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NASSCOM makes a strong case for ICT in Smart City initiative

 The Dollar Business Bureau In view of the rapid industrialization and urbanization in India, there is a need to embrace innovative approaches to new city development and city management, said the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), in its recent release on Wednesday. A Smart City will effectively deliver public services to citizens and businesses with a balanced focus in terms of modernizing city infrastructure and leveraging technology to improve efficiency and capacity of city services, the IT industry body added. Sharing its vision on the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the Government of India’s 100 Smart Cities Mission, the NASSCOM informed that it has built an innovative framework, in partnership with various ...

India sees 1086% increase in foreign tourists influx

The Dollar Business Bureau India registered a whopping 1086% increase in foreign tourist arrival during the first quarter of this year as compared to the same period last year. According to the latest government data, between January and April this year, a total of 94,998 foreign tourists visited the country on e-tourist visa as compared to 8,008 during the same period last year. In April alone, a total of 19,139 tourist arrived on e-tourist visa, up 783% as compared to 2,167 during the same month last year. The increase in number is attributed to the launch of e-tourist visa facility by the government in November last year. Expanding the scheme later, the government started providing the electronic travel authorization ...

Government launches roadmap for machine-to-machine communications

The Dollar Business Bureau Taking a step towards the goal of 'Make in India' and 'Digital India', the government on Tuesday released a roadmap for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. The roadmap will serve as a reference document for the use of machine communications. “M2M communications will impact every aspect of life of common man and results in substantial and tangible social and economic benefits to consumers, businesses, citizens and government,” Union Minister of Telecommunication Ravi Shankar Prasad said while releasing the roadmap. He said when the country is focusing on digital empowerment, it has to be ensured that it plays a lead role in the implementation of M2M technologies. The minister also asked all concerned agencies to join hands to ...

Vietnam for tourism ties with India

The Dollar Business Bureau To strengthen its bilateral cooperation with India, Vietnam is keen on enhancing tourism cooperation with India, said Nguyen Van Tuan, Chairman of Vietnam National Administration, Tourism. Vietnam, a fast-emerging tourist destination, is looking at India as a potential market to attract more number of tourists, the official told a delegation of Indian journalists in Vietnam, according to the reports. Bilateral ties between India and Vietnam have always remained good and India is definitely a potential market for Vietnam in terms of tourism, said the official, speaking to the Indian journalists’ delegation that was in Hanoi to attend the 40th anniversary of 30-year-long Vietnam War and its reunification. While a total of 2.17 lakh Vietnamese tourists ...

Centre to bring new laws to protect consumer interests: Union Minister

 The Dollar Business Bureau In a move to address consumers’ concerns and protect their interests, the government will soon clear amendment bills of Consumers Protection Act and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act. The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Ram Vilas Paswan, said that the bills are currently lying with the cabinet. The government has plans to form the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) which will have investigative and regulatory powers to deal with cases related to consumer rights. “The CPA will have investigative as well as powers to frame rules and will look into the matter of protecting consumer interests, while consumer courts will take care of individual grievances,” said the minister, according to reports. The CPA will also be ...

Postal department can become leader in e-commerce delivery

Himanshu Vatsa | The Dollar Business The Postal Department can become a leader in delivery of goods as part of e-commerce, said Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology. The Postal Department has recorded growth of more than 36% in parcel revenue in the last one year. The department has collected more than Rs 500 crore for cash-on-delivery (COD) articles of major e-commerce players such as Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Yepme, Naaptol, etc., in 2014-15. Lauding the department’s strong network of mail delivery across the country, the minister said that it should focus more on quick delivery of goods purchased and sold online. “The department should step up its efforts to ramp up its capabilities to book, process, transmit ...

New tourism policy all set to make India a preferred destination

The Dollar Business Bureau The Tourism Ministry is in the process of formulating a national tourism policy with the aim of positioning India as a “must see” destination for global travellers. The policy will encourage Indians to explore their own country and realise the potential of tourism as a major engine for economic growth. It will also generate employment. The government has asked for suggestions to prepare the draft of a new National Tourism Policy, 2015.  A draft policy, based on inputs/suggestions received from stakeholders, eminent personalities and experts in the field of tourism, state governments and Union Territory administrations has been uploaded on the official websites of the ministry, www.incredibleindia.org and www.tourism.gov.in. The new policy will be prepared after re-visiting the ...

Railway restructuring should be linked to economic clusters

 The Dollar Business Bureau “Railways should prioritise linking economic clusters through high-speed passenger and freight network,” said CUTS (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) International as part of its comments on the Bibek Debroy Panel report on Restructuring Railways. The non-profit went on to add that, in fact, a detailed exercise of mapping current and future economic clusters must precede the efforts of railway liberalisation. This will ensure enhanced participation of private players. For example, focus on railway investments on the feeder routes from the coal and iron ore mines located mostly in the tristate area of Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand will help achieve greater efficiency. In addition to the above, an urgent action is required to ensure that India’s transport ...