1. Kerala Maritime Board plans big for coastal shipping development
The Kerala Maritime Board (KMB), the nodal agency for all maritime-related activities in Kerala, is pulling out all stops to woo investment for the development of port infrastructure in the State which has a 590-km long coastline with 17 minor and intermediate ports.
The State has the scope for developing coastal shipping as an alternative in order to divert goods traffic from congested roads. N.S. Pillai, who took over as chairman of the KMB, said the board will be taking a slew of measures to develop coastal shipping.
Source: The Hindu
2. Potentials of Blue Economy in Bangladesh
Greening coastal belt/delta planning: This will help reduce wind pressure of cyclones and also solidification of new lands. Mangrove in the Sunderbans comprising of 577,040 hectares provide livelihood to about 7.5 million people, timber, wood, boat building materials, rafts and garan for tanning nets, honey, wax etc including acting as spawning/breeding ground for many species. Mangrove afforestation in newly accreted intertidal areas has been going on for decades now. Bangladesh is already working for delta planning and in the long run it will help sustain agriculture, river course and intrusion saline waters etc. Human resource, maritime surveillance and spatial planning Human resource-Well-trained, skilled and educated human resources are the driving force of the development of an economy, who can participate in the globalization of business and the accompanying technological revolution.
Source: Daily Industry
3. Good response to private industrial estates policy: Rajeeve
The State government has directly received 20 applications for launch of private industrial parks. Applications have come in from all the districts except Idukki and Wayanad, said Industries Minister P. Rajeeve, here on Saturday. He said the Kerala State Small Industries Association and groups of private industrialists in different districts had taken a keen interest in getting private estates working, in keeping with the government decision to encourage them.
Mr. Rajeeve was speaking at a press conference here. He said the first of the private industrial estate was likely to come up in Pathanamthitta and expected the foundation for the project was likely to be laid in May this year.
Source: The Hindu
4. Piyush Goyal reviews progress of National Industrial Corridor Development Program
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal reviewed progress of the National Industrial Corridor Development Program.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and NICDC. The Minister was briefed about the substantial progress of the Industrial Corridor Program.
The Government has over the past few years further enhanced the National Corridor Network to 11 integrated industrial and economic corridors with 32 projects to be developed in four phases, thus enabling connectivity to all key economic nodes in the country, the official press release by the Union Ministry read.
Source: The Print
5. Where is trade most likely to be disrupted in the ship industry from the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had large knock-on effects on global trade. Energy prices have spiked, and the sharp rise in wheat has prompted fears of a food crisis.
Although rising energy prices already have a knock-on effect on many industries, oil, gas and wheat aren’t the only items traded out of Russia and Ukraine. Many nearby nations will also be feeling direct supply chain disruption in other industries, including the ship industry.
Source: Ship Technology
6. Nagaland has 4 potential inland waterways routes
Government of Nagaland has set up Inland Water Transport wing in the transport department to liaise and coordinate with Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping.
The Ministry has indentified four locations as having potential for inland water transport in the state, according to the Nagaland Economic Survey 2021-22 tabled at the recent state assembly session by Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Government of Nagaland.
The potentials inland water transport in the state includes; Tizu River from tri-confluence near Longmatra to Avangkhu of 42 km (approximately) for Indo-Myanmar, Dhansiri River from Samjuran to Numaligarh via Dimapur of approximately 110 kms of inter-state waterways of Nagaland-Assam.
Source: Morung Express
7. Tata Steel uses inland waterways to transport machinery
Tata Steel became the first steel company in Odisha to use inland waterways to bring in heavy machinery for its Kalinganagar plant expansion project, reiterating its commitment to creating a carbon-neutral future.
Tata Steel’s consignment sailed in a chartered vessel from Shanghai to Paradip port in Odisha. It was then loaded on a barge that travelled up Luna River and was finally unloaded at Marsaghai, in Kendrapara district on March 15, 2022. Thereafter, the consignment was transported via roadways and reached the project site on April 2, 2022.
Source: Daily Pioneer
8. How ‘Make in India’ and ‘Move in India’ are driving India’s economic growth
Given the growing geopolitical uncertainties, improved access to technology, and insistence on self-reliance, the ‘Make in India’ campaign has certainly taken centre stage in the Indian startup ecosystem. For the success of Make in India, having an efficient logistics industry is a precondition.
As a famous Chinese military strategist once said, “The line between rapid economic growth and slow growth lies in logistics.”
Logistics has been the backbone of economic growth. Whether it is the booming US post World War II, the resurgent Japan of the late 20th century, or the emergence of China in the last 30 years – all these economic spurts have been facilitated and augmented by a strong logistics sector.
Source: Your Story
9. Logistics sector may grow by 7-9% in 2022-23: ICRA
The logistics sector is projected to record a growth of 7-9 per cent in the current fiscal but the industry players’ margins are likely to remain “sensitive to risks” stemming from a continued rise in oil and commodity prices amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to a report.
The report by credit ratings agency ICRA on Thursday also estimated that the sector’s growth stood at around 14-17 per cent in 2021-22 over pre-COVID levels, adding that the momentum is expected to continue in this fiscal as well.
Source: NDTV
10. How Railways’ Indigenous Anti-Collision System Kavach Can Prevent Train Accidents
The Indian Railway ministry unveiled an indigenously created railway collision prevention technology called ‘Kavach’ earlier this month in an effort to make rail transport safer. Kavach automatically draws a locomotive to stop when it senses an obstruction on the track.
In 2022-23, Indian Railways expects to deploy Kavach on 2,000 railway path systems, with 4,000-5,000 rail channel networks installed each year after that. Following successful trial runs, Kavach has been installed on over 1,098 route km and 65 trains moving under the South Central Railway.
Source: India Times
11. Bids invited to set up manufacturing zone for power, renewable energy
The government has invited bids for setting up a manufacturing zone for power and renewable energy sectors on a pilot basis.
The Union power ministry had earlier issued orders conveying implementation of a scheme for setting up such a manufacturing zone with a budgetary outlay of ₹400 crore over five years. The scheme aims to promote local manufacturing of latest clean and energy equipment technologies for minimising dependence on imports for power sector.
Source: Economic Times
12. Renewable energy prices soar as Ukraine war is the ‘last straw’ for the sector
Prices for wind and solar power in major global markets have climbed nearly 30 per cent in a year, as developers struggle with “chaotic” supply chains and surging costs.
This has impacted everything from shipping to parts to labour, according to a report published on Wednesday.
Contract prices for renewables jumped 28.5 per cent in North America and 27.5 per cent in Europe in the last year, according to a quarterly index by LevelTen Energy that tracks the deals, known in the industry as power purchase agreements (PPAs).
Source: Euro News
13. New partnership to ease utility and consumer transition to EVs
Qmerit and Uplight have announced a partnership to enable utilities to bundle EV charger installation into a broad suite of consumer services and resources.
EV charger and electrification technology provider Qmerit is partnering with Uplight, the technology partner of energy providers transitioning to the clean energy ecosystem.
Their collaboration aims to expand the ability of utilities to provide end-to-end charging support for EV buyers.
Source: Smart Energy
14. Centre proposes integrated development of highway infrastructure
With an impetus on infrastructure creation, Centre has now asked states to undertake an integrated approach for construction of roads so that all other associated infrastructure are installed simultaneously including power transmission lines, water pipelines among others and the roads do not have to be dug frequently for further installation projects in the future, said union minister of state for housing and urban affairs, Kaushal Kishore.
Source: Live Mint
15. Surat gets India’s first steel slag road
Surat has become the first city in the country to get a processed steel slag (industrial waste) road built as part of a joint-venture project by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Union Ministry of Steel, government think-tank NITI Ayog, and ArcelorMtttal-Nippon Steel (AM/NS), at Hazira. What is so special about this project and how is it different from regular roads?
Source: Indian Express
16. How War Impacts Climate Change and the Environment
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused catastrophic loss of life, widespread displacement, and a growing global food crisis.
The conflict has also extensively harmed Ukraine’s natural environment, highlighting the many ways in which war devastates biodiversity and contributes to the climate crisis.
Advocates and organizers within Ukraine have documented hundreds of environmental crimes that together, they argue, warrant the charge of ecocide by international courts.
Source: Global Citizen
17. Water is the New Carbon
When it comes to acknowledging society’s impact on climate, environment, and human security, water is the next frontier for comprehensive accounting and adaptation strategies — for industry, municipalities, governments, and individuals, all of which have made impressive commitments and progress to track carbon pollution.
However, our increasingly threatened global water security demands that accounting for water use and risk rapidly acquire the same urgency with which we address carbon.
Source: Circle of Blue
