Nara Lokesh Announces Establishment of Quantum Valley in Six Months
"The entire world is now looking at Andhra Pradesh. This is the perfect time to invest in our state," Lokesh stated. He highlighted the involvement of major companies, including TCS, IBM, and L&D, in the initiative, asserting that the Quantum Valley will be a significant milestone in India's technological revolution.
Additionally, Lokesh noted the growing status of Visakhapatnam as an emerging IT hub. Emphasising the state's investor-friendly policies under the guidance of visionary leader Chandrababu Naidu, he mentioned that Andhra Pradesh is offering subsidies unparalleled by any other state in the country. "Andhra Pradesh is becoming a home for advanced technologies, and we invite investments accordingly," he appealed.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Sri City emerges as country's AC manufacturing hub
1 2 Vijayawada: Sri City, an integrated special economic zone (SEZ) in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh , has earned the nickname of 'Cooling City' of the country, as every major AC brand in India now has a manufacturing facility there. LG Electronics is the latest addition to Sri City and will start production soon. Not only are there new additions, many of the existing units in Sri City are on an expansion spree, making it the country's AC manufacturing hub. Nearly half of the country's AC units are now manufactured in Sri City. Once the capacity addition in existing units is completed and new players start production, the integrated SEZ will manufacture 60% of the country's total AC production and 80% of the exports. As of now, Sri City is home to seven AC manufacturers and 17 AC suppliers. A complete manufacturing ecosystem has been created in the SEZ, as the component manufacturers are also making a beeline along with the original equipment makers. Initially, it was projected that 45% of total ACs produced in India would be made in Sri City by 2027, but according to revised estimates, the total production is likely to reach 60%. Sri City's rise in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) space is a blend of vision and opportunity, said Dr Ravindra Sannareddy, founder and managing director of the facility. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo "With LG Electronics, Daikin, and other global AC brands, besides over 20 component makers setting base here, we are shaping India's AC future. By 2027, Sri City is expected to contribute 60% of domestic sales and 80% of exports. Supported by the Centre's PLI scheme and the state's proactive industrial policies, we aim to create an integrated HVAC ecosystem to become the world's largest AC manufacturing hub," he said. Other than ACs, many equipment manufacturers are also adding capacities to make other products. LG, which is expected to start production in 2026, will also manufacture refrigerators and other electronic appliances in its facility. Epack is already making cooktops and is set to make refrigerators and washing machines. Daikin's JV with Reichi of Taiwan will enable them to manufacture AC compressors not only for their internal use but also to cater to other players. Recently, US-based Carrier held talks with IT and HRD minister Nara Lokesh during his recent visit to Singapore and expressed interest in setting shop in Andhra Pradesh. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
Political Line newsletter: Cow Economy, and Diplomacy
Culture influences market and diplomacy. But how much is too much on this count? A slice of the stalemate in trade talks between India and the U.S. is related to the U.S. demand for opening up India's farm sector. The U.S. wants to export more of its dairy and poultry products to India. India resists this demand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he would make personal sacrifices, if required, to ensure that farmers are protected. The proportion of population dependent on agriculture reveals one of the most striking differences between India and the United States, highlighting their vastly different economic structures and development stages. India has nearly half of its workforce engaged in agriculture, while the United States has only less than two percent directly employed in farming — representing a 32-fold difference in agricultural employment dependency. In India's case, agriculture contributes roughly 18 percent of GDP but nearly half of the population is dependent on it. Farmers are a powerful political constituency in both India and the United States. Food is also a question of national security. Post-Covid fears related to self-sufficiency in critical areas have further strengthened the case for national food markets insulated from global disruptions. India's resistance to allowing American farm produce in its market rests on three reasons. The first, as mentioned above, is that too many people are dependent on agriculture, and opening up the sector to American products could render them vulnerable. The second is national security. The third concerns apparently cultural reasons — American cows may be fed meat products such as chicken waste, and this is unacceptable to India. Milk and other products from a cow whose food chain is not clearly plant-based do not meet Indian standards. Whether such determination is consistently applied across all milk produced within India is beside the point. Cultural reasons are relevant to market decisions in all societies. For instance, some Muslim countries or shops may not sell pork; among the GCC countries, pork is available in the UAE and Bahrain, while in others it is not. In large parts of India now, beef is legally banned; in many parts, such as southern India, West Bengal, and the northeastern states, it is widely consumed by all social groups including Hindus. Cultural barriers to global trade are not new in India. Crossing the seas was once taboo — Gandhi had to do penance to be readmitted to his Modh Vaniya caste, which had ostracised him for doing so. Of the three issues at play in trade in agriculture, perhaps the easiest to change is the competency of the sector. But the cultural politics around the cow and the requirements of the agriculture sector often come into conflict. At least 20 out of 28 states have some form of laws to protect cows, which effectively translates into restrictions on the trade and transportation of cattle, including buffaloes. In the last decade or so, many states have enforced these laws aggressively, and vigilantes targeting even legal cattle trade often go scot-free. Simultaneously, a whole network of rent-seeking has emerged in the guise of cow protection, as the state spends massive amounts to shelter unproductive cows that farmers do not want to keep. It is not the case that meat production has ended; India's export of buffalo meat has been growing in the last three years at around four percent annually. What has happened is that cattle and leather trade have been pushed into a grey zone of legality, inflicting costs and losses for all involved and creating new rent-seeking opportunities. You can read about a sample of such restrictions here. Farmers are paying a huge price for this — on the one hand, the difficulty in disposing unproductive cattle, and on the other, the problem of free-roaming cattle destroying their crops. Cow protection in India was linked historically to farming practices of an earlier era. Those factors have changed due to technology and other developments. Yet, productivity in India's agriculture sector remains entangled in the religious association many people have with cows. The cow has long functioned as a symbol in Hindu-Muslim rivalry in the subcontinent. Hindu leaders such as Dayananda Saraswati made cow protection a tool for popular consolidation antagonistic to Muslims in the 19th century. Some Muslim leaders, such as Pir Abu Bakr in Bengal in the early 20th century, argued that cow sacrifice was an essential practice of Islam. Whether cow sacrifice is indeed an essential practice of Islam has been the subject of several litigations in independent India as well. While India grapples with global uncertainties created by political and technological upheavals, it might also make sense to review its priorities at home. The Fear of the Future People Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now raised the spectre of a demographic threat to India in his Independence Day speech. He said there was a conspiracy to change the demographic profile of India. You can read The Hindu editorial on this speech here. Does demographic composition determine the character of a nation? Leaving that question for a future discussion, here are some quick adjacent thoughts. Variations in population growth across communities and geographies pose challenges for governance and national identity. It is one thing to say that everyone is an individual citizen regardless of social location, faith, or ethnicity. But India's governance structure acknowledges the principle of group identities while providing special protections for religious and linguistic minorities, Dalits, backward classes, tribes, etc. Collective identities are not anathema to India's constitutional scheme; in fact, they are central to it. Political contestations have historically been framed in India around the numerical strength of communities. That history warrants discussion separately, but to cite a well known example, the 15% and 7.5% reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, respectively, were based on their proportion in the population. As the proportion of their population changes, so will their representation. This will be among the issues in the next delimitation of parliamentary constituencies in India. Currently, there are two distinct divergences in population growth in India. First, the north-central regions have higher birth rates than peninsular and western India. Second, Muslims have a higher birth rate than Hindus. Among Hindus, upper castes have lower birth rates compared to other groups. While the BJP and its supporters try to highlight the Hindu-Muslim divergence in population growth, many others, particularly parties in the South, are more worried about the regional divergence in population growth. It is this regional divergence that makes the next delimitation an unsettling prospect for many regions. Population management has to be a secular task, and all communities should participate in it. While the BJP constantly talks up an Islamic demographic threat, there are Muslim actors who acknowledge and even amplify it. Last year, a Muslim Minister in West Bengal said Muslim population was growing fast and would soon become a majority. The ruling Trinamool Congress distanced itself from the statement. Federalism Tract: Notes on Diversity This article by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin discusses how India is home to many nationalities and emphasizes the importance of linguistic diversity as a defining feature of India. It argues that in a true federal system, states should not have to protest, litigate, or plead for their rightful share of revenues. Governors are taking their role as chancellors of State universities too seriously, which is roiling the higher education sector. Read our editorial on the ongoing conflicts between Governors and State governments over university governance here. The drive against unauthorised immigrants from Bangladesh is creating rifts within India, as any Bengali-speaking individual can end up as a target of police action.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
Chennai marks 79th independence day with flag hoisting, awards, and infrastructure updates
CHENNAI: Marking the 79th Independence Day, the Greater Chennai Corporation, Southern Railways, and the city's ports held flag-hoisting ceremonies on Friday. GCC Mayor R Priya hoisted the national flag at Ripon Building, and awarded certificates, medals to 171 corporation employees for their exemplary contribution. Letters of Appreciation were given to three companies for the highest property tax payments and to three property owners for timely payments. Southern Railway General Manager RN Singh hoisted the flag at Railway Stadium, Perambur, alongside senior officials, and took salute at an RPF parade featuring women platoons. He said the zonal railway had recorded originating earnings of Rs 12,659 crore, up 4.5% from last year, with the railway registering over 5% growth this fiscal year, up to July. By March 2026, all 593 stations will have CCTV surveillance, and work is under way to increase the train speed to 130 kmph on Jolarpettai-Coimbatore section.
