New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ campaign is linking the abilities of women with the development of the country.

He also said that in more than 60,000 start-ups that have emerged after 2016, 45 per cent have at least one woman director.

The Prime Minister said this while virtually addressing the 30th National Commission for Women (NCW) foundation day programme. The theme of the programme ‘She The Change Maker’ is aimed at celebrating the achievements of women in different fields.

The Prime Minister emphasised that for centuries, India’s strength has been the small local industries or the MSMEs and in these industries, women have the same role as men.

“The old thinking had restricted women and their skills to domestic work. It is necessary to change this old thinking in order to advance the economy of the country. ‘Make in India’ is doing this today. AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign is linking the ability of women with the development of the country,” he said.

The Prime Minister further stated that this change is visible as about 70 per cent beneficiaries of Mudra Yojana are women.

“The country has seen a three-fold increase in the number of women self-help groups in the last 6-7 years. Similarly, in more than 60,000 start-ups that have emerged after 2016, 45 per cent have at least one woman director,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the participation of women in the growth cycle of new India is increasing relentlessly and Women’s Commissions should work to promote and give maximum recognition to this role of women in the entrepreneurship of the society.

“Since 2015, 185 women have been honoured with Padma Awards. This year too, 34 women figured among the awardees in different categories. This is a record as this many awards to women are unprecedented,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi said that in the last seven years, the policies of the country have become more sensitive towards women and today, India is among the countries with provision of maximum maternity leave.

“Marriage at an early age does not hinder the education and career of daughters so the age of marriage of daughters is being attempted to be raised to 21 years,” he said.

The Prime Minister also talked about the historical distance of rural women from empowerment.

He listed the steps such as nine crore gas connections and toilets, pucca (permanent) houses of PM Awaas Yojna in the name of women of the house, support during pregnancy, Jan Dhan accounts, that make these women the face of changing India and women empowerment.

“When women make a resolution, they only set the direction of that. That is why whenever a government does not prioritise women safety, women have ensured their departure from power,” the Prime Minister said.

He stressed that the government is working with a policy of zero tolerance for crime against women.

“There are strict laws in this regard including capital punishment for heinous cases of rape. There are fast track courts and steps like more women help desks in police stations, 24 hour helplines, and a portal to deal with cyber crimes are being taken,” he said.

Greeting the NCW on its foundation day, he said, “The milestone of 30 years, whether in the life of an individual or of an organization, is very important. This is the time for new responsibilities and for moving forward with new energy.”

“Today, in changing India, the role of women is continuously expanding. Therefore, the expansion of the role of the NCW is also the need of the hour. All the women’s commissions of the country will also have to increase their scope and give a new direction to the women of their states,” he said. (IANS)

By: Sanjeev Sharma

New Delhi: The Economic Survey 2021-22 has highlighted the track record of the Narendra Modi-led government in garnering FDI for India as compared to the previous regimes of the past two decades.

The Survey has pointed out that over the last seven financial years (2014-21), India received FDI inflows worth $440.27 billion, which is nearly 58 per cent of the FDI received by the country in the 21 years prior to that ($763.83 billion).

The Modi government assumed office in 2014.

The Survey said that the measures taken by the government to put in place an enabling investor-friendly FDI policy has resulted in increased FDI inflows, setting new records. FDI inflows in India stood at $45.14 billion in 2014-15 and have continuously increased since then.

India registered its highest ever annual FDI inflow of $81.97 billion (provisional) in 2020-21, reflecting a growth of 10 per cent as compared to the previous year.

The increase has been on the back of growth of 20 per cent in 2019-20. In the year 2021-22, FDI inflow grew by 4 per cent in the first six months to reach $42.86 billion as compared to $41.37 billion for the same period of last year.

The Survey document said that several initiatives have been taken by the government since April 2020 to further reform the FDI policy framework to ensure against opportunistic takeovers and acquisitions, while also facilitating an increased flow of long-term capital, global technology, processes and international best practices to support the growth of these sectors.

Global industrial activity continued to be affected by the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. While the Indian industry was no exception to these disruptions, its performance has improved in 2021-22.

Gradual unlocking of the economy, record vaccinations, improvement in consumer demand, continued policy support towards industries by the government in the form of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and further reinforcements in 2021-22 have led to an upturn in the performance of the industrial sector.

The growth of the industrial sector in the first half of 2021-22 was 22.9 per cent vis-a-vis the corresponding period of 2020-21, and it is expected to grow by 11.8 per cent in the current financial year.

The industrial performance has shown improvement as reflected in the cumulative growth of the IIP. During April-November 2021-22, the IIP grew at 17.4 per cent as compared to (-)15.3 per cent in April-November 2020-21.

According to RBI studies on corporate performance, which are based on the results of select listed companies in the private corporate sector, the net profit to sales ratio of large corporates reached an all-time high despite the pandemic.

Buoyant FDI inflows amid improvements in overall business sentiments foretells a positive outlook for the industry, the Survey noted. (IANS)

Chennai: Indian women are expected to outlive men by a couple of years, as per the Economic Survey 2021-22.

According to the Survey, tabled in Parliament on Monday, the report on ‘Sample Registration based System (SRS) based ‘Abridged Life Tables 2014-18’ provides estimates of average longevity at various age groups and estimates of expectation of life at birth for India are available for 2014-18.

Females are expected to live longer (70.7 years) compared to males (68.2 years), it said.

In 2014-18 when compared to 2013-17, females are expected to live longer in most states/UTs both across the rural and urban areas, except for Bihar and Jharkhand.

The life expectancy at birth in India was 69.4 years for the period 2014-18, increasing by 0.4 years from 2013-17.

It varies widely across states; ranging from the lowest of 65.2 years in Chhattisgarh to the highest at 75.3 years in Kerala and Delhi.

The life expectancy is higher in urban areas (72.6 years) than in rural areas (68.0 years). Increase from 2013-17 is higher for rural (of 0.3 years) than increase in urban areas (0.2 years), the Survey said.

The gap between the rural and urban life expectancy has also narrowed down significantly from 1970-75 to 2014-18.

Given the increasing life expectancy in the country, the question that pops up is the rationale for the life insurers to increase their premium rates. (IANS)

By: Owais Gul

Srinagar: With the improvement in the power infrastructure, the Kashmir Power Distribution Limited (KPDCL) Monday said that it has been able to provide over 70 per cent of the electricity to Srinagar consumers against the total requirement during winters.

Officials said that during the ongoing winters, the electricity requirement in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir is 750 MegaWatts.

However, they said that with the improvement in power infrastructure, the department has been able to provide 550 MWs to the people living within the Srinagar district.

The officials said that against the total requirement, the department is supplying 72 per cent electricity to Srinagar residents while for the rest 28 per cent, the KPDCL goes for the curtailment.

They said that many new grid stations have been commissioned, lines have come up in this year, thus the department is able to supply more electricity compared to previous years. “We are expecting further improvement in the infrastructure, which would help in enhancing the supply to the people,” they said.

There are at least 11 power houses across Kashmir from where the electricity is being supplied to the consumers, officials said, adding that the power houses in the Valley are not able to generate adequate electricity due to the less flow in the water, thus leading to the shortage of electricity for which the power is being procured from outside as well.

Notably, unlike previous years, there have been fewer complaints about the power paucity this year, which otherwise witnessed frequent protests across Kashmir during the winters. (KNO)

Chairs meeting for installation of smart meters

Srinagar: Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole on Monday chaired a meeting regarding installation of smart meters in Srinagar City, here.

The meeting was attended by MD KPDCL, SP headquarter, ADC Srinagar, CE KPDCL, SE O&M Circle 2nd Srinagar, CEO, IT&C, Executive Directors Division 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th, DGM RECPDCL, Executive Director M/S Techno electronic and other officers.

At the outset, the CE Power Distribution gave a detailed presentation on status of Smart Metering Projects in Srinagar  under Phase-I & Phase-II, Smart metering project under PMDP, AMI Implementation Status, Feeders identified for smart metering in Srinagar, Feeder Wise meter installation progress, Field Activity Progress, Funding and Road Map for AMI projects, Major Right of Way issues, Row issues.

On the Occasion, Div Com directed district administration and police  to tackle resistance by any person in process of installation of smart meters amicably. He also said that  if any person  creates hindrances and  damages public  property then strict action shall be taken against him.

He also directed concerned officers to create awareness among the people  regarding utility and advantages of smart metering in ensuring constant supply of electricity.

Div Com directed to involve opinion leaders, religious leaders and social activists to motivate people regarding installation of Smart meters.

He said the message should be loud and clear regarding execution of work besides utilize social media and other channels to familiarize and sensitize general people about advantages of smart meters.

The meeting was informed that under smart metering project Srinagar Phase-I, out of 57750 meters, 11348 have been installed till now. It was further informed that 15000 meters are committed to be delivered in the month of Feb-2022.

New Delhi: Underlining the role and importance of women participation in the development of India, President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said that women empowerment is one of the top priorities of the government.

“Women participation in the development of the rural economy is increasing. In the year 2021-22, 28 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) were given financial support of Rs 65,000 crore by the banks,” the President said while addressing both the houses of Parliament on the first day of the Budget session.

He said this figure is four times higher than that of 2014-15 financial year.

Kovind further informed that the Centre has trained thousands of such groups and helped them participate as ‘Banking Sakhi’. “These women are connecting banking services in rural areas to each and every household there,” he said.

Highlighting the schemes introduced by the Centre to help women, the President said that the success of Ujjwala Yojna has been witnessed by all and with the help of schemes like Mudra Yojna, more than 15 crore people have been benefited and around 4 crore people have started their own business.

Kovind also mentioned the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti padhao’ campaign, adding that it yielded positive results as the number of girls taking admission in schools has increased significantly.

To ensure equality between genders, the Centre has proposed to increase the marriageable age of women from 18 to 21, he said.

He said that by bringing in a law against Triple Talaq, the Centre has abolished a social evil prevalent in Muslim society, “and Muslim women will no longer need to be accompanied by a blood-relative (Mehram) to go for Haj pilgrimage,” he added. (IANS)

New Delhi: Hailing the Indian startup success story, President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday said the burgeoning startup ecosystem has generated more than 6 lakh jobs to date.

Addressing the joint session of Parliament, Kovind said that since 2016, India has seen 60,000 startups in 56 different sectors.

“Our startup industry is also an example of the infinite new possibilities that are rapidly taking shape under the leadership of our youth. Since 2016, 60,000 new startups have been established in 56 different sectors in our country,” he emphasised.

“More than six lakh jobs have been created by these startups. In 2021, during the Corona period, more than 40 unicorn startups emerged in India, each with a minimum market valuation of Rs 7,400 crore ($1 billion),” said the President.

A Nasscom-Zinnov report said this month that Indian startups raised a record $24.1 billion in 2021, a two-fold increase over pre-Covid levels, while $6 billion were raised via public markets with 11 startup IPOs.

The Indian tech startup base continues to witness steady growth, adding over 2250 startups in 2021, which is 600 more than 2020.

India, accounting for 70 unicorns, added a record number of new unicorns (42) in 2021 across 18 sectors, third highest after the US and China, with a cumulative valuation of newly-added unicorns standing around $90 billion, according to the report.

Kovind also said that because of the government policies, the cost of internet connectivity and price of smartphones in India today are among the cheapest in the world.

“This has hugely benefited our young generation. India is also working with great pace on 5G mobile connectivity, which will open doors to new opportunities,” he added.

“India’s efforts on semiconductors will significantly benefit our start-up ecosystem. The government has taken many policy decisions and opened up several new sectors so that our youth can benefit from rapidly changing technology,” the President noted.

Through the ‘Startups Intellectual Property Protection Programme’, he informed, the government has simplified and accelerated the processes related to patents and trademarks.

“As a result, nearly 6 thousand patents and more than 20 thousand trademarks have been applied for in this financial year,” said Kovind. (IANS)

New Delhi: Infrastructure is the foundation for development in any country. The government also views infrastructure as a bridge to address social inequality, said President Ram Nath Kovind while addressing the Parliament’s joint sitting on Monday.

“Investment in infrastructure not only generates lakhs of new jobs, but also has a qualitative impact, enhancing ease of doing business, facilitating faster transport and promoting economic activities across sectors”, the President said.

Speaking on the Pradhan Mantri Gatishakti National Master Plan to accelerate infrastructure development in the country, the President was hopeful that it will usher in a new era of multi-modal transport in India and the railways, highways and airways will no longer be separate and isolated infrastructures.

Kovind said that around 36,500 km of roads have been built in rural areas, at the rate of more than 100 km per day and thousands of habitations have been connected with all-weather roads. “As against 90,000 km of national highways in March 2014, today we have more than 1,40,000 km of national highways. Under the Bharatmala Project, construction of more than 20,000 km of highways is in progress with an outlay of about Rs 6 lakh crore, including 23 green expressways and green-field corridors”, said President. He also said that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is also nearing completion and will be the longest and fastest expressway in India.

Addressing the joint session, the President said that along with opening ways for development, the modern infrastructure is also providing new strength to country’s security. Border Roads Organization has constructed a transport-worthy road at 19,000 ft, the highest altitude for such a road, at Umling La Pass in Ladakh. Even the most remote villages like Demchok in Ladakh, Joling Kong in Uttarakhand and Huri in Arunachal Pradesh have been connected by modern roads, he added.

President also talked about new Vande Bharat trains and new vistadome coaches which have added new feathers to the Indian Railways. In the last seven years, 24,000 km of railway route has been electrified. Laying new railway tracks and double-laning are also progressing rapidly. Gandhinagar railway station in Gujarat and Rani Kamalapati railway station in Madhya Pradesh now provide new glimpse of modern India, he said.

Lauding the government’s efforts for its work in public transportation field, President informed the joint session that eleven new metro routes have been commenced, benefiting lakhs of people in 8 states every day. He said that India is now also among the four countries in the world having largest driverless train networks. We have also developed Indigenous Automatic Train System in the country which symbolizes the growing capability of Make in India.

“The government has also accorded approval for the construction of 21 greenfield airports in the country, among which is the country’s biggest airport coming up at Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh”, said President Kovind.

“More than 80 connectivity projects are also in progress under the Sagarmala program to connect the country’s important commercial hubs with ports. So far, 5 existing National Waterways and 106 new waterways in 24 States have been declared as National Waterways, taking the total number of National Waterways to 111. Out of these, 23 waterways are viable for transportation of cargo. With the objective to modernizing infrastructure, more than 27,000 circuit km of transmission lines have also been laid by the government”, President said in his joint session address. (IANS)

Mumbai: Amid the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian startups are pinning hopes on the Union Budget, to be tabled on February 1, for a booster dose in the form of tax incentives, reduction in GST and relaxing regulatory restrictions, among others.

Startups are optimistic about a bigger focus by the government on fintech, edtech, healthtech, electric mobility and crypto, among other segments, to ensure an all-encompassing growth.

Data revealed by the Economic Survey, the number of new recognised starups have increased to over 14,000 in 2021-22 from only 733 in 2016-17, making India the third largest startup ecosystem in the world after the US and China.

As many as 44 Indian startups have achieved unicorn status in 2021 taking the overall tally of unicorns in India to 83, most of these are in the services sector, the Survey said.

According to Agility Ventures Co-founder Prashant Narang the startup ecosystem in the country could benefit from tax reliefs and incentives.

“The government should look at providing various tax reliefs for developing infrastructure in the startup ecosystem, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. For instance, they can give tax incentives for setting up incubators/ innovation labs. There is also a need to introduce relaxations on capital gains tax for specific sectors like agritech, electric vehicles, healthcare and renewable energy,” he said.

Keeping in mind the importance of the role of batteries in the ongoing EV revolution, the upcoming budget must look at mandating charging infrastructure across commercial and residential structures, Neuron Energy Co-Founder Pratik Kamdar noted.

“While the EV industry is gradually gaining momentum in the country and the breakneck developments spurring growth, companies providing auxiliary support to the segment like batteries should also be considered in the upcoming Union Budget. Owing to the uncertainties associated with the global contagion, many of these SMEs and MSMEs dominantly start-ups have faced the brunt resulting in financial and manpower losses and in some cases even closure of business. The Budget should focus on introducing start-up friendly policies and tax relaxation thus encouraging more capital infusion, innovation and ease of doing business,” he said.

The industry is also expecting relaxing regulatory restrictions for startups and obliteration of fine prints to give nascent organisations the freedom to surge ahead and generate more employment.

“While the government continues to stage pointed efforts to propel the startup revolution in India, we believe that friendly policies and automation of taxation will allow us time to focus on innovation and scale-up operations. Additionally, lowering tax slabs will help boost encouraging investor sentiments and will contribute to the overall start-up boom. It will also allow existing players to access increased capital flow, underscoring the emphasis on increased R&D,” StepSetGo CEO and Co-founder Shivjeet Ghatge said.

Ayu Health Hospitals CEO & Co Founder Himesh Joshi opined that the government should look at further easing the regulatory burden for startups, as well as the overall regulatory process which should be completely digitized.

“The government should also engage more people from the start up ecosystem to ensure policy making stays in sync with innovation. In health-tech specifically, there’s a blurring line between healthcare providers and health-tech companies, and therefore simplifications in areas like taxation will go a long way,” he added.

LogiNext Founder & CEO Dhruvil Sanghvi noted that India saw a euphoric rise in the number of unicorns in 2021 making it one of the fastest growing technology startup ecosystems globally.

“This growth has been on the back of overall improvement in ease of doing business, and this should continue to remain an ongoing focus and priority,” he added.

According to Manas Mehrotra, Founder, 315Work Avenue there is a need to reduce GST to the lowest slab for upcoming startups as it will make a significant impact on their budget. “Currently, coworking spaces charge a GST of 18 per cent to all clients and this is a big impact to startups. Hence, it can be reduced drastically,” he added. (UNI)

Visits family of slain policeman in Hassanpora

Srinagar: Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar on Monday reviewed the security situation in Sopore area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

The meeting was attended by senior officers of Army and Police. “IGP instructed Sopore Police to generate actionable inputs and conduct anti-militancy operations along with the Army,” a police officer said.

He also directed stringent action against drug peddlers in this area.

Meanwhile, IGP along with DIG South Kashmir and SSP Anantnag visited family of Head constable Ali Muhammad Ganai at Hassanpora and offered condolences to the bereaved family.