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The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has lauded the first dose vaccination of over 50% of youngsters between 15-18 age group.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In response to a tweet by Union Health Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Prime Minister said; "Young and youthful India showing the way!&nbsp; This is encouraging news. Let us keep the momentum.&nbsp; It is important to vaccinate and observe all COVID-19 related protocols. Together, we will fight this pandemic."

With the administration of more than 76 lakh Doses (76,35,229) vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 158.88 Cr (1,58,88,47,554) as per provisional reports till 7 am today.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Big day for India's fight against COVID-19 
 
Over 50% of our youngesters between 15-18 age group have received their 1st dose of vaccine 
 
Well done, my Young Friends 
 
Your enthusiasm for vaccination is inspiring people all over India
Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya)&nbsp;</blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This has been achieved through 1,70,80,295 sessions. 1,88,157 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 3,55,83,039.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 93.88%. 2,82,970 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

India’s Active Caseload is presently at 18,31,000. Active cases constitute 4.83% of the country's total Positive Cases.

The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of 18,69,642 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 70.74 Cr (70,74,21,650) cumulative tests.

While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 15.53% and the Daily Positivity rate also reported to be 15.13%.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 158.88 Cr (1,58,88,47,554) as per provisional reports till 7 am today.


Covid 19: PM Narendra Modi lauds first dose vaccination of over 50% of youngsters between 15-18 age group

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN) scheme with a view to supplement the earnings of small and medium categories farmers. This scheme coupled with the Digital India initiative has made it possible to reach the PM KISAN benefits to 12 crore farmers in the country.

The Government launched the Central Sector Scheme, PM-KISAN, to provide financial assistance of up to Rs 6,000 annually to small and marginalised farmers across the country.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi 10th Installment news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 10th installment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on 1st January 2022 via video conferencing. This enabled the transfer of an amount of more than Rs 20,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families.

During the programme, the Prime Minister also released an equity grant of more than Rs 14 crore to about 351 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which will benefit more than 1.24 lakh farmers. PM KISAN is a government scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Government of India.

The financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is to be released to the eligible farmers in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each every 4-month / trimester, i.e. April-July, August-November and December-March.

The Scheme is being implemented through an Aadhaar linked electronic data base containing details of all members of the families of the farmers whose names appear in the land records

The PM KISAN Yojana benefits 12 crore farmers across of the country.&nbsp; The PM KISAN Yojana provides financial assistance to farmers irrespective of the size of their land holdings. The scheme provides minimum income support up to Rs 6,000 to farmers across the country.

The amount is directly transferred to the bank account of the farmers.

Mandatory Documents farmers should submit to get PM Kisan benefits&nbsp;

The following information / documents are required to be furnished by the farmers for enrollment under PM-KISAN Scheme

1) Name, Age, Gender and Category (SC/ST)

2) Aadhaar Number (except in case of farmers in the States of Assam, Meghalaya and J&amp;K (now UTs of J&amp;K and Ladakh), where Aadhaar number has not been issued to most of the citizens, and therefore these states have been exempted from the requirement till 31st March, 2020. ln these States / UTs, Aadhaar number shall be collected for those beneficiaries where it is available and for others alternate prescribed documents can be collected for identity verification purposes by the States/UT Governments, like Aadhaar Enrollment Number and / or any other prescribed documents for purposes of the identification such as Driving Licence, Voters' lD Card, NREGA Job Card, or any other identification documents issued by Central/State/UT Governments or their authoritres, etc.

3) Bank Account Number and IFSC Code.

4) Mobile number, though it is not mandatory but it is advised that when available it may be provided so that the information related to transfer of benefit can be communicated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN) scheme with a view to supplement the earnings of small and medium categories farmers.


PM KISAN 10th Installment: Mandatory documents farmers must submit to avail Rs 6,000 installment benefits under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. Check all details here

Vehicle manufacturer&nbsp;Tata Motors has announced a marginal price hike on its passenger vehicles. Effective from January 19, 2022, an average increase of 0.9% will be implemented, depending on the variant and model, the company has mentioned.

At the same time, the Company has also taken a reduction of up to Rs 10,000 on specific variants, in response to feedback from customers, it informed.

While the company is absorbing a significant portion of the increased costs, the steep rise in overall input costs has compelled it to pass on some proportion through this minimal price hike, it said.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zeebiz.com/automobile/news-tata-motors-drives-in-safari-dark-edition-at-rs-1905-lakh-check-exterior-interior-colour-features-and-other-details-176359">Tata Motors drives in Safari Dark edition at Rs 19.05 lakh; check exterior, interior, features and other details</a>

In line with the company’s customer-first approach, it has again decided to offer price protection to all its customers who have reposed the faith and confidence in the Tata Motors’ New Forever range. Assures no impact on Tata cars booked on or before January 18, 2022.

At the same time, the Company has also taken a reduction of up to Rs 10,000 on specific variants, in response to feedback from customers, it informed.


Tata Motors announces price hike on passenger vehicles, effective from this date

The Union Budget 2022 is being presented amidst COVID-induced learning losses, fragile economic recovery, and growing interest in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP-20).&nbsp;

Sharing expectations and suggestions for Budget 2022 on the education sector, Navneet Sharma, VB Padode Chair Professor of Business Responsibility and Registrar, Vijaybhoomi University believes these two critical touchstones for fund allocation by the Union Government are&nbsp;- (a) To invest in areas where private sector funds are not forthcoming; and (b) observe competitive neutrality in granting access to funds to public and private universities.

He feels the following four measures will boost the human capital formation in the country:

1. Augment internet infrastructure and grant subsidized access to 5G internet to all universities without any discrimination

Access to all forms of knowledge is now dependent on high-quality internet. New universities are now being established in remote corners of the country. By providing free or subsidized internet access, the government can not only augment access to e-resources but also make learning in a hybrid mode a reality.

2. Subsidized access to laptops to all students and faculty

At school and university levels, students and faculty members need laptops as minimum equipment needed to access either live or recorded instructions. It is no secret that across all states, combined (rural and urban) population below the poverty line varies between 5 and 46 percent. If the government is able to make subsidized access to laptops for students and teachers, the reach and quality of education will receive a great boost.

3. Access to research grants to all universities based on their level of implementation of NEP-20

The NEP-20 seeks to dismantle manmade barriers in higher education. Indian universities are now keen to not only adopt a liberal framework in the curriculum but also foster strong research culture on campus. A policy to allow graded access to research funds based on a university's level of NEP compliance will achieve twin objectives of fostering research and high-quality education.

4. Faculty upgradation programs

The Union Government had announced Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission of Teaching and Teachers in 2014. Its extended timeline has ended in 2020. The mission is yet to deliver on its true potential. In Budget 2022, the Union Government should extend the duration of the mission for the next 10 years and extend its reach to all schools and universities without any qualifying criteria.

Learning is a core promise of our Constitution to citizens. Budget 2022 is an important occasion when the Union Government can transform the education sector and let the whole country celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav!

&nbsp;If the government is able to make subsidized access to laptops for students and teachers, the reach and quality of education will receive a great boost.


Budget 2022 Expectations: 'Education sector seeks faculty upgradation programmes; subsidised access to laptops and 5G internet'

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi 10th Installment news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 10th installment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on 1st January 2022 via video conferencing. This enabled the transfer of an amount of more than Rs 20,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families.

During the programme, the Prime Minister also released an equity grant of more than Rs 14 crore to about 351 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which will benefit more than 1.24 lakh farmers. PM KISAN is a government scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Government of India.&nbsp;

The scheme promises income support of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal installments to small and marginal farmer families, having combined land holding/ownership of up to 2 hectares.&nbsp;

The fund will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. There are various exclusion categories for the scheme. Farmers can check their status on pm kisan online portal www-pmkisan-gov-in or via the mobile app.

To avail PM KISAN 9th Instalment, the farmers should furnish these information or documents for enrollment under the scheme. It is mandatory to share these documents or information on pm kisan online portal www-pmkisan-gov-in;

1) Name, Age, Gender and Category (SC/ST)

2) Aadhaar Number (except in case of farmers in the States of Assam, Meghalaya and J&amp;K (now UTs of J&amp;K and Ladakh), where Aadhaar number has not been issued to most of the citizens, and therefore these States have been exempted from the requirement till 31st March 2020.&nbsp;

ln these States / UTs, Aadhaar number shall be collected for those beneficiaries where it is available and for others alternate prescribed documents can be collected for identity verification purposes by the States/UT Governments, like Aadhaar Enrollment Number and / or any other prescribed documents for purposes of the identification such as Driving Licence, Voters' lD Card, NREGA Job Card, or any other identification documents issued by Central /State /UT Governments or their authoritres, etc.)

3) Bank Account Number and IFSC Code.

4) Mobile number - though it is not mandatory but it is advised that when available it may be provided so that the information related to transfer of benefit can be communicated. 
Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1 lakh 60 crore has been given to farmers so far. Out which Rs 1 lakh crore were transferred to small farmers during the pandemic period.

PM KISAN is a government scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Government of India.&nbsp;


PM Kisan 10th Installment: How eligible beneficiaries can include names in PM KISAN list? Check documents, process 

Tata Motors today announced the launch of the Safari Dark, the latest flagship addition to the company’s successful Dark range. The Safari Dark Edition is now open for bookings and available at dealerships nationwide starting at Rs&nbsp;19.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Safari Dark will be clad in the signature Oberon Black exterior body colour, which many have now come to associate with the Dark range. The mascots on the fender and the tailgate as well as the 18” Blackstone alloy wheels lend the exteriors the signature Dark look. As part of the interiors, Safari Dark offers a premium Blackstone Dark theme with exclusive touches to the key elements. Additions like the distinct dark finishes, special Blackstone Matrix dashboard and premium Dark upholstery (Nappa Granite Black colour scheme with Blue Tri Arrow Perforations and Blue Stitching) complete the insides of the Safari Dark.

Available on the XT+/XTA+ &amp; XZ+/XZA+ trims, the Safari Dark will get other exclusive features such as Ventilated Seats on both 1st and 2nd Row, Air purifier and Android Auto and Apple Car Play over Wi-Fi.

Commenting on the launch,&nbsp;Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, &nbsp;Passenger Vehicles, Tata Motors, said,&nbsp;“Launched in July last year, with a power-packed line-up featuring&nbsp;India’s safest premium hatchback – the Altroz, India’s first GNCAP 5star rated car – the Nexon, Tata Motors’ premium midsize SUV with the Land Rover DNA – the Harrier and India’s highest-selling passenger electric car – the Nexon EV, the Dark range has, in a very short span of time, become a mainstay of our New Forever range of passenger vehicles. This will be even truer now with the addition of Safari Dark to the line-up, with the exciting &amp; unique proposition that it has to offer to the customers.

Furthermore, with a high sales penetration across brands, the Dark range has undoubtedly become a popular choice for customers. The Harrier Dark, which was launched as a limited edition product initially, did extremely well and on popular customer demand, became an integral part of the Harrier portfolio. It offered an exciting &amp; unique package to the customers, which further extended with the introduction of the Dark range. We are confident that this stylish Dark Edition will prove to be yet another reason for car-buyers to upgrade to the magnificent Safari.”

Launched last year, the Safari&nbsp;has already achieved milestones of its own, completing the 10K rollout in just 6 months &amp; 16k happy Safari owners have already reclaiming their life since the launch. The Dark is the latest treatment to be given to the SUV post the introduction of its Gold avatar, which also has been greatly loved by all.

Built on the very reliable OMEGARC architecture, which in turn is derived from Land Rover’s legendary D8 platform, the Safari possesses the combination of stunning design and performance, meeting the needs of today’s SUV customers, who want plush and comfortable interiors, unparalleled versatility, go-anywhere experience, top-notch safety, and the most up-to-date connected car technology for a modern, multifaceted lifestyle.

The Safari Dark Edition is now open for bookings and available at dealerships nationwide starting at Rs&nbsp;19.05 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).


Tata Motors drives in Safari Dark edition at Rs 19.05 lakh; check exterior, interior, features and other details 

In a bid to control air pollution, Delhi rolled out its first DTC electric bus today. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC’s) first electric bus from the Indraprashtha's depot.

"The first electric bus has started running on the roads of Delhi from today. 300 electric buses will soon be added to DTC's fleet. You must also contribute in this war against pollution by switching your vehicle to electric,"&nbsp;Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
सभी दिल्लीवासियों को बधाई। 
 
आज से दिल्ली की सड़कों पर पहली इलेक्ट्रिक बस चलनी शुरू हो गई है। DTC के बेड़े में जल्द ही 300 इलेक्ट्रिक बसें जुड़ेंगी। 
 
आप भी अपने वाहन को इलेक्ट्रिक में स्विच कर प्रदूषण के ख़िलाफ़ इस जंग में अपना योगदान ज़रूर दें। <a href="https://t.co/7M2nTuvnsc">pic.twitter.com/7M2nTuvnsc</a>
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/1482986879804854275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Delhi's First ELECTRIC BUS is here! BatteryBus. This is a new dawn in Delhi's Transport System. A significant step towards a pollution-free Delhi. It has ZERO emissions, can be charged in 1.5 hr &amp; runs min. 120 km. Overall we'll have 2,000 such buses; 300 by April," Kejriwal said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Delhi's First ELECTRIC BUS is here!&nbsp; 
 
"This is a new dawn in Delhi's Transport System. A significant step towards a pollution free Delhi 
 
It has ZERO emissions, can be charged in 1.5 hr &amp; runs min. 120 km. Overall we'll have 2000 such buses; 300 by April" 
 
-CM <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> <a href="https://t.co/FpdA68BtV3">pic.twitter.com/FpdA68BtV3</a>
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamAadmiParty/status/1482973078552735744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Delhi will get its first of the 300 proposed electric buses with women and differently-abled-friendly features on Monday.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
प्रदूषण के ख़िलाफ़ जंग में दिल्ली सरकार की एक बड़ी पहल। सोमवार को माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> जी दिल्ली की पहली इलेक्ट्रिक बस की शुरुआत करेंगे। <a href="https://t.co/yUfXi60X7s">pic.twitter.com/yUfXi60X7s</a>
— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/CMODelhi/status/1482735258328252423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"Happy to share that Hon`ble CM @ArvindKejriwal will flag off the 1st Electric Bus on Delhi roads today at 12 Noon from DTC IP Depot," Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot tweeted this morning.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Happy to share that Hon’ble CM <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> will flag off the 1st Electric Bus on Delhi roads today at 12 Noon from DTC IP Depot. 
# Zero Smoke 100 % Electric 
# SwitchDelhi <a href="https://t.co/vAf77ygGY1">pic.twitter.com/vAf77ygGY1</a>
— Kailash Gahlot (@kgahlot) <a href="https://twitter.com/kgahlot/status/1482926193242669059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As the name suggests, these buses will be environment friendly as they would emit zero per cent smoke and run fully on electricity. These 12-meter-low floor AC&nbsp;e-buses will have CCTV cameras, panic buttons enabled to ensure women safety as well as pink seats. Besides having GPS and live-tracking, these buses will have kneeling ramps for the differently-abled population, as per the Delhi government.

"The first prototype of the electric bus has already reached Delhi and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (January 17). Fifty e-buses will be inducted into DTC`s fleet by the second week of February and the target to admit 300 e-buses is likely to be achieved till April," Gahlot had said Friday while inaugurating 100 new AC CNG buses in the presence of the Chief Minister at Rajghat.

Besides being differently-abled friendly, the newly inducted low-floor CNG AC buses, launched on January 14, are fully compliant with BS-VI emission standards and are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like a real-time passenger information system, CCTVs, panic buttons and GPS, among others.

The induction of these 100 buses took Delhi Transport Corporation`s (DTC) fleet to an all-time high of 6,900. Prior to this, Delhi saw 6,000 buses in the fleet of Delhi Transport Department during the Commonwealth Games, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said Friday. In the month of November, the Delhi cabinet had approved the induction of 190 low-floor AC CNG buses -- 100 of which have already been launched, under its cluster scheme.

The Cabinet had further said that 300 electric buses will also be inducted into the DTC fleet by the start of 2022 -- a target which is likely to get completed in April.

With Inputs from IANS

These 12-meter-low floor AC&nbsp;e-buses will have CCTV cameras, panic buttons enabled to ensure women safety as well as pink seats


First Electric Bus in Delhi: CM Arvind Kejriwal flags off electric buses today; to introduce 300 e-buses by April 

The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on 21st June 2021.&nbsp;

Lauding India's COVID-19 vaccination drive as it completes a year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said it has added great strength to the fight against the pandemic and has resulted in saving lives and protecting livelihoods.

India feels proud that our nation has been able to contribute to fighting the pandemic through vaccines, Modi tweeted.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
India’s approach to fighting the pandemic will always remain science based. We are also augmenting health infrastructure to ensure our fellow citizens get proper care. 
 
Let us keep following all COVID-19 related protocols and overcome the pandemic. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/1YearOfVaccineDrive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#1YearOfVaccineDrive</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1482596449648930816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain. 1,51,740 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 3,52,37,461.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 94.27%.

As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.

More than 158.12 crore (1,58,12,73,035) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category.

More than 13.79 Cr (13,79,62,181) balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.

Around 1,51,740 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) is now at 3,52,37,461.


Covid-19 vaccination 1 year: 158.12 crore vaccine doses completed; recovery rate stands at 94.27%

Ola Electric has informed its customers, who have booked their S1 electric scooter in the latest round, that the company will upgrade its S1 customers to S1 Pro hardware, providing them with all S1 features. The electric vehicle company has also informed that the customers will also be able to unlock Pro range, hyper mode, and other features with a performance upgrade. This information was recently shared by CEO Bhavish Aggarwal on Twitter.

"We’re upgrading all our S1 customers to S1 Pro hardware. You’ll get all S1 features and can unlock Pro range, hyper mode, other features with a performance upgrade. Thank you for being early supporters of Mission Electric! Dispatch in Jan, Feb. Email to follow with details," he tweeted.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We’re upgrading all our S1 customers to S1 Pro hardware. You’ll get all S1 features and can unlock Pro range, hyper mode, other features with a performance upgrade. 
 
Thank you for being early supporters of Mission Electric! 
 
Dispatch in Jan, Feb. Email to follow with details.
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) <a href="https://twitter.com/bhash/status/1482388652584218625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On Friday, Ola Electric informed that it will open the final payment window on January 21 for all the customers, who have already paid Rs 20,000 for its electric scooters, Ola Chairman and Group Executive Officer earlier tweeted.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zeebiz.com/automobile/news-ola-electric-to-open-final-payment-window-for-scooter-buyers-on-january-21-ceo-bhavish-aggarwal-176203">Ola Electric Scooters S1, S1 Pro: Important update on final payment for buyers - What Bhavish Aggarwal confirmed</a>

Ola Electric, which had in August last year made a foray into the green mobility space with the launch of its electric scooters, S1 and S1 Pro priced at Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,29,999, respectively, had postponed delivery timelines for its much-anticipated products citing the global semiconductor shortage issue.

The company will dispatch for the latest purchase during this month and February.

The company, after opening reservations at Rs 499 in July last year for its electric scooters, started the online purchase process in September and initially planned to start deliveries in October but was later pushed to November and then again to the second half of December last year.&nbsp;

On 31 December, Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Ola Electric updated on December deliveries via tweet that "We’ve dispatched vehicles to ALL who purchased. Some in transit, most already at delivery centres near you getting through the RTO registration process. The registration process took longer than we anticipated as a fully digital process is new for all."

On Friday, Ola Electric informed that it will open the final payment window on January 21 for all the customers, who have already paid Rs 20,000 for its electric scooters.


Ola Electric Scooters: CEO Bhavish Aggarwal confirms to upgrade S1 customers to S1 Pro hardware 

Legendary Kathak dancer Birju Maharaj died at his home here in the early hours of Monday, his granddaughter said. He would have been 84 next month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj. The Prime Minister has also said that his passing is an irreparable loss to the entire art world.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
भारतीय नृत्य कला को विश्वभर में विशिष्ट पहचान दिलाने वाले पंडित बिरजू महाराज जी के निधन से अत्यंत दुख हुआ है। उनका जाना संपूर्ण कला जगत के लिए एक अपूरणीय क्षति है। शोक की इस घड़ी में मेरी संवेदनाएं उनके परिजनों और प्रशंसकों के साथ हैं। ओम शांति! <a href="https://t.co/PtqDkoe8kd">pic.twitter.com/PtqDkoe8kd</a>
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1482917328346296320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Maharaj-ji, as he was popularly known, died surrounded by his family and disciples. They were playing 'antakshari' after dinner when he suddenly took ill, Ragini Maharaj told PTI.

The Kathak exponent, one of India's best-known artistes, had been suffering from a kidney ailment and was under dialysis treatment. He probably died of a cardiac arrest, his granddaughter said.

"We took him to hospital immediately but we could not save him," she said.&nbsp;

With Inputs from PTI

The Kathak dancer, one of India's best-known artistes, had been suffering from a kidney ailment and was under dialysis treatment.&nbsp;


Legendary Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj dies at 84; PM Narendra Modi expresses deep condolence

With the Union Budget for FY23 slated to take place on February 1, the retail industry has started making suggestions and recommendations to the Centre for including them in the Budget document. 
 
Sharing expectations and suggestions for Budget 2022 on the retail sector, Preet Dhupar, Chief Financial Officer, IKEA India said: "We have a positive outlook towards the growth of the retail industry, which has truly become omnichannel in today's world. Retail has played an important role in our lives during the pandemic. We also see life at home take an increasing significance as hybrid work models will continue to emerge in the future. Our recommendations and expectations cover the retail and home furnishing sector." 
 
She further added: "We expect the budget to focus on providing stimulus for growth of the economy. To do this, we believe it is important to take steps to trigger private consumption, support manufacturing and exports, promote and set aside funds towards infrastructure-related capital expenditure, and continue to focus on the spending in public health and healthcare." 
 
The economic impact of the pandemic on the income of people in India must not be underestimated. To stimulate demand, it is important that money is increased in the hands of people and products remain affordable. GST rates on products that are basic to life at home should be lowered, customs duties on good quality furniture and home products should be reduced, she added.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-budget-2022-parliament-session-starts-from-january-31-general-budget-on-february-1-sources-176186">Budget 2022: Parliament session starts from January 31, General budget on February 1: Sources</a> 
 
The government has already identified furniture as a focus sector for manufacturing. To make Indian furniture competitive, customs duties on raw materials and intermediaries (not available in India) should be brought down. PLI schemes, financing at lower rates, tax benefits in the initial years will support companies that want to manufacture in India. To increase India’s competitiveness in the global market, we must also look at adopting global quality standards that are tried and tested, Dhupar said. &nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
The retail sector has the potential to attract FDI. As a capital-intensive sector, what would also help is increasing the time to set off and carry forward losses and interest beyond 8 years; a relook at the think capitalization rules. Tax consolidation between group companies will go a long way to simplify operations for companies, ensure tax optimization and reduce litigations, she added. 
 
Dhupar said that litigations can also be reduced by ensuring that a timely and effective dispute resolution mechanism that is binding on both parties is available for all tax dispute matters. For an industry that spends money on the construction of its stores, there is also a loss of GST credit on spending. This anomaly should be removed. Food FDI policy could be liberalized along the same lines are retail. 
 
"We also urge the government to look at ECB guidelines to allow ECB in the construction development sector, where FDI is allowed but ECB is not. We look forward to the roll-out of the National Retail policy, bring offline and online retail into a single policy framework, reduce the compliance and regulatory burden, give industry status to retail along with financial incentives to large scale projects," she added.&nbsp;

Retail has played an important role in our lives during the pandemic.&nbsp;We also see life at home take an increasing significance as hybrid work models will continue to emerge in the future,&nbsp;she said.


Budget 2022 Expectations: 'To make Indian furniture competitive, customs duties on raw materials and intermediaries should be brought down' 

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi 10th Installment news:&nbsp;Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 10th installment of financial benefit under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme on 1st January 2022 via video conferencing. This enabled the transfer of an amount of more than Rs 20,000 crore to more than 10 crore beneficiary farmer families.

During the programme, the Prime Minister also released an equity grant of more than Rs 14 crore to about 351 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which will benefit more than 1.24 lakh farmers. PM KISAN is a government scheme with 100 per cent funding from the Government of India.&nbsp;

The Government rolled out the Central Sector Scheme- Pradhan Mantri KIsan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to provide financial assistance of up to Rs 6,000 annually to small and marginalised farmers across the country.

The financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is to be released to the eligible farmers in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each every 4-month / trimester, i.e. April-July, August-November and December-March.

So, how many members in a family can claim the Pradhan Mantri KIsan Samman Nidhi benefit? Well, the Government has clearly mentioned that under the scheme an income support of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal installments will be provided to small and marginal farmer families having combined land holding/ownership of up to 2 hectares.

The definition of family for the scheme is husband, wife and minor children. State Government and UT administration will identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines. As per the rule of the scheme, only one member of the family can get its benefit and not both husband and wife.

The Scheme is being implemented through an Aadhaar linked electronic data base containing details of all members of the families of the farmers whose names appear in the land records

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zeebiz.com/personal-finance/news-pm-kisan-10th-installment-how-many-members-in-a-family-can-claim-rs-6000-installment-benefit-know-the-details-176169">PM Kisan 10th Installment: How many members in a family can claim Rs 6,000 installment benefit? Know the details</a>

Who can’t avail the benefits?

The following categories of beneficiaries of higher economic status shall not be eligible for benefit under the scheme; All Institutional Land holders; and Farmer families in which one or more of its members belong to following categories:

1) Former and present holders of constitutional posts

2) Former and present Ministers / State Ministers and former / present Members of Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha / State Legislative Assemblies / State Legislative Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations, former and present Chairpersons of District Panchayats.

3) All serving or retired officers and employees of Central / State Government Ministries / Offices / Departments and their field units, Central or State PSEs and Attached offices / Autonomous Institutions under government as well as regular employees of the local bodies (excluding multi-tasking staff / Class IV / Group D employees)

4) All superannuated / retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs 10,000/- or more (excluding multi-tasking staff / Class IV / Group D employees)

5) All persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year.

6) Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices.

In case of new beneficiaries being uploaded on the PM-KISAN Portal, all land holding farmers’ families who are non-resident Indians (NRIs) in terms of the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961 shall be excluded from any benefit under the Scheme.

The PM KISAN Yojana benefits 12 crore farmers across of the country. The PM KISAN Yojana provides financial assistance to farmers irrespective of the size of their land holdings. The scheme provides minimum income support up to Rs 6,000 to farmers across the country. The amount is directly transferred to the bank account of the farmers.

The financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is to be released to the eligible farmers in three instalments of Rs 2,000 each every 4-month / trimester, i.e. April-July, August-November and December-March.


PM Kisan 10th Installment: Who can’t avail Rs 6,000 installment benefits? Know the details

The Union Budget 2022-23 is expected to be presented by the Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2022.&nbsp;The budget session of Parliament will start from January 31 and will continue till April 8.

Speaking on the expectations&nbsp;and local market thoughts,&nbsp;Ashhish Vaidya, Head of Treasury, DBS Bank India shared these points for Budget 2022:

1.&nbsp;Fiscal Policy: Budget 2022

The Budget is likely to remain growth-focused and hence the&nbsp;fiscal deficit is likely to remain high&nbsp;for next year. Sources quoted on newswires have stated a 6.3% to 6.5% fiscal deficit for next year. Our expectation is that the revenues are likely to remain buoyant, hence the high fiscal deficit number would indicate higher expenditure. There is also the possibility of a continued process of moving off-balance-sheet borrowing on NHAI etc to on-balance sheet thus ensuring better transparency in the overall numbers. The higher borrowing numbers would likely push INR Government Securities to yield higher with&nbsp;10-year moving towards 6.80% by April 2022. The expectation is that we could see higher issuances in the longer end next year thus causing steepening of the curve.

2.&nbsp;India Government Securities Index Inclusion

We expect to see the index inclusion announcement come by March 2022. Though this is an additional demand coming up, we think this will only help offset the RBI OMO purchases that were seen last year. This would, however, increase the inflows into the country and increase the RBI FX reserves kitty.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-budget-2022-parliament-session-starts-from-january-31-general-budget-on-february-1-sources-176186">Budget 2022: Parliament session starts from January 31, General budget on February 1: Sources</a>

3.&nbsp;RBI Policy Actions: INR Liquidity Absorption and Rate Hike

Economic growth seeing better traction indicated by better GST numbers, we expect RBI to increase INR liquidity absorption through larger amounts of VRRR and increase in Reverse Repo Rate through Jan to Apr this year thus taking o/n rates towards 4% from 3.35% currently. The initial action has been through VRRR as RBI was cautious on how the Omicron would play out. The VRRR gave RBI the flexibility to reverse their actions, unlike reverse repo hikes. However, with the severity of Omicron being muted, we expect RBI to hike the Reverse Repo rate in Feb/ April policy and thus take short-end INR rates higher.

We expect that RBI would have the first hike in Repo Rate by 25 bps in either June or Aug policy. The headline inflation is expected to remain between 5.50% to 5.90% in the second half of the year with possible upside surprises. However, we do think that RBI policy action is to be gradual and hence may not see more than two hikes this year in Repo Rate. We think the terminal repo rate of India has moved lower from 6% to 5% in this cycle.

Global macro thoughts&nbsp;-

4.&nbsp;US Rate Hike Cycle, Global Liquidity, and US-China Policy Divergence

We have seen in the recent past that FED has come around to the view of persistent inflation and hence likely to see quicker rate lift-off. Though the market expectation is of three rate hikes this year, we think only two rate hikes will materialize. However, the market will continue with the extra hike pricing in the first half of the year as high inflation persists. The impact of his inflation is likely to have significant implications for US politics as this could lead to Democrats losing control of the Senate after the Nov midterm elections.

Though there has been a rollback of various liquidity measures announced during the Covid period by the global central banks, our estimate is that global liquidity would continue to remain buoyant for the next two years and support for equity and other assets will remain.

In addition, we expect to continue to see a divergence in US-China Monetary Policy this year. China is likely to see the growth slowing as well as the continued migration of manufacturing from the country. This is in addition to changing demographics of their population will cause China Government and their Central Bank to take fiscal and monetary policy measures to support the economy.

5.&nbsp;Crude Prices

With overall economic growth continuing the momentum along with increased travel along with the fact that this sector has not seen new investments in the last couple of years due to the ESG move, we expect the demand for crude increase. The actual output increase from OPEC will be clearly behind the increase announced by OPEC due to the members' ability to increase production. Also, unlike last time the Shale gas output is nowhere likely to pick up even at these crude price levels. Considering these, we expect&nbsp;crude prices to move to USD 100 per barrel&nbsp;during the year.

Lastly, commodity price inflation will continue to provide headwinds to widespread global GDP growth.

&nbsp;

With the severity of Omicron being muted, we expect RBI to hike the Reverse Repo rate in Feb/ April policy and thus take short-end INR rates higher.


Budget 2022 Expectations: 'Budget is likely to remain growth-focused; fiscal deficit is likely to remain high for next year'

Ola Electric will open the final payment window on January 21 for all the customers, who have already paid Rs 20,000 for its electric scooters, Ola Chairman and Group Executive Officer Bhavish Aggarwal tweeted today.

While extending his greetings for Lohri, Sankrati and Pongal, Aggarwal in a tweet said, "Sea of scooters awaits! Final payment window opens Jan 21, 6 pm in Ola App for all customers who've paid (Rs) 20k. We'll dispatch across Jan &amp; Feb."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lohri ki lakh lakh vadhaiyan, Sankrati ki shubhkaamnayein, Pongal vazhthukkal! 
 
We’re celebrating with our own harvest&nbsp; 
 
Sea of scooters awaits! Final payment window opens Jan 21, 6pm in Ola App for all customers who've paid 20k. We'll dispatch across Jan &amp; Feb. <a href="https://t.co/RZSAeclC0e">pic.twitter.com/RZSAeclC0e</a>
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) <a href="https://twitter.com/bhash/status/1481907102302236675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ola Electric, which had in August last year made a foray into the green mobility space with the launch of its electric scooters, S1 and S1 Pro priced at Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,29,999, respectively, had postponed delivery timelines for its much-anticipated products citing the global semiconductor shortage issue.

The company will dispatch for the latest purchase during this month and February.

The company, after opening reservations at Rs 499 in July last year for its electric scooters, started the online purchase process in September and initially planned to start deliveries in October but was later pushed to November and then again to the second half of December last year.&nbsp;

On 31 December, Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Ola Electric updated on December deliveries via tweet that "We’ve dispatched vehicles to ALL who purchased. Some in transit, most already at delivery centres near you getting through the RTO registration process. The registration process took longer than we anticipated as a fully digital process is new for all."

Ola Electric, which had in August 2021 made a foray into the green mobility space with the launch of its electric scooters, S1 and S1 Pro priced at Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,29,999, respectively.


Ola Electric Scooters S1, S1 Pro: Important update on final payment for buyers - What Bhavish Aggarwal confirmed

In order to strengthen the public transport services in Delhi, the state government today flagged off 100 AC CNG buses equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like CCTV, Panic Button, GPS etc. from Rajghat depot.

Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot tweets "Congrats! Today we've added 100 more fully BS-VI compliant AC CNG buses to our fleet. Under Hon'ble CM @ArvindKejriwalji's dynamic leadership, Delhi in 2022 will see more and more state-of-the-art buses, including 100% electric ones being added to it's fleet!"&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Congrats! Today we've added 100 more fully BS VI compliant AC CNG buses to our fleet. Under Hon'ble CM <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> ji's dynamic leadership, Delhi in 2022 will see more and more state of the art buses, including 100% electric ones being added to it's fleet! <a href="https://t.co/D4dWm5ey0F">pic.twitter.com/D4dWm5ey0F</a>
— Kailash Gahlot (@kgahlot) <a href="https://twitter.com/kgahlot/status/1481889428683763714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Gahlot also informed that 50 electric buses will be inducted into the DTC's fleet by the second week of February, and the target to admit 300 more is likely to be achieved by April, as per IANS.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
दिल्लीवासियों को शुभकामनाएं! 
सार्वजनिक परिवहन सेवा को सुदृढ़ करने की दिशा में दिल्ली सरकार का एक और महत्वपूर्ण क़दम। कल 14.01.2022,दोपहर 12 बजे माननीय CM श्री <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> अत्याधुनिक सुविधाओं जैसे CCTV,पैनिक बटन,GPS आदि से लैस 100 AC CNG बसों का शुभारंभ राजघाट डिपो से करेंगे। <a href="https://t.co/55I4wp9wKs">pic.twitter.com/55I4wp9wKs</a>
— Kailash Gahlot (@kgahlot) <a href="https://twitter.com/kgahlot/status/1481549053456699395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"The first prototype of the electric bus has already reached Delhi and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday (January 17). Fifty e-buses will be inducted into DTC`s fleet by the second week of February and the target to admit 300 e-buses is likely to be achieved till April," Gahlot said while inaugurating 100 new AC CNG buses in the presence of the Chief Minister at Rajghat on Friday afternoon.

The buses will run on the rural route, Kejriwal said after the inauguration ceremony.

Besides being disabled-friendly, these new low-floor CNG AC buses are fully compliant with BS-VI emission standards and are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities like a real-time passenger information system, CCTVs, panic buttons and GPS, among others, according to the Delhi government.

"With the induction of these 100 buses, Delhi now has nearly 6,900 buses -- a figure that has never been obtained before," Kejriwal said, adding that during the 2010 CommonWealth Games, there were nearly 6,000 buses in the national capital.

In November 2021, the Delhi Cabinet had approved the induction of 190 low-floor AC CNG buses under its cluster scheme.

With the induction of these buses, (the) total number of cluster buses has reached 3,383 and the total bus fleet in natonal capital has reached an all-time high of 7,140.

Under the cluster scheme, total 3,033 non-AC and AC buses have been operated by the state government.

The Cabinet had also said that 300 electric buses will also be inducted into the DTC fleet by the start of 2022 -- a target which is yet to be completed.

In November 2021, the Delhi Cabinet had approved the induction of 190 low-floor AC CNG buses under its cluster scheme.


Preeti Verma