In future, government may put in place processes for industry to dedicate a percentage of production to make Green Steel: Hon'ble Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel

Talking at India Steel 2023 in Mumbai through video message, Shri Scindia said the Ministry is in the process of aligning up policies with the Gati Shakti Master Plan to boost the demand of steel in various sectors

Mumbai, April 19, 2023: India Steel 2023 is a three-day conference and exhibition organized by the Union Ministry of Steel, the Department of Commerce, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the industry chamber FICCI. Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Hon'ble Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, said, that the ministry has signed 57 MoUs with 27 companies for specialty steel under the PLI scheme, which is expected to generate investment of about Rs 30,000 crore and create additional capacity of about 25 mt of specialty steel in next five years; this will also as a multiplier create 60,000 plus jobs for our Amrit Pidi and contribute towards achieving the goal of becoming the third largest economy by 2030-31.

Talking at the inaugural session, Shri Scindia said, "We have emerged as the second largest steel producer in the world with per capita steel consumption has gone up from 57 kilos to 78 kilos during the last nine years. This growth is having manifold results -- collaborative efforts of industry and government wherein government plays role of facilitator and industry drives this engine of growth. The Steel Ministry is in the process of aligning up policies with the Gati Shakti Master Plan which will complement the Rs 100 lakh crore investment plan for infrastructure development over the next five years; this will boost the demand of steel in various sectors thereby enhancing steel usage.  

Taking the attendees through various technologies being developed such as Hydrogen-based Steel making as demonstrated by Hybrid plant in Sweden and Hisarnar Technology by Tata Steel Europe coupled with CCUS that holds huge promise, Mr Scindia said, "The commercialization of these technologies might take some time. During the interim period, continuous improvement shall be made in the existing technologies to yield efficiency and reduce carbon footprint. In the near future, the government of the day may contemplate looking at putting in place processes for steel producers to dedicate a percentage of their production to make Green Steel ensuring greater usage of the same in government projects."

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Hon'ble Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel and Rural Development, said, "For the last eight-nine years, all kinds of meaningful solutions have been received from many such conferences and the Ministry of Steel is providing new heights to the steel industry by implementing such suggestions and solutions. This is the reason that in 2013-14, where steel production capacity was about 100 million tonnes and crude steel production was about 82 million tonnes, in 2022-23 the steel production capacity was 154 million tonnes and crude steel production was 125 million tonnes. This historic growth has been possible due to the business friendly policy, reforms and transparency in the steel sector of our Government under the guidance of Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and under the leadership of our Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia. I have full confidence that we will achieve the targets set in the National Steel Policy by 2030-31."

It is anticipated that there would be a significant demand for steel, particularly from the manufacturing, engineering, construction and infrastructure sectors, to keep up with the country’s rapid modernization, economic growth and nation development. Sh. Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Steel, said, "The Government has already envisioned this in the National Steel Policy which aims to increase per capita consumption of steel to 160kg, while aiming to augment production capacity to 300 MT by 2030. We have now set our sights on the targets for 2047, marking our journey in the Amrit Kaal of Independence. Ample opportunities are being created through initiatives undertaken by the Government such as Ease of Doing Business, Market Access Initiatives (MAI), Decarbonization Targets etc. which shall help the domestic industry in capacity creation, providing level playing field and creating conducive business environment to attract investments and promote exports." 

The sector contributes approximately 2% to the Indian GDP and provide employment to over 2 million people. "We are still import-dependent for approximately 85% of our coking coal requirement. While in the last year, we imported more than 55 MT of coking coal, and the total coking coal requirement for the steel industry is expected to reach 160-180 MT by 2030. Therefore, we need to take urgent steps for enhancing coking coal production by increasing the capacities of existing mines as well as the operationalization of new mines for coking coal production," said Shri Subhrakant Panda, President, FICCI, and Managing Director, Indian Metal & Ferro Alloys Ltd. 

The conference and exhibition will provide a unique platform for attendees to engage with industry leaders, gain insights into future growth prospects, and explore opportunities for collaboration in the rapidly evolving Indian steel landscape. The exhibition showcases advanced technologies, products, and solutions from leading private sector organizations, including Tata Steel, JSW Steel, Jindal Steel & Power, AM/NS India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Welspun Corp, and L&T, among others. 

ROLL WITH KFC’S ALL NEW CHICKEN ROLL AT INR 99 – PROMISES TO ROCK YOUR TASTEBUDS, NOT YOUR WALLET!

~ Starting at INR 99/-, fans can choose from Classic Chicken Roll and Double Chicken Roll ~

 

National, 5th April: Life is all about choices. But the one tough choice foodies have to often make, and absolutely hate is Indulgence versus Budget. Whether they should order their favourite food, or save that money is a constant battle in their heads. For today’s generation, it is an internal tug-of-war between “I want to eat this, it’s delicious!” and “But should I spend so much?” Well, Colonel Sanders is here to your rescue and to put a full stop to all the confusion, with the all-new KFC Chicken Roll. The latest menu offering is the perfect way to fulfill all your crispy chicken cravings, at an unbelievable price of INR 99/- only. 

The KFC Chicken Roll has the OG hand-breaded extra crispy and juicy chicken strip, wrapped in a warm flaky paratha, topped with Spicy Garlic and Nashville sauces, and crispy onions. Priced at INR 99/- for the Classic Chicken Roll and INR 149/- for the Double Chicken Roll, this delectable new item promises to give you chicken in every bite. 

So, KFC fans no longer have to go ‘gol gol’ choosing between indulgence and their wallets anymore. Whether you're looking for a lunch option that won't break the bank, a filling dinner after a packed day or a tasty midday snack, any time is a good time for the KFC Chicken Roll.

Like everything else at KFC, the flavorful new KFC Chicken Roll comes with the assurance of KFC’s 5X Safety Promise of Sanitization, Screening, Social Distancing, and Contactless service with Vaccinated teams. All surfaces and frequently touched areas in a restaurant are regularly sanitized, team members and riders are screened regularly for their temperatures. 

Wait no more and get rolling with the KFC Chicken Roll! Enjoy by ordering across all KFC restaurants for dine-in and takeaway, via the all-new convenient KFC app, or on the website (https://online.kfc.co.in/). So, ab why go gol-gol, jab INR 99/- mein milega KFC Chicken Roll!

Alstom delivers 300th WAG12B electric locomotive to Indian Railways from Nagpur Depot

Shri Naresh Lalwani, General Manager, Central Railway joined the site celebrations for the flag-off

 

29 March 2023 – Alstom, the global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has successfully delivered 300 electric locomotives to the Indian Railways. This marks a significant milestone in increasing the Indian Railways’ capabilities to haul heavy freight trains at high speed, to meet its ambitious freight targets. As part of its contract worth €3.5 billion, Alstom is supplying 800 high-powered double-section locomotives of 12,000 HP (9 MW) for freight service. Designated by Indian Railways as WAG-12B, these locos are capable of hauling ~6,000 tonne rakes at a top speed of 120 km/hr. 

Marking the milestone delivery, the 300th e-loco was flagged off from Alstom’s state of the art locomotive maintenance depot in Nagpur, which was inaugurated by the Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi in December of last year. This milestone was celebrated in the presence of Shri Naresh Lalwani, General Manager, Central Railway, and senior officials from Alstom, along with other key dignitaries from Indian Railways.

Addressing the audience, Shri Naresh Lalwani, General Manager, Central Railway, said, “Indian Railways is undergoing a massive transformation in its freight operations and Alstom’s contribution in powering this revolution is commendable. The Joint Venture formed between Indian Railways and Alstom, to build India’s most powerful electric locomotives for freight service is a stellar example of a successful Public Private Partnership model, it will play a key role in accelerating the growth of the freight sector. The world-class facility built here, and the quality of products and services delivered by Alstom, are well aligned with the Government’s 'Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, and green mobility initiatives. This combined with the workplace culture nurtured by Alstom, will definitely set new benchmarks for our industry”.

Commenting on the milestone, Olivier Loison, Managing Director - Alstom India said, “The Government of India is prioritizing reducing logistics costs in its efforts to boost the economy towards the USD 5 trillion economy target. Indian Railways will play an important role in achieving this goal, and for that it needs to strengthen its haulage capacity. The Alstom WAG12B electric locomotive has proven to be a capability multiplier, with its ability to haul greater loads at faster speeds. The 300th loco delivery is a proud milestone for us, and as we continue to deliver more locomotives, this partnership will continue to boost the nation’s logistic capabilities.” 

As part of the contract, Alstom’s Nagpur Depot will be maintaining 250 WAG12B e-loco starting from series 60251. This depot is equipped with the latest technologies and features to anticipate breakdowns thereby enabling proactive maintenance of India’s most advanced freight locomotives at significantly lower costs. The depot has 12 tracks for maintenance with hi-tech equipment. The depot is equipped with Centred Fleet monitoring (CFM) system to remotely monitor the fleet via Health hub and Train Tracer system. The Prompt Response Team (PRT) is deployed for 24 x 7 loco attention. Green features like rainwater harvesting, zero discharge using effluent treatment plant and sewerage treatment plant, 100% LED lights, daylight panels, occupancy sensors, greenery and provisioned for 1 MW rooftop solar plant. This is the second such facility set up by Alstom, after the depot at Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, which houses the first 250 locomotives delivered to Indian Railways.

Nagpur Depot completes 7 months+ of operations and records 1.6+ Million service defect free kilometres for the Nagpur Fleet. The site is a success story for the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, where supervisors are from Alstom and technicians from Indian Railways.

The WAG-12B locos are being built at one of India’s largest integrated greenfield manufacturing facilities at Madhepura (Bihar), under a Joint Venture between Alstom and Indian Railways. This is the largest Foreign Direct Investment project in the Indian Railway sector. The facility has an installed production capacity of 120 locomotives per annum and Alstom has progressively achieved near 90% indigenization. With these powerful e-Locos being manufactured within the country, India has become the 6th in the world to join the club of countries producing high horsepower locomotives indigenously.

The WAG-12B locomotives made its inaugural run on the first fully operational sections of the Dedicated Freight Corridors two years ago. Some of the key commodities moved by these e-Locos include - coal, cement, food grains, fertilisers, petrochemical products, minerals, and posts/ parcels, across 17 States & 2 Union Territories. Equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) based propulsion technology, these e-Locos will have considerable savings in energy consumption with the use of regenerative braking. The technology is also helpful towards making the acceleration process more efficient by reducing the heat generation and traction noise. Additionally, it will not only bring down operational costs, but also reduce the congestion faced by Indian Railways.

AlstomTM and Prima T8TM WAG-12B are protected trademarks of the Alstom Group

About Alstom

About Alstom in India

Leading societies to a low carbon future, Alstom develops and markets mobility solutions that provide sustainable foundations for the future of transportation. From high-speed trains, metros, monorails, trams, to turnkey systems, services, infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility, Alstom offers its diverse customers the broadest portfolio in the industry. 150,000 vehicles in commercial service worldwide attest to the company’s proven expertise in project management, innovation, design and technology. In 2022, the company was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, World and Europe, for the 12th consecutive time. Headquartered in France and present in 70 countries, Alstom employs more than 74,000 people. The Group posted revenues of €15.5 billion for the fiscal year ending on 31 March 2022 

Log onto www.alstom.com for more information.

Alstom is the only multinational sustainable mobility provider in India, to have a comprehensive portfolio of offerings to meet customer specific needs, from cost-efficient mass-market platforms to high-end technological innovations. Synonymous with the country’s ‘Rail Revolution’, Alstom continues to be a strategic partner in supporting India’s freight revolution and passenger movement. With 6 industrial sites and 4 major engineering centres, the company not only caters to domestic project needs, but also delivers for many international projects. Supporting the government’s modernization initiatives, Alstom has been at the forefront of introducing several breakthrough technologies in India with world class rolling stock, rail equipment & infrastructure, signalling and services. Fully aligned with the country’s vision of Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Alstom remains deeply committed to strengthening its local sourcing and supply chain ecosystem.

Punjab Kings gets #MatchReadyBNaturalDeNaal for IPL 2023

B Natural becomes the Official Fruit Beverage Partner for Punjab Kings 

National, 1st April 2023: B Natural Juices & Beverages, a reputable and widely loved brand from the house of ITC, today announced its partnership with Punjab Kings for the forthcoming Season of IPL 2023. In a first-of-its-kind association, B Natural has come on board as the official Fruit Beverage Partner for IPL 2023 scheduled to begin on March 31, 2023.

As part of the collaboration B Natural has launched a campaign #MatchReadyBNaturalDeNaal, where the brand is helping Punjab Kings players be match ready with its fruit and fiber beverages. B Natural invites fans to share how they are #MatchReadyBNaturalDeNaal and show their support for their favourite team. 

Expressing his delight on this association Mr. Sanjay Singal, Chief Operating Officer, Dairy & Beverages, Foods Division, ITC Ltd. said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Punjab Kings, one of the preeminent IPL teams. B Natural has always been focused on providing fruit and fiber to its consumers and we are happy to extend the same goodness to the players of Punjab Kings and help them be match ready.”

He further added, “The partnership represents a significant milestone for both organizations, and I am confident that it will be an exciting season ahead for the team and the fans.”  

 

Commenting on this collaboration, Satish Menon. CEO of K.P.H. Dream Cricket Pvt. Ltd. said “We are delighted to have B Natural Juices & Beverages onboard as the official Fruit Beverage Partner for Punjab Kings. Their goal of promoting an active lifestyle in India is something we as a team admire and support. It’s great to find synergies when you come across like-minded brands with a vision that aligns with yours.”

Furthermore, through this association with Punjab Kings, B natural aims to promote the importance of both fruit and fiber in an individual’s diet just how both mother and father play an important role in a family. With Punjab Kings and Harmanpreet Kaur, the brand will conduct a social media contest inviting cricket enthusiasts to share their #FruitfulStories and talk about how their parents have played a significant role in their lives. Participants will get a chance to meet and greet the Punjab Kings players and also an opportunity to win exciting gratifications.