|
Microsoft launches new India
Development Centre facility in Noida
Microsoft recently launched its new India
Development Centre (IDC) facility at Noida the
architecture of which is inspired by the Taj
Mahal.The new facility will serve as a premier hub
for driving engineering and innovation, Microsoft
said, adding that the new facility is Microsoft's
third Development Centre in India after Bengaluru
and Hyderabad."Recognising the strategic importance
of establishing Microsoft engineering presence in
Noida, my team went over and beyond in ensuring that
our first engineering hub in Noida truly represents
Microsoft Design Language infused with local culture
and inheritance," RikuPentikainen, Regional
Director, Asia Real Estates Operations, Microsoft,
said in a statement. "In this respect, I feel the
team overdid themselves, and the newly opened Noida
office is one of the most beautiful Microsoft
workspaces, we have designed, to date."The centre
will provide opportunities for engineering talent in
the areas of business and productivity
tools, Artificial Intelligence, cloud and
enterprise, core services, and the new gaming
division.It will collaborate with Microsoft teams
globally to build products and services for driving
digital innovation.
(Business Insider, Jan 28, 2021)
TOP
E-commerce will play important role in Atmanirbhar
Bharat vision: Amazon India head
E-commerce will play an important role in the
government's vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'
(self-reliant India) as more homegrown brands scale
up and go global, leveraging digital infrastructure,
a top Amazon India executive said on Wednesday.Amit
Agarwal, global senior vice president and country
head Amazon India, said e-commerce is at nascent
stages in India given that it is hardly even 3 per
cent of the country's total retail consumption."What
I predict is you're going to witness a kind of
structural shift that propels us faster towards this
vision of Digital India.""I think Make in India is
going to go global at massive scale, you're going to
have Indian brands become global brands and all of
this is going to create a digitally robust business
ecosystem across the country that is going to power
millions of livelihoods," he said.He further stated
that "this is going to help us realise that vision
of Atmanirbhar Bharat and e-commerce is going to
play an important role." Speaking at a TiEcon event,
Agarwal said the Indian e-commerce market looked
very different when the company had entered India
seven years ago.He said the market at that time was
mostly an urban phenomenon, people shopped on select
events and it was not common to have people pay for
shipping and convenience.Also, the infrastructure
was not sophisticated and the seller base did not
have the skills to go online yet."It was a whole
ecosystem that needed to be built bottom up," he
noted.
(The Indian Express, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
DoT explores ‘fair’
alternative to spectrum auction
The government is looking for a “fair and
transparent” means of spectrum allotment other than
auctions, as part of wider reforms to plug
deficiencies that have led to much of the scarce
natural resource lying idle, a senior official said.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been
advised by attorney general KK Venugopal to approach
the Supreme Court on the matter, as all natural
resources holding commercial value are being
auctioned based on the top court’s orders of 2012,
said the official.“The government is considering a
reform of spectrum auctions,” the person said. “One
of the questions facing it is how to put a
perishable commodity like spectrum to more efficient
use for better delivery of services.”“Whatever
spectrum remains unsold lies idle with the
government — it should be put to use and airwaves
should be available on tap,” the official said. For
example, less than 27% of spectrum on offer was sold
in the FY13 auction. In FY14 and FY15, 81.9% and
89%, respectively, of offered spectrum was sold
while in FY17, it was 41%.“Is this really a market
discovery of a price point?” the official asked. The
issue has also come under government scrutiny
because spectrum usually gets sold at close to the
reserve price.The official pointed out that there
has been a nearly five-year gap in spectrum sales —
from October 2016 to the upcoming one in March.
Since there is no other way to allocate airwaves, a
substantial amount of bandwidth has been lying
unused with the government.
(ET, Jan 22, 2021)
TOP
No misuse of WhatsApp data,
Facebook assures Parliamentary Standing Committee
Facebook has assured the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Information Technology that its
subsidiary WhatsApp is not sharing personal data,
like conversation and exchange of messages between
individuals, with it. The social media site
underlined that the exchange between users is fully
encrypted and there is breach of privacy.The
Standing Committee, headed by Congress MP Shashi
Tharoor, met on Thursday to hear the views of
representatives of Facebook and Twitter on the
subject- safeguarding citizens’ rights and
prevention of misuse of social online news media
platforms including special emphasis on women’s
security in the digital space.Facebook
representative ShivnathThukral faced questions from
the Standing Committee members on reports that
WhatsApp is sharing data of its users with the
parent organisation. Thukral assured the panel that
there is no truth in the allegations that the
privacy of WhatsApp users is being invaded, sources
said. He informed the panel that Facebook has
repeatedly made this fact clear that there is no
misuse. One of the members asked Thukral if reports
that WhatsApp can listen in and/or record
conversations taking place between individuals, to
which he replied in the negative and said all
conversations and messages are encrypted, end-to-end.The
Facebook official said his organisation has received
15 questions from the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology on various aspects of this
issue and it is in the process of studying them and
framing replies.
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
Acute shortage of components
derail Indian handset players' smartphone comeback
plans
Acute shortage of phone parts such as display,
memory and chipsets is plaguing the comeback plans
of domestic handset
companies—Lava, Micromax and Karbonn—who are being
forced to delay launch schedules and cut down on
production, dealing a setback to their efforts to
take on their stronger Chinese rivals.Jaina India
Managing Director Pardeep Jain told ET that because
of the shortage of components and consequent
skyrocketing of their prices, Karbonn's smartphone
re-entry plans have been impacted."We are now
targeting March 2021 to launch our phones in the Rs
6,000-Rs 10,000 price category. With the
government's policy, we are now focusing on
increasing visibility of Karbonn in the market. We
have increased investments in R&D already," said
Jain. “The biggest challenge for Indian brands is
planning because there is no visibility for next 2-3
months for sourcing components,” said Tarun Pathak,
research director at Counterpoint. “Global brands
get priority whenever there is a supply crunch
because of their volumes but for Indian companies it
becomes tougher, especially when they are competing
in the sub-Rs15k segment with low margins and huge
competition.”
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
India’s 5G smartphone
shipments to hit 38 million units in 2021:
Counterpoint
5G smartphone shipments in India is expected to hit
the 38 million units mark in India in 2021 and will
account for a 21% share of the total smartphone
market in the same year, according to Counterpoint
Research’s ‘India Market Outlook’ report.As of Q3
2020, India’s 5G shipments stood at 1.7 million
units, which is expected to cross the 4 million mark
by the end of 2020. These shipments were primarily
driven by two brands--China’s OnePlus, which
launched the Nord 5G smartphone in August 2020,
and Apple’s 5G iPhone 12 series.OnePlus is the only
smartphone vendor with a 100% 5G portfolio. “Going
forward, 5G smartphone shipments are expected to
increase by more than nine times to reach 38 million
units in 2021,” the report said." The growth will be
driven by intense competition among original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and the decline in
the price of 5G smart phones," it added.The market
reached its inflection point after the launch of the
mid-priced OnePlus Nord. Its shipments in the first
two months after its launch were more than the total
5G shipments of other brands till June. According to
the report, to increase the adoption of 5G
smartphones, OEMs will have to bring the prices
below Rs 20,000 ($275) mark which will be possible
by incorporating affordable 5G chipsets.
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
SECTION
I - POLICY SCAN
Key Budget 2021-22
announcements reg. Electronics Sector
|
Srl |
Electronic Items |
BCD
Announcements |
Vide |
Effective date of
Implementation |
|
1.
|
Inputs, parts or sub-parts for
manufacture of specified parts of mobile
phones, including: PCBA, Camera module,
Connectors, wired headset, USB Cable,
microphone and receiver etc. |
2.5% |
3/2011-Customs |
1.04.2021 |
|
2.
|
PCBA &Moulded Plastic, for
manufacture of charger or adapter |
15% |
3/2021 |
1.04.2021 |
|
3.
|
Inputs and parts [other than
PCBA and moulded plastic] of mobile charger |
10% |
3/2021 |
1.04.2021 |
|
4.
|
Inputs, Parts and Sub-parts
[other than PCBA and Li- ion Cell] for
manufacture of Lithium-ion battery and battery
pack |
2.5% |
3/2021 |
1.04.2021 |
|
5.
|
Compressor of Refrigerator/Air
Conditioner |
15% |
Clause 95 (i) of the Finance
Bill, 2021 |
1.02.2021 |
|
6.
|
Specific parts of transformer
such as Bobbins, brackets, wires, etc. |
7.5% |
4/2021 |
1.02.2021 |
|
7.
|
Inputs and parts of LED lights
or fixtures including LED Lamps |
10% |
Clause 95 (i) of Finance Bill,
2021 |
1.02.2021 |
|
8.
|
Solar Inverters |
20% |
03/2021-Customs |
1.02.2021 |
|
9.
|
Solar lanterns or solar lamps |
15% |
|
1.02.2021 |
|
10.
|
All goods under HSC 7325, 7326,
7307, 7308, 7310, other than SIM socket/other
mechanical items (Metal) for cellular mobile
phone |
10% |
1/2011-Customs |
1.02.2021 |
|
11.
|
Apparatus, control gear and
transmission equipment and auxiliary equipment
(including those required for testing and
quality control) and components, required for
the initial setting up of a solar power
generation project |
Applicable as per Custom Tariff |
1/2011-Customs |
1.02.2021 |
|
12.
|
All parts for use in the
manufacture of LED lights, fixtures including
LED lamps, LED drivers and MCPCB of LED lights |
10 |
2/2021 |
|
|
13.
|
All goods falling under heading
8544 (except USB Cable and goods falling under
tariff item 8544 30 00 and sub-heading 8544
70) will attract 10% BCD |
10 |
3/2021 |
1.04.2021 |
|
14.
|
Mobile Phone Parts, such as:
Battery cover, Front Cover,
Front Cover (with Zinc Casting), Middle
cover, Side Key, Screw, Microphone rubber
case, Sensor rubber case/sealing gasket
including sealing gaskets/cases from rubbers
like SBR, EPDM, CR, CS, Silicon and all other
individual rubbers or combination/combination
of rubbers, PU case/ sealing gasket, Articles
of polyurethane foam like sealing
gaskets/case, sealing gaskets/cases from PE,
PP, EPS, PC and all other individual polymers
or combinations of polymers, SIM sockets/Other
Mechanical items (Metal), SIM sockets/Other
Mechanical items (Plastic), Back Cover,
Conductive cloth, Heat Dissipation sticker
Battery cover, Sticker battery slot,
Protective Film for main lens, LCD Conductive
Foam, LCD Foam, BT Foam, Key Pad |
Applicable as per Custom Tariff
|
3/2021 |
1.04.2021 |
|
15.
|
All Goods used for the
manufacture of Base Stations for Mobile
communication Infrastructure
|
2.5% |
3/2021 |
1.04.2021 |
|
TOP
Government examines OTT
regulations in foreign countries
 A
growing number of instances of
online content on social media and Over the Top
(OTT) platforms running foul of public and political
sentiments has prompted the government to examine
regulatory mechanisms for OTT in other countries
that suggest the need for a regulatory framework.The
review of OTT-related regulation has been prompted
by several complaints that range from adult and
objectionable content to regular run-ins between BJP
supporters and party members and producer and
platforms over alleged “misrepresentation” of
religious, cultural and social issues and
themes.With India emerging at one of the largest
consumers of OTT content and fastest growing market
in 2020, an analysis being studied by the government
underlines that regulation of digital media,
including OTT platforms and intermediaries is a
global trend. In India, in particular, the need for
regulation, is prompted by the need for a level
playing field for content across platforms, an idea
also considered by the Shashi Tharoor-led
parliamentary panel on information technology. The
committee also considered similar issues with
members pointing to regulations in other countries.
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
Govt formulating new action
plan, Chinese telecom giants could be out of game
Chinese telecom giants Huawei and ZTE could be
potentially out of the game in India with the
government set to begin formulating an action plan
on the implementation of 'National Security
Directive on Telecommunication Sector'on
Thursday.With an aim to protect India's essential
national security interests, a committee headed by
the Deputy National Security Advisor (Dy NSA) will
soon clear all equipment and gadgets, including 5G
mobile networks and supply chains.Top sources in the
government told IANS that "a meeting of nodal
officials of key ministries was called (on January
21) to formulate a strategy to secure India's
paramount interest in the field of cyber and telecom
security". Key officials of the Telecom Ministry,
Commerce Ministry and the DRDO, along with cyber
security experts were called in the all-important
meeting, sources said, adding that "a meeting was
called by the National Security Council Secretariat,
but it was all too confidential. Nothing can be
revealed further".The security action plan aims to
classify telecom products/equipment and their
suppliers under the trusted and non-trusted
categories. In simpler words, companies or suppliers
not trusted by the experts committee would not be
allowed to do business with Indian telecom service
providers.Once implemented, the action plan would
make it very difficult for Chinese telecom equipment
suppliers like Huawei or ZTE to procure supply
orders from the Indian telecom players such as Jio, Airtel or
Vodafone Idea.
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
SECTION
II - INDUSTRY SCAN
General
Fix inverted tariff structures
to boost industrial growth in India
A steady decline in import tariff rates in
manufacturing industries had been an important
feature of India’s economic reforms during the 1990s
and 2000s. The average import tariff rate was
reduced from about 84% in 1990 to the lowest-ever
level of 8.6% in 2010. Consequently, imports of
goods plus services as a percentage of India’s gross
domestic product (GDP), which is essentially a
measure of import openness, steadily increased from
8.5% in 1991 to 30.6% in 2012. The period since
2010, however, witnessed a gradual increase in
import tariff rates. A well known result in
economics, referred to as the Lerner Symmetry
Theorem, states that import tariffs generally act as
a tax on exports. In other words, a tariff on
imports disincentivizes exports, just the way a
direct tax on exports does. Indeed, exports of goods
and services as a percentage of India’s GDP
decreased from a peak of 25% in 2012 to 18.6% in
2019. This is a clear reversal of the trends
observed during the first two decades of economic
reforms. It is important to note that the decline of
India’s export openness since 2012 was not a
compulsion imposed by conditions prevailing in the
rest of the world; the ratio of world trade to GDP
remained unchanged at around 30% after 2012. During
2000-2011, India’s exports recorded high annual
growth rates of 21% and 24%, respectively, for goods
and services
(Mint, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
India's e-commerce economy to touch Rs 7 lakh crore
in 2021
India's consumer Internet economy (e-commerce
industry) is set to touch the $100 billion (Rs 7.29
lakh-crore) mark for the first time in 2021 driven
by massive growth in consumer adoption across
sectors. This is a growth of a little over 30% over
last year.In 2020, the overall Internet GMV (gross
merchandise value) touched $75 billion (Rs 5.46 lakh
crore), which includes services and products after
Covid-19-induced lockdowns forced consumers to
purchase goods and services from their homes,
according to experts tracking the sector. "The year
2020 has been a landmark year for India's consumer
Internet economy. Overall, India’s ecommerce
services and products market touched a GMV of $75
billion in 2020, and is now creating a large impact
on the overall economy. We expect it to accelerate
further in 2021, driven by massive growth in
consumer adoption and satisfaction seen in 2020
across sectors," Anil Kumar, Co-founder and CEO of
RedSeer told DH. RedSeer tracks the ecommerce sector
in India. Indian Internet economy is expected to
cross triple digits GMV for the first time in 2021.
It will eventually become a $250 billion scale and
10% of private consumption in 2025, he said.
(Deccan Herald, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
Vodafone Idea inks strategic
partnership with MFine for telemedicine services
Vodafone Idea (‘Vi’) has extended its suite of
digital offerings by forging a strategic partnership
with AI-powered healthcare platform MFine to offer
instant chat and video-based consultation to its
customers.Through the MFine app, Vi customers can
select a doctor from a trusted hospital with whom
they wish to consult. They can directly chat or
video consult with doctors to get prescriptions and
routine care. The MFine app also allows patients to
upload images, past medical records, and
prescriptions.“Our partnership with MFine is a part
of Vi’s endeavor to bring differentiated and
holistic digital solutions to our customers.. This
partnership addresses the changing requirements of
today’s digital society enabling individuals to get
a range of benefits and value-adds,” said Avneesh
Khosla, Chief Marketing Officer, Vi. “It enables Vi
customers to access the finest in healthcare
services offered by 600 partner hospitals, 4000
doctors across 30 specialties, in India, from within
the safe confines of their home,” Khosla added. “We
are very excited to partner with Vi and look forward
to working together to make quality healthcare
accessible to everyone in need. By diminishing the
impact of distance and time, and using the power of
mobile technology, MFine is helping users connect
with doctors and specialists from all over the
country,” said Arjun Choudhary, Chief Business
Officer, and Founding Member, MFine.
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
Information Technology & EV’s
E-commerce will be vital in
Atmanirbhar Bharat vision: Amazon India head
E-commerce will play an important role in the
government's vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'
(self-reliant India) as more homegrown brands scale
up and go global, leveraging digital infrastructure,
a top Amazon India executive said on Wednesday. Amit
Agarwal, global senior vice president and country
head Amazon India, said e-commerce is at nascent
stages in India given that it is hardly even 3 per
cent of the country's total retail consumption.
"What I predict is you're going to witness a kind of
structural shift that propels us faster towards this
vision of Digital India. "I think Make in India is
going to go global at massive scale, you're going to
have Indian brands become global brands and all of
this is going to create a digitally robust business
ecosystem across the country that is going to power
millions of livelihoods," he said. He further
stated that "this is going to help us realise that
vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and e-commerce is going
to play an important role. Speaking at a TiEcon
event, Agarwal said the Indian e-commerce market
looked very different when the company had entered
India seven years ago. He said the market at that
time was mostly an urban phenomenon, people shopped
on select events and it was not common to have
people pay for shipping and convenience. Also, the
infrastructure was not sophisticated and the seller
base did not have the skills to go online yet.
(PTI, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology’s Republic Day Tableau 2021
conceptualized& designed by ITW Playworx
Ministry of Electronics and IT’s showstopper
Republic Day Tableau 2021, based on the theme of
“Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat” has been
conceptualized and designed by ITW Playworx, an
Entertainment, Media & Communication arm of ITW
Consulting Pvt. Ltd.MeitY’s
spectacular 3-dimensional tableau has been inspired
by Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of a self-reliant
India, and therefore, visualized on the theme of
“Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat”. It has been
designed under extensive directions and guidance of
Abhishek Singh, President & CEO, NeGD, CEO, MyGov
and MD, Digital India Corporation, Ministry of
Electronics and ITand his team. The support and
inputs received from Mr. Singh and his team enabled
ITW to ensure development of an innovative and
eye-catching design which made it a showstopper at
the parade this year. MeitY’s Digital India
AatmaNirbhar Bharat tableau depicts the digital
revolution that is transforming the nation by making
key sectors in India self-reliant and
self-sustaining.
Abhishek Singh, President & CEO, NeGD, CEO, MyGov
and MD, Digital India Corporation, Ministry of
Electronics and IT said, “India’s path to being
AatmaNirbhar& Digital is indeed a celebratory
moment. These initiatives have encouraged people to
push boundaries and strive for excellence. We wanted
a team who would plan and execute this flawlessly
and successfully and we are glad to have associated
with ITW Playworx for the same. The tableau for this
year is a representation of progressive India and
its innovative minds.”
(Media Growth, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
WhatsApp's new Privacy Policy is a looming threat:
ADIF
Atmanirbhar Digital India Foundation (ADIF), a newly
formed industry association of Indian startups, has
alleged that WhatsApp’s recent privacy policy update
is a looming threat to the payments and financial
data of users and has sought greater oversight from
the authorities.The policy could also lead to
increased data sharing between WhatsApp Payments and
parent entity Facebook despite the instant messaging
platform’s position that the update applies only to
WhatsApp Chat, it said in a letter to the Prime
Minister’s Office, Reserve Bank of India, and the
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
"As privacy of data of 40 crore Indian citizens is
at stake, Indian government may consider to conduct
CERT-IN audit of WhatsApp servers to ensure that
payments data is stored only in India and
appropriate measures are applied to protect customer
data," Data told ET. The association has alleged
that WhatsApp's update contravenes the Unified
Payments Interface’s procedural guidelines, as it
asks users to comply with its amended privacy policy
without their explicit consent.
(ET, Jan 25, 2021)
TOP
An American electric car maker
explains why it took a different route than Elon
Musk’s Tesla, Tata Motors or Mahindra
A US-based carmaker Triton is gearing up to enter
India with its electric sedan N4, the same year as
Elon Musk, and the company’s founder and CEO,
Himanshu Patel, got candid in an exclusive interview
with Business Insider. “We’ve really talked through
every component, like from the grid infrastructure
to the conditions of the roads of India. We’re
building the car based on every component of India’s
infrastructure,” said Patel, who believes that the
solar panel atop Triton’s cars give it the edge over
its potential competitors in India. The reason for
Triton’s entry at this time is pretty evident. From,
Elon Musk-led Tesla registering its Indian
subsidiary in Bengaluru to Tatas planning a slew
of EV launches in 2021 — everyone wants a bite of
India’s booming EV industry. But Patel is confident
because, according to him, “the Indian carmakers are
just trying to make a very cheap price point to
enter the market just like Tatas or any other
manufacturers of India. I think that’s the wrong
approach in my opinion.”
TOP
E-commerce in India will grow 45%, e-grocery 8X by
2025: RedSeer Research
India’s consumer internet economy showed strong
resilience in 2020. The overall gross market
transaction value dropped earlier last year due to
the pandemic but recovered by the end of theyear.
Industry experts like Vivek Sunder – COO of Swiggy,
Umang Bedi-Co-founder of DailyHunt, Mukesh Bansal-Co-founder
of CureFit and Visheh Shrivastava, MD of Temasek all
were of the opinion that COVID-19 has accelerated
digital adoption and changed consumer behaviour.
These experts said that consumption in Tier II & III
cities picked up more due to a number of reasons
like reverse migration, adoption of digital mode
among others. According to RedSeer Consulting,
retail has suffered post COVID but is almost back to
pre-COVID levels. RedSeer’s research shows that the
market size dropped from $906 billion in 2019 to
about $780 billion in 2020. MrigankGutgutia,
director at RedSeer, said, “2020 has been a year of
remarkable 40% growth in e-tailing, which resulted
in multifold increase in online penetration across
categories. Fashion and electronics brands have been
strong beneficiaries of the digital, where within
fashion subcategories like footwear and accessories
have seen maximum digitization.
(India Retailing.com, Jan 25, 2021)
TOP
‘Govt Should Ban WhatsApp Pay For Privacy
Violations’, Says Atmanirbhar Digital India
Foundation: Report
The government should completely ban WhatsApp Pay’s
operations due to alleged privacy violations and its
payments services should be de-coupled from its
messaging app, the Atmanirbhar Digital India
Foundation (ADIF) said in a letter to the government
and regulators. The letter says WhatsApp’s new
privacy policy violates data localisation norms and
guidelines on data disclosures, the Economic
Times reported. The letter, sent to the Prime
Minister’s Office, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MEITY), said that WhatsApp’s new privacy
policy update is a looming threat to the payments
and financial data of millions of users. Since
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions on
WhatsApp Pay will utilise Facebooks’ infrastructure,
the two entities may share data to “provide customer
support to the user or keep payments safe and
secure,” it said. MediaNama reached out to Ajay
Data, secretary general of ADIF for comment. His
responses will be included once received.
(Medianama, Jan 24, 2021)
TOP
Telecom
India’s banning 59 Chinese
apps is abnormal: Chinese experts
Chinese market watchers said India's permanent ban
of 59 Chinese apps including TikTok and WeChat is
"proof of allegiance" to the US. The comment came
after India's ministry of electronics and
information technology issued an updated notice
announcing a permanent ban on Chinese apps, and the
permanent ban will take effect in June. Reuters
reported on Monday that the Indian government "was
not satisfied" with the responses or explanations
given by the Chinese companies on compliance with
Indian privacy and security requirements. The Indian
government released the high-profile notice seven
months ago. "Hence, the ban for these 59 apps is
permanent now," the Times of India reported. It said
the government notice was issued last week.This is
"proof of allegiance" to the US, and it is also an
act of irrational revenge following a series of
crackdowns on Chinese companies last year, Qian Feng,
director of the research department at the National
Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the
Global Times.India is taking revenge on China, and
it is also setting a bad example for the world to
take revenge on China, Qian said. The move is to
satisfy the needs of related interest groups in
India by taking a hardline position against China,
he said.
(Global Times, Jan 26, 2021)
TOP
DoT explores ‘fair’
alternative to spectrum auction
The government is looking for a “fair and
transparent” means of spectrum allotment other than
auctions, as part of wider reforms to plug
deficiencies that have led to much of the scarce
natural resource lying idle, a senior official
said.The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has
been advised by attorney general KK Venugopal to
approach the Supreme Court on the matter, as all
natural resources holding commercial value are being
auctioned based on the top court’s orders of 2012,
said the official.“The government is considering a
reform of spectrum auctions,” the person said. “One
of the questions facing it is how to put a
perishable commodity like spectrum to more efficient
use for better delivery of services.” The official
said DoT is aware of weaknesses in the current
system, pointed out by mobile phone
companies.“Whatever spectrum remains unsold lies
idle with the government — it should be put to use
and airwaves should be available on tap,” the
official said. For example, less than 27% of
spectrum on offer was sold in the FY13 auction. In
FY14 and FY15, 81.9% and 89%, respectively, of
offered spectrum was sold while in FY17, it was
41%.“Is this really a market discovery of a price
point?” the official asked. The issue has also come
under government scrutiny because spectrum usually
gets sold at close to the reserve price.The official
pointed out that there has been a nearly five-year
gap in spectrum sales — from October 2016 to the
upcoming one in March. Since there is no other way
to allocate airwaves, a substantial amount of
bandwidth has been lying unused with the government.
(ET, Jan 22, 2021)
TOP
No misuse of WhatsApp data, Facebook assures
Parliamentary Standing Committee
Facebook has assured the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Information Technology that its
subsidiary WhatsApp is not sharing personal data,
like conversation and exchange of messages between
individuals, with it. The social media site
underlined that the exchange between users is fully
encrypted and there is breach of privacy.The
Standing Committee, headed by Congress MP Shashi
Tharoor, met on Thursday to hear the views of
representatives of Facebook and Twitter on the
subject- safeguarding citizens rights and prevention
of misuse of social online news media platforms
including special emphasis on women’s security in
the digital space.Facebook representative
ShivnathThukral faced questions from the Standing
Committee members on reports that WhatsApp is
sharing data of its users with the parent
organisation. Thukral assured the panel that there
is no truth in the allegations that the privacy of
WhatsApp users is being invaded, sources said. He
informed the panel that Facebook has repeatedly made
this fact clear that there is no misuse. One of the
members asked Thukral if reports that WhatsApp can
listen in and/or record conversations taking place
between individuals, to which he replied in the
negative and said all conversations and messages are
encrypted, end-to-end.The Facebook official said his
organisation has received 15 questions from the
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
on various aspects of this issue and it is in the
process of studying them and framing replies.
(ET, Jan 22, 2021)
TOP
India finalises norms of Rs 12,000 crore PLI scheme
for telecom manufacturing: Report
The Indian government has finalized Production
Linked Incentive (PLI) norms for the telecom and
network equipment manufacturing, according to CNBC
TV-18. The cabinet had recently approved the
broader PLI scheme worth Rs 12,200 crore to boost
local manufacturing of telecom gear for both the
domestic market and exports.The scheme will cover
core transmission equipment, 4G/5G and
next-generation radio access network and wireless
equipment, access and customer premise equipment (CPE),
Internet of Things (IoT) access devices, and
enterprise equipment such as switches and
router.Under the PLI benefits, MSMEs stand to gain
7% incentive per year on eligible incremental sales
for the 5-years period while non-MSMEs will be
eligible for 6% incentive in the first two years, 5%
in the third year and fourth year, and 4% in the
fifth year, the report said. According to the
report, the incremental sales will be calculated
over the base year of FY20. Additionally, the
incentive amount will be capped and the scheme will
be implemented through a project management
agency.The PLI conditions will include a minimum
limit of total investment over the 4 years period
(ET, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
LG features rollable
smartphone, virtual human at CES 2021
LG Electronics on Monday introduced
a smartphone with rollable display and a virtual
human at the CES 2021.At its online event, LG featured
its smartphone with a rollable OLED display for the
first time. Named "LG Rollable," the device,
highlighted by a resizable screen with a
side-rolling display, was shown briefly at the
beginning and end of the press conference.However,
the company did not reveal detailed specifications
and overall design. LG said it will hold a separate
event for the new handset in the first half of the
year."At LG, we will never stop innovating to bring
you more convenience, more entertainment and more
ways to keep you safe, so that you can live your
lives to the fullest, whatever changes may come,"
said "While our approach to life may be different
now, we persevere," said LG Electronics CEO, Brian
Kwon.LG said that the smartphone with a rollable
display will be its second product under the
Explorer Project, the company's new mobile category
announced last year that aims to
deliver devices with a different form factor and
upgraded mobile experience, reports Yonhap news
agency.In September, LG launched the Wing, a
dual-screen smartphone with a rotating form factor,
under the Explorer Project.
(ET, Jan 11, 2021)
TOP
Defence
& Solar
Indian Navy TEDBF: Homemade fighter for aircraft
carrier
During 21st Dr. Srinivasan Memorial Lecture – 2021,
organized by Aeronautical Society of India in
Association with Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC),
DRDO Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy gave some important
details about the upcoming TEDBF aircraft for
Navy.In the slide shared by Chairman, we can see
that TEDBF is going to have a maximum take of weight
(MTOW) of 26 Tonnes. It will be very interesting to
see the maximum take of weight TEDBF can achieve
from STOBAR carrier.At the same we can see a
preliminary design of Deck Bases Fighter. In the
preliminary design we can clearly see a canards
integration with aircraft. These canards will help
in generating more lift for the aircraft while
launching from aircrafts. From the design we can
also notice that the ADA (Aeronautical Development
Agency) is trying to incorporate stealth
characteristics in the frontial fuselage of the
aircraft. This means the aircraft is going to have a
very low Radar Cross Section (RCS) from
front.Although generally design body used to avoid
canards in order to increase stealth characteristics
of the aircraft. TEDBF is also going to be a delta
wing aircraft (derive from Tejas) but these wings
can also be foldable, so that it can fit in the
hangar and lift of Indian aircraft carrier.As per G.
Satheesh Reddy, the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF)
will take its first flight by 2026 and by this
calculation the fighter aircraft can enter into the
service of Indian Navy, somewhere around 2029-30.
(Defence Aviation Post, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
Boeing plans to tap Indian
SMEs to build global manufacturing ecosystem
Boeing, in order to create an aerospace ecosystem in
India has developed and transformed dozens of Small
and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from other businesses
into aerospace manufacturing.“This has been done for
the future and core of building a globally
competitive supply base right here in India,” said
Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India. “Our
engagement in India goes beyond the single JV or
single supplier. We support India with the latest
set of defence capabilities and with a
wide-narrow-body commercial aircraft.” he added.
Boeing continues to invest in partnerships in India
across skilling, Research & Development and
manufacturing that contributes to the Aatmanirbhar
Bharat vision of the Indian government.“That is what
I believe allows us to leverage our unique strength
in both defence and civil aerospace combined and
that is the synergy that allowed Boeing to ‘Make in
India’ like no one else,” said Gupte.Talking about
the ‘Make in India’ story, Ankur Kanaglekar,
Director, India Fighters Lead, Boeing Defense, Space
& Security said, “The company has seen 4x growth
under Make in India since 2015. It was $100 million
in 2012, it grew to $250 million in 2015 and last
year ( 2020) it touched $1billion.”Boeing, on
Thursday, shared its 2021 growth strategy for the
Indian market, underscoring its confidence in the
fundamentals of the country’s aviation and defence
industry, and projecting future growth for the
sector.
(Defence Aviation Post, Jan 27, 2021)
TOP
Information Security Biggest
Challenge To National Security: Army Chief
Army chief General MM Naravane on Saturday said
information security is the biggest challenge to
national security in the present scenario “which can
give a strong shock to the economy and can handicap
government machinery also”.In his virtual address on
the topic of “India’s National Security Scenario-
Past, Present and Future” at a function organised by
a college here in Maharashtra, General Naravane said
national security was not limited to armed security
only but is based on six other important
foundations.Speaking about non-traditional threats
to national security, General Naravane said,
“Information security is the biggest challenge to
national security in the present scenario”.“Cyber
warfare is one of the non-traditional threats. It is
not the only threat to our information system, but
it is also a threat to leaking of sensitive
information of our country,” he added.“Nowadays,
government and private sector data is available
online, and in this situation, a big cyber attack
can give a strong shock to the economy and can
handicap the government machinery also,” the Army
chief said.He said national security is based on six
important foundations viz “Army security, financial
security,health security, food security, energy
security and environment security, which needs
effort of the entire nation”.He observed that the
use of drone technology has increased in the world
for launching a precision attack.
(Defence Aviation Post, Jan 25 2021)
TOP
To meet global requirements,
IAF transport planes to get satellite tracking
system
With the aviation sector worldwide switching over to
a new generation, highly accurate satellite-based
aircraft positioning and tracking system, the Indian
Air Force is also modifying some of its transport
aircraft with the new navigational aid.The new
equipment, called the Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), is a satellite-based
system that replaces the current ground-based
secondary surveillance radar network. Some countries
have already made ADS-B capability mandatory in
aircraft now being registered in or operating within
their airspace.A senior Air Force officer said
initially the IAF’s fleet of 12 C-130 Super Hercules
would be upgraded with the additional avionics
package. Besides retrofitting the hardware,
processors and antennae, the work would also
integrating the ADS-B with the aircraft’s existing
navigation suite and mission computer.ADS-B
transponder broadcasts the precise position and
location information of an aircraft in real time,
giving air traffic control better visibility to
track and manage aircraft while enhancing aviation
safety by providing aircrew more situational
awareness of nearby aircraft.The IAF’s transport
aircraft often fly overseas for various purposes,
including humanitarian aid, joint exercises, support
of UN peace missions, military diplomacy and
logistics tasks.
(Defence Aviation Post, Jan 25 2021)
TOP
Airport expansion to hit
BrahMos
A reported move to acquire land held by BrahMos
Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL) at Chakka
for the development of the Thiruvananthapuram
airport would adversely impact the expansion plans
of the missile unit, fear BATL employees.Employees,
under the aegis of the BrahMos Aerospace Staff
Federation, have approached Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan urging him to ensure that BATL is
compensated with an equal area of land if at all the
unit’s land is taken over for airport development.
BATL stands to lose 5.3 acres, including land
obtained from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for further
expansion of the unit, under a proposal to transfer
land for the development of the airport, the
federation said in its petition to the Chief
Minister.“’The acquisition of land for the airport
is a concern for BATL at this moment as DRDO-GTRE
(Gas Turbine Research Establishment) has already
sanctioned ₹30 crore to set up facilities for the
manufacturing of turbofan engine on this land in a
time-bound programme,” the petition says.Besides,
there is no clarity on whether BATL would be
compensated with substitute land. In such a
situation, the land acquisition will adversely
impact the future expansion plans of BATL, it said.
(Defence Aviation Post, Jan 25 2021)
TOP
LG Electronics Pledges Rs. 1
Crore to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund, under the ‘Kar
Salaam’ initiative
LG Electronics, India’s leading consumer durable
brand, has pledged to support the Armed Forces by
contributing Rs. 1 Crore to the Armed Forces Flag
Day Fund (AFFDF), under KendriyaSainik Board
Secretariat (KSB SECTT), a nodal organization of the
Govt. of India, Ministry of Defence as part of its
‘Kar Salaam’ initiative. The ‘Kar Salaam’
initiative, dedicated to the soldiers of India, was
started by LG Electronics 3 years ago to salute
their spirit of generous contribution and service
towards the nation. In 2020, LG Electronics donated
Rs. 1 crore to Armed Forces Flag Day Fund which was
utilised for education of girl child of
ex-servicemen & martyrs of the Defence Forces. LG
Electronics has been working on a number of CSR
initiatives to help the community in every possible
aspect and reaffirm its commitment towards the
people. In these precarious and challenging times,
LG Electronics has pledged to support the chivalry
and sacrifice of India’s brave soldiers for assuring
us a fearless life while protecting the borders. The
contribution made by LG Electronics will help the
dependents of brave martyrs, veterans and their
families.To further support the cause, LG conducted
a public awareness drive for contribution to the
Armed Forces Flag Day Fund. Radio & Digital mediums
were leveraged to further amplify communication
across the masses for the initiative. The awareness
campaign was also conducted 7,000 retail stores
across the country. Video link of KAR SALAAM
initiative
(News18, Jan 19, 2021)
TOP
Hartek Solar commissions
rooftop PV project for a hospital
Extending its footprint to the healthcare segment,
Chandigarh-based Hartek Solar, the rooftop solar
division of the Hartek Group, has announced the
commissioning of a 50kWp rooftop project at
Alchemist Hospital in Panchkula district of
Chandigarh.Based on the latest remote sensing
technology that gives real-time alerts on energy
generation and savings and equipped with all safety
devices like walkway and safety lifeline, this solar
plant at Alchemist Hospital will generate 72.5 MWh
of clean electricity annually, offsetting 1,397
tonnes of carbon emissions, the EPC firm said in a
release.Hartek Solar executed the project right from
installing solar panels and inverter to supply,
design, engineering and commissioning. It synced the
solar plant with a smart grid-interactive inverter
system to enable the hospital to run its medical
emergency services and diagnostic facilities without
any glitches.Commenting on the successful execution
of the project, Hartek Solar Director and CEO
Simarpreet Singh said, “The potential of rooftop
solar in the private institutional category is
immense, and we are going all out to tap it.”
Simarpreet said there is a growing realization among
institutions like hospitals and schools about how
rooftop solar can substantially reduce their
electricity bills and provide a reliable and
uninterrupted electricity source without depending
on bulky inverters and diesel-based generator sets.
“Going by the favorable trends, private institutions
and commercial units will set the pace for rooftop
solar in coming months,” he said.
(PV Magazine, Jan 19, 2021)
TOP
Tesla launches solar inverter
Tesla has come a step closer to a more comprehensive
ecosystem by launching a proprietary solar inverter.
In the last years, multiple inverter companies have
ventured into electric vehicle (EV) charging and
expanded the power electronic ecosystem, repeatedly
emphasising the inverter’s importance at the centre
of the system. Tesla has gone the other way.
Starting with EVs, the carmaker penetrated the
residential solar market with panels and batteries
but only now has brought an inverter to market. The
product – the Tesla Solar Inverter – comes in 3.8 kW
and 7.6 kW versions featuring two and four maximum
power point trackers (MPPTs), respectively. That is
slightly above average as most sub-10 kW inverters
have just two MPPTs but the product’s efficiency is
somewhat below the figures achieved by market
leaders. Tesla says its solar inverter has 97.5%
efficiency, though it does not specify whether that
is CEC [California Energy Commission]-weighted or
maximum efficiency. As is mandatory in the U.S.,
the inverter comes with integrated rapid shutdown
capability and provides arc-fault and ground fault
protection. The EV maker says the product has been
designed to neatly integrate with the Tesla
Powerwall battery as well as the Tesla app, which
enables the monitoring of power generation and
consumption patterns.
(PV Magazine, Jan 19, 2021)
TOP
Floating solar plant
operational at Cochin Airport
Kerala’s Cochin International Airport – which claims
to be the first in the world powered entirely by
solar – has commissioned a 452 kWp floating PV
plant.The array, on two artificial lakes at the
130-acre airport golf course, covers an acre of the
water surfaces.The installation takes the airport’s
solar generation capacity to 40 MWp, helping it
produce around 1.6 lakh kWh per day against daily
consumption of about 1.3 lakh kWh, the airport
said.The floating plant features high-density
polyethylene floats which host 1,300 solar panels.
Pre-commissioning trials demonstrated the panels,
which cost around INR2 crore, were producing power
with maximum output efficiency, as one of eight
solar arrays distributed on airport property, added
the airport.The floating plant is connected to the
Kerala State Electricity Board grid. French floating
PV specialist Ciel & Terre provided technical
assistance on the project.“Traditionally, the
installation of [a] floating power plant costs two
to three times more than that of [a] ground-mounted
one but the use of … novel French technology allowed
[the airport] to bring down the project cost [to be
on] par with that of [a] floor installation,” stated
the airport.
(PV Magazine, Jan 19, 2021)
TOP
Madhya Pradesh to have 4.45 GW
of new solar park capacity within three years
The Indian State of Madhya
Pradesh is going to have 4,450 MW of new solar
park capacity completed before the end of October
2023. The state minister for new and renewable
energy, Hardeep Singh Dang, has given the
instructions to complete the proposed solar parks in
the State within the scheduled time-frame. He gave
the instructions to complete the 1500 MW solar park
in Agar-Shajapur-Neemuch by December 2022, 600 MW
Omkareshwar Dam floating solar power project by July
2023, 950 MW in Chattarpur by July 2023, and 1400 MW
project in Morena by October 2023.The minister also
asked to complete the installation of 45,000 solar
pumps in the State before July 2023. Rooftop solar
plants are also proposed to be installed on school
buildings in the State.Madhya Pradesh is already
home to a 750 MW solar project in Rewa. Set upon an
area of 1590 hectares, it is one of the world’s
largest single-site solar plants. Seventy-six
percent of the power generated from the project is
being provided to the state’s Power Management
Company and 24% to Delhi Metro.
(PV Magazine, Jan 19, 2021)
TOP
Consumer Electronics
Panasonic aims to double AC
business in next 3 yrs, invest in domestic
manufacturing
Consumer electronics major Panasonic India is aiming
to double its residential air-conditioning business
in the next three years as it is betting big on new
cutting age technologies along with growing demand,
a top company official said. The company, which on
Thursday introduced HU series of ACs with the
recently-announced nanoeX technology,
is eyeing about 35 per cent sales growth in the
segment this year on the back of pent-up
demand.According to the company, nanoeX technology
releases hydroxyl radicals contained in water, which
are also known as "nature's detergent" that are
capable of inhibiting bacteria and viruses,
including 99.99 per cent of adhered novel
coronavirus. Panasonic ACs are also equipped with
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and internet of things
(IoT) platform Miraie as well as intelligent sensors
Econavi, which detect unconscious waste of
energy."Our intention in AC business is very clear,
we want to democratise the technology to as much as
possible," Panasonic India and South Asia President
and CEO Manish Sharma told reporters at the firm's
virtual launch event.Last year, Panasonic had
launched its Miraie platform and introduced
connected technology across its inverter ACs
portfolio with smart features."This year again, we
have the intention to adopt technology and provide
it to a wider range. The intention is to double the
AC business in the next three years’ time," he said.
(ET, Jan 29, 2021)
TOP
Apple's business in India still quite low relative
to size of opportunity: Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim
Cook has said the company's share in India “is quite
low relative to the size of the opportunity” and
setting up retail stores in the future in the
country will be a great initiative.Apple launched
the Apple Store online in India on September 23,
offering Apple's full range of products and support
directly to customers across the country for the
first time. “If you take India as an example, we
doubled our business last quarter compared to the
year ago quarter. But our absolute level of business
there is still quite low relative to the size of the
opportunity. And you can kind of take that and go
around the world and find other markets that are
like that as well,” Cook said on Wednesday in the
company's Q1 2021 results earnings call. On a
question on Apple's efforts in the Indian market,
where it has a low share, Cook said, “There are
several markets, as I alluded to before. India is
one of those, where our share is quite low. It did
improve from the year-ago quarter. Our business
roughly doubled over that period of time. And so we
feel very good about the trajectory.” He said Apple
is doing a number of things in the area. “We put the
online store there, for example, and last quarter
was the first full quarter of the online store. And
that has gotten a great reaction to it and has
helped us achieve the results that we got to last
quarter."
(ET, Jan 29, 2021)
TOP
Consumer Durables index at new
high; Voltas, Crompton, Polycab up over 5%
Shares of consumer durables companies, including
electronics products and household appliances, were
on a roll at the bourses on Thursday after Havells
India reported a strong set of numbers for the
quarter ended December 2020 (Q3FY21) on the back of
strong festive demand, market share gains and
increased penetration in smaller towns.Havells
India, Polycab India, V-Guard Industries, Orient
Electric, Voltas, Crompton Greaves Consumer
Electricals and Whirlpool of India were up between 5
per cent and 10 per cent on the BSE on Thursday. Out
of the top 10 gainers from the S&P BSE500 index, six
stocks are from these sectors on the BSE, at 10:31
am. The S&P BSE Consumer Durable index, the top
gainer among sectoral indices, was up 2.4 per cent,
as compared to 0.55 per cent rise in the S&P BSE
Sensex. The consumer durable index hit a record high
of 31,775 in intra-day trade today. The index zoomed
90 per cent from its low of 16,699 touched on March
24, 2020.Among individual stocks, Havells India
surged 10 per cent to Rs 1,122, also its record high
on the BSE, after the company’s standalone net
profit for Q3FY21 jumped 75 per cent year on year (YoY)
at Rs 349 crore, on the back of strong revenue
growth. The company’s revenue during the quarter
increased by 40 per cent YoY at Rs 3,166 crore.
Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes,
depreciation, and amortization) margins expanded by
420 basis points (bps) at 16.0 per cent from 11.8
per cent in the corresponding quarter of previous
fiscal.
(BS, Jan 21, 2021)
TOP
|
