With the aim to maximise the adoption of energy efficient products and services in India, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture under the Ministry of Power, has decided to empanel Corporate Sales Agencies, Direct Sales Agencies, Dealers and Retailers and other Demand Aggregators, including ESCOs with requisite under the Success Fee Model. Through this, EESL seeks to boost and expand the sale of its various existing and new products and services in the markets.

The Union Cabinet approved the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for air conditioners (ACs) and light-emitting diode (LED) lights with an aim to boost the local component supply ecosystem for these items. Under the new PLI, a sum of Rs 6,238 crore (€73 billion) has been approved as incentives to selected manufacturers over a five-year period starting 2021-22.  Since last April, the cabinet, headed by Prime Minister, has approved PLI for five sectors. But unlike the previous ones the latest scheme solely focuses on component manufacturing.

Prime Minister said production linked incentive scheme, which is aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and exports, is expected to increase the country's production by USD 520 billion in the next five years. In this year's Budget, about Rs 2 lakh crore was earmarked for the PLI scheme for the next five years and "there is an expectation that the scheme would result in increasing the production by about USD 520 billion in the next five years".  There is also an expectation that the current workforce in the sectors, which will avail the benefits of the PLI scheme, will be doubled and job creation will also increase.

The engineering R&D (ER&D) sector is one of the fastest growing industries in India. This E R&D policy has become first of a kind in the country. The aim of the policy is to contribute approximately 45% to India’s engineering R&D needs during the policy tenure. “Karnataka is currently the leading contributor to the Indian Engineering R&D industry revenue. The State is home to over 400 leading R&D Centers/ GCCs. This policy aims to retain this position, generation of intellectual properties (IPs), and to make this as skilled knowledge capital,”. It is to be noted here that the expenditure of global E R&D is forecast to clock $2 trillion by 2025, and the same industry is growing at an CAGR of around 12.5% in India.

India’s transition to EVs has advanced rapidly in the past few years. A supportive policy environment, improving economics, and emerging business models have poised the EV market for significant growth in the coming decade.  Key barriers related to EV adoption—including technology cost, infrastructure availability, and consumer behavior—must be overcome.

NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute has come out with a report titled “Mobilising Finance for EVs in India”: A Toolkit of Solutions to Mitigate Risks and Address Market Barriers” which identified solutions to direct capital and financing to aid in India’s EV transition.

• G.S.R. 148(E): Mandating dual airbags for all passenger cars in India. Read more/Download

• G.S.R. 136(E): regarding Notification for electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety. Public comments are invited until 25th March Read more/Download

• S.O 1433(E) regarding Implementations of sections of MV Act 2019. Read more

• G.S.R 220(E) regarding Concession in Motor Vehicle Taxes against submission of Certificate of Vehicle Scrapping. Read more

• G.S.R 190(E) regarding Motor Vehicles (Registration and Functions of Vehicle Scrapping Facility) Rules, 2021. Read more

• G.S.R 173(E) regarding Construction, Equipment and Maintenance of Motor Vehicles. Read more

• S.O 1232(E) regarding Vehicle Recall formula.

With the aim of taking the lead in implementing 5G, India’s ongoing project to set up ‘Indigenous 5G Test Bed’ which was launched in March 2018, with a total cost of 224.01 million, is expected to be ready by October, 2021 to improve the national capability in telecommunications technology, which fills the Indian telecommunications manufacturers. To provide test beds full access for research teams to work on new concepts or ideas that have potential for standardization in India and on a global scale, make a test bed available for Indian operators to understand the workings of 5G technologies and security aspects and to plan their future. networks are among the main objectives of the ‘5G Test Bed’.

The Centre is going to launch a National Programme on AI soon. The programme will identify high value data sets in the public sector and provide access to the data to AI models. The government will also set up a Centre for Transformational AI to tap the data in various sectors and make it available for AI models, according to Joint Secretary, MEITY. The govt. will launch Digital India 2.0 with an aim to take the digital service offerings, infrastructure and cyber security to next level. More services will be offered through digital platforms, India will focus on developing indigenous cybersecurity products and robust digital infrastructure.