus Award during its 64th Convocation on July 20, the institute has said in a statement. The profiles of awardees include top academicians and eminent scientists in India and abroad, a defence professional and a social contributor, it said.

Among the awardees from academia are Ashim Kumar Datta of Cornell University, an expert in the physics of food, Chaitali Chakrabarti of Arizona State University, an expert in VLSI, and Narayan B.T. Mandayam of Rutgers University, an expert in wireless information network.

Ramesh Jain of University of California, Irvine, who is also an entrepreneur driven by his interests in real time data, perception, and social networks, Sudipta Seal of University of Central Florida, a global champion in ceramics, AHaresh Lalvani of Pratt Institute, an artist-inventor and globally renowned architect and Prof. Pushpak Bhattacharyya, Director, IIT Patna, also figure in the list. Among the outstanding contributors from the field of industrial resarch and development are V. Narayanan, Director, LPSC at ISRO, an expert in cryogenic rocket propulsion technology, Samir V. Kamat, Director General, Naval Systems and Materials at DRDO, Santanu Chaudhury, Director, CSIR-CEERI, Pilani and Parag V. Havaldar, who was awarded Oscar in Technical category last year.

The award list includes exemplary achievers such as Lt Gen Utpal Bhattacharyya (retd), a 1971 and Kargil war hero and a management expert, and Swami Smaranananda, monk, yoga guru and General Secretary of Yogoda Satsanga Society of India Paramahansa Yogananda Path, Ranchi.

President Ram Nath Kovind will be the chief guest for the Convocation ceremony.

42 india empire | july 2018

CONDEMNATION Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the terror attack. “They are an attack on Afghanistan’s multicultural fabric. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon. India stands ready to assist the Afghanistan government in this sad hour,” Modi said on Twitter.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also expressed her “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims and that the government was with “with them in this hour of tragedy”.

She later met a delegation of representatives of SGPC, Sikh community from Afghanistan and relatives of the victims.

LOTTERY WIN In July, an Indian expatriate, Tojo Mathew, a 30-year-old Abu Dhabibased civil supervisor, won a 7 million dirham (USD 1.9 million) lottery for a ticket he purchased at the Abu Dhabi International Airport just before boarding a flight for India according to media reports. Mathew said his big dream was to own a house in his home state Kerala. “That has been my long pending dream. Now it can be a reality with the raffle money.”

Nine others won 100,000 dirhams at the draw. They included five Indians.

UNION MINISTERS INTERVIEwED BY

Mr Nitin Gadkari Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Shipping

Mr Dharmendra Pradhan When Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

Mr Ananth Kumar Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers

Mr Anant Gangaram Geete Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises

Mr Chaudhary Birender Singh Minister for Steel

Ms Smriti Irani When Minister for Human Resource Development

Mr Radha Mohan Singh Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Mr Narendra Singh Tomar When Minister for Steel and Mines

Mr Ram Vilas Paswan Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

Ms Uma Bharti When Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Mr Thawar Chand Gehlot Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment

Mrs Sushma Swaraj Minister for External Affairs and Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs

Mr Shripad Y Naik Minister of State (IC), AYUSH

Mr VIjay Goel When Minister of State (IC) for Youth Affairs and Sports

Mr Babul Supriyo Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy (Ex) Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (IC)

PiCtures bY: siPra das

(May 2014 onwards)