Atmanirbhar Bharat will make the journey from a Dream to Reality

On 12 May 2020
During covid pandemic first wave
announced the Special economic and comprehensive package of INR 20 lakh
crores - equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP – to fight COVID-19 pandemic in
India. 
The aim is to make the country and its citizens independent and self-reliant in
all senses. He further outlined five pillars of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat – Economy,
Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand. 
Finance Minister further announced Government Reforms and Enablers across
Seven Sectors under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.
The government took several bold reforms such as Supply Chain Reforms for
Agriculture, Rational Tax Systems, Simple & Clear Laws, Capable Human
Resource and Strong Financial System.
A self reliant India with 5 pillars

 Economy
Quantum jumps, not incremental changes


Infrastructure
Represents modern India


Systems
Technology-driven systems


Demography
Vibrant Demography of the largest democracy


Demand
Full utilisation of the power of demand & supply

Agriculture
*Measures to strengthen Infrastructure Logistics and Capacity Building
Rs 1 lakh crore Agri Infrastructure Fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers
Lack of adequate cold chain & Post Harvest Management infrastructure in the
vicinity of farm-gate causing gaps in value chains. • Focus has been on short
term crop loans while investment in long term agriculture infrastructure has
often not been enough. • Financing facility of Rs. 1,00,000 crore will be
provided for funding Agriculture Infrastructure Projects at farm-gate &
aggregation points (Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, Farmers
Producer Organisations, Agriculture entrepreneurs, Startups, etc.) • Impetus for
development of farm-gate & aggregation point, affordable and financially viable
Post Harvest Management infrastructure
*Rs 10,000 crores scheme for Formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE)
Scheme promotes vision of Hon. PM: ‘Vocal for Local with Global outreach’ •
Unorganised MFEs units need technical upgradation to attain FSSAI food
standards, build brands and marketing • A Scheme will be launched to help 2
lakh MFEs attain attain above goals • Existing micro food enterprises, Farmer
Producer Organisations, Self Help Groups and Cooperatives to be supported •
Cluster based approach (e.g. Mango in UP, Kesar in J&K, Bamboo shoots in
North-East, Chilli in Andhra Pradesh, Tapioca in Tamil Nadu etc.) • Expected
outcomes: Improved health and safety standards, integration with retail markets,
improved incomes • Will also help in reaching untapped export markets in view
of improved health consciousness.
*Rs 20,000 crores for Fishermen through Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada
Yojana (PMMSY)
Critical gaps in fisheries value chain • Government will launch the PMMSY for
integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of marine and inland fisheries. •
Rs 11,000 Cr for activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and Aquaculture • Rs.
9000 Cr for Infrastructure - Fishing Harbours, Cold chain, Markets etc. • Cage
Culture, Seaweed farming, Ornamental Fisheries as well as New Fishing
Vessels, Traceability, Laboratory Network etc. will be key activities. •
Provisions of Ban Period Support to fishermen (during the period fishing is not
permitted), Personal & Boat Insurance • Will lead to Additional Fish Production
of 70 lakh tonnes over 5 years. • Employment to over 55 lakh persons; double
exports to Rs 1,00,000 Cr. • Focus on Islands, Himalayan States, North-east and
Aspirational Districts.
*National Animal Disease Control Programme
National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease
(FMD) and Brucellosis launched with total outlay of Rs. 13,343 crores.  It
ensures 100% vaccination of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population
(total 53 crore animals) for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and for brucellosis.
 Till date, 1.5 crore cows & buffaloes tagged and vaccinated.
*Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund - Rs. 15,000 crore
Many areas in country with high milk production having great potential for
private investment in Dairy  Aim to support private investment in Dairy
Processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure  An Animal
Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund of Rs. 15,000 crore will be set up.
 Incentives to be given for establishing plants for export of niche products.
*Promotion of Herbal Cultivation : Rs. 4000 crore
National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has supported 2.25 lac hectare area
under cultivation of medicinal plants  10,00,000 hectare will be covered under
Herbal cultivation in next two years with outlay of Rs. 4000 crore  Will lead
to Rs. 5,000 crores income generation for farmers  Network of regional
Mandis for Medicinal Plants.  NMPB will bring 800 hectare area by
developing a corridor of medicinal plants along the banks of Ganga.
*Promotion of Herbal Cultivation
The government of India will spend INR 4000 cr over the next two years to
promote Herbal Cultivation in India.
Revised Framework for Innovation Sandbox by SEBI
The capital market in India has been an early adopter of technology. SEBI
believes that encouraging adoption and usage of financial technology
(‘FinTech’) would have a profound impact on the development of the securities
market. FinTech can act as a catalyst to further develop and maintain an
efficient, fair, transparent and inclusive securities market ecosystem. 2. To
create an ecosystem which promotes innovation in the securities market,SEBI
feels that startups including FinTech firms should have access to market related
data, and test environments which are otherwise not readily available to them, to
enable them to test their innovations effectively before the introduction of such
innovations in a live environment. 3. With a view to operationalize the
abovementioned endeavor, SEBI had proposed a concept of “Innovation
Sandbox”. Innovation Sandbox facilitates access to an environment (testing
facilities and test data) provided by Enabling Organizations like Stock
Exchanges, Depositories and Qualified Registrar and Share Transfer Agents
(QRTAs) wherein innovators (hereinafter referred to as Sandbox Applicants)
would be testing their innovations in isolation from the live market and would
be used for offline testing of the proposed solution of the applicant.

Eligibility Criteria:
Applicant must be an Indian Citizen or entities registered in India. The Know
Your Customers (KYC) norms must be in line with the Central Know Your
Customers Registry (CKYCR) and KYC Registration Agency (KRA) KYC
requirements comprising of following: a) Name of the Financial
Institution/Fintech/Startup/Individual b) Name(s) of the Directors, Partners, if
applicable c) Address of Registered Head Office / Correspondence Address d)
Date and Year of establishment / Registration, if applicable e) Contact Number
and Email Id f) Website, if applicable g) Govt. Issued Identification Details like
Passport, Voter Id, Driving licence, PAN Aadhaar Card, etc. h) Letter of
undertaking that the applicant is not blacklisted or debarred by any Govt.
department due to breach of general or specific instructions, corrupt or
fraudulent or any other unethical business practices.
Genuine need to test the solution: The applicant should have a genuine need for
testing the solution using resources available in the Innovation Sandbox. The
applicant should provide justification of requirement to access the test data and
test environment and also inform what dataset is required.
Purpose: The purpose of the project should be aligned with the objective of the
innovation sandbox. 5.3.2.2 Adequate Progress: The applicant should
demonstrate that they have achieved adequate progress and are on track with
their testing plan. 5.3.2.3 Post-testing strategy: The applicant should present
their posttesting plan. 5.3.2.4 Benefits to investors: The solution should offer
identifiable benefits (direct or indirect) to investors and / or to the capital market
and financial sector as a whole.
DEFENCE ACQUISITION PROCEDURE 2020
DEFENCE PRODUCTION & EXPORT PROMOTION POLICY (DPEPP)
2020
The size of the Defence Industry, including Aerospace and Naval Shipbuilding
Industry, is currently estimated to be about Rs 80,000 Cr (2019-20). While the
contribution of Public Sector is estimated to be Rs 63,000 crores, the share of
Private Sector has steadily grown to Rs 17,000 crores over the years. 1.1.5
Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) like Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL) in Aerospace, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL),
Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Goa Shipyard
Limited (GSL) and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in naval, Bharat
Dynamics Limited (BDL), BEML Ltd, Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) in
special Metals and Alloys, Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) in land systems and
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in strategic electronics have been the pillars
of the defence production ecosystem in the country. The DPSUs have come a
long way in terms of development of products and technologies through their
own R&D as well as in collaboration with DRDO labs.
In the private sector, many engineering majors have diversified and joined the
Defence sector. More than 460 licenses have so far been issued to private
companies for production of defence equipment. 3 1.1.7 The defence industry is
ably supported by a strong base of over 8,000 MSMEs that provide strength and
vibrancy to the defence supply chain.
Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) has provided a platform for startups
to get connected to the defence establishment.
The present ‘Defence Production & Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) 2020’ is
positioned as Ministry of Defence’s overarching guiding document to provide a
focused, structured and significant thrust to defence production capabilities of
the country for self-reliance and exports.
To make India amongst the leading countries of the world in Defence sector,
including Aerospace and Naval Shipbuilding sectors, from design to production,
with active participation of public and private sector and thus fulfilling the twin
objectives of self-reliance and exports.
The policy has the following goals and objectives: 3.1 To achieve a turnover of
Rs 1,75,000 Crores (US$ 25Bn) including export of Rs 35,000 Crore (US$ 5
Bn) in Aerospace and Defence goods and services by 2025. 3.2 To develop a
dynamic, robust and competitive Defence industry, including Aerospace and
Naval Shipbuilding industry to cater to the needs of Armed forces with quality
products. 3.3 To reduce dependence on imports and take forward "Make in
India" initiatives through domestic design and development. 3.4 To promote
export of defence products and become part of the global defence value chains.
3.5 To create an environment that encourages R&D, rewards innovation, creates
Indian IP ownership and promotes a robust and self-reliant defence industry

Recent Developments
Industrial production in India advanced by 2.4 percent year-on-year in
July of 2022, following an upwardly revised 12.7 percent rise in the
previous month and missing market expectations of a 4.3 percent growth.
It was the weakest increase in industrial activity since March, as mining
output declined (-3.3 percent vs 7.8 percent in June). Meanwhile,
production slowed for manufacturing (3.2 percent vs 12.9 percent) and
electricity (2.3 percent vs 16.4 percent). On a monthly basis, industrial
output fell by 2.7 percent, after an upwardly revised 0.5 percent rise in the
previous month. source: Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MOSPI)
In the fiscal year 2020, manufacturing generated 17.4 per cent of India’s GDP
compared to 7.4% in 2018. With these statistics speaking aloud for the
empowerment of the manufacturing sector, it is evident that technology has
been spurring a wave of innovation in the sector while digital transformation in
the manufacturing industry is also seen as a trend to gain an edge in this
hypercompetitive market. According to MPI Group, nearly a third (31%) of
production processes now incorporate smart devices and embedded intelligence.
The manufacturing industry in India is predicted to increase six-fold by 2025
due to rising demand driven by consumer spending and the country’s transition
into a low-cost manufacturing hub. Another upside of India’s manufacturing
being on the upward trajectory is that there is a ton of pent-up demand for goods
and services being generated post-pandemic. The pandemic caused a
devastating impact on consumer expenditure because of the uncertainty of the
economy. India can take advantage of this global demand by being a leading
exporter of goods and services.
According to IBEF numbers, the appliances and consumer electronics market in
India is projected to grow to US$21.18 billion by 2025, and a NITI Aayog
report and RMI India say the electric vehicles financing industry in India is
projected to grow to ~ US$50 billion by 2030.

My Points –
As the government is developing the bullet train infrastructure for past several
years with the help of Japan in addition to that the government also hasn’t
abandoned the current infrastructure, the railway has developed the Vande
Bharat series of trains which are fully home developed under the make in India
scheme, It was designed and manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at
Perambur, Chennai under the Indian government's Make in India initiative, over
a span of 18 months. The unit cost of the first rake was estimated at ₹100 crore
(US$13 million), although it is expected to go down with subsequent
production. At the original price, it is estimated to be 40% cheaper than a
similar train imported from Europe. In the recent test the vande bharat achieved
the speed of 180km/h while providing the utmost comfort available inside it’s
coaches in a test run conducted between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.Railways aim
to run 75 vande bharat trains till August 15 next year.

The electric vehicle infrastructure has grown many folds which consists
domestic companies as the main contributors to it, startups like Ather Energy
have grown to level where they enjoy customer trust and following. Tata Motors
is currently leading with the likes of the Nexon EV, Mahindra unveiled five new
electric SUVs just this month. approvals have been granted for 6,315 electrical
buses, 2,877 EV charging stations amounting to $66.63 million in 68 cities
across 25 states/union territories, and 1,576 charging stations amounting to
$14.39 million across nine expressways and 16 highways. Energy Efficiency
Services Limited (EESL) is procuring 10,000 EVs from manufacturers for
distribution to government departments on a rental model and upfront sales.
EESL's tender of 10,000 EVs aims to reduce the upfront cost of EVs
substantially. This is how over 3,30,000 EV units were sold in 2021, registering
a growth of 168 percent over 2020.
The charging infrastructure is also dominated by domestic companies such as
Delta Electronics India, Quench Chargers, Exicom Manufacturers, Tata Power,
Volttic. These are all Indian home grown brands and startups which are all
made in India technology providers.