by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Economy, Large Enterprise, Markets, News, Politics
New Delhi : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that quality products and research in new technologies can propel the country’s electric vehicle (EV) industry to emerge as world’s largest exporter.
According to the Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the country’s EV industry can only realise its full potential if it maintains high quality and invests in research and development of new technologies to come out with innovative products.
“In near future India is going to become the world’s number one exporter of electric vehicles,” Gadkari said at the inauguration of the 5th EV Expo 2017 being held here.
“Your vehicles will soon be seen in countries like Nepal and Bangladesh,” the minister told EV manufacturers adding that they have the potential to make the country self sufficient and even export their products to China.
Gadkari urged the e-vehicle manufacturers to “maintain standards and quality for a better and sustainable future of the industry.”
He pointed out that “more than one crore people in the country are engaged in the profession of manual pulling of goods and passengers… there is a huge opportunity to provide them with e-vehicles”.
The minister also shared his vision of an “electric highway” between Delhi and Mumbai, where electric cables will run along the side of the road to charge EVs.
He added that in the near future, new and innovative products like e-cycle bike are expected to come into the market.
The three day international expo is showcasing the latest technological advancements in environment-friendly 2, 3, 4 wheeled electric vehicles, automotive parts, components and accessories.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Nitin Gadkari
Lucknow : Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday made a strong pitch for fast-paced laying of roads, saying that if the six lakh villages in the country are linked with strong and robust roads, the GDP will grow by Rs 1.10 lakh crore.
Road construction creates jobs, fast tracks the economy and can be a great vehicle in ending the scourge of poverty in the country, Gadkari said at a two-day seminar here on use of new technologies for improving roads in the country.
Deputy Chief Minister and the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that all the roads in the state now on will be two-lanes and new techniques would be assimilated in road construction so as to ensure their longevity.
The new roads, which will be built using new techniques, will include the Rs 300 crore Dostinagar bypass in Unnao, Rs 277 crore Palio-Lucknow road in Hardoi, Rs 342 crore Bilrayan-Panwari road in Sitapur among others, he said.
Many experts who made innovations in road construction techniques were also felicitated on the occasion by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Gadkari.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is slated to be present in the closing ceremony of the two-day event on Saturday.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Nitin Gadkari
New Delhi : The Congress on Friday targetted union cabinet Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Suresh Prabhu, accusing them of conflict of interest for allegedly being part of the national executive committee of a company ‘Indian Federation of Green Energy’ (IFGE), owned by Gadkari’s personal secretary Vaibhav Dange.
The party asked how Union Minister Gadkari had permitted the Shipping Ministry as well as PSUs to participate in and financially contribute to a company partly owned by his personal secretary Dange.
The opposition party also raised the point of conflict of interest vis-a-vis Gadkari.
According to reports, Dange, who comes from RSS cadre, floated the ‘Indian Federation of Green Energy’ (IFGE) on October 9, 2014, and owns a 50 per cent stake in it.
The party also questioned how a company, which started in October 2014 with a capital of Rs 1 lakh only and zero cash as also zero corpus, has built up a corpus of Rs 1.33 crore.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh asked: “The IFGE organises conclaves and programmes in tandem with PSUs and ministries under Gadkari’s control and receives financial contributions. The firm also receives contributions from private individuals, corporate entities sponsoring these events and those who deal directly with ministries under Gadkari.
“This becomes even more serious as Dange deals directly with all ministries and public sector undertakings related issues as also private entities in his capacity as private secretary to the Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister.”
Ramesh said: “Even today (November 24) IFGE is organizing a conference on ‘Ethanol As a Transport Fuel’ in partnership with Centre Institute of Road Transport under Ministry of Transport at Pune.
“Even in 2015-16, similar conferences were organized in league with Ministry of Transport. Besides Gadkari’s ministry, IFGE organizes similar conclaves, conferences and summits in partnership with other ministries and receives financial contributions,” he added.
“Isn’t the conflict of interest of Gadkari writ large on the whole matter?” Ramesh asked.
“Has Dange not violated the Central Civil Service Conduct Rules, which prohibit a public servant from accepting contributions and associating with raising of any funds or collections or cash?” he added.
Ramesh said: “Conflict of interest and diversion of public funds to private entity has become an everyday affair under the Modi government.
“No wonder that a company, which started in October 2014 with a capital of Rs 1 lakh only and zero cash as also zero corpus, has built up a corpus of Rs 1.33 crore (Rs 73 lakh in 2014-15 and Rs 60 lakh in 2015-16). This company also has cash equivalent of Rs 1.54 crore.
“That IFGE’s office is at Rohit House on Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi as per its corporate filing. This office is owned by another member of the national executive of IFGE Ravi Boratkar. Incidentally, Boratkar is also a director of ‘Purti Power and Sugar Limited’ owned by Gadkari’s family,” he added.
The party asked if both Gadkari and Prabhu have violated the code of conduct for union ministers.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Economy, Large Enterprise, News, Politics
Nitin Gadkari
New Delhi : With logistics cost in India alarmingly high, the government is working towards lowering it by a third by developing coastal shipping and inland waterways as alternative modes of transport, Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday.
In his address at “World Food India 2017” here, he said the logistics cost in India was as high as 18 per cent compared to China where it was between 8 and 10 per cent.
“We are trying to bring this cost down to around 12 per cent which would make Indian goods more competitive in the international market,” Gadkari said, adding that the government was prioritising coastal transport and inland waterways compared to road and rail mode as costs were significantly lower for the former.
“For every Rs 10 of transportation cost by road, it is Rs 6 for railways and only Rs 1 for waterways. That means you would be able to transport goods spending only 10 per cent of the current cost,” said Gadkari, who is also the Road Transport and Highways Minister.
“There are 111 rivers which we have decided to develop as inland waterways. Out of these, work has already started on 10 rivers,” he said. “These waterways will significantly reduce logistics cost.”
Even as the government was focusing on developing waterways, work was simultaneously being done at a fast pace to bring down logistics cost on roads as well, the minister said.
“We are going for electronic toll collection. Currently, Delhi to Mumbai takes 28 hours but soon, it will take only 18 hours because we are abolishing all state barriers. Now we will have e-toll collection and no one will be stopped for paying the toll tax, which will be charged automatically.
“This will lead to saving of 8-10 hours between Delhi and Mumbai,” Gadkari said.
“Our focus is also on logistics parks. We have already acquired land for 32 such parks and all major cities will have them,” he said.
Gadkari added that all logistics parks would be located outside the city where big trucks would arrive with goods, after which smaller vehicles would take those goods to different parts of the city based on requirement.
He said in the road sector alone, his target was to bring in investment worth Rs 25 lakh-crore during his tenure.
“We have already signed contracts worth over Rs 6 lakh-crore in road sector. Under Bharatmala project, we are expecting Rs 8-lakh-crore investment.
“I am confident that in two years, we will meet that target,” Gadkari said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Nitin Gadkari
New Delhi : Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday exhorted the automobile industry to develop technology to run vehicles on alternatives to petrol and diesel like electricity and bio-fuel.
He also asked them to come forward and invest in the country’s public transport system.
“There is economic viability in new technology. Let us plan for the next 25 years. I would strongly urge the sector to invest in public transport and develop electric bikes, electric cars…. I urge automobile companies to diversify in alternative fuel,” Gadkari said here at the 57th Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Annual Convention.
He said the government is planning to bring second generation ethanol as an alternative fuel.
Discouraging automobile manufacturers to make any more diesel-run vehicles, he said it was adding to the huge import costs and pollution levels, which the government was committed to bring down.
Gadkari said the companies which would make use of new technology to innovate on alternative fuel will benefit in the longer run.
He said the government’s policy was “crystal clear” on this.
“Pollution and high import of petrol, diesel are challenges. Second generation ethanol with the use of bamboo, compressed natural gas (CNG) can act as substitutes for these imports and bring down the import cost.”
“Alternative fuel like Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the future fuel. CNG is also good for reducing pollution. We have abundant coal reserves to make methanol,” he said.
“I have seen engines running on methanol in foreign countries. The companies thus should spend a part of their profits on research on such fuels,” he added.
Urging the industry to invest in public transport, he said the rural and agricultural sector would benefit with this.
In a lighter vein, the minister also said the sector, which has 22 per cent share in India’s GDP, if continued to grow at the same rate for the next three years, the government would have to add another lane in national highway.
“I want growth rate of the sector be thus less.”
He also said the automobile companies should view the sector with an integrated approach — from fuel, parking, engineering to even driving training centres.
“The companies can contribute in skill development with driving training centres. Diversification and expansion is the key,” he said.
Gadkari also acknowledged the sector’s contribution in exports, job creation and growth of the country.
He said because of the abundant manpower, reasonable costs, plenty of raw material availability in the country, India can be developed as an export base for automobiles.
—IANS
