IIT Madras Researchers have booted up ‘MOUSHIK,’ an indigenously-made Microprocessor, that can cater to the rapidly-growing IoT devices, an integral part of Smart Cities of a Digital India.  MOUSHIK is an Indigenous RISC-V Microprocessor and is the third chip of the SHAKTI family, all of which were conceptualized and developed by this Centre and were first time ‘silicon successes.’ The Field Applications of ‘MOUSHIK’ include:

• Smart cards including Credit cards, ID Cards, Debit cards, Travel Cards for Metros and Driving Licenses

• Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)

• Office Management Systems including Attendance, surveillance cameras and safe locks

• Personalized Health Management Systems

• Consumer Electronics including but not restricted to Washing Machines and Water pump monitoring systems

The Climate Centre for Cities (C-cube) within the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), instituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), has partnered with Integrated Research & Action for Development (IRADe), for developing climate-smart cities across India

The White Paper highlights the Role of digital technologies for smart cities, discusses the key smart solutions, deliberates the need of Global Standardization and connectivity related aspects specific to smart cities, and tries to identify the framework for ICT Infrastructure for the success of Smart Cities Mission in India.

Should India achieve its 2030 electric vehicle ambition and targets, it would present a market opportunity worth nearly $206 billion in the course of this decade, says an independent study released by the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF). The study also estimates a cumulative investment need of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure until 2030 to meet India’s EV ambition. While India is yet to officially spell out its electrification targets for 2030, the aspiration as stipulated by NITI Aayog-government’s primary think tank, states that 70% of all commercial cars, 30% of private cars, 40 % of buses, and 80% of two-wheeler (2W) and three-wheeler (3W) sales would be electric by the end of this new decade. 

NITI Aayog CEO said the government was pushing for electric mobility with FAME and FAME 2 schemes, bringing down the rate of taxes on electric vehicles at 5%, as compared to 28% for other vehicles and 43% for hybrid vehicles. Tax exemption, up to Rs 1 lakh, to people who are buying electric vehicles to increase focus on electrification will be huge. If India has to emerge as a leader in clean, connected and shared mobility, there are two important things to keep in mind — one is that India is a major user of two- and three-wheelers and 80% of people travel in these vehicles. Second, battery will be an important component. Battery manufacturing and storage will be a key component and storage will have to be linked to renewable energy integration with the grid. 

In a move aimed at a wider adoption of alternative clean fuel for transportation, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways allowed the use of Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (H-CNG, which is an 18 % mix of hydrogen, in CNG engines. The ministry has been notifying various alternative clean fuels. BIS has also developed specifications of H-CNG as a fuel for automotive purposes. Certain CNG engines were tested to understand the emission reduction using H-CNG as compared to ‘neat’ CNG

India plans to offer $4.6 billion in incentives to companies setting up advanced battery manufacturing facilities as it seeks to promote the use of electric vehicles and cut down its dependence on oil, according to a government proposal seen by Reuters. A proposal drafted by NITI Aayog, a federal think tank chaired by Prime Minister, said India could slash its oil import bills by as much as $40 billion by 2030 if electric vehicles were widely adopted.  

Department of heavy industries extended the deadline for the localisation of several components under its phased manufacturing programme (PMP) for electric vehicles (EV) from October 1 to April 1 2021, offering a breather to the industry. Compliance with the PMP is a condition for availing subsidies. The move is expected to help the fledgling EV industry as the localisation plans of several companies were derailed due to the disruption from the pandemic.