Page 12 - New Delhi

Industry body seeks PLI expansion, cut in GST on batteries, charging infra

Industry body India Energy Storage (IESA) has demanded that the government reduce the goods and services tax (GST) on batteries and electric vehicles charging infrastructure services as well battery swapping. Ahead of the India Energy Storage Week 2024 (IESW) in New Delhi from July 1-5, 2024, the IESA also suggested expansion of production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for battery components and battery raw materials processing industry, in a wishlist submitted to the government, a statement said. "Lithium ion batteries current GST rate is 18 per cent and other batteries is 28 per cent. We want all batteries to come under the 18 per cent GST bracket. Charging infra services and battery swapping services should be reduced to 5 or 18 per cent from the existing 28 per cent," IESA President Rahul Walawalkar said in the statement. He lauded the government for the initiatives like advanced chemistry cell battery (ACC-PLI), Auto-PLI, Auto Components PLI, etc. He suggested further expansi

EAM Jaishankar to visit Sri Lanka on Jun 20, discuss wide-ranging issues

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Sri Lanka on Thursday in his first bilateral visit abroad in his second consecutive term in office. The visit reaffirms India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy' and underlines New Delhi's continued commitment to Sri Lanka as its "closest" maritime neighbour and time tested friend, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The MEA said Jaishankar's visit will add momentum to connectivity projects and other mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors between the two countries. Jaishankar was last week part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy's Apulia region. The trip to Sri Lanka will be Jaishankar's standalone bilateral visit after he assumed charge as the external affairs minister for the second term on June 11. The MEA said the external affairs minister will have meetings with the Sri Lankan leadership on wide-ranging issues. "This will be the external affairs minister's first ..

After Maha CM meets Dy CMs, BJP leaders leave for review meet in Delhi

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a late night meeting with Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar after which some state BJP leaders left for Delhi for a review meet, sources said on Tuesday. Details of the meeting were not available. It was convened in the backdrop of the ruling Mahayuti's below par performance in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections. "CM Shinde held a meeting with Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar at his official residence 'Varsha'. After Pawar left, Shinde and Fadnavis continued the meeting for some time," a source in the BJP said on Tuesday. BJP's central leadership has called a review meeting with state leaders in connection with the party's performance in the Lok Sabha polls. "It is a routine exercise in the BJP to hold such review meetings with state leaders. (BJP leader) Fadnavis offered to resign some days back after the results were out. He had stated that he wished to work for the party full-time till the state assembly elections. This will

Delhi fire safety check: When biz triumphs over rulebook to start a fire

Third part of the series on fire safety takes readers to Delhi and the problems of packed shops, faulty wiring and the trend of doing business without NOCs

NIC hires Yotta Infrastructure to manage its data centre in Delhi

Yotta is building a data centre at the NIC's site in the city. This is expected to be completed in three to four months, said a source privy to the development

Uncomfortable decisions required to clean up Delhi's air: Sunita Narain

Cleaning up Delhi's air requires "uncomfortable and inconvenient" decisions, and it cannot be achieved by being nice to everyone, particularly the affluent residents who significantly contribute to the problem, leading environmentalist Sunita Narain has said. In an interaction with PTI editors, Narain said although central and state governments have taken several steps to control air pollution in the national capital, including banning coal and introducing BSVI fuel, erratic weather patterns due to climate change and the inadequate speed of addressing the crisis continue to exacerbate the problem. Narain, the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment, said the episodic burning of crop residue by farmers in winter is not the primary concern. Instead, the persistent and major sources of pollution within the city, including transport and industries, are more worrisome, she said. "My only request for the new government is to take some uncomfortable, inconvenient decisio

India's May exports rise 9.1%; merchandise imports up 7.7% at $61.91 bn

Merchandise imports in the same month rose 7.7 per cent year-on-year to $61.91 billion - widening the trade deficit to $23.78 billion

Record student visas to Indians last yr; even higher this time: US Embassy

After issuing a record 1,40,000 student visas last year, the US consular team in India is all geared up to meet the expected rise in number of applications from Indian students in 2024, with a senior official at the embassy here saying that the projected total number this year will be "similar or in excess" in comparison to last year. The US Mission in India on Thursday held its eighth annual Student Visa Day countrywide with consular officers from New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai interviewing Indian student visa applicants. At the US Embassy in Delhi, a long queue of students was seen since morning. American universities attract a large number of Indian students, and last year, the US consular team in India issued over 1,40,000 student visas -- higher than for any other country setting a record for the third year in a row. Syed Mujtaba Andrabi, acting Consul General at US Embassy in New Delhi, in an interaction with PTI at the embassy, said, "by the end of the da

WeWork India enters Tamil Nadu market with Olympia Cyberspace in Chennai

Flexible workspace solutions provider WeWork India made its foray into the Chennai office space market with the launch of 'Olympia Cyberspace' facility in the city. Equipped with over 2,000 desks spread across 1.30 lakh sq ft land in Guindy, the company has expanded its presence in Chennai after New Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad. Chennai has emerged as a thriving business landscape across entrepreneurs, enterprises as well as Global Capability centres. There is a strong demand being witnessed from various industries including manufacturing, information technology, Information Technology enabled Services among others. With the opening of Olympia Cyberspace, WeWork India aims to provide innovative and collaborative work environment to meet the rising demand for flexible workspace solutions. "WeWork Olympia Cyberspace marks a pivotal moment in our expansion across South India. This strategic entry underscores the immense potential of Chennai's talent po

Back to business: From Amit Shah to Ashwini Vaishnaw, ministers take charge

A few ministers took charge after paying obeisance to Ganesha, while others plunged straight into business, familiar with the ministries they had headed

Look forward to India, Maldives working together closely: Jaishankar

Union Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held separate bilateral meetings with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Muizzu, Hasina and Wickremesinghe were among seven leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers on Sunday. "Delighted to call on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu of Maldives today in New Delhi. Look forward to India and Maldives working together closely," Jaishankar said on 'X'. Jaishankar was the external affairs minister in Modi's previous Cabinet. He took oath as a Union minister on Sunday. It was Muizzu's first visit to India after he became the island nation's president on November 17 last year. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office. Within hours of his oath, he ha

Looking forward to work with Canada based on mutual understanding: PM Modi

The unease in India-Canada ties was on display when Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday responded to a congratulatory message from his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and said New Delhi looks forward to working with Ottawa based on mutual understanding and respect for "each other's concerns". The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd". "Thank you @CanadianPM for the congratulatory message. India looks forward to working with Canada based on mutual understanding and respect for each other's concerns," Modi said in a post on 'X'. In his June 6 message, Trudeau said Canada stands ready to work with the new Indian government to advance the ties if they are anchored to human rights, diversity, and the rule of law. "Congratulations to In

'Grace marks given to 1,563 students to be reviewed': NTA on NEET exam row

NEET result controversy: Many NEET-UG aspirants and the Opposition parties alleged irregularities in the examination result, in which an unprecedented 67 students scored a perfect 720 out of 720 marks

'INDIA bloc not invited to Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony': Congress

Narendra Modi is scheduled to be sworn in as the PM of India for the third consecutive term on June 9 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi

Delhi on high-alert for Modi's swearing-in event; what's banned? 10 points

Top leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Mauritius and Seychelles likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony, triggering heavy security arrangements across Delhi

British Airways to start New Delhi-London daily flight from April 20

Expanding its services to India, British Airways will start a new daily flight between the national capital and London Heathrow from April 20, 2025. "This will increase the airline's schedule across India to 63 flights a week across five cities," the airline said in a release. Currently, the carrier operates 56 weekly flights to India. These include daily services from Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The new flight, starting from April 20, will be operated with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Neil Chernoff, British Airways' Chief Planning and Strategy Officer said the airline is celebrating 100 years of flying to India. "We eagerly anticipate welcoming passengers on board our new flights and continuing our legacy of excellence in the skies," Moran Birger, Head of Sales Asia Pacific and Middle East at British Airways, said.

New govt needs to fight inflation while bringing back focus on farm reforms

A favourable monsoon in 2024 should keep production worries at bay

Reflections from Kanniyakumari: PM Modi's new vision for a developed India

These thoughts were penned by PM Modi on 1st June between 4:15 PM and 7 PM during his return flight from Kanyakumari to Delhi

Saurabh Bharadwaj orders speedy probe into children's death at hospital

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said those responsible will not be spared

BJP's Bansuri against AAP's Bharti: Two lawyers battling for New Delhi

Bharti, a three-term legislator, would hope the AAP's responsive civic governance and the sympathy for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would help him win the contest