| | India in Vancouver - Weekly Newsletter
Issue No. 33, December 23, 2022 Consulate Weekly Newsletter | | | | | The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi along with other leaders attended a lunch in Parliament where millet dishes were served as India prepares to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets. In a tweet, the Prime Minister said; "As we prepare to mark 2023 as the International Year of Millets, attended a sumptuous lunch in Parliament where millet dishes were served. Good to see participation from across party lines." | | | | | PM meets Google CEO Sundar Pichai The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has met Google CEO, Shri Sundar Pichai and discussed innovation & technology among other things. In response to a tweet by Sundar Pichai, the Prime Minister tweeted; “Was a delight to meet you Sundar Pichai and discuss innovation, technology and more. It is important the world continues to work together to leverage tech for human prosperity and sustainable development. | | | | | | | | Restoration of e - Visa for Canadian Passport Holders e - Visa facility for Canadian passport-holders has been restored. with effect from 20th January, 2022.
2. Those Canadian passport holders who wish to visit india for tourism, business, medical or conference purposes, may apply for e - Visa at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html and follow the instructions contained therein.
3. Canadian passport - holders seeking to travel to India for any purpose, not qualifying for e-Visa, may apply for paper visa at https://www.blsindia-canada.com.The same process is applicable to Laissez - passer travel document holders.
4. Those who have applied for visa through various BLS centres in Canada are advised to wait for issuance of the same. All such applications will be processed on priority. Those applicants who wish to withdraw their respective visa applications may do so by visiting the website https://www.blsindia-canada.com/ and choosing the option for 'Application Withdrawal'.
5. Those who have booked appointments to apply for tourist, business, medical or conference visa at BLS Centres in Canada and would, now, like to apply for e-Visa instead, are requested to vacate/cancel their appointment slots so that the same becomes available to others seeking visa/ consular services. | | | | | Validity of e-Visas Issued prior to its suspension in March 2020 Press Release on the Validity of e - Visas issued prior to its suspension in March 2020 | Guidelines for International Arrivals
New Guidelines for International Arrivals in supersession of guidelines issued on the subject on 21st November 2022
| | | | | Consul General's meeting with Mr. Rick Brar, CEO, Brain Biocutical and his team Consul General Mr. Manish held a meeting with Mr. Rick Brar, CEO, Brain Biocutical and his team on December 21, 2022. Brain Biocutical is a leading manufacturer of natural and pure active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), with a unique suite of licenses and registrations. Both sides discussed possibilities of cooperation with Indian entities in this area . | | | | | Consul General's participation at Open House in Surrey Consul General Mr. Manish was pleased to interact with Minister of Labour and MLA for Surrey - Newton, Harry Bains during an open house organized by him in Surrey on December 20, 2022. CG also met with a group of Indian students from Kwantlen Student Association and explored opportunities for engagement with students. | | | | 1st commemoration of Veer Baal Diwas | | | | On the day of birth anniversary of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji on 9th January 2022, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced celebration of 'Veer Baal Diwas' to pay homage to the courage of 'Sahibzade' sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Guru. Accordingly, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India issued Gazette notification and declared 26th December 2022 as 'Veer Baal Diwas' to pay tribute to unparalleled sacrifices made by the sons of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (Sahibzada Zorawar Singh Ji and Sahibzada Fateh Singh Ji) while walking on the path of justice. This notification and the 1st commemoration of Veer Baal Diwas is happening as the country is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav commemorating 75 years of independence. | | | | G20 - 1st Joint Finance and Health Task Force Meeting | | | The 1st Joint Finance and Health Task Force Meeting under the Indian G20 Presidency was held in virtual mode on 20 December 2022. The meeting was attended by Finance and Health representatives from G20 and Invited Countries as well as International Organizations. The meeting was co-chaired by Italy and Indonesia. The Bali Leaders' Declaration 2022 extended the mandate of the Task Force to continue the collaborations between Finance and Health Ministries for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. The 1st JFHTF enabled discussions on the mandates specified by the Bali Leaders' Declaration. The Task Force Secretariat worked with the Indian Presidency and Co-Chairs Italy and Indonesia to draft the work plan for 2023 and beyond, which was designed around Indian Presidency's Global Health Priorities for 2023. The work plan was presented for adoption during the meeting. The members expressed commitment to the Task Force's mandate of contributing to strengthening global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and working with the Secretariat and the Co-Chairs on achieving the deliverables for 2023. | | | | Incredible India - Best Stargazing is at the Northern Tip of India | | | | | For some of the best stargazing in the world, many make the trek to Ladakh at the northern tip of India. The region is home to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, specifically situated for its unique geology. Located on cold, remote desert land, the area experiences very little rainfall and hardly any snow. The high altitude—2.5 miles above sea level—also allows scientists to collect more data than would be possible at a lower altitude. For visitors of the observatory, the summer months give way to a perfectly clear sky. As soon as the sun sets, visitors are treated to a blanket of extraordinary stars and light. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Indian innovation that can change the world During the first two decades of the 21st century, Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple and Microsoft have been at the forefront of a massive explosion in innovation and value creation. They, along with Chinese firms Alibaba and Tencent dominate the global sphere in digital advertising, commerce, messaging, cloud infrastructure, social media and mobile operating systems amongst others.In contrast, India has adopted an unprecedented and a powerful new approach in policy governance through the adoption of digital public infrastructure (DPI). This has enabled India to digitally leapfrog with the public sector playing a key role in defining the regulatory guardrails, and the private sector innovating and competing in the marketplace. | | | | | Indian manufacturing sector and the great transformation under Narendra Modi In 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the reins of our nation, India had been tagged as one of the so-called "Fragile Five" nations alongside Indonesia, Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa, that were headed for 'economic collapse'. In 2022, India has emerged as the fastest growing economy among the large economies in the world. How India went from being labelled as one of the 'Fragile Five' to become 'the bright spot' on an otherwise dark horizon is the stuff that legends are made of. This is where we see the true impact of Prime Minister Modi's leadership and vision, which has been instrumental in transforming our economy, and in turn our nation altogether. | | | | | India will contribute 10% of incremental global petchemical demand growth ndia will contribute 10 per cent of the incremental growth of global petrochemical demand, said Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The country per capita consumption is significantly lower than that of developed economies he said. Petrochemicals turn oil and gas into all sorts of daily products -- such as plastics, fertilisers, packaging, clothing, digital devices, medical equipment, detergents or tyres are rapidly becoming the largest driver of global oil consumption. | | | | | India among the fastest growing markets for Nutanix India is among the fastest growing markets for hybrid multi-cloud firm Nutanix and will remain a development hub for the firm, said Rajiv Ramaswami, its chief executive officer. "India's annual contract value grew 56% year-on-year in Q1FY23, while Nutanix's global ACV grew 27%," said Ramaswami, who is in India for the first time after being appointed the CEO of California-based Nutanix two years ago. As per IDC, Nutanix had a market share of 52% at the end of the second quarter of calendar year 2022. Nutanix's R&D centres in Bengaluru and Pune are an integral part of the innovation strategy for the $1.58 billion firm, with 40% of the patents filed globally coming from the centres in India, he said. | | | | | More than half of India's energy demand to be met by non-fossil sources by 2030 By 2030, India is expected to meet more than half or 62 per cent of its total energy requirements from non-fossil sources. This is around 12 per cent more than the target. At present, the country is sourcing about 42 per cent of its energy requirements from non-fossils sectors. The total installed electricity generating capacity in the country was 409 GW, including 166 GW of renewable generating capacity (including large hydro) as of October 31, 2022, the official data indicates. | | | | | India now ranks 3rd in global scientific publications Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh revealed that India had jumped from 7th to 3rd in global scientific publications and scholarly output, according to a report by America's National Science Foundation. “India's position globally in scientific publications, has improved from 7th position in 2010 to 3rd position in 2020. He also added that India's scholarly output increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1,49,213 papers in 2020," stated a press release by the Press Information Bureau. | | | | | ISRO launched 177 foreign satellites between 2018-22 Many efforts have been made to render chromatic acid an active agent in the production of photographs. M. Ponton used a paper saturated with bichromate of potash, and this was one of the earliest photogenic processes. M. Becquerel improved upon this process by sizing the paper with starch previous to the application of the bichromate of potash solution, which enabled him to convert the negative picture into a positive one, by the use of a solution of iodine, which combined with that portion of the starch on which the light had not acted. | | | | | Defence, aerospace exports treble to Rs 12,815 cr in 5 years Painting a mixed picture of defence exports and imports, the defence ministry told Parliament on Monday that foreign procurement in defence has risen to Rs 50,061 crore in 2021-22 from Rs 37,030 crore in 2017-18. Meanwhile, defence and aerospace exports have risen to Rs 12,815 crore from Rs 4,682 crore during the same period. The ministry told Parliament on Monday that there has been good progress in the innovation ecosystem for defence, titled "Innovations for Defence Excellence" or (iDEX). The iDEX scheme was launched in April 2018 to foster innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging industries including medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs), start-ups, individual innovators, research and development (R&D) institutes, and academia. | | | | | A tribal president, indigenous aircraft carrier, and more: How India took some giant leaps in 2022 India witnessed many big changes in 2022. In its 75th year of Independence, India got its first tribal President in Droupadi Murmu, the country bolstered its defence sector and took a step towards securing the bodily autonomy of women. Before we bring down the curtain on the year, let's cast a look back at how India progressed in 2022. India's first tribal president India scripted history when Murmu was elected as the country's first president from the tribal community. 64-year-old Murmu hails from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha and belongs to the Santhal tribe. A tribal president indigenous aircraft carrier and more How India took some giant leaps in 2022 Droupadi Murmu took oath as India's 15th President in July. PTI File Photo In July, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential nominee won with an overwhelming majority by bagging 64.03 per cent of the electoral college votes, defeating the Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha who secured 35.97 per cent votes. On the 25 July, the former Jharkhand governor was sworn-in oath as India's 15th President, becoming just the second woman ever to hold the country's highest constitutional post.  | | | | | | 20,980 base stations installed for 5G, about 2,500 being set up per week, Government tells Rajya Sabha The Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have started providing 5G services in the country and a total of 20,980 base stations services have been installed in 14 states and union territories till November 26 this year, Minister of State for Communication Devusingh Chauhan has told the Parliament. The highest number of 5G base stations have been installed in Delhi at 5,829 (938 Airtel, 4,891 Reliance Jio), followed by Maharashtra where a total of 4,051 base stations have been set up. "Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have started providing 5G services in the country from October 1, 2022, onwards. As on November 26, 2022, 20,980 base stations have been installed in 14 states/UTs," he said in the reply on December 16. | | | | | India will be big export economy, benefit from open, connected internet Indian-origin Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Monday that India will be a big export economy and the country will benefit from open and connected internet. While speaking at Google for India event, Sundar Pichai said the country needs to create a balance between safeguarding citizens and enabling companies to innovate with its framework. Sundar Pichai said that Google would be focussing on startups from India and out of its USD 300 million for the startups, around one-fourth will be invested in entities that are led by women. The Google CEO said the technology is working at a big scale and touching lives of people around the world, which calls for framing responsible and balanced regulation. | | | | | Indian pharma sector set for 'volume to value leadership' journey in 2023 Reinvent and innovate will be the key mantra for the Indian pharma industry in the New Year as the 'pharmacy of the world' looks to move from volume to value leadership, amid emerging challenges of inflation and pricing pressures in the global markets. While R&D investment, market competitiveness, regulatory scrutiny, and domestic price regulations are expected to shape the growth of generics and injectable products, concerns such as price control and customs duties on medical equipment will continue to bother the healthcare industry in 2023. | | | | | India has become an independent powerhouse India is poised for significant growth for years to come due to a combination of global economic shifts and a strong local policy, said Christoph Schweizer, the new president and CEO of consulting firm BCG. Although a global economic slowdown may impact growth in the near term, the country will remain an independent economic powerhouse, Schweizer told Vinod Mahanta in an interview. Previously seen as catching up with the rest, it now appears to be leading the way, he said. Schweizer, who was in India for BCG India's 25th anniversary celebrations, also spoke about the Indian economy in the context of worldwide uncertainty, the change in perception of the country as an investment destination, BCG being the consulting market leader in India, the scrutiny that management consultants are facing globally, and the EY split. | | | | | India to get more Apple suppliers as iPhone production picks up If reports that Apple Inc plans to triple its iPhone production in India come true, it is likely to help the country become a supply hub for the American company. There are some 190 Apple suppliers globally, but only 12 have manufacturing facilities in India now. Apple's strategy is to focus on India and a clutch of other countries as it diversifies its supply chain out of China. The American technology giant has reportedly instructed three of its biggest vendors, Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron, to increase production capacity in India. A report by JP Morgan said recently that Apple, to diversify production, is considering making 25 per cent of its handsets in India by 2025. | | | | | India hails global nature of COP15 targets India's strong intervention that ecosystem based approaches should be given their due place in all mitigation processes made a significant contribution to the landmark global biodiversity framework agreed upon on Monday, environment minister Bhupender Yadav said. "The global biodiversity framework sets out to respond to several assessments that provide ample evidence that, despite ongoing efforts, biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide at rates unprecedented in human history," Yadav said. "This framework outlines an ambitious plan to implement broad-based action to bring about a transformation in our societies' relationship with biodiversity by 2030 and ensure that, by 2050, the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled." | | | | | Fitch affirms India at BBB-, outlook stable Fitch Ratings Tuesday affirmed India's sovereign credit rating at 'BBB-' with stable outlook, saying the country's rating reflected strengths from a robust growth outlook and resilient external finances that have supported it in navigating the large external shocks in the past year. Fitch expects the government to push ahead with fiscal consolidation and forecast FY24 deficit target to be set at 6.0% of GDP in the upcoming budget. | | | | | India has emerged as third-largest startup ecosystem in world Union Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday said India has emerged as the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world with more than 84,400 such businesses operating across 656 districts in the country. In 2014, there were only 720 startups in the country, Irani said. She further said the valuation of Indian unicorns stood at USD 332.7 billion. "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India has emerged as the third-largest ecosystem of startups with more than 84,400 startups in 656 districts across the country," Irani was quoted as having said in a statement issued by the BJP. | | | | | India's Digital Economy Grew 2.4 Times Faster Than Indian Economy: RBI Report The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has noted that India's digital economy has grown at more than twice the rate of India's economy growth. This was mentioned in the Measuring India's Digital Economy report included in the central bank's monthly bulletin that was published on Tuesday. The report further highlights that the Gross Value Addition (GVA) of India's core digital economy has increased over 3 per cent in a span of 5 years. GVA is a measure of economic productivity that a sector has contributed to the economy. In 2015, the GVA of India's core digital economy stood at 5.4 per cent and it reached 8.5 per cent by 2019. Core digital economy includes hardware, software publishing, web publishing, telecommunication services, and other specialised services. | | | | | India has signed 13 FTAs, 6 preferential pacts so far India has signed 13 free trade agreements (FTAs) and six preferential pacts so far with its trading partners for ensuring greater market access for domestic goods and promoting exports, Union minister Anupriya Patel said on Wednesday. The country has recently signed three such agreements with Mauritius, the UAE and Australia. Further, India is also actively engaged in FTA negotiations with some of its trading partners including the UK, European Union and Canada. | | | | | Indian economy likely to grow at over 7% in FY23 The Indian economy is likely to grow at over 7 per cent in the current fiscal year, former Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Wednesday, while observing that the growth rate should sustain next year too provided the forthcoming Budget does not have any negative surprises. Panagariya further said recessionary fears have been around for a while but so far neither the US nor the EU has gone into recession. "From the viewpoint of India, in terms of headwinds originating abroad, the worst is probably behind us," he told PTI. Earlier this month, the RBI revised down its growth estimate for FY23 to 6.8 per cent from the earlier 7 per cent, while the World Bank revised upwards its GDP growth forecast to 6.9 per cent, saying the economy was showing higher resilience to global shocks. | | | | | Airbus CEO Meets PM Modi, Vows To Deepen Industrial Footprint In India On Wednesday, December 21, Airbus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Guillaume Faury met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed numerous ways to make the nation 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. Taking to Twitter, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury thanked the Prime Minister for the excellent meeting and assured his continued support to deepen the company's industrial footprint in India. "Thank you PM Modi for an excellent meeting with Airbus. Proud that our commitment to India is contributing to your 'Aatma Nirbhar Bharat' vision for aerospace and defence. We will continue to support civil aviation and deepen our industrial footprint in India," Guillaume Faury said. | | | | | Consulate General of India, Vancouver wishes Merry Christmas to all its readers. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Consulate General of India
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