Modi govt starts promoting Make in India goods on government procurement portal
In tune with the agenda of 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India), the government has started promoting 'Make in India' products on government procurement portal Government e-Marketplace (GEM). Launched in 2016, GeM portal is used for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments. Currently, government departments, ministries, public sector units, state governments, and Central Armed Police Forces are allowed to carry out transactions through this portal. Items on sale include a wide range of products - from office stationery to vehicles.
BIS to frame quality norms for 371 items by March 2021 to curb non-essential imports
As India strives towards self-reliance, imports of many non-essential items will be curbed from March 2021. BIS is ready with the regulations prescribed by the Commerce Ministry for quality imports, many sub-standard and non-essential imports will be stopped from March 2021. BIS is set to frame quality norms for 371 items by March 2021 which will include multiple segments, from steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and electrical machinery to furniture and toys. The identified tariff lines include Chinese products too and they are trying to frame standards and make them mandatory.
India makes testing of imported telecom equipment mandatory
India has notified the World Trade Organization its intention to make it mandatory for telecom products sold, imported or used in the country, including feedback device, transmission terminal equipment and broadband equipment, to be tested and certified by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
In three separate submissions made to the WTO Committee on Technical Barrier to Trade on the three identified items, India sought comments from WTO members on the mandatory certification regime within 30 days.
COVID-19 impact: Smart cities in India to get cycling-friendly with Cycles4Change Challenge
India Cycles4Change Challenge is an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission to support Indian cities to quickly implement cycling-friendly initiatives in response to the pandemic. The housing and urban affairs ministry has launched the India Cycles4Change Challenge to support smart cities to implement cycling-friendly projects in response to the COVID-19. In the first phase, 10 cities will be selected and will receive technical support from the Centre and also a reward of Rs 1 crore (10 Million) each.
The five-year project will design a tailor-made transport emissions assessment framework for India. The NITI Aayog and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD), have jointly launched a project aimed at decarbonizing India’s transport sector. The program, Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies (DTEE), is a collaboration between the ITF and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
As a one stop solution for Indian automobile industry, portal a step towards the vision of ‘AatmaNirbhar’ Bharat. Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Govt of India, has embarked on a mission to promote innovation, R&D and product development in India for various sectors. A step towards this mission is the creation of technology platform e-portals where such technology development, information exchange and innovation can be facilitated. There are five portals being developed for specific sectors by different organizations viz, BHEL for power sector equipment, HMT for machine tools, CMFTI for manufacturing technology, ICAT and ARAI for automotive sector.