News Bulletin: May 2022 – Issue 1

1. Adani Group commits to invest Rs 10,000 cr in Bengal Ports

The Adani Group on Wednesday committed to invest Rs 10,000 crore in West Bengal over the next decade, group chief Gautam Adani announced on Wednesday.

At the inaugural session of Bengal Global Business Summit 2022 (BGBS) here, Adani said the group will invest in port and infrastructure such as data centre, undersea cable, centre of excellence, warehousing and logistic parks to expand its business in the state.

Source: Business World

2. The 50 Km Threat: How Govt Can Minimise Cyclone Damages along India’s Coastline

The government has always been worried about anti-national activities by inimical elements whether in the form of adversarial states, non-state actors or criminals. The Border Security Force (BSF) has been guarding the borders and the Centre has powers under Section 139 of the BSF Act to notify the change in its jurisdiction. It is for this that the current government notified changes in AOR/jurisdiction of the BSF to increase it from 15 km to 50 km in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam while reducing the same in Gujarat from existing 80 km to 50 km. The logic behind was the uniformity and change of threat profile including use of drones, which necessitated enhanced jurisdiction.

Source: News 18

3. Macrotech in talks with investors for industrial park funding platform

Realty major Macrotech Developers is in an advanced stage of discussion with two global investors to set up a platform that will invest more than USD 1 billion to develop warehousing and industrial parks across India, a top company official said.

Source: Business Standard

4. Tamil Nadu uses own funds for industrial corridor projects

With project viability and land acquisition issues causing hurdles in developing the State’s three major industrial corridors, the Tamil Nadu government is using its own funds to implement projects.

The corridors are the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), Chennai-Kanniyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC), and the Industrial Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) in Dharmapuri under Kochi-Coimbatore-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.

A master plan has been prepared for the Madurai-Dindigul-Virudhunagar-Theni and Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli projects under Phase-I of CKIC and the financing agency, Asian Development Bank (ADB), has so far released over Rs 11,000 crore for the projects.

Source: New Indian Express

5. UK firm develops nuclear-powered desalination ship concept

Core Power, the UK firm developing atomic propulsion solutions, has unveiled a new business line for shipping, floating desalination plants.

While land-based desalination plants have been built all over the world including Australia, North Africa and Saudi Arabia the cost of construction, maintenance and provision of fuel for these facilities is expensive and they also use fossil fuels for power, Core Power pointed out in a new report issued today.

Using floating desalination facilities built on traditional ship hulls, powered by micro reactors, the concept vessels can provide both desalinated water and electrical power, Core Power suggested.

Source: Splash 247

6. IRS push for improved inland waterway safety

Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) is continuing its drive to improve inland vessel safety throughout India, having played an integral role in the drafting of the Inland Vessels Act 2021.

The Act is expected to help integrated vessel movement throughout the country’s waterways and establish uniformity in terms of law and standardised provisions. The Act also addresses safety and pollution control issues and makes provisions for the use of new and special category vessels.

Source: The Maritime Standard

7. Our waterways can be used by India, Nepal, Bhutan: B’desh Minister

Waterways of Bangladesh could be utilised for transportation between Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, Bangladesh Shipping Minister Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said on Tuesday.

Addressing the two-day ‘Waterways Conclave 2022’ in Assam’s Dibrugarh virtually from Dhaka, he said that there are 700 rivers in Bangladesh, out of which 54 are on the boundary between Bangladesh and India.

Source: CAN India

8. Logistics sector struggles with 9,000 container ships stuck outside major ports in China, Europe

The logistics sector is struggling with around 9,000 container ships stranded across ports in Europe and West Asia, according to reports. With the Russia-Ukraine conflict continuing and lockdowns in several Chinese cities owing to COVID-19 concerns, the situation doesn’t seem to be resolving anytime soon.

Source: CNBC TV18

9. Is there another track to Railway privatisation?

Speaking at the 20th all-India conference of the Bharatiya Railway Mazdoor Sangh (BRMS) in Chennai on April 9, the Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that the government had no plans to privatise the Railways. He did, however, stress on the need for the Railways to adopt latest technology to meet the aspirations of the passengers, and that indigenous technology, like the contribution of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to Vande Bharat Express, should take the sector forward.

Source: The Hindu Businessline

10. Railways records 20.4% growth in its coal transportation in FY 2021-22

The Indian Railways has recorded a 20.4 per cent growth in its coal transportation in the 2021-22 financial year over the previous fiscal, the national transporter said on Saturday.

Compared to 542 million tonnes in 2020-21 fiscal, the railways loaded a record 653 million tonnes of coal in 2021-22, an increase of 111 million tonnes.

Source: Business Standard

11. Govt invites EoIs to set up manufacturing zone for power, renewable energy sector

The government has invited EoIs from interested parties for setting up a manufacturing zone on pilot basis for the power and renewable energy sector.

The last date to submit the proposal is June 8, 2022, according to a notification on the website of Ministry of Power.

“Expression of Interest (EoI) for setting up a manufacturing zone on pilot basis for the power and renewable energy sector is on the website of Ministry of Power and MNRE and it is requested to consider participating for submission of EoI by June 8, 2022,” the notification dated April 13, said.

Source: Money Control

12. Are Utilities Doing Enough To Support The Evolving Power Grid?

Electricity grids are perhaps some of the most complex systems in modern society, with the North American power grid often considered the largest machine in the world. Despite variable demand from millions of homes and businesses across thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines, utility providers are consistently able to deliver reliable power nearly all the time.

Source: Forbes

13. The growing investor interest in India’s road assets

India’s road sector is witnessing strong investor interest, with around 50 hybrid annuity model (HAM) road assets worth $3 billion up for sale, said two people aware of the development.

Million up for sale, said two people aware of the development.

“There are a lot of HAM assets for sale from the likes of PNC Infratech Ltd, G R Infraprojects Ltd, and H.G. Infra Engineering Ltd,” said one of the two people, requesting anonymity.

Source: Live Mint

14. The Privatisation of Water Is a Threat to Global Health

We’ve grown accustomed to capitalism’s insatiable drive to privatise everything, but the phrase “privatisation of water” is one that many of us find particularly galling. How can such a basic resource be captured by a small handful of corporations to produce profit for a few at the expense of every single person on the planet?

Source: Science The Wire