Page 112 - India

India's major ports handled highest ever cargo at 795 million tonne in FY23

India's major ports handled the highest ever cargo at 795 million tonne in 2022-23, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Secretary Sudhansh Pant said on Friday. Pant further said that with transactions worth about Rs 5,000 crore, the shipping ministry has surpassed its FY23 asset monetisation target of about Rs 3,700 crore. He also said that next week, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will launch 'Green Port' guidelines to make India's ports green. "Our major ports have handled the highest ever cargo in the history of the ports at 795 million metric tonne. This is 10 per cent higher than the previous year's cargo handled," he told PTI. India has 12 major ports -- Deendayal (Kandla), Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore (Kamarajar), Tuticorin (V O Chidambaranar), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. "Four or five of the major ports, including Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (Kolkata), Deendaya

Rupee gains 1 paisa to 82.16 against dollar as market sentiment improves

The rupee gained 1 paisa to 82.16 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, tracking a weak greenback against major currencies and positive sentiment in the domestic equities market. Forex traders said downward movement of crude oil prices also supported the local unit. At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened strong at 82.11 against the dollar and hit the lowest level of 82.17 before trading at 82.16, registering a rise of 1 paisa over its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee closed at 82.17 against the US currency. Participants were also cautious due to expectations of further interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks. "Upside hopes were abandoned as soon as USDINR turned below 82.2. Look for bounce back today as long as 81.97 holds, but the 82.4 objective now appears far. Towards this end, expect selling pressure on first entry into the 82.15-82.20 region," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist at Geojit Financial Services, s

India, Armenia, Iran hold 1st trilateral political consultations in Yerevan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, Armenia and Iran held the first trilateral political consultations on Thursday in Yerevan.The three countries had a wide range of discussions, particularly on economic issues and regional communication.Trilateral cooperation in various fields was also discussed during the meeting.Informing of the consultations, the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia wrote, "First trilateral political consultations btw MFAs of #Armenia, #Iran & #India were held in Yerevan. Sides discussed, particularly economic issues & regional communications outlined prospects of deepening cultural & people to people contacts & trilateral coop in various fields."Armenia and India celebrated 30 years of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2022. Armenia and India maintain active political ties. Effective cooperation exists between the two nations within international bodies.After Armenia's independence in 1991, ...

India records 11,692 new Covid-19 infections, 66,170 active cases

India has recorded 11,692 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have increased to 66,170, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll has increased to 5,31,258 with 28 deaths, which includes nine reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.48 crore (4,48,69,684) The active cases now comprise 0.15 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.67 per cent, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,42,72,256, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

India, Bangladesh agree to settle bilateral trade transactions in rupee

A delegation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the State Bank of India (SBI) visited Dhaka in April to discuss transaction processes between the two nations

Working on contingency plans, possible evacuation in Sudan: Arindam Bagchi

As fighting between two rival forces rages in Sudan, India on Thursday said the situation in that country is "very tense" and it is focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community, including working on contingency plans and possible evacuation. New Delhi is keeping a close watch on the developments in Sudan besides being in touch with relevant countries, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing and added that any evacuation plan will depend on the ground situation. "We are in readiness of taking multiple options. There are contingency plans. We are in close touch with our teams on the ground. But it will all depend on how long there is a pause in the fighting or a ceasefire; where it is happening, what is available in terms of locations where we can safely take people away," he said. He was responding to a question on whether India is looking to evacuate its citizens from Sudan. Bagchi also said External Affairs Minister

States to establish 100 food streets across 100 districts: Centre

The Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has written to the states and Union Territories to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across the country. The initiative is being taken up as a pilot project to create an example for other such streets to come up across the country to ensure safe and hygienic food practices. The project aims to encourage safe and healthy practices among food businesses and community members, thus reducing foodborne illnesses and improving overall health outcomes, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement. In a letter to the states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi highlighted that "easy access to safe and hygienic food is vital for the good health of citizens". "Safe food practices not only promote the 'eat right campaign' and food safety but will improve hygiene credibility of local food businesses, boost local employment,

Electricity demand hits record as heat boosts cooling device usage

The India Meteorological Department has forecast a hotter summer in parts of the nation, with temperatures already crossing 44C (111F) at some places

Centre to provide Rs 1 crore aid to states for opening 100 food streets

The Centre stated that the project's goal is to encourage safe and healthy food practices and that it will serve as a model for other food streets

Amit Shah chairs SCO meet on prevention, elimination of emergency situation

During the meeting, delegates from SCO member states shared information relating to large-scale emergency situations which occurred in their respective territories

Among countries with Apple Stores, India has lowest per capita income

India's per capita income of $7,130 is less than half of Brazil's $15,600, which ranks second lowest on the list of nations with Apple Stores

India aims to make 121 airports carbon neutral by 2025, says Scindia

Twenty-five airports in the country are using 100 per cent green energy, while another 121 airports will be made carbon neutral by 2025, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Thursday. Scindia made the comments in his virtual address at the two-day EU-India aviation summit. He could not attend the event in person after testing Covid positive. "The emission contribution of the aviation industry has been under immense scrutiny. We have taken several measures to minimise the carbon footprint and mitigate emissions from the aviation industry," said Scindia asserting that India and the European Union have a common goal of tackling climate change. "We are encouraging our airports to use green energy by 2024 and achieve net zero by 2030. Twenty-five of our airports are already using 100 per cent green energy. Our target is to make another 121 airports carbon neutral by 2025," he added. The summit, which began on Thursday, will focus on EU-India air transport relations

India among 3 countries where vaccines' importance improved: Unicef

India is one of three countries out of 55 where the perception of the importance of vaccines held firm or improved after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UNICEF. However, India is home to about 2.7 million of the world's zero-dose children, UNICEF stated. Zero-dose children are those who have not received a single routine vaccine. "Despite the increase in the number of zero-dose children to three million during the pandemic, India was able to arrest the backslide between 2020 and 2021 to bring the number of zero-dose children down to 2.7 million thanks to unwavering political commitment and sustained evidence-based catch-up campaigns initiated by the government, including the fourth Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) and its continued provision of comprehensive Primary Health Care services," said Vivek Virendra Singh, a health specialist at UNICEF. The public perception of the importance of vaccines for children declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in 52 of the 55 countries

India logs 12,591 new Covid-19 cases in a day, highest in around 8 months

India recorded 12,591 new Covid cases in a day, the highest in around eight months, while the active case burden increased to 65,286, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death toll has increased to 5,31,230 with 40 fatalities, which includes 11 reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The total tally of Covid cases was recorded at 4.48 crore. The daily positivity rate was 5.46 per cent and the weekly positivity rate was 5.32 per cent. Active cases now comprise 0.15 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was 98.67 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,42,61, 476 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

India amplifying voice, concerns of Global South, says Ruchira Kamboj

India, during its G-20 Presidency, is amplifying the voice and concerns of the Global South and developing countries, the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj said.Speaking at ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development 2023 on Thursday (local time), Kamboj said, "The Voice of the Global South Summit held in January 2023, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was attended by 125 countries, including 18 at Heads of State/Government level and others at the Ministerial level."Furthermore, Kamboj said, during India's ongoing Presidency, participation from Africa is the highest ever, which includes South Africa (G20 Member), Mauritius, Egypt, Nigeria, AU Chair - Comoros, and the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD)".India's G20 Presidency reached its 100th event on 17 April with the Meeting of the Agricultural Chief Scientists in Varanasi. "Following the spirit of 'One Earth One Family One Future', India

India's population growth still below replacement level, says UN expert

While India's population at 1.4 billion has surpassed that of China's, the "latest big news" is that the population growth is below the replacement fertility rate in India

India races to get rich before it gets old as population surpasses China's

How quickly India boosts its proportion of city dwellers and whether it can create enough quality jobs to accommodate the shift carries crucial significance for its growth needs

India to surpass China as most populous nation in 2023: UN report

India has opportunity to benefit from demographic dividend with nearly half of population below 25, say experts

Indian operation to maintain high double-digit growth: KONE India MD

KONE Elevators India, a subsidiary of the Finnish multinational corporation KONE Corporation, on Wednesday said that it will continue to grow at a high double-digit rate in India, despite cost pressures, as demand from the residential and infrastructure sectors remain robust. The company has also announced the expansion of its Kolkata office, which serves the eastern region and export markets in Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. "In 2022, we had grown strong by over 15 per cent and the growth trajectory will continue as India's growth remains strong. We aim to grow between 15-17 per cent in the current fiscal year," KONE India MD Amit Gossain said. He noted that the company's market share is currently at 25 per cent in the segment it operates, and that new technology-backed products and services will help push the market share further. Gossain expressed optimism about the Indian market, saying that it is the second largest market after China in Asia and that KONE has a presence in 60 .

Tech talent demand up in GCC, non-tech firms going digital in India: Report

The demand for tech talent has surged in GCC companies in India and other non-tech firms that are going digital as organisations are looking at rapid expansion across the country, according to a report. As per industry reports GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) companies in India are rapidly growing in number and are estimated to employ over 3.6 lakh people in the country in the coming year, business service provider Quess Corp's Skills Report FY23 revealed. Therefore, it came as no surprise that India has become an important hub for GCC firms and other multinational companies to expand their footprint and seek innovation prospects in the country and this shift is also increasing regional diversity in the industry with a rapid expansion of tech talent footprint across tier II and III cities such as Jaipur, Coimbatore, Indore and Kochi. Interestingly, it said that about 20 per cent of the lateral movement from IT firms has been absorbed into GCCs and other non-tech firms that are going .