Weekly News Roundup at 10:00 am on 20th July, 2024

Let’s begin…The department of telecommunications on Tuesday issued demand notices to telecom operators Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea, asking them to pay for the spectrum purchased in the recently concluded auctions. The telecom operators have been given time till July 26 to make the payments either in 20 equal yearly instalments, or settle the amount in one go. Telcos can also make a part payment upfront, which can be a multiple of complete years with a minimum of two years. In the spectrum auction in June, the government sold 141 MHz spectrum worth Rs 11,340.8 crore. Going by the 10,523 MHz spectrum on sale, only 1.3% got sold. Bharti Airtel acquired the maximum airwaves, spending Rs 6,857 crore.

Latest update on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor, spanning 508 kilometers, will feature 12 stations, with eight in Gujarat and four in Maharashtra. The stations in Gujarat include Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, and Vapi, while Maharashtra will have Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai. Recent updates indicate substantial progress in the construction of the Bullet Train stations in Gujarat. The foundation work for all eight stations is completed, and the construction of superstructures is advancing rapidly. Five stations—Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Anand, and Ahmedabad—have completed the construction of their rail level slabs. The Concourse Level and Rail Level Slabs have been completed in Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Anand, and Ahmedabad. The stations are designed to offer modern and advanced facilities to passengers.

Moving on, Companies delaying payments by more than 45 days to micro and small enterprises for goods or services purchased from them will have to provide additional information in a revised MSME form 1, according to a July 15 notification by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The half-yearly form introduced by the government in January 2019 so far required buyers, also referred to as specified companies for delaying payments, to share information on the amount due, date from which it is due and reason for the delay under the Specified Companies (Furnishing of information about payment to micro and small enterprise suppliers) Order, 2019.

Now let’s move to the aviation sector, In a bid to enhance passenger convenience, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has introduced a ‘check-in & baggage-drop’ service for international flights at New Delhi and Shivaji Stadium metro stations on the Airport Express Line. This collaborative effort with Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), Air India, and Vistara Airlines enables international travellers to check-in and drop off their baggage at the metro stations, making their travel experience more convenient and streamlined. Previously available only to domestic passengers, this service now allows international travellers flying with Air India and Vistara Airlines to check in their luggage at metro stations. The DMRC has invited more airlines to join this initiative, aiming to further benefit travelers.

In other news, Tata Power Renewable Energy, the renewable energy arm of Tata Power, on Thursday said that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NHPC Renewable Energy (NHPC REL) to lead the installation of rooftop solar projects across government buildings of central ministries, states and Union territories. This initiative, under the ambitious PM Surya Ghar Yojna Scheme, aims for 100% solarisation of government-owned buildings by December 2025.This alliance is set to support the transformation of India’s energy landscape by harnessing the untapped potential of rooftop spaces on government buildings, fostering a cleaner and greener future, TPRE stated.The MoU was signed on July 17 at the NHPC Office Complex in Faridabad.

Next up, Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the government will soon set up a project management unit (PMU) for BSNL, wherein the state-owned telecom operator will be monitored on a daily basis with regard to 4G deployment. The PMU will be set along with Tata Consultancy Services, Tejas Networks and C-DOT, with which BSNL is deploying indigenous 4G network. Scindia said, quote ‘We are forming a PMU and that PMU will not set monthly targets, will not set weekly targets, but I have mandated them to set daily targets. Those daily targets will be monitored by the secretary and by myself,’ end quote.

Lastly, The Centre is likely to set an ambitious target of Rs 10 trillion for the second phase of the National Monetisation Pipeline to be implemented in the five years ending FY30. “The assets in the second phase will be led by highways, mining, power and petroleum, while metro rail networks in major cities will give the impetus to the asset recycling for the first time,” a senior official said. The first phase of NMP had set an ambitious Rs 6 trillion asset recycling target for four years through FY25, by monetisation of brownfield assets in sectors like roads, mining, power, petroleum and airports. Despite the Railway sector lagging massively, the NMP-1 achievement has been Rs 3.85 trillion.