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To construct about 2,000 kilometres of highways in 12 hill states of India, including Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur, the Indian government is preparing a project worth Rs 25,000 crores. 
 
As per officials, most of these projects will be awarded as per the government-funded model of engineering, procurement and construction or 
EPC. However, a few high traction projects connecting religious places in Himachal and J&amp;K will be taken up in accordance with the newly conceived hybrid annuity model. 
 "Projects worth Rs 10,000 crore were awarded in hill states last year, only 10% of the total projects awarded in the country. This year, we're focusing more on hill states as they border with China, Nepal and Pakistan, and are of high strategic importance to India," a senior <keyword id="104973" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Transport-ministry">transport ministry</keyword> official told ET requesting anonymity. 
 
PMO has also asked the road transport and highways ministry to fasten up road development in these states. 
 
Amongst the hilly highways, about 300 km would be in Arunachal Pradesh, 256 km in Mizoram, 250 km each in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, 100 km in Manipur and the remaining would be made in Uttarakhand, Assam, Sikkim, Nagaland and West Bengal. The newly constituted <keyword id="6373156" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Highways">National Highways</keyword> and Industrial Development Corporation will be undertaking majority of these highways. 
 
In last fiscal, the ministry has awarded about 10,000 km of highway contracts worth Rs 1 lakh crore, out of which nearly 6,300 km was made at the rate of almost 18 km a day on average. This fiscal, the target is to construct nearly 10,000 km with a pace of 28 km per day on an average. 
 
<a href="https://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/30184/194848/f/1449442-Truck-down-the-road-from-Lachulung-La-0.jpg">Image source</a>

Government will spend Rs 25,000-cr to construct hilly highways in states bordering with China, Nepal and Pakistan

New Delhi, Jan 31 () The government has decided to invest more than Rs 100 lakh crore on building modern infrastructure in the country with a special emphasis on connectivity, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Friday.
 In a bid to improve connectivity, the government will also focus on creation of new highways, waterways, airways and I-ways (IT infrastructure), the President said addressing the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, on the first day of the Budget session here.
 "The poor and the middle-class hope and aspire for a modern 21st century infrastructure in the country. To fulfil this aspiration of the people more than Rs 100 lakh crore will be invested in the next five years. With a special emphasis on connectivity, the government is also focusing on creation of new highways, new waterways, new airways, and new I-ways," the President said.
 Rapid progress is being made towards providing better public transport facilities in urban areas, Kovind said adding, metro facility has now been extended to 18 cities in the country.
 So far, 670-km of metro lines have been operationalised, and work on another 930-km is underway, he said and added the residents of Delhi and NCR have greatly benefitted from the construction of Delhi-Meerut Expressway, as well as from Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways.
 He further said inland waterways are also being developed by the government and in December 2019, for the first time, container cargo reached Pandu in Assam via National Water Way-2.
 Under the Jal Marg Vikas Project, the multi-modal terminal at Haldia on River Ganga and the navigation lock at Farakka will be completed this year, Kovind said adding, it is also our endeavour to operate large transport cargo vessels on River Ganga by next year.
 On air connectivity, he said about 35 lakh people have so far travelled by air under the UDAN scheme and last year, 335 new air routes have been approved.
 Rural roads contributed significantly to the country's infrastructure, he said and added 1.25 lakh kilometers road will be constructed and upgraded under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna.
 Rural roads have now been expanded to every corner of the country through the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, he said adding third phase of the programme has been launched to strengthen rural roads and connect them to schools, hospitals and agricultural markets.
 On Noth East connectivity he said: "More than the physical distance of the North East from Delhi, it was the emotional disconnect that disheartened the people of the region. My Government has transformed this situation by working tirelessly during the last five years. Work is being done at an unprecedented pace in the North East to enhance connectivity, strengthen infrastructure and make people's lives easier."
 As a result of the government's efforts, he said by 2022, the capitals of Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland will be connected with the rail network.
 "The work on Agartala-Akhaura rail link is also progressing at a fast pace. In the year 2022, the construction of the new airport being built at 'Holongi' in Arunachal Pradesh will also be completed," he added.
 The President said, during the last few years, there has been extraordinary development of infrastructure related to tourism.
 "Recently a nationwide programme has been launched from Kolkata for conservation and beautification of the heritage buildings of the country. The tourism sector is also being strengthened by the modern infrastructure being developed under Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD schemes. New records are being created every day in the number of tourists visiting the 'Statue of Unity', the statue of Sardar Patel; which is the tallest in the world," he emphasised.
 Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) is a government scheme that focuses on identifying and developing the pilgrim sites across the country. NAM DRR

Over Rs 100 lakh cr to be spent in next 5 yrs on building modern infrastructure: Prez

Storm in the tea cup is something you have heard. But will you laugh if you hear that a storm is brewing in the coffee cup? Not if you belong to the southern part of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> where coffee is more than a mere beverage. Drinking coffee in the South is a ritual of sorts that sets the tone for the day. Therefore, when the first cup of coffee arrives, it better be caramel-hued, piping hot, steamy, frothy and appropriately sweet. Because when the first cuppa is downed and the taste reaches its crescendo, the day pans out well, in fact, very well.

	 

	A few years ago, coffee was a drink that was predominantly South Indian and came in steel cups, both at home and outside. And each cup cost around Rs 5. But this was before the 1,500-outlets-strong Café Coffee Day started its operations in 1996. Prices at the CCD were then considered insane and experts had even written off the chain as an experiment that hadn’t got its facts right. After all, who would want to pay Rs 50 for a coffee variety, no matter how exotic it is, when normal coffee is available for a fraction of that amount?<o:p></o:p>

	 

	But very soon, the patrons, especially the young people who had arrived fresh as the benefactors of the IT industry, embraced the fashionable coffee shops (they had delightful ambience) as their new socialising hubs that spoke of their status symbol. After all, coffee is all about class, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p>

	 

	The coffee clubs in every city worth their salt will vouch for it. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bangalore</st1:city></st1:place> had some; Kolkata had its charming old coffee houses, some of which date back to the Colonial Era, and many cities came up with their own versions of coffee culture that integrated with their respective cultures. In other words, coffee did form a lifeline for many. What’s more, coffee was the essential part of Indian literature as well, especially in the early 1970s, since coffee clubs hosted numerous poetry sessions, literary discussions and socio-political debates over endless cuppas, shaping the Indian sensibility!<o:p></o:p>

	 

	Indian coffee, which has a comparatively recent origin and is mostly grown in the South, entered the country in the 15th century as a Sufi saint brought the beans back when he returned from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><keyword id="6364756" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mecca">Mecca</keyword></st1:city></st1:place>. The seeds sown at that time have been bearing fruits ever since.<o:p></o:p>

	 

	The production of coffee beans in the country and the ever expanding café markets are interrelated in some ways, but the growth of the Indian coffee industry and the fast-paced development of the consumer market for coffee are not totally interdependent.<o:p></o:p>

	 

	While <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region>’s Arabica and Robusta are known for their distinct aroma and stimulant properties, we must remember that <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> exports nearly 80% of its total coffee produce to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Slovenia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Greece</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Netherlands</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place>, among others. The country grows nearly 800,000 tonnes of coffee across the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Orissa</st1:place>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><keyword id="6354915" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Assam">Assam</keyword></st1:country-region></st1:city>, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, <keyword id="46408" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arunachal-Pradesh">Arunachal Pradesh</keyword> and so on. With the majority of the coffee growers being unorganised farmers, coffee as a cash crop does not have the negotiating power to dictate its procurement prices.<o:p></o:p>

	 
 Although there is a <keyword id="2239954" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Coffee-Board-in-India">Coffee Board in India</keyword> that essentially deals with the welfare of the coffee growers, underdeveloped socio-economic conditions, perpetual labour shortage and absence of government assistance in 98% cases make it more of a traditional crop that has been grown through generations, rather than a cash crop with great profit potential.<o:p></o:p>

	 

	On the other hand, what’s been thriving is the processed coffee business, which is more like a hospitality industry, with customer service and profit-making being its chief objectives. Café Coffee Day has already posted an impressive growth chart of 1,500 outlets in less than two decades and other cafés, which are opening to brisk business, are present across almost all highways, metros and tier II cities. It seems that the market for coffee as a consumer product has been resurrected in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p>

	 
 Consequently, when the world’s largest coffee chain <keyword id="6377922" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Starbucks">Starbucks</keyword> entered the Indian market through a joint venture with the industry biggie <keyword id="6355725" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Tata-Group">TATA Group</keyword> (Tata Starbucks Ltd), the market was warm and more than welcoming. The well-travelled Indian took to Starbucks as the fish takes to water. The brand, which entered the Indian market in October 2012, has been on a roll ever since, opening outlets in all major cities. The company is currently catering to a market worth $300 million and hopes to achieve an impressive 20% annual growth.<o:p></o:p>

	 

	Curiously, the Indian coffee market, in spite of having enough growth potential, has not looked beyond CCD. Other brands such as Barista, ow­ned by Lavazza Spa, had a tough time staying afloat in this volatile market.<o:p></o:p>

	 

	In a largely tea-obsessed nation, coffee feels like an aberration. But brands such as CCD and Starbucks are positioning themselves as lifestyle choices and aspirational names in order to serve more than just coffee. But here is a hitch. In spite of pushing a lot of money into branding, will Indian consumers cold-shoulder these companies after experiencing the initial euphoria of having an international coffee brand in the neighbourhood? In such a case, only constant innovation can save the cup of coffee!<o:p></o:p>

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