Finland wants to tango with UP

Finland has evinced interest in partnering the Uttar Pradesh government in various sectors, including the smart city project, power, renewable energy, smart grid solutions etc.

Taking this agenda forward, Finland minister for environment, energy and housing Kimmo Tiilikainen today called upon UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath here this evening and held wide ranging discussions, while offering Finnish expertise in hordes of sectors.

Earlier in the day, industry chamber FICCI and Embassy of Finland had jointly organised an industry interaction in Lucknow. It witnessed the participation of 21 Finnish companies offering innovative and sustainable solution in the energy, smart grid, smart cities sectors, apart from some funding agencies.

The session also saw the participation of 30 Indian companies, who later partook in B2B sessions with their Finnish counterparts.

“We are here to offer our technological expertise in a wide range of sectors, including smart cities, smart grid, renewable energy, power etc. I am also looking forward to hearing the chief minister about his vision of development and to see where Finnish companies could contribute,” Tiilikainen said on the sidelines.

UP industry minister Satish Mahana and power minister Srikant Sharma represented the state government at the summit.

Tiilikainen said Finland was desirous of expanding the scope of partnership with UP in different sectors. Finnish technology could be used for energy conservation projects, while it could be employed in better traffic management, he added.

Mahana observed UP had transformed over the last six months even as he exhorted FICCI to serve as a bridge between Finland and India. He claimed now investors were showing interest in setting up their industries in the state.

Sharma said the state government had undertaken various new projects, including providing electricity connection to every household. He noted the partnership between Finland and UP would help the state develop in different sectors.

Over the past few months, the representatives of various governments, including Israel, Japan, France, Belgium and now Finland, have met Yogi and offered their expertise in the on-going state projects.

EOM

Lucknow Metro facing ‘overhead’ Chinese threat

Lucknow Metro, the country’s latest metro rail plying passenger coaches and signalling system supplied by French major Alstom, is faced with a peculiar threat of Chinese origin these days.

The Metro, which rolled out its commercial services last week over 8.5 km long elevated section, is today vulnerable to its electrical systems tripping after coming in contact with Chinese ‘manjha’ (kite string), which among other harmful chemicals contains metallic substances.

The electric supply to Lucknow Metro has tripped multiple times due to Chinese manjha getting entangled with its overhead supply cables. After a recent such incident, LMRC has filed a police complaint in this regard.

After the last Metro service every night, LMRC engineers undertake an arduous task of checking overhead cables and extricating such manjha for the smooth run of the metro the following day.

While, Chinese manjha stands banned in Lucknow, it nonetheless continues to sell illegally in the kite markets.

Earlier, LMRC had also appealed to the Lucknow residents to desist from flying kite near the metro elevated route as it engenders the safety of metro passengers, while also posing threat to the smooth running of the metro services.

The heritage city of Lucknow is famous for kite flying, especially in old residential areas and the sprouting of high rises has quite not dampened the spirits of its aficionados.

Kite flying reaches crescendo during the annual kite flying and competition carnival on ‘jamghat’, which falls on the following day of Diwali festival, the skyline becomes colourful with kites of varied shapes and sizes flying across.

On September 5, union home minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditynath had jointly flagged off the maiden commercial run of Lucknow Metro, which is touted among the fastest completing metro projects in India. Its priority section of 8.5 km reached the commercial operations stage within three years of the start of ground work.

EOM

Chinese to set up footwear park in UP

An autonomous Chinese municipality, Wenzhou is keen to setting up a leather and footwear components park in Uttar Pradesh.

Located near East China Sea, Wenzhou is a port and industrial city in China's Zhejiang province and is reckoned for its industrial clusters and parks.

Wenzhou wants to establish a footwear components park in UP, although the exact location is still not final, Council for Leather Exports (CLE) regional chairman Javed Iqbal said adding the park could come up in Lucknow, Unnao or Hardoi.

Wenzhou officials have invited the UP chief secretary to participate in the ‘China-India (Wenzhou) Dialogue on Leather Industry Capacity Cooperation’ to explore business ties. Besides, two footwear and leather industrialists, including Iqbal, have been invited at the conference, scheduled on June 19 in Wenzhou.

In backdrop of squeeze on supply of raw hide in UP due to closure of unregistered slaughter houses, the proposed park could help the leather goods manufacturers in Kanpur and other districts, Iqbal said.

Wenzhou is among China's most progressive municipalities, which are seeking global business ties two-way investments. India is Wenzhou's 5th largest export market for textiles, apparels, leather goods etc.

Earlier on April 24, Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wenzhou for furthering Sino-Indian economic, cultural ties, tourism and educational ties.

Gorakhpur zone tops action by ‘Anti Romeo Squad’

Gorakhpur zone, which also comprises the home district of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, accounts for the maximum 64 percent of police cases filed by the ‘Anti Romeo Squad’ in the state.

The Yogi government had constituted the squad under UP Police to spearhead the state-wide drive against eve teasing in public places, such as parks and educational institutions.

So far, the squad had lodged 538 First Information Report (FIR) in the state, of which Gorakhpur zone alone accounts for 341 cases or almost 64 percent. At the same, the zone comprised 816 of the total 1,264 accused booked by the squad between March 22 and May 28, 2017 by cops.

Gorakhpur zone comprises 3 police ranges viz. Devipatan, Basti and Gorakhpur; and 11 districts, including Bahraich, Balrampur, Gonda, Sravasti, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Siddarth Nagar, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj and Kushi Nagar.

Meerut zone topped among the 8 zones in UP for the total number of checks and swoop downs conducted by the squad during the period with 18 percent.

According to the consolidated figures, the Anti Romeo Squad had so far issued warning to nearly 3,39,000 persons under the state-wide drive after checking over 20,000 places and spots, including parks, schools, stands, railway stations, shopping malls and other public places.

FIIs invested Rs 50,000 crore in India this year

Foreign institutional investors (FII) have been bullish on India and have collectively invested nearly Rs 50,000 crore during the first five months (Jan-May) in the current 2017 calendar year.

This has been attributed to improved business sentiments and equity markets hitting record highs over the past few weeks.

Besides, the domestic retail investors have been investing Rs 4,000 crore a month in mutual funds instruments.

“The equity sentiments have been positive in India and retail investors have been bullish in their investment decisions, especially systematic investment plan (SIPs),” Principal PNB Asset Management Company chief investment officer Rajat Jain said here.

The tier II and III towns are showing promise and emerging as good equity and investment hubs.

The domestic funds industry had clocked cumulative growth of nearly 50 percent over the last two years and total asset under management (AUM) of mutual fund industry had touched the level of Rs 18,00,000 crore.

Principal PNB is a joint venture between US-based Principal Group and public sector Punjab National Bank, which is a minority share holder in the joint venture company. At present, it has AUM of nearly Rs 6,000 crore with about 4,00,000 customers pan India.

India scores diplomatic victory against Pakistan

In a major diplomatic and judicial victory for India at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), an 11-judge ICJ Bench today put on abeyance the execution order of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav until further notice.

Jadhav, an Indian national, had been sentenced to death by a Pakistan military court, after a brief and surreptitious trial, wherein he was not allowed consular access nor to meet his family. Pakistan claimed Jadhav was an Indian spy and tasked with causing subversive activities.

 In its verdict, the ICJ Bench held prima facie the Vienna Convention applied to the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. The case has become a major sticking point between the two nuclear powers of India and Pakistan.

“The decision to stay Jadhav’s execution pending ICS hearing is unanimous,” ICJ President Ronny Abraham observed. The Bench observed the 150-day clemency given by Pakistan, which ends in August suggests execution could occur imminently thereafter.

 The court pronounced its verdict on India’s plea to restrain Jadhav’s execution by Pakistan. On Monday, India had moved ICJ seeking immediate intervention by the Court to expunge the death verdict.

India has always maintained Jadhav was a former Indian Navy officer and now a businessman with trade interests in Iran and other countries. According to the Indian position, Jadhav was kidnapped by the Taliban from Iran and then handed over to Pakistan authorities.

UP to be ‘open defecation free’ by Oct 2018

 The Yogi Adityanath government is aiming to achieve open defecation free (ODF) status for Uttar Pradesh by October 2018.

To achieve this target, the government would construct about 15.5 million toilets across 75 districts in the state. The government would on-board 1,50,000 masons, who would be imparted two months’ technical training in this regard.

Under Swachh Bharat Mission, UP is working towards making all its 59,000 gram panchayats ODF by October 2018, which would correspond to the incumbent Yogi regime completing one-and-half years in office.

While, 30 districts are being targetted to be ODF by December 2017, the remaining districts would come on board by October 2018, UP additional chief secretary (panchayati raj) Chanchal Kumar Tiwari said.

One of the flagship projects of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Swachh Bharat Mission is estimated to cost nearly Rs 62,000 crore, of which the private sector has been envisaged to contribute nearly 70 percent or a little over Rs 42,500 crore. Of the public sector expenditure, the Centre is mandated to provide about Rs 14,600 crore, while the state/union territories (UT) would contribute about Rs 4,900 crore.

The Mission, which was launched by Modi on October 2, 2014, is being implemented in all the 4,041 statutory towns and cities across India. It aims at eliminating open defecation and manual scavenging, besides promoting modern and scientific municipal solid waste management.