MAKE IN INDIA

As world economies restart their engines in a bid to regain lost ground due to the Covid-19 pandemic, India too shows signs of economic buoyancy and promise. India’s Make in India initiative holds a key to the global economic revival, something that should interest Australian government ministries, corporate sector, entrepreneurs, institutions seeking R&D collaborations and Australia Inc in general, among others. India assumes greater importance as several major world economies including American, Japanese, German, British and South Korean look to move out and diversify their businesses from China. India has jumped to 63rd rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Development 2020 report, and has also been ranked as the 9th largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment destinations in 2019 by the World Investment Report 2020 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Musk says after meeting Modi, Tesla coming to India

By Arul Louis

New York, June 21 (IANS) After hearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" pitch, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a change of plans, saying that his electric vehicle and battery company will now come to India "as soon as it is humanly possible".Musk told reporters in conversations following his meeting with Modi on Tuesday, "He really cares about India because he's pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something that we intend to do and we're just trying to figure out the right timing." It was a change of plans for the mercurial Musk who had earlier refused to consider manufacturing in India unless India lowered tariffs for imported Teslas to be sold in India. Modi "really wants to do the right thing for India," he said. Modi wants to make sure that the advantage from investments "accrues to India's advantage, which is, you know, obviously, that's the job," he added. India has more "promise than any large country in the world," he said. If Tesla comes to India, it will be following the pattern of companies like Apple diversifying their manufacturing from China because of geopolitical and supply chain issues. Musk gushed about his "fantastic meeting with the Prime Minister" and declared, "I am a fan of Modi." He said that Modi had invited him to visit India and that he would next year. Musk added that India has tremendous potential for "the three pillars of sustainable energy future" -- a goal of Modi. These were power generation using solar and wind energy, deploying batteries to store it, and having electric vehicles that run on it, the Tesla CEO said. "The interesting thing you will find is that this is a lower-cost way to go as well," he added. Another Musk venture is Starlink which uses low-orbit satellites to provide broadband internet connections. He said that he was "hopefully looking forward" to bringing it to India.

Asked about former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's assertion that the Indian government had asked the company to shut down a large number of accounts, Musk said bluntly that a company "doesn't have a choice but to obey local governments". "If we don't if we don't obey local government laws, then we will get shut down. So the best we can do is really to hew close to the law in any given country," he added. It is impossible for us to do more than that (or) we will be blocked and our people will be arrested, Musk said. He added that there are "different rules and regulations, different forms of government, so what we'll do, the best to provide the freest speech that is possible under the law". Modi met earlier with Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the nemesis of Musk. The author and thinker who expounds on the quirks of history and how they impact the world. Taleb and Musk have been engaged in twitterfights, and Taleb took a dig at Musk on his own Twitter: "Elon Musk, while attacking me on Twitter, was next (in line to meet Modi) but I did not run into him." After Modi's meeting with Taleb, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Baghchi tweeted, "PM lauded Prof Taleb for his contribution in bringing complex ideas of risk and fragility in popular conversations. Highlighted India's growing start-up ecosystem and the risktaking abilities of India's young entrepreneurs." (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

From Rafale to Make-in-India armoury, India gets force multipliers

New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) India

has one of the largest armies in the world, the bravery and the courage of Indian army is discussed all over the world. The country's military strength has increased rapidly in the last few years. India has received the consignment of fighter aircraft Rafale bought from France. Modern and indigenous warships like INS Vikrant and INS Mormugao are part of Indian forces. The Vagir submarine and several missiles have also enhanced the country's military capabilities. The last installment of Rafale reached India in December last year. India has now got all 36 Rafale jets. According to information, a squadron of Rafale fighter jets will monitor the western border and northern border with Pakistan, while another squadron is for monitoring the eastern border. Defence experts believe that with the completion of the Rafale deal has given a major boost to the Indian Air Force. Especially at a time when tensions and conflicts have erupted along the international borders with China. In another major development, the Defence Ministry has approved the proposal for construction of 41 sets of indigenous Modular Bridges for the Indian Army Corps of Engineers this year. These bridges can be employed over various types of obstacles like canals & ditches with quick launching and retrieval capabilities. These game-changing bridges have been designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and will be produced by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as DRDO-nominated production agency. According to the Defence Ministry, the contract for the procurement of Modular Bridges was signed with L&T on February 08, 2023 at an estimated cost of over Rs 2,585 crore. Each set of Modular Bridge will consist of seven carrier vehicles based on 8x8 Heavy Mobility Vehicles and two launcher vehicles based on 10x10 Heavy Mobility Vehicles. It will be capable of mechanically launching a single span fully decked 46-meter assault bridge. Similarly, the Defence Ministry, on March 24, signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad for procurement of two Integrated Electronic Warfare Systems 'Project Himshakti' at an overall cost of approximately Rs 3,000 crore. The project is under the IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category comprising contemporary and niche technologies. Last week, the Indian Navy has achieved another milestone. The first MiG29K fighter jet has made a night landing on INS Vikrant. The Navy says that this is an important step towards promoting the defence sector. According to the Navy, a MiG-29K has successfully made a night landing on indigenous INS Vikrant warship. This achievement of the Navy is a big step towards the growing power of self-reliant India. It is worth mentioning that earlier the naval version of Tejas aircraft had successfully landed on INS Vikrant. A Kamov 31 helicopter also landed on INS Vikrant on March 28. Destroyer warship INS Mormugao has also added to the strength of the Indian Navy. A successful testing of an advanced missile has been done from Mormugao this month. During the testing, the missile - 'Sea Skimming' - hit the target floating in the sea from below. According to the Navy, the missile was accurately tracked during the test and was successful in hitting its target. The Navy says that this missile is capable of hitting its target up to a distance of 300 km. In March, the Navy successfully tested the BrahMos missile. This missile is equipped with an indigenous booster. The Navy has tested this missile from its naval ship in the Arabian Sea. According to the Defense Ministry, DRDO has designed the booster of this BrahMos missile. During the test conducted by the Navy, the BrahMos missile hit its target with precision in the Arabian Sea. The Navy is going to commission Vagir, the fifth submarine of the Kalvari-class. The submarine is capable of anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and various surveillance missions. The submarine will further enhance the strength of the Indian Navy when it joins the Navy's fleet. The Navy has commissioned it into the Navy on January 23. However, amid these successes, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has grounded its MiG-21 fighter jets. Significantly, the MiG-21 fighter jet has been an important aircraft for the IAF fleet for the last five decades.

Vaishnaw meets Pichai at Google HQ, discusses India Stack

New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) IT and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday posted an image on social media with Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the tech giant's headquarters in the US, saying they had a good discussion on India Stack and the 'Make in India' programme.

Pichai last met Vaishnaw during his India visit in December, saying it was important for the government to create regulatory frameworks that help companies innovate on top of those local laws of the land.

"Met @sundarpichai at the @ Google HQ. Good discussion on India Stack and Make in India programme," tweeted Vaishnaw.

Pichai replied: "Thank you for taking the time to visit us at the Googleplex, Minister @ AshwiniVaishnaw. Enjoyed discussing the many ways we're working together on India's digital transformation, and the opportunities ahead".

In December, Pichai had said that India has a leadership role to play. "It's important to make sure you're balancing the safeguards you're putting for people and creating innovative frameworks so that companies can innovate on top of certainty in the legal framework," he said in the presence of Vaishnaw, at Google India's flagship event in New Delhi.

Vaishnaw said that the government is working on a range of bills that will safeguard users' data and create a robust legal regulatory framework around the new internet economy.

Pichai had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and pledged support for India's G20 Presidency.

"Thank you for a great meeting PM @narendramodi. Inspiring to see the rapid pace of technological change under your leadership. Look forward to continuing our strong partnership and supporting India's G20 Presidency to advance an open, connected internet that works for all," Pichai tweeted after the meeting in the Capital.