Business
400 Vande Bharat trains: Rs 40,000 Cr business opportunity and jobs
Rolling out 400 Vande Bharat Express trains is about Rs 40,000 crore of business coupled with jobs and other spin-off benefits, said senior officials –present and past — of Indian Railways
Presenting the Union Budget for 2022-23, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 400 new energy efficient Vande Bharat trains will be introduced in three years.
The Vande Bharat Express is a semi-high speed train designed, developed and built by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at a frugal outlay of Rs 100 crore.
The Indian Railways officials preferring anonymity told IANS that 400 Vande Bharat trains over the next three years is not just headline catching announcement. It is about Rs 40,000 crore business opportunity that would also create 15,000 jobs and several spin -off benefits.
Presently there are only two Vande Bharat trains that are running — Delhi to Varanasi and Delhi to Katra.
“The trains without a pair are running six days a week without a breakdown till date since they were pressed into service a couple of years back. Perhaps Vande Bharat Express is the first train that is run without a pair,” a senior official at ICF told IANS with pride.
It is one classic example of ‘Make in India’ and far cheaper than similar trains that are rolled out by foreign companies.
The train has only about 15 per cent import content which will further go down if production volumes increase, officials told IANS earlier.
An ICF official said the third prototype is getting delayed due to production bottlenecks and logistical challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, how the government is going to achieve its target of 400 Vande Bharat Express trains over the next three years is the Rs 40,000 crore question.
While it is really an ambitious target, it can be achieved in a staggered manner with the government giving better clarity on its plans, officials said.
Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the upgraded Vande Bharat train is expected to be ready for tests in April and commercial production is expected to start in August/September, 2022.
“I would think that a more realistic target of say 100-150 trains in three years would have been better. This target itself would need very concerted and committed action by railway executives, particularly at ICF,” Sudhanshu Mani, retired General Manager, ICF and the Creator of Vande Bharat Express told IANS.
He said, commercial production and necessary testing of the upgraded train is expected to start only in September 2022 and hence the target should be realistic.
“Rolling out the trains in large numbers may not be an issue. But where are they going to be deployed? The routes also have to be finalised,” Mani added.
Continuing further Mani said ICF should start working on Vande Bharat trainsets, including the sleeper version (code named Train 19) and 300 units of aluminium body trainsets (code named Train 20).
“There can be a foreign partner for rolling out aluminium body trains. In 5/6 year’s time 400 trains can be there,” he remarked.
When pointed out that the train could be rolled out by other coach manufacturing facilities in the country Mani said: “Initially only ICF should roll out as they understand the technology and other aspects. Spreading out the production to other units will result in quality issues.”
Concurring with him, a senior official not wanting to be quoted told IANS: “Only ICF should make it. It needs special skill sets and trained people are not available in other units.”
Officials also said spreading out the manufacturing not only would result in quality issues, but the ultimate death of the train that is successfully running without a hitch six days a week for the past couple of years.
While ICF would initially roll out the trainsets, the other units can take care of the maintenance works and acquire the production knowhow.
The other question is the availability of the vendors. Unless the government gives a clear roadmap, vendors may not ramp up their production capacity, officials said.
“The supply chain will take time to gear up. They can supply only at a steady rate. Out of the 400 trains, during the first year only 20 trains can be rolled out and 380 trains in the remaining two years is not possible,” the official added.
Further vendors and ICF officials are reluctant to touch the Vande Bharat train project after the witch hunt in the form of vigilance enquiry that was conducted and concluded recently without finding any discrepancy.
According to officials, there needs to be long term contracts — say 60 trains for the next 10 years — only then vendors can set up production facilities.
“Tenders and procurement process should be done in such a way that vendors can participate without worry,” they added.
Business
‘What Is The Hack?’: X User Raises Questions Over Uber’s Differential Pricing On iPhones & Android
Cab-aggregator services have become an integral part of commute in many urban centres in India. Uber is one of the biggest names in the business, not just in India but globally.
In a story that surrounds the functioning of the application, one user took to X, to notify a peculiar observation.
While many have anecdotally mentioned a pattern of distinction in the pricing of the services, depending the device in use, this apparent differential phenomenon was highlighted by an X user who noticed the same.
Different Phones, Different Prices
The user who goes by the name SUDHIR, with the handle @seriousfunnyguy took to X with a photograph of two phones. The phones in the photograph had the Uber open. In the app, the user was in the process of booking a ride.
As one book a ride, the app shows different modes and options along with their respective pricing. In this, on one phone, which is an Android phone, the price is lower than the price for the same distance, on an iPhone. The rides were also booked at the same time.
The indignant user added, “Same pickup point, destination & time but 2 different phones get 2 different rates. It happens with me as I always get higher rates on my Uber as compared to my daughter’s phone. So most of the time, I request her to book my Uber. Does this happen with you also? What is the hack?”
Different Pricing Across Modes
In this, the pricing on the Android phone is shown to be lower than the prices on the Apple iPhones for all options, including Uber Auto, Uber Go, Go Sedan and Uber XL.
In the first option, there is a gap of over Rs 42. With Uber Go, there is a difference that is even greater at over Rs 120. For the Uber Go Sedan, the difference is over Rs 65. In addition, the price for Uber XL is close to Rs 100.
Business
‘Its Prime Real Estate’: Anand Mahindra Expresses Awe At Grandiose Of Brabus Big Boy 1200
In the City of Dreams that is Mumbai, one of the biggest ‘dreams’ of most who live in the metropolis is to find an abode, that they can call it their own. Real estate in Mumbai is known for its sky-high pricing, with figures of Rs 10-15 crore not surprising anyone.
The Motorhome
Space is a major issue in city, given the paucity of it, in a region that encompasses millions. However, what happens when the space is not only available but also mobile? That is precisely what a ‘motorhome’.
It may not been the most commonly seen or discussed avenue in this part of the world, but in other parts of the world, particularly in the US, an RV or recreational vehicle is the way of life, either by choice or by circumstance.
Mahindra Group chairman, Anand Mahindra recently reacted to one such motorhome. In a post on X, he shared a minute-long clipping of the Brabus Big Boy 1200. This is an uber-luxe, profligate motorhome manufactured by the German automobile company Brabus.
Mahindra, while reacting to the video of a person showing around the bus said, That’s not transport. It’s prime real estate.”
And one may arguably agree with Mahindra on this. The vehicle is extravagant and has a length of 12 meters or 39.4 ft and over 30 square meters or 320 sq ft. For context, the average size of homes in city of Mumbai hovers around 400-700 sq ft.
What Are The Features Of This Motorhome?
In addition, the vehicle also has two electrically extendable slide-outs on each side. These slide-outs can extend the bedroom and saloon to a width of 4.50 meters.
In addition, the motorhome also consists of a double bed measuring 160 x 200 centimeters.
A closet is integrated into the rear wall of the vehicle.
For amusement, the vehicle also has a desk and a 43-inch 4K television. Here one could watch TV programs that have been made available on the system play games on the integrated Playstation 5 system.
In addition, one can also connect to the internet through the Starlink system.
When it comes to the vehicle, it runs on a12.8-liter six-cylinder turbodiesel engine. This engine can deliver 390 kW / 530 hp and can generate a maximum torque of 2,600 Nm.
The vehicle is priced at around USD 1.5 million or a whopping Rs 12 crore.
Business
Maha will play key role in achieving India’s $5 trillion economy goal: Minister Tatkare
Nagpur, Dec 21: Representing Maharashtra in the pre-Union Budget meeting held in Jaisalmer, Minister Aditi Tatkare on Saturday assured that Maharashtra would play a pivotal role in India’s journey towards becoming a $5 trillion economy.
She emphasised the need for special financial assistance to the state in the upcoming Union Budget.
Minister Tatkare presented Maharashtra’s vision, highlighting its strategic role in realising the Prime Minister’s goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
Minister Tatkare outlined several critical issues and proposals for inclusion in the Union Budget. She urged the finance minister for central assistance for state Capital Investment by enhancing the allocation under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment.
She emphasised the need for streamlining fund disbursement timelines to provide qualifying states with a minimum one-year utilisation window.
In the wake of rapid urbanisation, Minister Tatkare called for central support to tackle the challenges faced by the state.
“Maharashtra, with urbanisation expected to surpass 50 per cent in the upcoming census, faces challenges in resource mobilisation for urban local bodies (ULBs). The state government urges support for ULBs to access long-term loans for planned urban development and infrastructure enhancement,” she said.
Under the MukhyaMantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0, aimed at solarising agricultural feeders, Minister Tatkare sought increased targets and funding allocations for Maharashtra.
She requested expansion of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity from 500 MWh to 9,000 MWh to meet the state’s energy storage goals.
In order to further boost the modernisation of the home department, Minister Tatkare sought funds on a 60:40 basis, for projects such as digital forensic labs, mobile forensic vans, AMBIS systems, and the Cyber Security Project (Rs 837.86 crore).
She highlighted the need for funding major initiatives like Dial 112 emergency services integration and Maharashtra Police Station CCTV projects.
She urged financial support for faster case disposal through enhanced infrastructure for the judiciary.
She requested funding for constructing the Bombay High Court Complex in Bandra (East), estimated at Rs 3,750 crore.
Further, to push the implementation of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) economic master plan, Minister Tatkare proposed a special package.
The master plan is aligning with NITI Aayog’s vision to transform MMR into a national growth hub by 2030.
According to NITI Aayog, the MMR has a potential to increase its GDP to $300 billion by 2030 from the present level of $140 billion.
The Centre’s public policy think tank has asked the Maharashtra government to concentrate on seven growth drivers and attract investment of $125-135 billion from the private sector to achieve the target.
In a bid to push the state government’s ambitious plan to make Maharashtra drought-free, the state government has sought central government support to include state-funded river-linking projects like Wainganga-Nalganga and Damanganga-Godavari under the National Interlinking of Rivers Scheme.
Further, the state government appealed to the Centre to ease revenue expenditure pressures to create fiscal space for capital projects and establish a ‘Kisan Vishesh Sahayata Nidhi’ to compensate farmers affected by trade policy interventions.
The state government also appealed for the enhancement of funding for ongoing schemes like the Jal Jeevan Mission and financial assistance for disaster-affected areas.
Minister Tatkare said the comprehensive representation highlighted Maharashtra’s ambitions and challenges, ensuring the state’s priorities were well-articulated for the Union Budget deliberations.
She reiterated Maharashtra’s commitment to becoming a cornerstone of India’s economic growth and development trajectory.
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