Cabinet clears long-term leasing of railway land for PM Gati Shakti programme (GS Paper 2, Governance)
Why in news?
Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a policy for long-term leasing of railway land for the PM Gati Shakti programme.
Key Highlights:
- The new policy will help provide land lease for a longer period of up to 35 years as against five years at present.
- With an employment generation potential of about 1.25 lakh jobs, the policy will also bring more revenue to the Railways; 300 cargo terminals will be developed in five years.
- The new policy will enable the integrated development of infrastructure and more cargo terminals.
- It has also cut down land lease fee from 6 percent to 1.5 percent.
- The development is believed to be in line with NITI Aayog’s recommendation to keep railway land leasing fee for containers below 3 per cent.
Privatization of CONCOR:
- The proposed changes will pave way for privatisation of the Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) because it will help strategic buyers pay much less amounts as land rentals to railways for a longer period.
- CONCOR, under the aegis of the railway ministry, is engaged in transportation and handling of containers.
- The firm is also engaged in the operation of logistics facilities, including dry ports, container freight stations and private freight terminals. It has 61 container depots, out of which 26 are on railway land leased on a per container licence fee basis.
- The Cabinet in November 2019 had approved divestment of the government’s 30.8 per cent shareholding in the company along with the transfer of management control.
Significance for railways:
- The new policy will help in attracting more cargo to railways, increase railways’ modal share in freight transportation thereby reducing cost of logistics of the industry and thus generate more revenue.
- It will simplify approvals for utilities as envisaged in the PM Gati Shakti Programme. This will help in the development of public utilities like electricity, gas, water supply, telecom cable, sewage disposal, drains, opticalfibre cables (OFC), pipelines, roads, flyovers, but terminals, regional rail transport, urban transport in an integrated manner.
- Additionally, the policy will also enable use of railway land at nominal cost for setting up of solar plants on railway land.
- The policy also encourages development of social infrastructure (such as hospitals through PPP and schools through KendriyaVidyalayaSangthan) on railway land at a nominal annual fee of Re 1 per sq m per annum.
MoU between India and UAE on cooperation in the field of Education
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Union Cabinet approved to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the Ministry of Education of the Government of United Arab Emirates on cooperation in the field of Education.
The objective of the MoU is to further strengthen ongoing educational collaboration between India and UAE and widen the scope of engagements.
Background:
- AnMoU was signed in 2015 with UAE in the field of Education which expired in 2018.
- In 2019, at a meeting between Education Ministers of the two countries, UAE side proposed to sign a new MoU.
- The new MoU incorporates changes brought in by the National Education Policy 2020 in India’s education ecosystem.
Key Highlights:
- This MoU aims to promote Exchange of Information Education, Capacity Development of Technical and vocational Education and Training (TVET) teaching staff, Facilitation of academic collaboration between Higher Education Institutions in both the countries for offering Twinning, Joint Degree and Dual Degree Programmes and any such other areas agreed upon.
- This MoU will rejuvenate educational cooperation and increase academic mobility between India and UAE besides facilitating exchange information in order to promote mutual recognition of these qualifications.
- It also covers cooperation in TVET as UAE is a major work destination for Indians.
What’s next?
- The MoU will be valid for a period of five years from the date of signing and will be automatically renewable with the consent of both parties. Once signed, this MoU shall supersede the earlier MoU signed with UAE in 2015, which will then cease to have effect.
First unit of Maitree Super Thermal Power plant, Rupsharail bridge inaugurated
(GS Paper 3, Infrastructure)
Why in news?
- On the second day of the state visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, a slew of projects were unveiled and seven MoUs signed between the two countries.
Details:
Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant:
- Both Prime Ministers jointly inaugurated the first unit of the 1320 MW (660x2 MW) Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant at Rampalin Khulna district of Bangladesh.
The USD 2 billion power plant is being built with USD 1.6 billion as Indian Development Assistance under Concessional Financing Scheme.
Rupsha Rail Bridge:
- The two leaders also inaugurated the 5.13 kilometre long Rupsha rail bridge built under the concession Line of Credit (LOC) provided by India.
- The bridge is a key part of the 64.7 kilometre long Khulna-Mongla port single track broad gauge rail project.
- Once completed, the rail line would help increase the connectivity of Mongla Port, the 2nd largest port of Bangladesh, and provide an alternate route for rail and maritime trade.
- It would also allow other countries in the region to use the port and boost sub-regional trade.
Khulna Darshanarailway line link project:
- The Khulna Darshana railway line link project which involves upgradation of the existing infrastructure linking the current cross border rail link at Gede-Darshana to Khulna was also announced during the visit.
- It will augment the rail connections between the two countries, especially to Dhaka, but also in future to Mongla Port. The project cost is estimated at USD 312.48 million.
Parbatipur and Kaunia railway line link:
- Another railway project estimated to cost USD 120.41 million for the conversion of the existing Metre Gauge line to Dual Gauge line between Parbatipur and Kaunia was also announced.
- The project will connect to the existing cross border rail at Birol (Bangladesh)-Radhikapur (West Bengal) and will enhance bilateral rail connectivity.
Way Forward:
- The projects will further multi-modal connectivity, enhance people to people contact and facilitate regional economic integration.
US Startup SETU programme in San Francisco
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, launched the US Startup SETU - Supporting Entrepreneurs in Transformation and Upskillingprogramme in the Bay Area of San Francisco.
The initiative would connect start-ups in India to US-based investors and start-up ecosystem leaders with mentorship and assistance in various areas including funding, market access and commercialization.
What is SETU?
- SETU is designed to break the geographical barriers between mentors based in US that are willing to invest in entrepreneurship and sunrise startups in India.
- The interaction will be supported through the mentorship portal under the Startup India initiative MAARG, or the Mentorship, Advisory, Assistance, Resilience, and Growth program, which is a single-stop solution finder for startups in India.
- The portal has been developed with the idea to be accessible from every corner of the country to connect with a mentor.
- A mentor will offer human intelligence in guiding the startups. It may be noted that till date, more than 200 mentors have been successfully onboarded on MAARG across the globe.
- The core functions of MAARG are to improve ease of access, use Artificial Intelligence for Matchmaking, schedule meetings virtually, host masterclasses, provide a custom dashboard for relevant information, analytics, features, etc., host cohort-based programs that will allow startup ecosystem enablers to be become a part of the program and enable outcome driven activities.
Why it matters?
- It is estimated that about 90% of the start-ups and more than half of the well-funded startups fail in their early days. Lack of experience in handling the business is a key issue, and founders require the right guidance for taking a decision and moral support.
- As India heads towards becoming a supreme start-up destination, the right guidance at the right time is paramount. The Government of India invites the stalwarts, seasoned experts, and industry leaders to give back to the nation by adding value to a startup’s journey.
Way Forward:
MAARG is inviting applications from Mentors across the world. Till date, more than 200 mentors have been on-boared on MAARG across the globe. The applications have come from distinguished individuals representing the industry and the startup ecosystem.
