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One aspect that always garners much traction on the <keyword id="19936553" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Budget" source="keywords">Budget</keyword> day is what got <keyword id="20257498" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheaper" source="keywords">cheaper</keyword> and what got <keyword id="20286063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="costlier" source="keywords">costlier</keyword>. Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> as part of her Budget presentation proposed a host of tweaks in basic <keyword id="20454068" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="customs-duty" source="keywords">customs duty</keyword> (BCD) for various products or items that are critical for manufacturing. In her Budget speech, Sitharaman proposed an exemption on customs duty on certain <keyword id="22516435" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cancer-medicines" source="keywords">cancer medicines</keyword> and a reduction in duties on <keyword id="19920958" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mobile-phone" source="keywords">mobile phone</keyword> parts and chargers, aimed at bringing down their prices in the retail market. "With a three-fold increase in domestic production and almost 100-fold jump in exports of mobile phones over the last six years, the Indian mobile phone industry has matured. In the interest of consumers, I now propose to reduce the BCD on mobile phone, mobile PCBA and mobile charger to 15 per cent," said Sitharaman in her Budget speech that lasted around 90 minutes. To provide relief to cancer patients, she proposed to fully exempt three more medicines from customs duties. Imported <keyword id="19895579" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gold" source="keywords">gold</keyword>, silver, leather goods and seafood will also get cheaper, as duties were invariably lowered on them. Duty cut on gold would boost retail demand and help in curtailing smuggling in the world's second-biggest bullion market. "To enhance domestic value addition in gold and precious metal jewellery in the country, I propose to reduce customs duties on gold and silver to 6 per cent and that on platinum to 6.4 per cent." She also proposed changes in the customs duty on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors for use in medical X-ray machines under the <keyword id="20330318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="phased-manufacturing-programme" source="keywords">Phased Manufacturing Programme</keyword>, so as to synchronise them with domestic capacity addition. Also, she proposed to fully exempt customs duties on 25 critical minerals and reduce basic customs duty on two of them. Minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements are critical for sectors like nuclear energy, renewable energy, space, defence, telecommunications, and high-tech electronics, said the finance minister. "This will provide a major fillip to the processing and refining of such minerals and help secure their availability for these strategic and important sectors," Sitharaman said. Putting energy transition on focus, as it is critical in the fight against climate change, the finance minister proposed to expand the list of exempted capital goods for use in the manufacture of solar cells and panels in the country. However, in view of sufficient domestic manufacturing capacity of solar glass and tinned copper interconnect, it was proposed not to extend the exemption of customs duties provided to them. To enhance competitiveness in marine products, the reduced duty on certain broodstock, polychaete worms, shrimp and fish feed to 5 per cent, besides exempting customs duty on various inputs for manufacture of shrimp and fish feed. Moving on to leather and textile, reduction in duty was announced for various items. "...to enhance the competitiveness of exports in the leather and textile sectors, I propose to reduce BCD on real down filling material from duck or goose," Sitharaman said. To reduce cost of production of steel and copper, two important raw materials, it was proposed to remove the customs duty on ferro nickel and blister copper. "I am also continuing with nil BCD (customs duty) on ferrous scrap and nickel cathode and concessional BCD of 2.5 per cent on copper scrap." On the flip side, to support chemicals and petrochemicals, an increase in duty was proposed. To support existing and new capacities in the pipeline, an increase in duty on ammonium nitrate from 7.5 to 10 per cent would be applicable. PVC flex banners are non-biodegradable and hazardous for environment and health. To curb their imports, a propose was made to raise the duty on them from 10 to 25 per cent. To incentivise domestic telecommunication equipment manufacturing, a propose to increase the duty from 10 to 15 per cent on PCBA (printed circuit board assembly) of specified telecom equipment was made. Explaining her rational behind the indirect taxes tweak, Sitharaman said her proposals for customs duties intend to support domestic manufacturing, deepen local value addition, promote export competitiveness, and simplify taxation, while keeping the interest of the general public and consumers surmount. In Budget 2022-23 too, the government reduced the number of customs duty rates.

Here's what will get cheaper and costlier after this Budget

New Delhi, <keyword id="10502779" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-all-india-rubber-industries-association">The All India Rubber Industries Association</keyword> (AIRIA) has called for rationalisation of <keyword id="4776373" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tax-Structure">tax structure</keyword> and said that the inverted duty structure impacts the local industry. It also said that the government should consider providing adequate support and handholding to the producers and should device '<keyword id="1465575" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Phased-Manufacturing-Programme">Phased Manufacturing Programme</keyword>' for enhancing the localisation in the <keyword id="159613" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rubber-sector">rubber sector</keyword> of India. The industry body noted that import of raw materials such as <keyword id="388853" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Natural-Rubber">natural rubber</keyword> and latex attract import duties of as high as 70 per cent, while that on finished goods is much lower, which impacts the local rubber goods producing industry, and stands as an obstacle towards the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. "Some of the products which used to come from China are being routed through Thailand and Vietnam at either zero per cent duty or 5 per cent duty. India should correct the customs duty for the sector. The Indian rubber industry uses more than 70 raw materials and some of them also attract anti-dumping duty as well," AIRIA said. As per the rubber industry body, the ideal duty structure for growth in the country should be the highest for finished goods, medium for intermediate goods and the lowest for raw materials. At present, the structure stands inverted, it said. AIRIA further said that the sector has to resort to import of natural rubber as the quality produced in the country is not "up to the mark" and the tyre manufacturers buy the bulk of domestically-produced high-quality supplies, leaving no choice for the MSMEs and the other rubber goods producers than to go for imports for good quality raw materials from foreign players. V.T. Chandhrasekharan, President of AIRIA said that in line with the Centre's vision to make a self-reliant India, the nation has tremendous potential to grow and could become a hub for sourcing <keyword id="7885733" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rubber-components">rubber components</keyword> and products if the inverted duty structure in the rubber sector is corrected. AIRIA noted that there are many goods which use rubber as a component and the producers of these components are bound to import the products due to irrational duty structure. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-mrs-bectors-ril-bharti-airtel-vodafone-idea-ilfs-interglobe-aviation-future-group-deepak-nitrite-jubilant-foodworks-and-others/articleshow/79933826.cms">Top stocks to watch – Mrs Bectors, RIL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, IL&amp;FS, InterGlobe Aviation, Future Group, Deepak Nitrite, Jubilant FoodWorks, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/there-are-one-of-only-17-indian-companies-out-of-500-that-aced-the-du-pont-test/articleshow/79911627.cms">There are one of only 17 Indian companies out of 500 that aced the Du Pont test</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-buyback-offer-details-and-700-million-metro-ag-deal-drives-share-price/articleshow/79911875.cms">Wipro offers 10% more to buy back shares and signs a $700 million deal with Metro AG – everything that’s driving the IT services stock higher today</a>

All India Rubber Industries Association seeks tax reforms for rubber industry

<ul><li>The <keyword id="95879" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute-of-India">Serum Institute of India</keyword> (SII) hopes the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Indian markets by the end of the year. </li><li>Last month, SII signed a deal with AstraZeneca to exclusively manufacture the Oxford vaccine for India.</li><li>SII CEO Adar Poonawalla told The Tribune that the vaccine is currently in Phase II of clinical trials. </li></ul>The Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, which is reportedly safe for people with weak immunity, may be available in the market by the end of the year, according to the Serum Institute of India (SII) — the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. SII CEO Adar Poonawalla told <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/oxford-vaccine-by-yr-end-partner-firm-107843">The Tribune</a> that clinical trials of the vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford — called AstraZeneca — have progressed to Phase III. “I hope that AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine will be available towards the end of the year,” he said based on the results highlighting that more than a 100 vaccine candidates are currently at different stages of clinical trials. Last month, on June 13, SII signed the deal with AstraZeneca to exclusively manufacture for India and countries in the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. SII will supply one billion doses for low and middle-income countries, with a commitment to provide <a href="https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2020/astrazeneca-takes-next-steps-towards-broad-and-equitable-access-to-oxford-universitys-covid-19-vaccine.html">400 million doses</a> before the end of 2020. Safe for people with weak immunity Professor Saraf Gilbert from Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/oxford-covid-19-vaccine-safe-for-people-with-weak-immunity/articleshow/76728237.cms">told ambassadors of UN member states</a> that the vaccine is safe even for people with a weak immune system. “Because it is still a live virus, it is good at inducing a strong immune response after vaccination,” she said. According to AstraZeneca, the vaccine may not work but the company is progressing the clinical programme with speed and scaling up manufacturing despite the risk. 5,000 volunteers have begun participating in Brazil’s first clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine. “We plan to start production in nearly two months and have invested more than $100 on this facility,” Poonawalla told the Tribune. If the risk pays off, Poonawalla promises the vaccine will be affordable. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/an-indian-covid-19-vaccine-made-by-bharat-biotech-is-set-to-enter-human-trials/articleshow/76702286.cms">An Indian COVID-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech is set to enter human trials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/oxford-covid-19-vaccine-safe-for-people-with-weak-immunity/articleshow/76728237.cms">Oxford COVID-19 vaccine safe for people with weak immunity says Oxford Professor Sarah Gilbert</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/potential-covid-19-vaccine-by-zydus-cadila-gets-dcgi-nod-for-human-clinical-trials/articleshow/76762771.cms">Potential COVID-19 vaccine by Zydus Cadila gets DCGI nod for human clinical trials</a>

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine may hit the Indian market by the end of the year if successful, says CEO of world’s largest vaccine manufacturer

<keyword id="4233468" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="mg-motor-india" source="Orion">MG Motor India</keyword> on Wednesday said it plans to offer majority stakes to local partners over the next 2-4 years as part of a five-year business roadmap in the country. <keyword id="5287148" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mg-motor" source="Orion">MG Motor</keyword> is a British brand which is currently owned by China's largest automaker <keyword id="317281" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="saic-motor-corp-" source="Orion">SAIC Motor Corp.</keyword> The automaker, which has lined up Rs 5,000 crore to expand operations in the country by 2028, has been looking to raise capital for sometime now to fund its next phase of growth. The company's plans to bring in more capital to the country from its Chinese parent have not been successful so far. As per industry sources, the automaker has been waiting for government approval for around two years now and has therefore started looking for other options to raise capital. Elaborating on its roadmap, the company said it has plans to set up its second manufacturing plant in the country, taking its installed capacity to 3 lakh units per annum and roll out new products for the domestic market, including electric vehicles, as part of its five-year business roadmap in the country. The company currently rolls out products from its manufacturing plant in <keyword id="6389723" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="halol" source="Orion">Halol</keyword>, Gujarat, which it had acquired from <keyword id="4581" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="general-motors" source="Orion">General Motors</keyword>. The Halol plant can produce up to 1.2 lakh units per year. The automaker said it aims to launch 4-5 new cars in the country, with a focus on EVs. The company expects its EV portfolio to contribute up to 65-75 per cent of total sales in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, it noted. The automaker said it is also exploring setting up cell manufacturing and hydrogen fuel-cell technology through joint ventures or third-party manufacturing. With expansion plans in place, the automaker aims to have a total workforce of 20,000 by 2028. "The company's unwavering dedication to India is deeply ingrained in our <keyword id="16833980" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ethos" botkeyword="" source="ET" sourcekeytype="COMPANY" meta.keywordsubtype="EQ" meta.aliasname="ethos" meta.entityname="Ethos Ltd." meta.entityid="23844" meta.seoname="ethos-ltd">ethos</keyword>. As we pave the way for our next phase of sustainable growth, we have outlined a clear roadmap and vision for 2028. Our growth strategy is centred around strengthening localisation, aligning more closely with the government's 'make in India' initiative while innovatively augmenting our promise consistently, and diligently meeting the evolving needs of the market," MG Motor India CEO <keyword id="17374417" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="emeritus-rajeev-chaba" source="Orion">Emeritus Rajeev Chaba</keyword> stated. He further said that the automaker is committed to making a positive impact on society. Chaba also highlighted the company's focus on promoting gender diversity. The company said it aims to train 1,00,000 students under its 'MG Nurture' programme. The students will be trained in EV, <keyword id="2572482" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="adas" source="Orion">ADAS</keyword> and connected car technologies. MG Motor India sells models like <keyword id="1027495" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="hector" source="Orion">Hector</keyword>, Astor, <keyword id="1218145" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gloster" botkeyword="" source="ET" sourcekeytype="COMPANY" meta.keywordsubtype="EQ" meta.aliasname="gloster" meta.entityname="Gloster Ltd." meta.entityid="12267" meta.seoname="gloster-ltd">Gloster</keyword> and ZS EVs in the market. It recently introduced a small EV, Comet, in the domestic market. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/top-10-fastest-fifties-in-ipl-history/slidelist/100126211.cms">Top 10 fastest fifties in IPL history</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/investment-supertrends-2023-ai-to-digitalisation-and-green-energy/articleshow/100126382.cms">AI to digitalisation and green energy: Supertrends defining investment for today and the future</a>

MG Motor India plans to dilute majority stakes to local partners

The government on Wednesday said there are no plans for security testing for smartphones or crackdown on pre-installed applications, as the sole emphasis is on ease of doing business and boost local electronics manufacturing. Responding to a media report, Union Minister of <keyword id="9950217" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="state-for-electronics" source="Orion">State for Electronics</keyword> and IT, <keyword id="205969" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rajeev-chandrasekhar" source="Orion">Rajeev Chandrasekhar</keyword>, said that there is no "security testing" or "crackdown" plans for smartphone makers at the end of the government. "@GoI_MeitY is 100 per cent committed to 'Ease of Doing Business' and is totally focused on growing electronics manufacturing to touch $300 billion by 2026," the minister said in a tweet. Electronics manufacturing in the country is likely to cross Rs 1.28 lakh crore in the next financial year, according to Chandrasekhar. "The mobile phone production in India had increased from 5.8 crore units valued at about Rs 18,900 crore in 2014-15 to 31 crore units valued at over Rs 2,75,000 crore in the last financial year, as a result of various initiatives of the government, including the 'Phased Manufacturing programme'," Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="Orion">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> had said during her Union Budget 2023-24 speech in Parliament. In the period from April-December 2022, mobile phone exports reached nearly $7-8 billion, and is expected to cross $9 billion for the fiscal year. The government has set a target to achieve $300 billion of electronics manufacturing by 2025-26, out of which $75-100 billion of electronics manufacturing is expected from Uttar Pradesh alone, according to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/wedding-bells-ring-in-16-rise-in-february-auto-sales-2-wheeler-sales-yet-to-hit-pre-pandemic-levels-fada/articleshow/98443213.cms">Wedding bells ring in 16% rise in February auto sales, 2 wheeler sales yet to hit pre-pandemic levels: FADA</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-confirms-launch-of-its-first-foldable-phone-in-2023-flip-phone-also-expected/articleshow/98308482.cms">OnePlus confirms launch of its first foldable phone in 2023, flip phone also expected</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/noise-and-fire-boltt-entered-in-top-five-in-global-smartwatch-shipments/articleshow/98171390.cms">These two Indian brands have together sold more smartwatches than Samsung in 2022</a>

No 'security testing' or 'crackdown' plans for smartphone makers: Govt

In a significant development, the <keyword id="53289" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-2" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-2</keyword> orbiter which was already fixed around the <keyword id="42440" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="moon" source="Orion">moon</keyword> established a two-way connection with the lander module of <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword> on Monday. "'Welcome, buddy!' Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM (lander module). Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX (Mission Operations Complex) has now more routes to reach the LM," ISRO posted on X, formerly Twitter. Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 IST. Live actions will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 17:27 IST on Aug 23, 2023. Ahead of the much-awaited soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the Moon, former director of the <keyword id="116095" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-space-research-organisation" source="Orion">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (ISRO) and in-charge of the previous lunar mission 'Chandrayaan-2', K Sivan on Monday said that the mission will be a "grand success". "It's a very anxious moment...I'm sure that this time it will be a grand success," Sivan said while speaking to ANI. "We have our own system and we will be establishing a soft landing without any problem. But it is a complex process," he said while responding to a question asked whether there would be any impact after the failure of Russia's Luna-25 mission. Russia's moon mission failed after its Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and smashed into the moon on Sunday. He said that corrective measures have been taken after going through data generated by the Chandrayaan-2 mission. When asked if those additional systems too were indigenous, Sivan said, "Everything is indigenous." Earlier today, ISRO released images of the lunar far side area captured by the Lander Hazard Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC). This camera assists in locating a safe landing area -- without boulders or deep trenches -- during the descent. Notably, the 'Vikram' lander module of the spacecraft successfully separated from the propulsion module recently, and subsequently underwent crucial deboosting manoeuvres and descended to a slightly lower orbit. The Chandrayaan-3 mission's lander is named after <keyword id="29151" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vikram-sarabhai" source="Orion">Vikram Sarabhai</keyword> (1919-1971), who is widely regarded as the father of the Indian space programme. A GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle was used for the launch of the spacecraft that was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then it has been through a series of orbital manoeuvres been lowered closer to the moon's surface. It has been a month and seven days since the Indian Space Research Organisation launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14. The spacecraft was launched from the <keyword id="6356967" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="satish-dhawan-space-centre" source="Orion">Satish Dhawan Space Centre</keyword> in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The stated objectives of Chandrayaan-3, <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s third lunar mission, are safe and soft landing, rover roving on the moon's surface, and in-situ scientific experiments. The approved cost of Chandrayaan-3 is Rs 250 crores (excluding launch vehicle cost). Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan-2 include the first-ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. Moon serves as a repository of the Earth's past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it to explore the rest of the solar system and beyond. (ANI) SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/webstories/tax-filers-earning-more-than-1-crore-increase-by-nearly-50-percent/slidelist/102895925.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/webstories/tax-filers-earning-more-than-1-crore-increase-by-nearly-50-percent/slidelist/102895925.cms" target="_blank">Crorepatis rising: Here’s how the income of Indian tax filers has changed in one year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/how-to-find-unclaimed-bank-deposits-using-udgam-portal/articleshow/102830161.cms">Have unclaimed bank deposits? Here’s how to find it using UDGAM portal</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/india-crosses-the-2-billion-mark-in-its-journey-to-become-a-smartphone-manufacturing-powerhouse/articleshow/102760757.cms">India crosses the 2 billion mark in its journey to become a smartphone manufacturing powerhouse</a>

"Welcome, buddy!" Chandrayaan-2 orbiter greets Chandrayaan-3 lander as they establish communication

The <keyword id="6354321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru" source="Orion">Bengaluru</keyword> <keyword id="6356415" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metro" source="Orion">metro</keyword> <keyword id="6366234" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rail" source="Orion">rail</keyword> project is on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025, a top official said here. Addressing a session on the 'future of mobility' at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 on Friday, Anjum Parwez, Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (<keyword id="6367448" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BMRCL" source="Orion">BMRCL</keyword>), said as part of the second and third phase of the project, Bengaluru will have 314 km of metro rail connectivity by 2041. He said construction of metro lines is also progressing well on the airport side. He said the biggest challenge in urban mobility is the integration of multi-modal transport systems and moving people to get into public transport from personalised transport modes. Parwez said urban India was the most neglected area until the 1990s, as urban planning was not in sync with connectivity or mobility issues. He said BMRCL is getting a lot of support from startups in mobility to ensure that commuters have last-mile connectivity. He said the corporation is tying up with mobility providers to get people to reach the nodal point and commute to their workplaces. Parwez said the <keyword id="6367447" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Namma-Metro" source="Orion">Namma Metro</keyword> has recently gone digital with its payment options that include the use of QR code scans and UPI-based payment options which has met with good response from commuters. Also, there is no waiting time for passengers who are in a hurry as there is no need to stand in queues to buy tickets or cards now. He said BMRCL is working on a transit-oriented development where commuters live close to the stations and to the workplace. Besides, the BMRCL also intends to integrate all aggregators by bringing out a mobility card for commuters. He said the corporation is in talks with BMTC to have bus stops at metro stations to help commuters hop on and hop off both modes of transport. He said bike taxis and carpooling should be encouraged although the government of Karnataka had put brakes on their operation. The BMRCL is also working on introducing shopping options for commuters inside and outside the metro stations. He said the BMRCL plans to sell office space in metro stations and provide end-to-end solutions to all the stakeholders. Amit Bhatt, Managing Director of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), said urbanisation in India is 33 per cent while it is about 80-85 per cent in European and American countries. He said about 66 per cent of urban infrastructure is yet to be built in India as the country is set to see a number of cities being built. The biggest challenge is to ensure zero emission, zero exclusion and zero accidents in urban transport, he said. Vadiraj Krishnamurthy, Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Bosch Global Software Technologies, said the future is software-defined fully programmable vehicles. "The key enablers of urban transport are personalised multi-modal mobility, automated mobility, electrified and connected mobility. Connecting vehicles using technology is an engineering challenge of the future," he said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/alstom-bags-rs-2643-crore-order-to-design-manufacture-312-metro-cars-for-delhi-metro-phase-iv/articleshow/95582764.cms">Alstom bags Rs 2,643 crore order to design, manufacture 312 metro cars for Delhi Metro Phase IV</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/2022-jeep-grand-cherokee-is-a-luxury-4x4-adventurer-at-77-5-lakh-heres-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/95595383.cms">2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a luxury 4x4 adventurer at ₹77.5 lakh</a>

Bengaluru metro rail on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025: BMRCL MD

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="13489252" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="london-bullion-market-association" source="Orion">London Bullion Market Association</keyword> and the <keyword id="13489253" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="world-gold-council" source="Orion">World Gold Council</keyword> launched a pilot program to digitally track <keyword id="11896079" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gold" source="Orion">gold</keyword> moving through the global supply chain. </li><li>The Gold Bar Integrity Programme will test a blockchain-based ledger aimed at monitoring gold bars from mine to vault. </li></ul>Two major <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/gold-price?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest">gold</a> groups on Monday launched a pilot program to digitally monitor gold moving through the global supply chain as a way to ensure authenticity and bolster transparency within the market for the precious metal. The London <keyword id="6384667" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bullion" source="Orion">Bullion</keyword> Market Association and the World Gold Council said the Gold Bar Integrity Programme will use a blockchain-backed ledger to register and track the full history of gold bars from mine to vault — gold that ultimately goes to so-called end consumers such as jewelry manufacturers. The groups want to guard the market against counterfeit gold or gold that's been illegally mined. "Consumers and investors want to know their gold has been responsibly and sustainably produced and tracing the origin of gold bars will help enforce the highest standards across the entire supply chain," World Gold Council CEO David Tait <a href="https://www.gold.org/news-and-events/press-releases/gold-bar-integrity-programme">said in a statement</a>. The LBMA and the WGC said the plan over time is to encourage all major participants in the industry to adopt blockchain technology so that all gold bars are digitally registered and tracked. Two distributed ledger companies, aXedras and Peer Ledger, will demonstrate their technology under the initial phase of the program.

The gold industry is testing blockchain technology to track the global market's supply chain of bars

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Germany introduced its first hydrogen-powered commuter trains in August, 2022.</li><li> Technology and infrastructure upgrades will be critical as transportation systems evolve. </li></ul>In the race to transition to sustainable transportation, Europe has one major advantage over the United States: its expansive rail network. In 2019, the European Union racked up <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Railway_passenger_transport_statistics_-_quarterly_and_annual_data" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">415 billion passenger kilometers traveled</a> on its network, compared to around <a href="https://www.bts.gov/content/us-passenger-kilometers" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored">32 billion</a> in the US.Though trains are significantly better for the environment than the glut of internal-combustion engines, they are not emission-free. In Europe, around 45% of railway lines are not electrified and typically use traditional diesel engines to transport commuters, with all the greenhouse-gas emissions that those entail.That's why one rail operator in Germany took the bold step to switch its trains to a type of fuel that has never been tested on trains before: hydrogen. While not cheap, the investment needed to make the switch will pay dividends as other transportation systems phase out fossil fuels. On August 24 this year, the new, emission-free alternative became a reality. In Lower Saxony, in northern Germany, the first hydrogen-powered commuter trains were officially commissioned for full-time service after two years of extensive testing. By the end of this year, all 14 of the trains serving Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, and Buxtehude will be powered by hydrogen. It's a transition that cost the region's Ministry of Transport 85 million euros."We wanted to reduce carbon emissions, and with this project, we are reducing 4,400 tonnes of carbon emissions every year," Melina Gnisa, a spokesperson for LNVG, the region's state-owned rail operator, said. "There were no catenary," or overhead power wires, "so we had to look for alternatives because our company decided we don't want to use diesel anymore."The train that met the brief was the Coradia iLint, manufactured by the veteran French rolling-stock producer Alstom, which had been in development since 2014.<h2>Financing technology is key to transition</h2>Research and development were funded in part by Germany's National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, which aims to grow the technology in the country. For the iLint, Alstom received 8 million euros in federal German funds to help get the train up and running."Since the beginning, the attitude of the authorities in Germany was definitely in favor of hydrogen, and they were with us to take the risk and to develop it," said Brahim Soua, the vice president of Alstom's Regional Rolling Stock platform, who worked to bring the iLint project to fruition."Germany put in place a financing process to help and to introduce the technology in railway because we know very well that when you are introducing a new technology, there is an investment needed at the beginning," Soua said, adding that this was critical to getting the project off the ground. Otherwise, the lack of hydrogen infrastructure would have rendered the project not viable.Alstom is positioning the iLint as a like-for-like replacement for diesel trains serving regional rail routes that have not been electrified. It's not surprising, given that the design is an evolution of the company's diesel-powered Lint. Spec-wise, the iLint is very similar to its predecessor, with a maximum speed of 140 kilometers an hour and seats for around 150 to 200 passengers, depending on seating configuration.<h2>Recouping on the infrastructure investment as the world becomes greener</h2>But without a solution to the "chicken and egg" infrastructure problem, it's hard to roll out a new fuel technology because of the costs involved."The acquisition price of a hydrogen train is higher than a diesel one," Soua said. "You need investment, at least for the infrastructure and the fueling stations, which don't exist."The good news, though, is that as technology is built out, the economics should start to make more sense. According to Soua, maintenance costs on hydrogen trains are much lower, and hydrogen-powered trains will cost less than diesel after about 15 years of operation.So to seed the deployment, the German federal government also put up an additional 4.3 million euros to fund a refueling station in Bremerhaven — and this could have consequences that extend beyond the railway."When you have a refueling station somewhere, you can also use it for buses, trucks, automobiles, and so on," Soua said. "We need to see it globally as an ecosystem in such a way that even the investment is split on several transportation needs."Now that the railway is fully operational, the fueling station will deposit around 270 kilograms of hydrogen in each 15-to-20-minute-long refueling period. At the moment, hydrogen is manufactured off-site and brought in by truck. The plan is to eventually have the site make its own "green" hydrogen, by having the chemical process take place with water and the electrolysers on-site. This requires a lot of electrical energy, but due to some geographic luck, it shouldn't be a problem."We're in the north of Germany, and there's the North Sea with offshore wind power — there's a lot of opportunities to produce the hydrogen," Gnisa said.It's too early to draw any definitive conclusions about the success or lack thereof from Lower Saxony's experience, but Alstom is optimistic. The company has already signed up its second customer from Germany, as the Rhine-Main region has ordered 27 iLint trains, and similar contracts have been inked in Italy and France. Thanks to hydrogen, in the not-so-distant future, many billion more rail kilometers traveled in Europe — and the rest of the world — could be carbon-free, too.

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