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.
National
Police in Srinagar attach property worth Rs 1.5 crore under UAPA

Srinagar, July 5: Continuing its drive against terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police in Srinagar district on Saturday attached property worth Rs 1.5 crore under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
A police statement said on Saturday, “In a decisive move against the terror ecosystem and to dismantle its supporting infrastructure, Srinagar Police has attached a residential property — comprising 8 marlas and 202 sq. ft. of land along with the building structure— estimated to be worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore.
“The property, located at Mir Masjid Mohalla, Shallabagh Khanyar, and falling under Survey Nos. 3674/1147 and 3677/1148, is recorded in the name of Mohammad Yousuf Shah son of Hafiz Waliuallah Shah.”
The police statement added, “It is currently in the possession of Masood Hussain Shah son of Mohammad Yousuf Shah. The attachment has been carried out under the relevant provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with FIR No. 48/2024 under Sections 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 7/27 of the Indian Arms Act, and Sections 16, 18, 19, 20, and 39 of the UAP Act, registered at Police Station Khanyar.
“Investigations have established that the property was acquired through illegal proceeds linked to terrorist activities. Acting under Section 25 of the UAP Act, the immovable property has been formally seized and attached following due legal procedure.
“Through this attachment notice, the owner is prohibited from selling, leasing, or transferring the said property in any manner. This action is part of the sustained campaign of Srinagar Police to dismantle the terror ecosystem in a systematic manner.
“By targeting and crippling the financial networks of terrorist organisations, Jammu & Kashmir Police aims to curb acts detrimental to the security and integrity of the nation. Srinagar Police reiterates its unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism and safeguarding public peace.”
National
World-famous Mudiya Mela in Govardhan from tomorrow, cleanliness campaign launched

Govardhan (UP), July 5: As the world-famous Mudiya Mela will kick off in Uttar Pradesh’s Govardhan on Sunday, authorities have launched a cleanliness campaign.
Over 2 crore pilgrims are expected to reach Govardhan for the mela and perform Parikrama.
The cleanliness campaign, led by District Magistrate C.P. Singh, started on Saturday and focussed on cleanliness in key areas, including Parikrama Marg, Daanghati temple, and Giriraj ji.
DM Singh swept the land near the Govardhan temple, spreading the message of cleanliness.
As per the directions of the Uttar Pradesh government, efforts are being made to provide pilgrims with proper facilities and clean surroundings, he said.
The District Magistrate said people use polythene bags and indulge in littering as they don’t care about cleanliness, but now, as prior warnings have been given, strict action will be taken against violators.
The DM pointed out that maintaining cleanliness in the area was the responsibility of the temple management, but as it failed, “our team and locals of Govardhan are carrying out the cleanliness drive.”
Highlighting the importance of cleanliness, DM Singh said, “We aim to clean the entire Parikrama marg.”
He also shared that notices have been issued to those shops which have encroached on public land. The cleanliness campaign was made successful with the efforts of Govardhan SDM Neelam Srivastava, Govardhan Tehsil and Panchayat.
For the unversed, Mudiya Mela is observed in remembrance of Sanatan Goswami, the principal disciple of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Legends have it that when Sanatan Goswami passed away, his disciples did parikrama of the Govardhan after tonsuring their heads. Since then, this tradition has been followed.
Notably, the 468-year-old tradition continues to draw a sea of devotees.
The devotees perform a 21-km-long Parikrama of Govardhan.
The belief with the yatra is that it bestows peace and prosperity on the devotees.
Business
12 nations to get US tariff letters on Monday, says Trump

New Delhi/Washington, July 5: US President Donald Trump has signed tariff letters on exports from 12 countries, which are expected to be sent out on July 7 (Monday).
Speaking to the media aboard Air Force One, the US President said the names of the countries which will receive the letters would only be revealed on Monday.
“I signed some letters and they’ll go out on Monday, probably 12. Different amounts of money, different amounts of tariffs,” he told reporters.
“The letters are better. It is much easier to send a letter,” Trump added.
Trump has suggested that the reciprocal tariffs could go even higher, potentially reaching 70 per cent for some countries, and take effect from August 1.
The US President in April unveiled a base tariff of 10 per cent on most goods entering the country, along with higher rates for certain countries, including China. Those elevated tariffs were later suspended till July 9.
Washington has concluded trade agreements with two countries – the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, India’s high-level official delegation, led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, has returned from Washington without reaching a final agreement with US officials on the sensitive issue of trade in agricultural and dairy products that the US is pushing for.
However, there is still a glimmer of hope that an interim bilateral trade agreement may be reached at the highest political level in the two countries before the July 9 deadline.
The Indian team was in Washington for negotiations on an interim trade agreement with the US from June 26 – July 2.
According to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, India will not hurry into signing a free trade agreement under pressure from any deadline.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in the national capital, Minister Goyal emphasised that India is ready to make trade deals in the national interest but it “never negotiates trade deals with a deadline”.
The US is seeking broader market access for its agricultural and dairy products, which is a major hurdle, as for India, this is a livelihood issue for the country’s small farmers, and hence, is considered a sensitive area.
While India is looking to secure an exemption from President Trump’s 26 per cent tariffs by concluding an interim deal before July 9, it is also pushing for significant tariff concessions for its labour-intensive exports such as textiles, leather and footwear.
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