H1 FY25 FINANCIAL RESULT HIGHLITS
Home Blog Page 8601

Railways signs assured off take Agreements with SAIL RITES Bengal Wagon Industry

0
rites_logo_indianbureaucracy
rites_logo_indianbureaucracy

Indian Railways have taken another step in line with “Make in India” initiative of Govt. of India by signing the Assured Off Take Agreements (AOT) with SAIL-RITES Bengal Wagon Industry Pvt. Ltd. (SRBWIPL) for manufacture & rehabilitation of wagons at Kulti, West Bengal. The Minister of Railways, Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu was the Chief Guest at the Agreements Signing Ceremony here . The signing has paved the way of commencement of the production of stainless steel wagons at the factory. The Union Minister of Steel and Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar was also specially present on the occasion. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A.K. Mital, Secretary, Ministry of Steel Ms. Aruna Sundarajan, Railway Board Members, CMD SAIL, CMD RITES and other senior officials were also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu said that today’s Agreement is a very significant landmark for both Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Steel.  Two major PSUs of Central Govt. namely RITES of Ministry of Railways and SAIL of Ministry of Steel have come together to set up a joint venture which is a Rs. 2500 Crores “Make in India” initiative. He hoped that the factory will manufacture most modern wagons which are required for expansion of Indian Railways and the factory will emerge as a Centre of Excellence for development and manufacture of special purpose wagons for domestic and international market. Shri Prabhu said that it will contribute to the economic development of the region and lead to employment generation and creation of ancillary industries. Shri Suresh Prabhu pointed out that the steel is a very important component for the development of economy. He said that the increased consumption of steel spurs demand for iron ore which in turn helps Railways as it gets more freight to transport. He said that Indian Railway should also consider other options like using aluminium for manufacturing wagons.

In his speech, Union Minister of Steel & Mines Shri Narender Singh Tomar said that RAIL and SAIL are both very important pillars of country’s economy. The partnership between the two will be very useful for the nation and it will benefit both SAIL and RAIL.  Referring to the unfavourable conditions prevailing for the steel industry, Shri Tomar said that we are all working with our full capacity and hope to overcome these difficult times. Shri Tomar said that Rail Connectivity is very important for the development of the industry. He said that under the guidance of hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi and the Railway Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu, Indian Railways is taking giant strider for expansion and modernization.  He said that many new facilities and initiatives have already been created by Indian Railways recently for the benefit of the rail users.  Shri Tomar assured that Ministry of Steel is always there to stand behind Ministry of Railways to work shoulder to shoulder for the betterment of the country’s economy.

BACKGROUNDER

 This factory is ready and the production will commence very soon. This project was announced in 2010-11 and subsequently a Joint Venture (50%:50%) was set up between two major PSUs namely, SAIL (PSU under Ministry of Steel) and RITES (PSU under Ministry of Railways). The land for the factory, which is ready for production, has been provided by SAIL and has been constructed at an approximate cost of Rs.120 crore. This project combines manufacturing and infrastructure expertise of SAIL and RITES with Indian Railway’s commitment and support of Make in India initiative.

This is a long term Assured Off Take Agreement for manufacturing of 1200 wagons per annum and rehabilitation of 300 wagons per annum for a period of 10 years. The total cost of the Assured Off Take will be about Rs.2500 crore. This factory is likely to generate employment for about 400-500 people and will provide skill development opportunities for local people. Secondary and tertiary opportunities also become available which will lead to economic growth and all round development of the area.

This factory is equipped with high end state of the art machinery and plant to achieve quality as well as productivity and it is expected that it will emerge as a centre of excellence in wagon manufacturing with high capacity new design wagons. 

                                    SALIENT FEATURES OF THE PROJECT 

Manufacture of New Wagons

  • Assured off take by IR – 1200 modern high speed stainless steel wagons per annum
  • Total covered space – 10,800 sq. mtr. Approx.
  • High end sophisticated hydraulically controlled jigs & fixtures for manufacture of underframe, side body & end body of wagons.
  • CNC gang drilling machine for simultaneous drilling of centre sill at four locations
  • Ø CNC under water plasma cutting machine for precision profile cutting  of stainless steel plates
  • Main sheds equipped with EOT cranes
  • Unique Rail-cum-Road vehicle for simultaneous shunting of wagons on rail and movement on road

Rehabilitation of In-Service Wagons

  • Assured off take by IR –  300 wagons rehabilitation per year
  • 2000 sq. m of covered space with EOT cranes in wagon repair & rehabilitation shed
  • Full rake length of track available in factory for turning out wagons in rake form
  • Machines, tools & plant available for turning out 50 wagons per month
  • Carry out unloadable repair of wagons for Indian Railways[

Quality & Environment Management System

  • SRBWIPL has been awarded ISO: 9001-2008 certification for its Quality Management System.
  • ISO 14001 for Environment Management System is expected by Jan’2016.

Brajesh Mehrotra appointed in Cabinet Coordination Department, Bihar

0
IAS
IAS

Shri Brajesh Mehrotra IAS  (Bihar 1989) presently posted as Principal Secretary, Health Department, Patna, has been appointed in the Cabinet Coordination Department,  Government of Bihar.

Shri Brajesh Mehrotra is a PG in Geology , starting his Indian bureaucracy career in 1991 as SDO. In his varied experience he has worked as Collector & D M of Gaya (2001-04), Managing Director in Bihar State Finance Corporation of Patna (2005-06), Managing Director of Food, Supply & Commerce Department (2006-08), Commissioner of Munger (2008-09), Secretary in Building Construction Department(2009-10), Commissioner of Purnia (2010-13), Secretary in Cabinet Secretariat Department of Patna.

IndianBureaucracy.com wishes the very best.

Film ‘I Cannot Give You My Forest’ inspired by issues of Niyamgiri Adivasis

0
IFFI-2015
IFFI-2015

Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl’s film ‘I Cannot Give You My Forest’ is the story of Struggle for the survival of Adivasis in Niyamgiri. The main theme of the film is an intimate poetic window into the lives of the Kondh, the original dwellers (Adivasis) of the forests of Niyamgiri in Odisha State.

“In a simple term this film is about those peoples relationship with the forest”,Kavita stated. It highlights environmental issues and focus on struggle of tribals in day-today life.

The film has won this year’s National award in the category of Best Environmental Film.

Bengali Filmmaker Barun Chanda elaborated about the film ‘ Sohra Bridge’, the Story of a daughter who embarks on a journey, across the remote expanses of North East India, looking for her father. She finds herself drawn towards a complex labyrinth of memory of imagination.

‘Cherrapunji’ is known as ‘Sohara’ by locals. So, the title is inspired from that, said Barun Chanda.

Briefing about his work, Director, Sankar Debnath of ‘Pakaram’ said, “I always searched myself through my work”.  The Bengali film revolves around a 10 year old myriad boy, Tapu. He is forever wandering in a world of dreams and fantasies, and expresses himself and his reveries through his paintings.

Sankar Debnath said, “I wrote the story of Pakaram as an ode to my childhood memories, of dreams and imagination, and of the wonder of the natural surroundings in which I grew.”

13th World Robot Olympiad to be Held in Delhi in November, 2016

0
World Robot Olympiad
World Robot Olympiad

Indian Students, who won Medals in “12th World Robot Olympiad-2015” held in Doha, Qatar from 6th – 8th November 2015, called on Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture and Tourism in his office. The theme of this year’s World Robot Olympiad was ‘Robot Explorers’. Students representing more than 55 countries participated in the event. The winner students shared their experiences with the Minister. The Minister interacted with the winners and wished them grand success in the forthcoming events.

‘13th World Robot Olympiad’ will be held in Delhi during November, 2016 for the first time. It will be organized by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) with India STEM Foundation (ISF).

First time in the history of World Robot Olympiad, Indian students won three medals (1Gold & 2 Silver) and one position (Eighth) in the WRO- 2015. Team India Storm Divers and India Thunder Divers from Ahmadabad won 1st and 2nd rank respectively in Elementary category and Team India Shadow Bots and Path Finders from Delhi won 2nd and 8th rank respectively in Open category. To showcase their talent and creativity teams from over 225 different schools across India participated in this event.

Team India Storm Divers (Elementary category) (Ranking-1) includes Aaman Shah, Aarav Savla, Shaurya Goenka from Ahmedabad; Team India Thunder Divers (Elementary category)(Ranking Two) includes Vir Gandhi, Ishan Patel, Param Adani from Ahmedabad; Team India Shadow Bots (Open category) (Ranking Eighth) includes Jayant Sharma, Aman Thakur, Rohan Verma; and Team India Path Finders (Open category) (Ranking Eighth) includes Dhariya Gupta, Ishaan Saini and Laxman Prasad. The Indian delegation was led by Smt. Arvind Manjit Singh, JS (Culture).

NCSM, an autonomous society under Ministry of Culture administers 25 Science Centres/Museums/Planetariums spread all over India. All having its Regional Centres and District Level Centres called Satellite Units (SUs). ISF is an organization engaged in generating interest among students towards computer science, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (CS-STEM) through the innovative use of Robotics learning platform and other research based hands-on learning tools.

Serve the Country and Navy with Pride: Chief of the Naval Staff

0
Indian Navy Logo indianbureaucracy
Indian Navy Logo indianbureaucracy

At an impressive Passing-out Parade (POP) held at the Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala here today, 330 cadets of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard and six cadets from friendly foreign countries passed through the portals of the INA, on successful completion of their training. This POP marked commissioning of the cadets of the 89th Indian Naval Academy Course (pB Tech) and (MSc) Courses into the Indian Navy here today morning.

The passing-out cadets belonged to four different courses of the Autumn Term 2015, viz., the 89th Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) BTech & MSc courses, the 20th Naval Orientation Course (Extended), and, the 21st Naval Orientation Course (Regular). Also graduating and marching shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts were 21 female cadets from the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

The parade was reviewed by the Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff. After the ceremonial review, the Admiral awarded medals to nine meritorious cadets. During his address, the Admiral congratulated the passing-out cadets and advised them ‘to serve the Country and Navy with pride and always uphold the five values, viz., commitment -to make supreme sacrifice for the nation and navy, courage- both physical and moral, compassion- towards men and women you lead, credibility- in performance and character and finally to have an integrity beyond doubt – always and every time’. He concluded his address by exhorting the cadets to always strive for excellence in whatever they do in the Navy and in life. The Commander-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Commandant, INA, Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P, also witnessed this momentous occasion. Earlier on 23 November all the Passing-Out cadets took an Oath of Allegiance, at the War Memorial, Prerna Sthal, which was administered by the Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor, Rear Admiral MD Suresh. The Passing-out Parade was also witnessed by the proud parents and guardians of all successful cadets, as well as by a large number of local and outstation dignitaries, and media personnel.

The ‘Presidents Gold Medal’, for the cadet adjudged first in the overall order-of-merit of the INAC course was awarded to Flotilla Cadet Adjutant Jaswant Singh, ‘Chief of the Naval Staff Gold Medal’ for the cadet adjudged first in overall order-of-merit for the Naval Orientation (Extended) Course was awarded to Cadet Arun Balaji E. Cadet Darshita Babu was awarded the ‘Chief of the Naval Staff Gold Medal’ for the cadet adjudged first in overall order-of-merit for the Naval Orientation (Regular) Course and also the ‘Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (South) Gold Medal’ for being adjudged the best woman trainee of the course.

The glittering ceremony culminated with the successful cadets forming up in two columns, and marching, with their gleaming swords held in salute, past the Academy’s Saluting Dias (known as the Quarterdeck), in Slow March, to the traditional notes of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, the poignant farewell tune played by all Armed Forces of the world when bidding adieu to colleagues and comrades. Passing-out courses were bid farewell by cadets of junior term who manned the mast as the successful cadets streamed past the hallowed quarterdeck.

On completion of the parade, the ceremony of ‘Shipping-of-Stripes’ was conducted. The proud parents/guardians of the passing out cadets shipped the Naval (or Coast Guard) epaulettes, popularly known as ‘Stripes’, on the shoulders of their children/wards, thus symbolizing their transformation from ‘cadets’ into full fledged Naval or Coast Guard Officers. The Reviewing Officer and other dignitaries present congratulated the trainees on their successful completion of the rigorous course. On completion of the training at the Indian Naval Academy, the officers will proceed to various Naval and Coast Guard ships/establishments, to further consolidate their training in specific fields.

K.K.Pathak appointed as PS -Registration,Excise & Prohibition, Bihar

0
K.K Pathak IAS-
K.K Pathak IAS-

Shri K.K. Pathak IAS  (Bihar 1990 ) had recently returned from Central Deputation as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI and was awaiting posting , has been appointed as Principal Secretary in Registration, Excise and Prohibition department, Government of Bihar.

IndianBureaucracy.com wishes him the very best.

Dabhol Power Plant recommences power generation after two years

0
RGPPL
RGPPL

The Dabhol power plant, owned by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Limited (RGPPL), restarted electricity generation this morning after having been shut for nearly two years due to shortage of domestic gas. The plant is producing 290 MW power initially which will be sold to the Indian Railways. The electricity generation will be further scaled up in the coming months. This achievement was made possible with the concerted efforts of several stakeholders: Central Government, which allocated gas under the new pooling mechanism for gas-based power plants, Maharashtra State Government, NTPC, GAIL, MERC and Indian Railways.

RGPPL, promoted by NTPC Limited and GAIL (India) Limited, was set up to takeover and revive the assets of Dabhol Power Company Project. The company has 1967 MW capacity power plant located at Village Anjanwel, District Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, nearly 330 KM from Mumbai.

Basic Urban infra-investment plans for 102 cities approved under AMRUT

0
AMRUT
AMRUT

Seeking to improve basic infrastructure in urban areas, the Ministry of Urban Development approved an investment of Rs.3,120 cr for enhancing water supply, sewerage network services, storm water drains, non-motorised transport and availability of public spaces in 102 cities, under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

An inter-ministerial Apex Committee chaired by Shri Madhusudhan Prasad, Secretary(Urban Development) approved State level Annual Action Plans for 2015-16 with an investment of Rs.438 cr for Haryana which has 18 Amrut cities, Rs.573 cr for Chattisgarh (9 cities), Rs.416 cr for Telangana (12 cities), Rs.588 cr for Kerala (9 cities) and Rs.1,105 cr for West Bengal which has 54 Atal Mission cities.

Total investment in water supply projects in 58 mission states will be Rs.2,386 cr, sewerage projects-Rs. 495 cr in 17 cities, Storm water drains- Rs.106 cr in 9 cities, Urban transport-Rs.61 cr in 9 cities and Rs.72 cr for development of parks and green spaces in all the 102 cities

The Apex Committee approved investments in different basic urban infrastructure areas as proposed by respective state governments. Ministry of Urban Development will provide an assistance of Rs.1,540 cr which is about 50% of total project expenditure approved today.

With today’s approvals, the Ministry has so far cleared a total investment of Rs.11,654 cr in 272 Atal Mission cities for improving infrastructure for ensuring water and sewerage connections to all households in Atal Mission cities besides enabling water supply as per the norm of 135 litres per capita per day for urban areas etc.

At present only about 50% of urban households are provided with water connections and water supply is about 75 lpcd. Availability of sewerage connections is very low. Atal Mission seeks to bridge this deficit.

As per the State Annual Action Plan (SAAP) for 2015-16, presented by the Haryana Government, water supply at present in all the 18 mission cities is below the norm for urabn areas. It is only 43 litres per capita per day in Jind, 88 lpcd in Sonipet and a maximum of 130 lpcd in Gurgaon. In other mission cities of Rohtak, Ambala Cant, Thaneswar, Sirsa, Hisar, Palwal, Karnal, Yamuna Nagar, Kaithal, Bhiwani, Ambala City, Rewari, Panipat, Bahadurgarh and Jagadhari, present water supply is in the range of 102 lpcd to 127 lpcd.

Volcanic Rocks hold clues to Earth’s interior

0
science indianbureaucracy
science indianbureaucracy

Summary: Earth’s deep interior transport system explains volcanic island lava complexities, report scientists. Studies of rocks found on certain volcanic islands, known as ocean island basalts, have revealed that although these erupted rocks originate from Earth’s interior, they are not the same chemically.

Brought to Earth’s surface in eruptions of deep volcanic material, these rocks hold clues as to what is going on deep beneath Earth’s surface.Arizona State University-indianbureaucracy

Studies of rocks found on certain volcanic islands, known as ocean island basalts, revealed that although these erupted rocks originate from Earth’s interior, they are not the same chemically.

According to a group of current and former researchers at Arizona State University, the key to unlocking this complex, geochemical puzzle rests in a model of mantle dynamics consisting of plumes — upwelling’s of abnormally hot rock within Earth’s mantle — that originate in the lower mantle and physically interact with chemically distinct piles of material.

The team revealed that this theoretical model of material transport can easily produce the chemical variability observed at hotspot volcanoes (such as Hawaii) around the world.

“This model provides a platform for understanding links between the physics and chemistry that formed our modern world as well as habitable planets elsewhere,” says Curtis Williams, lead author of the study whose results are published in the Nov. 24 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

Basalts collected from ocean islands such as Hawaii and those collected from mid-ocean ridges (that erupt at spreading centers deep below oceans) may look similar to the naked eye; however, in detail their trace elements and isotopic compositions can be quite distinct. These differences provide valuable insight into the chemical structure and temporal evolution of Earth’s interior.

“In particular, it means that Earth’s mantle — the hot rock below Earth’s crust but above the planet’s iron core — is compositionally heterogeneous. Understanding when and where these heterogeneities are formed and how they are transported through the mantle directly relates to the initial composition of Earth and how it has evolved to its current, habitable state,” said Williams, a postdoc at UC Davis.

While a graduate student in ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, Williams and faculty members Allen McNamara and Ed Garnero conceived a study to further understand how chemical complexities that exist deep inside Earth are transported to the surface and erupt as intraplate volcanism (such as that which formed the Hawaiian islands). Along with fellow graduate student Mingming Li and Professional Research Associate Matthijs van Soest, the researchers depict a model Earth, where in its interior resides distinct reservoirs of mantle material that may have formed during the earliest stages of Earth’s evolution.

Employing such reservoirs into their models is supported by geophysical observations of two, continent-sized regions — one below the Pacific Ocean and one below parts of the Atlantic Ocean and Africa — sitting atop the core-mantle boundary.

“In the last several years, we have witnessed a sharpening of the focus knob on seismic imaging of Earth’s deep interior. We have learned that the two large anomalous structures at the base of the mantle behave as if they are compositionally distinct. That is, we are talking about different stuff compared to the surrounding mantle. These represent the largest internal anomalies in Earth of unknown chemistry and origin,” said Garnero.

These chemically distinct regions also underlie a majority of hotspot volcanism, via hot mantle plumes from the top of the piles to Earth’s surface, suggesting a potential link between these ancient, chemically distinct regions and the chemistry of hotspot volcanism.

To test the validity of their model, Williams and coauthors compare their predictions of the variability of the ratios of helium isotopes (helium-3 and helium-4) in plumes to that observed in ocean island basalts.

3He is a so-called primordial isotope found in Earth’s mantle. It was created before Earth was formed and is thought to have become entrapped within Earth during planetary formation. Today, it is not being added to Earth’s inventory at a significant rate, unlike 4He, which accumulates over time.

Williams explained: “The ratio of helium-3 to helium-4 in mid-ocean ridge basalts are globally characterized by a narrow range of small values and are thought to sample a relatively homogenous upper mantle. On the other hand, ocean island basalts display a much wider range, from small to very large, providing evidence that they are derived from different source regions and are thought to sample the lower mantle either partially or in its entirety.”

The variability of 3He to 4He in ocean island basalts is not only observed between different hotspots, but temporally within the different-aged lavas of a single hotspot track.

“The reservoirs and dynamics associated with this variability had remained unclear and was the primary motivation behind the study presented here,” said Williams.

Source:Arizona State University

Anant Geete flags off ceremony of the ‘3-Cities’ FAME India Eco Drive

0
Anant Geete
Anant Geete

The Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Shri Anant Geete flagging-off ceremony of the ‘3-Cities’ FAME India Eco Drive’, at Red Fort, Delhi on November 26, 2015. The Minister of State for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Shri G.M. Siddeshwara and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Shri Anant Geete flagging-off ceremony of the ‘3-Cities’ FAME India Eco Drive’, at Red Fort, Delhi on November 26, 2015. The Minister of State for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Shri G.M. Siddeshwara and other dignitaries are also seen.

Govt decides to provide further Indirect Tax Incentives to Domestic Shipbuilding

0
Customs & Central Excise Channel
Customs & Central Excise Channel

The Government has decided to provide further indirect tax incentives for domestic shipbuilding industry. Accordingly, the Central Government has issued Notification Nos. 44/2015-Central Excise, 45/2015-Central Excise, 54/2015-Customs and 55/2015-Customs all dated 24.11.2015 so as to provide the following indirect tax incentives to the aforesaid industry:

1) Exemption from customs and central excise duties on all raw material and parts for use in the manufacture of ships/vessels/tugs and pusher crafts etc

2) Presently, certain specified ships/vessels are exempt from basic customs duty and Central Excise duty (CVD). Consequently, for such ships/vessels manufactured in Export Oriented Units (EOUs) and cleared to domestic tariff area (DTA), the EOUs are not eligible for exemption on raw materials/parts of such ships/vessels etc. Suitable amendment is being made to the relevant notifications so as to provide that EOUs will be eligible for duty exemption on raw materials/parts consumed in manufacture of such ships/vessels etc which are cleared to DTA, even if such ships/vessels are exempt from basic customs duty and Central Excise/CV duty.

3) Simultaneously, the requirement of manufacturing of ships/vessels/ tugs and pusher craft etc in a custom bounded warehouse under the provisions of Section 65 of the Customs Act, 1962, for availing the customs and excise duty exemptions has also been done away with. Instead, these exemptions will now be subject to actual user conditions.

At present, the following indirect tax incentives are available to the shipbuilding industry.

a) Exemption from basic customs duty and additional duty of customs (CVD) on all raw material and parts for manufacturing of ships/vessels/tugs and pusher craft etc, subject to the condition that such manufacturing takes place in a custom bounded warehouse under the provisions of Section 65 of the Customs Act, 1962.

b) Exemption from central excise duty on steel procured domestically for manufacturing of ships/vessels/tugs and pusher craft etc in a custom bounded warehouse under the provisions of Section 65 of the Customs Act, 1962.

SJVN Honored with 9th ENERTIA Award

0
SJVN Limited
SJVN Limited

SJVN limited has been awarded 9th ENERTIA Award 2015 India & South Asia’s Award for sustainable Energy & Power as Winner in Hydro Power Sector. The award was presented by Shri R.K. Jena, Hon’ble Member of Parliament to Shri R.K.Bansal, Director (Electrical) on behalf of SJVN in a function organized at Delhi. The 9th ENERTIA Awards, 2015 recognizes SJVN’s achievements in the Hydro sector in the year 2014-2015. SJVN’s Nathpa Jhakri HPS generated 6838.125 MUs of electricity with Plant Availability Factor of 105.5% making it the Best Performing Hydroelectric Project in the year on All India Basis. Also, the Rampur HPS was declared under Commercial operation in the year 2014-15 and has been earlier recognized by Govt. of India for Early Completion of its Units.

IndianBureaucracy.com wishes the very best.