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New Delhi: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (<keyword id="19942079" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="TRAI" source="keywords">TRAI</keyword>) has urged the government to launch the <keyword id="22872478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tera-Hertz" source="keywords">Tera Hertz</keyword> Experimental Authorisation (THEA), a program aimed at boosting research and development in the Tera Hertz frequency band. This frequency band has unique properties that could make it crucial for next-generation wireless communication technologies, including <keyword id="20669191" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="6G" source="keywords">6G</keyword>. On Wednesday, TRAI released its recommendations on the Tera Hertz Spectrum. This followed a request from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on December 8, 2022, for advice on using unused or minimally used spectrum bands in the Tera Hertz range for limited periods to generate demand. "The purpose of THEA should be to promote Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D), indoor and outdoor testing, technology trial, experimentation, and demonstration in the 95 GHz to 3 THz range," stated TRAI. These recommendations are intended to empower entrepreneurs, startups, and academic institutions to explore new technologies and applications within this high-frequency spectrum. The spectrum has immense potential in various fields, including telecommunications, automotive, and medical industries. TRAI has proposed a five-year authorisation period for THEA, with the possibility of extending it for another five years. This allows for extensive experimentation and development. Innovators can apply for THEA by paying a nominal fee of Rs. 1,000, making it accessible to a wide range of stakeholders. "Any Indian Entity (Academic institute, R&amp;D Laboratory, Central/ State Government, public sector unit, Union Territory, Technology Park, telecommunication service provider, incubator, original equipment manufacturer, etc.) should be eligible to obtain THEA," mentioned TRAI. The authorisation covers several frequency bands, including 116-123 GHz, 174.8-182 GHz, 185-190 GHz, and 244-246 GHz, with specific provisions for automotive radar systems in the 77-81 GHz range. Experts believe THEA will significantly enhance India's technological landscape by enabling hands-on experimentation. This will help innovators assess the performance and viability of their products during crucial development stages. Additionally, it will support the "Make in India" initiative. "Upon implementation, the new experimental authorisation regime recommended by the Authority will provide a boost to the 'Make in India' initiatives of the Government," TRAI added. THEA's launch aligns with the government's broader vision of fostering a culture of innovation and research in the country. "The introduction of next-generation <keyword id="22150173" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wireless-technologies" source="keywords">wireless technologies</keyword> that could be deployed both indoor and outdoor, operating over distances ranging from less than a meter to several hundred meters, and deliver increased capacity and reliability for existing use cases as well as new and emerging use cases," said TRAI. By encouraging the development of advanced solutions, India aims to enhance its technological capabilities and contribute to global advancements in various industries. As the world turns to high-frequency technologies, THEA could elevate India's position on the global tech stage. (ANI)

TRAI recommends launch of THEA to boost 6G and next-gen wireless technologies in India

<ul><li><keyword id="6354504" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="reliance-jio" source="Orion">Reliance Jio</keyword> and <keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword> have reported an increase in subscribers in December 2022.</li><li>Cash-strapped <keyword id="1553175" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vodafone-idea" source="Orion">Vodafone Idea</keyword> once again reported a decline in subscribers.</li><li>There has been a significant increase in active subscribers of Airtel and <keyword id="2003276" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jio" source="Orion">Jio</keyword>.</li></ul>Reliance Jio and Airtel have once gained subscribers at the cost of cash-strapped <keyword id="176019" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vi" source="Orion">Vi</keyword> in December 2022. The troubled telco, which is the only private operator to not roll out 5G services in the country, lost 2.47 million subscribers in December 2022. During the same period, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio gained 1.7 million subscribers, followed by Airtel, which gained 1.52 million subscribers. The total subscriber base also reported a decline of 1.12 million users, falling from 1.143 billion to 1.142 billion in December 2022. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Active subscribers receive a big boost" comment="subhead" text="Active subscribers receive a big boost">Active subscribers receive a big boost</cmsannotation> December 2022 has come as a boost to telcos as the active subscriber base has seen the highest net addition in the last 10 months. The three telcos reported a net addition of 8.6 million active subscribers. While Jio led the charge in net subscriber addition, Airtel reported the highest increase of active subscribers at 5.98 million, followed by Jio at 2.97 million. Vi on the other hand lost 0.12 million active subscribers. The active subscriber base has come from across areas, with A-circles and B-circles leading at 3.8 million and 2.9 million respectively. Metros have also reported an increase of 1.6 million active subscribers. With this, Jio now has 391 million active subscribers, followed by Airtel’s 365 million active subscribers. Vi is again lagging with 209.6 million active subscribers. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Vi’s trouble continues as it loses 2.47 million subscribers" comment="subhead" text="Vi’s trouble continues as it loses 2.47 million subscribers">Vi’s trouble continues as it loses 2.47 million subscribers</cmsannotation> Vodafone Idea’s troubles have worsened and the telco<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-q3-net-loss-widens-to-7990-crore-average-revenue-per-user-edges-up-to-135/articleshow/97939836.cms"> reported</a> a net loss of ₹7,990 crore in Q3. This was marginally higher than the loss of ₹7,596 crore the company reported in Q2. After losing 2.47 million subscribers in December 2022, the telco’s total subscribers have declined to 241.32 million. As per TRAI, its gross subscriber base has declined from 265 million in January 2022 to 241.32 million in December 2022, which is a decline of 23.68 million subscribers during the period. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Jio continues to lead the sector" comment="subhead" text="Jio continues to lead the sector">Jio continues to lead the sector</cmsannotation> Reliance Jio has further strengthened its subscriber base, taking its total subscriber count to 424.52 million. The company’s gross subscribers increased from 406 million in January 2022 to 424.52 million in December 2022, The telco had<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jios-net-profit-up-3-2-sequentially-at-4881-crore-in-q3-on-better-subscriber-mix/articleshow/97179677.cms"> reported</a> a ₹4,881 net profit in Q3, slightly up from ₹4,729 crore in the previous quarter. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Airtel continues its growth, active subscribers jump" comment="subhead" text="Airtel continues its growth, active subscribers jump">Airtel continues its growth, active subscribers jump</cmsannotation> December 2022 has turned out to be excellent for Airtel. The telco not only reported an increase of 1.52 million net subscribers, its active subscribers have jumped by nearly 6 million, the highest increase it has reported in the last two years. The telco<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/bharti-airtel-q3-net-profit-jumps-91-to-1588-crore-misses-estimates/articleshow/97698481.cms"> reported</a> a Q3 net profit of ₹1,588 crore, which was significantly lower than expectations. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-hikes-the-price-of-its-base-plan-by-57-reduces-validity-to-24-days/articleshow/97299532.cms">Airtel price hike announced – customers will have to pay 57% more for the telco’s cheapest plan</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-launches-its-first-5g-data-pack-price-benefits-how-to-use/slidelist/96874180.cms">Reliance Jio launches its first 5G data pack – price, benefits, how to use</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-continues-to-lead-the-telecom-industry-as-its-active-subscribers-increase-by-4-9-million/articleshow/96395806.cms">Reliance Jio continues to lead the telecom industry as its active subscribers increase by 4.9 million</a>

Reliance Jio and Airtel add subscribers as Vodafone Idea continues to bleed subscribers

<ul><li>Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (<keyword id="6356988" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TRAI" source="Orion">TRAI</keyword>) <keyword id="1372490" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telecom-subscriber-data" source="Orion">telecom subscriber data</keyword> for the month of January 2021 was another month of record subscriber loss for Mukesh Ambani’s <keyword id="2003276" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jio" source="Orion">Jio</keyword>.</li><li>The Ambani-led telco lost over 9 million subscribers, making it its third biggest subscriber loss so far.</li><li><keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword> was the only telco to gain subscribers, although Vodafone Idea’s decline slowed down considerably this time.</li></ul><keyword id="6354504" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-jio" source="Orion">Reliance Jio</keyword> is cutting down the flab before it embarks once again on its path to cross the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jio-is-slowing-down-in-the-race-to-500-million-subscribers/articleshow/87862415.cms">magical 500 million subscriber number</a>. The Mukesh Ambani-led telco opened 2022 with its third biggest subscriber loss in January, shedding over 9 million subscribers. This comes after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio-loses-13-million-subscribers-its-second-largest-fall-so-far/articleshow/89644193.cms">Jio lost 13 million subscribers</a> in the previous month. In comparison, Airtel posted a net addition of over 0.7 million subscribers. Vodafone Idea also showed an improvement, slowing down its monthly loss by nearly a third to 0.4 million. <div type="image" title="Reliance Jio Airtel Vodafone Idea subscriber additions January 2022." msid="90557512" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Jio reported its third largest subscriber loss this month&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> As a result, the overall number of mobile subscribers in India declined to 1,169 million in January 2022, down from 1,178 million in December 2021. As of 10 a.m., on March 31, shares of Jio’s parent company, Reliance Industries, were down by 0.7%, while Airtel was up 0.2% and Vodafone Idea was up by over 2%. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How is the third biggest subscriber loss a good news for Reliance Jio?" comment="subhead" text="How is the third biggest subscriber loss a good news for Reliance Jio?">How is the third biggest subscriber loss a good news for Reliance Jio?</cmsannotation> But this is still a net positive for Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom company. How, you ask? The reasoning is simple – Jio is actively weeding out dormant or non-paying subscribers from its network. This is a result of dormant subscribers being knocked out of the network, which is how Jio’s active subscriber market share has continuously improved in the past five months, even as it lost over 37 million subscribers while Airtel added over 2 million in the same period. <div type="image" title="Telecom market share (active users) Jan-21 - Jan-22." msid="90557524" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Active subscriber market share&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Another metric to consider is Jio’s active subscriber rate – the number of users with an active subscription. It has crossed 90% for the first time in the telco’s history. For a long time, Jio’s active subscriber rate was under 80%, but it crossed this threshold for the first time in December 2021. <div type="image" title="Jio Airtel Vodafone Idea active subs January 2022." msid="90557545" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Airtel leads in active subscriber rate, with Jio at the second place&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-news-board-approves-14500-crore-fundraising-plan/articleshow/89983243.cms">Even a big fundraise is not helping Vodafone investors as Russia-Ukraine conflict takes the wind out of global markets</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jio-launches-industrys-first-calendar-monthly-prepaid-plan/articleshow/90491176.cms">Jio launches industry’s first ‘calendar’ monthly prepaid plan</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/indians-are-now-consuming-over-12000-petabytes-of-4g-data-every-month/slidelist/90221728.cms">Indians are now consuming over 12,000 petabytes of 4G data every month</a>

Reliance Jio lost over 9 million subscribers in January, but that is a good thing – here’s why

<ul><li><keyword id="6354504" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="reliance-jio" source="Orion">Reliance Jio</keyword>, <keyword id="6354287" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bharti-airtel" source="Orion">Bharti Airtel</keyword> and <keyword id="1553175" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="vodafone-idea" source="Orion">Vodafone Idea</keyword> are expected to report another stable quarter with moderate revenue growth.</li><li><keyword id="6383126" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="telcos" source="Orion">Telcos</keyword> have been witnessing a slowdown in 4G subscriber additions and rising costs due to the 5G rollout.</li><li>Analysts suggest the much-expected tariff hikes will be the “key trigger” going forward.</li></ul>Slowdown in 4G subscriber additions and lack of tariff hikes in over a year could slow down revenue growth of India’s telecom companies, according to analysts. While the market leader Reliance <keyword id="2003276" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="jio" source="Orion">Jio</keyword> is expected to report a net addition in subscribers, its rivals Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword> and Vodafone Idea are expected to report a decline, as per an <keyword id="46909" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="icici-securities" source="Orion">ICICI Securities</keyword> estimate. And it would have an effect on the revenues of the sector as a whole. “Our Q3FY23 estimates suggest a deceleration in mobile revenue growth across telcos due to SIM consolidation, lower benefit of premiumisation from slowdown in 4G net add, and absence of tariff hikes,” said an ICICI Securities report. Overall, analysts expect the three telcos to report earnings growth in the range of 9.4-19.7% year-on-year. Reliance Jio is expected to report the highest revenue growth at 19.7% YoY while its close rival Airtel is expected to report a 17.5% increase. Vodafone Idea, on the other hand, is expected to report revenue growth on the lower end at 9.4%, according to ICICI Securities. Overall, on a sequential basis, the revenue growth is expected to flat – in the range of 0.1-1.7% — with Vi being on the lower end once again. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Tariff hike the ‘key trigger’ going forward" comment="subhead" text="Tariff hike the ‘key trigger’ going forward">Tariff hike the ‘key trigger’ going forward</cmsannotation> Going forward however, telcos are expected to<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/bharti-airtel-and-reliance-jio-could-hike-tariffs-by-as-much-as-10-according-to-analysts/articleshow/96375427.cms"> deliver a 10% tariff hike in Q4 FY23</a>. Tariff hikes, analysts say, are “key triggers” for telecom stocks. “From an industry structure, balance sheet and cash flow viewpoint, telcos remain one of the best positioned and a defensive play to navigate through the market uncertainties, if any. Potential tariff hike is the key trigger,” said a report by Dolat Capital. Telcos have been expected to announce tariff hikes for quite some time now – the last tariff hike in the industry was in December 2021. Analysts had expected telcos to deliver a similar hike in December 2022, which never materialized. While Jefferies sees a tariff hike in Q4 FY23, analysts at IIFL Securities suggest the hike could happen only by mid-2023. “Considering large 5G investments and higher network costs on addition of 5G equipment to towers, we believe the next 4G prepaid tariff hike could probably be in mid-2023. Pushing tariff hikes closer to 2024 elections raises the risk of political backlash,” IIFL Securities noted. Despite rolling out 5G services back in October, both <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-5g-prices-may-be-affordable-for-now-but-expected-to-increase-after-wider-rollout/articleshow/94636173.cms">Airtel and Jio are offering 5G services at no added cost</a> to their subscribers. Cumulatively, the three telcos spent ₹1.5 lakh crore towards their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/heres-how-much-mobile-bills-can-increase-from-5g-network-service/articleshow/93312184.cms">spectrum purchases</a>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Increased churn adds to lack of tariff hikes" comment="subhead" text="Increased churn adds to lack of tariff hikes">Increased churn adds to lack of tariff hikes</cmsannotation> As the timelines for possible tariff hikes are yet to emerge, the margins will remain stressed as there is one more pain point that’s added to the sector in the form of increased <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/bharti-airtel-and-reliance-jio-could-hike-tariffs-by-as-much-as-10-according-to-analysts/articleshow/96375427.cms">subscriber churn. Telecom users </a>started shopping for better plans in the last four months. According to the telecom subscriber data for October 2022 released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of MNP requests in October surged to 11.81 million – close to September’s 11.97 million, which is the highest in 2022. “The rise in MNP requests over the past five months implies increasing competition for subscribers in the market. This is also evident from the higher churn levels seen during Q2 FY23 across telcos,” said the Jefferies report. Additionally, the rollout of 5G and Jio offering unlimited high-speed data is also likely to change the competitive landscape of the sector. “Subscriber (sub) base for Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea is likely to shrink while Reliance Jio’s net sub additions (+5mn) may moderate,” said a report by ICICI Securities. The scrambling for high-end 5G customers in a market that’s already saturated will make the telecom market much tougher, putting margins for the sector under pressure. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Text"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/sbi-hdfc-bank-axis-bank-among-other-private-and-public-bank-earnings-could-see-a-further-ramp-up-in-q3-2022/articleshow/96768992.cms">Bank earnings could see a further ramp up in Q3, say analysts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/skippi-ice-pops-what-this-hyderabad-popsicle-brand-is-doing-after-raising-rs-1-crore-from-shark-tank-india-season-1/articleshow/96759786.cms">Skippi Ice Pops – how the Hyderabad-based popsicle brand fared after bagging a ₹1 crore deal on Shark Tank India S1</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-wipro-and-other-it-companies-earnings-preview-for-q3-fy23/articleshow/96731891.cms">December quarter likely to be a weak one for the IT sector – Infosys amongst top analyst picks</a>

Churn and fewer 4G subscribers to slow down telecom revenue growth in Q3

<ul><li>All the red signs are blaring at <keyword id="1553175" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vodafone-idea" source="Orion">Vodafone Idea</keyword>, but the telco says that a second tariff hike could be coming this year. </li><li>The company’s CEO Ravinder Takkar noted that it won’t wait for two years to raise tariffs again. </li><li>Vodafone Idea reported ballooning losses, declining revenue, subscriber and ARPU numbers during the December 2020 quarter. </li></ul>Merely a few weeks after a tariff hike, Vodafone Idea says another one could be coming soon as the struggling telco looks to battle dwindling subscribers and dipping revenue. “We would expect that it’s possible that there could be another price hike in 2022, but certainly at some point the price hike will take place,” said Vodafone Idea’s chief executive officer Ravinder Takkar during the company’s earnings call. Interestingly, Takkar <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/there-is-a-silver-lining-in-vodafone-ideas-dark-numbers/articleshow/89086056.cms">said</a> that the drop in subscribers was due to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-hikes-tariffs-by-up-to-500-for-its-popular-plans/articleshow/87864183.cms">tariff hike</a> in November and SIM consolidation. He also said there is “no concern regarding the 4G customer addition pace and the drop in subscribers.” To recall, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/vodafone-idea-hikes-tariffs-by-up-to-500-for-its-popular-plans/articleshow/87864183.cms">Vodafone Idea hiked tariffs</a> by up to ₹500, or 25%, across all of its popular plans. While the hike is yet to reflect in the company’s average revenue per user, it is still languishing at ₹115, while its rivals Airtel and Jio are both sailing above ₹150 levels. “The last one was almost 2 years earlier, which I believe is a bit long. We certainly would expect less than two years, but in 2022 we will have to see how quickly these prices get embedded. Probably, it could be 2023 as well,” said Takkar, laying down the rationale for the tariff hike. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Revenue, ARPU, subscribers down, losses widen" comment="subhead" text="Revenue, ARPU, subscribers down, losses widen">Revenue, ARPU, subscribers down, losses widen</cmsannotation> All the alarms have gone off and the sirens are blaring at Vodafone Idea as the telco continued to hemorrhage subscribers in the December quarter. Revenue and average revenue per user (ARPU) were down, too, and losses continued to mount. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Vodafone Idea’s quarter in numbers" comment="subhead" text="Vodafone Idea’s quarter in numbers">Vodafone Idea’s quarter in numbers</cmsannotation> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Particulars </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dec-21 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dec-20 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Revenue </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹9,717 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹10,894 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Net loss </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹7,231 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹4,532 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ARPU </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹115 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹121 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subscribers </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">24.72 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">26.98 crore </td></tr></tbody></table> Source: Company reports The decline in ARPU combined with a steep decline in the subscriber numbers resulted in a 11% fall in the company’s revenue. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Tariff hikes to reflect in ARPU later this year" comment="subhead" text="Tariff hikes to reflect in ARPU later this year">Tariff hikes to reflect in ARPU later this year</cmsannotation> The tariff hikes announced by the telco in November 2021 will take a while to reflect in the company’s ARPU, according to Takkar. However, there may yet be a silver lining in the dark clouds here – there’s a declining trend in Vodafone Idea’s subscriber losses. According to the telecom regulator’s (TRAI) subscriber data, Vodafone Idea lost over 5.6 million subscribers in October and November 2020. This is down to under 3 million in the same period in 2021. TRAI is yet to release data for December 2021. Apart from this, on a sequential basis, the company’s ARPU improved notably by over 5% to ₹115 from ₹107 in the September quarter. It is worth noting that the IUC (interconnect usage charges) regime was not present in both these quarters, which makes the numbers comparable. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/there-is-a-silver-lining-in-vodafone-ideas-dark-numbers/articleshow/89086056.cms">There is a silver lining in Vodafone Idea’s dark numbers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-results-q3-fy22-profit-revenue-subscriber-growth/articleshow/89034299.cms">Reliance Jio is making the most money it has ever made from its subscribers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/government-owning-vodafone-idea-is-just-half-the-task-the-other-half-is-to-find-the-money/articleshow/88836355.cms">Government owning Vodafone Idea is just half the task – the other half is to find the money</a>

Vodafone Idea says another tariff hike is coming even as it continues to lose subscribers

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6367143" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lic" source="Orion">LIC</keyword> management will soon meet the top management of the crisis-ridden <keyword id="6367820" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="adani-group" source="Orion">Adani Group</keyword>.</li><li>LIC's investment into <keyword id="76451" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="adani" source="Orion">Adani</keyword> group firms' stock has come under criticism by the opposition parties as well as investors</li><li>We are soon going to call them to meet us and explain. We want to understand what is happening in the market and in the group, said LIC chairman.</li></ul>The LIC management will soon meet the top management of the crisis-ridden Adani Group and seek clarification on the crisis being faced by the diversified conglomerate, chairman M R Kumar said here on Thursday. LIC's investment into Adani group firms' stock has come under criticism by the opposition parties as well as investors after US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations against the Gautam Adani-led group, saying its companies manage and manipulate share prices, run offshore shell companies for round-tripping and lacking in corporate governance practices. "Though our investor team has already sought clarifications from the Adanis, our top management could not contact them yet as we have been busy preparing the results. We are soon going to call them to meet us and explain. We want to understand what is happening in the market and in the group," the chairman told reporters at the earnings conference on Thursday. "We'll be calling them in sometime soon to know how are they managing the whole crisis," Kumar added. Kumar, however, refused to give a timeline of the meeting between LIC and Adani group officials. LIC, which is the nation's largest institutional investor, is the second largest shareholder in most of the listed Adani group companies, with a cumulative investment of Rs 36,474.78 crore as of January 27, which in percentage terms is 4.23 per cent of the total public holding in those companies. But for LIC's Rs 44.76 lakh crore investment asset under management, this is only 0.97 per cent. As of January 27, this investment was valued at over Rs 56,000 crore, LIC had said on January 30, but since then these shares have further lost -- cumulatively about USD 100 billion or about 60 per cent of their January 24 market value. When asked, the chairman categorically said, "Our investments are still in the green and we have not made any provisions either for equity, which is the vast majority or for the debt. Our equity holding in the group is 4.23 per cent of the total public holding of those firms. But from our total market investment of Rs 44.76 lakh crore, this is only 0.97 per cent." He said the Irdai (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) norms on investment caps it at 15 per cent of a company's equity, but "we have some exception wherein we hold more than 30 per cent in some companies". "Why should we be making provision when they are in the green. To some of the group companies (ACC and <keyword id="105382" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ambuja-cements" source="Orion">Ambuja Cements</keyword>) our investments go back to more than two decades," he said. On January 30, LIC issued a public statement saying: "Our total holding in the Adani group companies under equity and debt a on date is Rs 36,474.78 crore. This was Rs 35,917.31 crore as of December 31, 2022. Total purchase value of these equities of the group companies, bought over the past many years, is Rs 30,127 crore and the market value for the same at close of market hours on January 27, 2023 was Rs 56,142 crore." LIC has exposure to all the 10 listed Adani group companies. However, it did not disclose about its exposure on an individual company basis. Even after the Hindenburg report, LIC invested about Rs 300 crore in buying 9,15,748 shares in Adani Enterprises' Rs 20,000-crore follow-on public offer as an anchor investor. Kumar said, the book value of its Rs 44.75 lakh crore market asset under management is only Rs 6.87 lakh crore, and according to the same book value its exposure to the Adani group companies is only 4.23 per cent. Since the publication of the Hindenburg report on January 24, three days before the launch of the group's flagship Adani Enterprises' Rs 20,000-crore follow-on public offer (FPO), the value of the group companies' stocks have lost more than USD 100 billion or about 60 per cent from their January 24 value. The FPO was fully subscribed but called off a day later by the management. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-group-stocks-snap-2-day-rally-tank-in-morning-trade/articleshow/97758799.cms">Adani group stocks snap 2-day winning streak to trade in the red</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/startup-founders-focus-on-profitability-hope-for-higher-valuations-innoven-capital-report/articleshow/97769944.cms">Startup founders focus on profitability, hope for higher valuations: InnoVen Capital report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/trais-move-to-display-callers-names-endangers-privacy-imposes-costs-iamai/articleshow/97777301.cms">TRAI's move to display callers' names endangers privacy, imposes costs says industry body IAMAI</a>

Will meet Adani Group top management soon says LIC chairman

<ul><li>The <keyword id="10847072" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="starlink-satellite-internet-service">Starlink satellite internet service</keyword> is coming to India in 2022. </li><li><keyword id="7612156" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="starlink">Starlink</keyword> has started accepting pre-bookings, with a fully refundable deposit of $99 (approx. ₹7,300). </li><li>If you want early access to the Starlink internet service, you can pre-book using a debit or credit card. </li><li>Currently, Starlink promises speeds of 50-150 Mbps, but this could be doubled to 300 Mbps by the end of 2021.</li></ul><keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword>’s Starlink satellite internet service is coming to India and you can now pre-book your connection. This comes after the debut of Tesla’s electric vehicles in India was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/checkout-elon-musk-company-tesla-model-3-car-expected-price-in-india/articleshow/80004078.cms">confirmed</a> in December last year. The Starlink service is operated by <keyword id="6360701" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacex">SpaceX</keyword>, an aerospace company. SpaceX was founded in 2002 and was founded by Musk, who also owns US-based Tesla, Inc. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Starlink satellite internet launch date in India" comment="subhead" text="Starlink satellite internet launch date in India">Starlink satellite internet launch date in India</cmsannotation> According to information available on its website, Starlink is targeting its India launch sometime in 2022. The exact launch time frame is not available right now, but you can head over to the <a href="https://www.starlink.com/">Starlink website</a> and pre-book your connection right now. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Starlink availability in India" comment="subhead" text="Starlink availability in India">Starlink availability in India</cmsannotation> <div type="image" title="Starlink prebooking" msid="81268132" hostid="261"></div> Most of the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and others seem to be covered. For exact coverage details and to see if your address is covered, you can head over to the website and enter your details to see if you can pre-book now. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Here is how much Starlink will cost in India" comment="subhead" text="Here is how much Starlink will cost in India">Here is how much Starlink will cost in India</cmsannotation> Starlink has started accepting pre-bookings for Indian addresses. The price has been set at $99 (approx. ₹7,300) towards deposit for the service. This payment is towards the Starlink equipment that will have to be installed at your address to access the internet service. Once you make the payment, your priority access gets reserved in your location. This deposit is fully refundable, so even if you change your mind after paying, you can still get your money back. Starlink accepts payments via debit and credit cards, as well as Apple Pay. However, Apply Pay is currently not available in India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What will be the internet speeds offered by Starlink?" comment="subhead" text="What will be the internet speeds offered by Starlink?">What will be the internet speeds offered by Starlink?</cmsannotation> During the current beta testing phase, Starlink is offering speeds between 50-150 Mbps. However, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/starlink-internet-speed-will-double-to-300mbps-this-year-musk/articleshow/81165297.cms">Elon Musk has revealed</a> that speeds will be doubled to 300 Mbps by the end of 2021. Musk also said that the Starlink project will cover “most of the Earth” by the end of 2021. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Should you subscribe to the Starlink internet service?" comment="subhead" text="Should you subscribe to the Starlink internet service?">Should you subscribe to the Starlink internet service?</cmsannotation> This depends on where you are located, and whether you have access to reliable wired or wireless broadband services. If there are no decent broadband options available in your area, the Starlink satellite internet service might make sense in your case. Broadband access remains an issue in India even now, with there being a little over 22 million wired broadband users in the country. Contrast this to mobile subscribers, which numbered over 115 million, according to data obtained from the latest TRAI <a href="https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/PR_No.06of2021_0.pdf">report</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-airtel-share-price-may-gain-as-broadband-plan-rates-fall/articleshow/76525187.cms">A World Bank report has revealed</a> that an increase of 10% in broadband penetration is likely to boost the gross domestic product (GDP) by 1.38% in developing countries like India. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/now-that-starlink-is-available-to-order-in-more-than-six-countries-heres-all-you-need-to-know-about-elon-musks-satellite-internet-service/articleshow/80896635.cms">SpaceX's Starlink: Everything you need to know about Elon Musk's internet service</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/starlink-internet-speed-will-double-to-300mbps-this-year-musk/articleshow/81165297.cms">Starlink's internet speed will double to 300Mbps by this year, says Elon Musk</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musk-once-again-says-spacexs-starlink-internet-service-will-ipo-once-its-cash-flow-is-more-predictable/articleshow/80767554.cms">Elon Musk once again says SpaceX's Starlink internet service will IPO once its cash flow is more predictable</a>

Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet is coming to India – here's how you can pre-book your connection

New Delhi, Dec 26 () Following are the top business stories at 1812 hours:

DCM22 BIZ-DOT-LD NEW5GSPECTRUM
DoT to seek Trai's views on new 5G spectrum; wants sale of additional bands in 2020
New Delhi: The Department of Telecom will soon seek sector regulator Trai's recommendations on pricing and other modalities for coveted 5G bands of 24.75-27.25 GHz, and wants to put this new spectrum up for auction sometime next year, sources said.
 
DEL39 BIZ-LD STOCKS
Sensex extends losing streak, tanks 297 pts on F&amp;O expiry
Mumbai: Benchmark indices nursed losses for the third straight session on Thursday, led by selling in market heavyweights Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank amid expiry of December derivatives contracts.

DEL43 BIZ-RUPEE-CLOSE
Rupee loses 4 paise to end at 71.31 vs US dollar 
Mumbai: The rupee pared its early gains and settled lower by 4 paise at 71.31 against the US currency on Thursday amid heavy selling in domestic equities and steady rise in crude oil prices.

DEL37 BIZ-PMVVY
Aadhaar made mandatory for PMVVY pension scheme
New Delhi: The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for subscribers of the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme for senior citizens.

DCM8 BIZ-YEAR-RENEWABLES
India set to cross 100GW renewable energy capacity mark in 2020
New Delhi: India is all set to cross the 100GW renewable energy capacity mark in 2020 and can make rapid strides towards the ambitious 175GW clean energy target by 2022 provided the government keeps a close eye on key issues and deals with those well in time.

DCM10 BIZ-YEAR-COAL
Govt plans big push to pvt coal mining, underground coal gasification, CBM
New Delhi: The government is planning to give a big push to private sector mining of coal, underground coal gasification and coal bed methane as it spent most of 2019 laying ground for diversification of the coal sector. 

 
 
 RUJ
RUJ

Business highlights

New Delhi, <keyword id="6354287" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bharti-airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> CEO Gopal Vittal on Wednesday wished better days for rival Vodafone <keyword id="41511" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="idea">Idea</keyword>, saying the company's existence is critical for India to remain a three-private player market that could bring investments, prevent job losses and restore the reputation of the struggling industry. "I think Vodafone Idea will remain and I wish it thrives... it is important that India remains a three-player market as that is good from all perspectives, (as in), investments, jobs and reputation," Vittal said on a post-earnings call Airtel reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 1,035 crore in the December quarter, stung by one-time expenses relating to statutory dues and write-downs on 3G gear, besides higher finance costs. But its India mobile services business continued to grow, with ARPUs up 5.3 per cent sequentially at Rs 135. On Wednesday, <keyword id="137231" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone-group">Vodafone Group</keyword> Plc head Nick Read once again stressed the critical state of Vodafone Idea, and said the UK major would not inject any fresh capital into its Indian telecom JV with the <keyword id="44373" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aditya-Birla-Group">Aditya Birla Group</keyword> and the outlook on the JV is "very critical". On the implications for Airtel, if Vodafone Idea shuts down, the Airtel CEO said that the matter would hinge on how the Supreme Court responds to the telcos' plea for negotiating the terms of AGR-related payments with the government. Vittal also said the company would not bid at the current prices in 5G spectrum auction. "The reserve price on the spectrum that is being put on the block which TRAI recommended... we have to see what the government does, but what TRAI had recommended on the 3.5 gigahertz band is close to Rs 49,000 or 50,000 crore for 100 megahertz of spectrum ... 5G requires large blocks of spectrum, as you know. So at 100 megahertz, Rs 50,000 crore is just something that we can't afford and it's... we believe it's too high priced. So we will not pick it up at those prices." The CEO told the analysts that ARPUs need to grow to at least Rs 300 (from current levels) to ensure "reasonable return on capital," saying that even if ARPU rises to Rs 200, post the last tariff revision (in December 2019) in the fiscal fourth quarter, "it would barely be head above water in terms of return on capital employed as tariffs remain exorbitantly low". However, according to a CLSA report, Airtel's average revenue per user might jump to only ₹181 by the end of FY 2022 at a compounded annual growth rate of 19%. "Such ARPU stabilisation would hinge on the quantum of 2G users naturally going to 4G, acceleration in the postpaid (user base) and a material change in tariffs". Airtel's strong 4G customer adds were partly a result of <keyword id="2003276" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jio">Jio</keyword>'s decision last October to charge users for voice calls to other telco networks, Vittal said, adding that "the move led to a surge of customers consolidating the second SIM and switching to Airtel". The company added 21 million 4G users in Q3. "We believe that industry ARPU needs to move to Rs 300 in the long term, this will provide the right balance between customer escalation and sector investments. The ARPU announcement on the back of tariff hikes, data net and overall upgrading of customers ensure that we continued the sequential revenue growth trend that we have been witnessing in the past few quarters. This quarter there has been a reporting change on account of reorganization of our optic fibre operations, which have been transferred to a wholly-owned subsidiary, he said. Vittal declined to comment on the timing of the next round of price hikes, but said they would "reassess whether the market can absorb another increase in FY21 as the situation is an evolving one". See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/billionaire-sunil-mittal-net-worth-and-airtel-q3-earnings-report/articleshow/73932668.cms">Billionaire Sunil Mittal got wealthier while Airtel lost a million users every 3 months for a year⁠— here’s why </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/airtel-q3-loss-at-rs-1035-crore-after-interest-provisioning-on-agr-dues/articleshow/73939120.cms">Airtel Q3 loss at Rs 1,035 crore after interest provisioning on AGR dues</a>

Bharti Airtel's CEO wants Vodafone-Idea to survive and stay on

<ul><li>During the <keyword id="7190005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="interim-budget-2019">Interim Budget 2019</keyword>, the Modi government presented Vision 2030. </li><li>From clean Ganga to an astronaut in space and building hubs for Digital India, the Vision 2030 agenda has big plans. </li><li>The government’s current track record in some cases and the lack of details in others are uninspiring. </li></ul>Indian government’s budget for 2019-20 was supposed to be an interim vote on account before the elections in the upcoming summer. However, the government’s promises, hopes and estimation went as far as 2030. Here’s the 10-point agenda for the next decade set by Piyush Goyal, standing in for finance minister Arun Jaitley. “We are poised to become a Five Trillion Dollar Economy in the next five years and aspire to become a Ten Trillion Dollar Economy in the next 8 years thereafter.” The message from the government is that it is not just focussed on the headline growth, but also on the quality of life. “On the social infrastructure side, every family will have a roof on its head and will live in a healthy, clean and wholesome environment,” said Finance MInister Piyush Goyal. It was 2017, when prime minister Modi promised to double farmers’ income in the following five years. However, the rural distress has been one of the biggest failures of the administration. While ‘housing for all by 2022’ is still an ongoing project, there is still a lot left to desire in <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/15-million-indian-households-have-meters-but-no-electricity">electrification</a> and <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/d0gb1cTpVnVwJaUQIPIaaP/Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan-Why-Indias-toilet-data-is-too-good-t.html">sanitation</a> of villages. “Digital India into every sector of the economy” There were two announcements towards digitisation of the economy – to turn 1 lakh villages into Digital Villages over next five years, and a plan to build centre of excellences for Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is not the first time the government has promised a push for AI. ₹3,073 crores were allocated for the programme in 2018-19. This fund was supposed to boost the development of artificial intelligence, robotics, big data analysis, and digital manufacturing, by setting up centres of excellences in the country. However, there has been little or no progress so far. The Indian government had allocated ₹10,000 crores in the last budget for Bharat Net phase II-- a pan-India broadband network--to create 500,000 rural wifi hotspots. By December 2018, the network had covered half the target range, but the utilisation was reportedly less <a href="https://thewire.in/government/pmo-bharatnet-project-shoddy-state-of-broadband-initiative">than 10%</a>. “Over ₹17,000 crore has been spent already on BharatNet. No results can be seen. There is no utilisation...Public money has been wasted and it will become a serious problem for the government," a senior official at Trai told <a href="https://www.livemint.com/politics/policy/trai-asks-telecom-dept-to-auction-bharatnet-assets-to-private-firms-1548698974471.html">Mint</a> in January. “This India will drive on Electric Vehicles with Renewables becoming a major source of energy supply. India will lead the world in the transport revolution through electric vehicles” India did assume the lead in the global fight against climate change after the <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/what-signing-the-paris-climate-change-treaty-means-for-india/story-RsDH1IAohQNEqRxb426YbM.html">Paris pact </a>of 2016. But the push towards green vehicles at home has had, at best, a sputtering start. While there has been a growth in demand for electric two-wheelers, only 1,200 electric cars were sold in FY 2017-18, according to a report done by the <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/1x96WeyG6cCVnm5zPcUraK/Govt-proposes-incentives-to-boost-EVsalesin5-years.html">Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles.</a> The main concern of the automobile companies is the lack of infrastructure for growth of EVs in India as well as the absence of <a href="https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/are-indian-automakers-ditching-ev-in-want-of-clear-policy/67749150">clarity</a> regarding the EV policy. “Expanding rural industrialisation using modern digital technologies to generate massive employment” Both industrial growth and employment have been among the big failures of the Modi regime, mostly because private investment has been lacking. The most recent data in factory output growth was the lowest in 17 months. A news report based on leaked data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) said that India’s unemployment rate has hit a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/unemployment-in-india-is-at-its-highest-in-45-years-says-an-indian-daily-citing-an-undisclosed-jobs-survey/articleshow/67769020.cms">45-year high</a> by December 2018, with a majority of job losses seen in rural India, showing that the government’s policies have so far failed to spur industrialisation and jobs. “Our Government has worked vigorously for cleaning River Ganga. Fifth Dimension of our Vision for India of 2030 is Clean Rivers” The government has already approved ₹25,500 crores for ‘Namami Gange Mission’, but the impact has less than satisfactory, according to environmental activists. There was no additional in the current budget for the same programme. Spending crores of rupees for beautification of ghats has been "wastage of the public exchequer" because "without ensuring a continuous flow, clean Ganga will continue to remain a distant dream", said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/why-indias-waterman-thinks-the-governments-3-5-billion-plan-to-clean-up-ganga-is-not-working/articleshow/67672185.cms">Rajendra Singh,</a> who goes by the sobriquet "Waterman of India". “Our efforts in the Sagarmala programme will be scaled up and we will develop other inland waterways faster.” According to a reply to a right-to-information petition filed in 2018, it was <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/sagarmala-drives-in-slow-lane-only-1-5-projects-completed-since-fy16-118091700931_1.html">reported</a> that just 80 projects had been completed out of the 220 projects envisioned under the Sagar Mala project, over three years after its inception. “Placing an Indian astronaut into space by 2022” The ISRO chief K Sivan in a press conference last month had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-first-manned-mission-to-space-may-have-women-too/articleshow/67486206.cms">announced</a> that under the Gaganyaan mission,a three-member team will be sent to space which could also include a woman astronaut. It’s too soon to evaluate the progress of this plan. “High farm production and productivity will be achieved through modern agricultural practices and value addition” India, a country which has over 45% of its population employed in agriculture, is also a major exporter. According to <a href="https://www.ibef.org/exports/agriculture-and-food-industry-india.aspx">reports</a>, during April-October 2018, exports of agricultural and processed food products totalled US$ 21.61 billion. India now faces the problem of <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/agrarian-crisis-farmer-protests-rural-distress-surplus-production-crop-procurement-the-age-of-surplus-5213499/">surplus</a>, where farmers are ready to answer the demand for more produce. However, the farmer has not been in the winning end of the deal. A report of the Committee on Strategy for Doubling Farmers' Income by 2022 <a href="https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/you-may-pay-a-steep-price-but-does-the-farmer-make-any-money--62364">states </a>that “The WPI (wholesale price index) of food articles was lower than that of agricultural inputs for most years, indicating that farmers received lower market prices for agricultural commodities than the prices paid for the purchase of inputs.” “Aiming at healthy society with an environment of health assurance and the support of necessary health infrastructure” The Indian government had announced its ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme in 2018. The Finance Minister during his budget speech announced that so far ₹3000 crore had been allocated to Ayushman Bharat which has benefited over 10 lakh people. However, many states have pulled out of the scheme criticising it for legitimate and political reasons. As the minister from Chhattisgarh explained, Ayushman Bharat provided insurance for secondary and tertiary healthcare in hospitals, whereas <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/healthcare/biotech/healthcare/chhattisgarh-govt-to-pull-out-of-ayushman-bharat/articleshow/67550227.cms">nearly 80%</a> of the state’s citizens required primary healthcare services. Outpatient treatment, which is hugely popular with India’s poor households according to <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/201612_health-and-morbidity.pdf">a Brookings report</a>, isn’t provided under the scheme. In addition, as public hospitals lack the requisite infrastructure, the government is relying heavily on private hospitals, which aren’t that widespread in semi-urban and rural areas and can promote expensive treatments to improve their margins “Transforming India into a Minimum Government Maximum Governance nation” ‘Minimum Government Maximum Governance’ was one of the many slogans that Modi came up with ahead of the 2014 elections. Indeed, he managed to reduce the layers in bureaucracy and made processes simpler in many cases. It helped India to rise to the <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=184513">77th position</a> in the ease of doing business ranking assessed by the World Bank, up from 142 in 2014. Yet, the spirit of the slogan does not pervade all parts of the government. For instance, startups, which mushroomed in India in the years where there was no focussed regulation, have now hit a wall with the infamous ‘angel tax’. Early stage investors who back these startups were burdened with higher tax in a bid to control money laundering. The sweeping tax on all angel investors hurt new investments in startups. Even the steps taken to assuage the concern has only added to the layers of permission required to start a new business. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/income-tax-slabs-for-2019-20/articleshow/67788923.cms">No tax proposed on annual income up to ₹500,000</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-just-announced-its-highest-ever-outlay-for-defence/articleshow/67789219.cms">The Indian government just announced its highest ever outlay for defence</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget-2019-income-tax-and-other-benefits-for-middle-class-in-india/articleshow/67789294.cms">Here is how the Budget 2019 benefits the Indian middle class</a>

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