Latest news with #ChandraSekharPemmasani
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Domestic companies oppose inclusion of multinational PLI beneficiaries in Class
NEW DELHI: Homegrown telecom gear makers have pushed back against the Central government's notification, which qualifies products manufactured under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme as Class 2, potentially allowing global vendors such as Ericsson and Nokia to bid for government-driven projects. The Voice of Indian Communication Technology Enterprises (VoICE) argued that qualification as Class 2 should only be appropriate for products and vendors who have full control over design and manufacturing, in line with the Design-Led PLI Scheme . 'It is concerning that foreign OEMs have long lobbied for Class-II status simply by outsourcing assembly to a PLI awardee in India. We strongly oppose such interpretations, as they dilute the core objective of the PLI scheme—namely, to attract investment, generate high-value employment, and promote genuine local value addition,' RK Bhatnagar, director-general of VoICE, said in a letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). ETTelecom has reviewed a copy of the letter dated July 13, 2025. VoICE represents domestic vendors such as HFCL , STL, Lekha Wireless, Tidal Wave, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), Amantya Technologies, VVDN, and Coral Telecom, amongst others. In many cases, it said, multinational OEMs benefitting from PLI do not source mechanical or electromechanical components locally, and instead, continue to rely on their global supply chains while 'leveraging the PLI platform to gain market access and Class-II recognition—without contributing meaningfully to domestic capability or economic value'. The latest notification, dated October 21, 2024, outlines the minimum local content requirement, ranging from 50% to 65%, and defines the ceiling for local content, from 15% for low-IP products to 55% for high-IP, software-centric products. VoICE also highlighted that current procurement value-addition metrics in many sectors overemphasise 'local manufacturing or assembly and undervalue domestic IPR contributions', recommending to the DoT that there is an urgent need to revise 'public procurement metrics to explicitly recognise and reward indigenous innovation'. Notably, the government has disbursed incentives of ₹331.86 crore to 18 out of 42 beneficiaries under the telecom PLI scheme, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani informed Lok Sabha in December last year. Jabil Circuit India led the chart of beneficiary companies with a total incentive of ₹78.62 crore. It is followed by Nokia Solutions and Networks India, which has received incentives of (₹46.92 crore), Tejas Networks (₹32.66 crore), Flextronics Technologies India (₹30.6 crore), Commscope India (₹25.95 crore), NeoLync Tele Communications (₹21.79 crore), Rising Stars Hi-Tech (₹20.33 crore). The Delhi-based grouping also sought the inclusion of products such as 4G and 5G radio and core networks, IP-MPLS routers, and DWDM/OTN systems under the Class 1 category, considering these equipments are now being designed and developed indigenously. VoICE further highlighted that hardware design and software copyright are two important aspects of the overall design cost, noting that their ownership with the Indian entity is a very important criterion to qualify as local content and this should, if required, be strengthened to avoid misuse. This suggestion has, however, been sharply struck down by cloud and software giants. READ MORE | DoT mulls reviewing PPP-MII order, may relax local sourcing requirements 'We recommend including the definition, if required of domestic IPR, IPR ownership certificate and royalty outflow and inclusion of mandatory disclosures by bidders with list of IPRs used in the product (with ownership proof), R&D centre details with manpower and investment in India, support infrastructure locations and capabilities and details of any recurring royalties or brand-related payments,' Bhatnagar said in the letter. By contrast, technology giants such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, Salesforce, and SAP, among others, urged the telecom department to exclude software products and services from local content requirements under the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) policy, 2017, citing ambiguity in determining local content and impact on investments and job creation. 'Given the inherently global and interconnected nature of software development and deployment, accurately defining and measuring local content presents unique and significant complexities. Accordingly, we strongly recommend excluding software products and services from the scope of local content requirements for participation in public procurement,' Venkatesh Krishnamoorthy, country manager (India), BSA, said in a letter dated July 10, 2025, to Ranjan. The US-based industry grouping argued that software solutions involve global teams, outsourced providers split across geographies, and third-party licensed code, which makes local content calculation 'difficult or impossible'. 'Failing to consider the specific nature of software products and services and how they are developed and simply treating them as other kinds of goods or services creates unnecessary difficulties in the procurement process for both buyers and sellers of software products and services,' Krishnamoorthy said in the letter.
Hans India
7 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Vijayawada to host 6th Cottonseed, Oil & Meal Conclave
Vijayawada: The Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) and All India Cottonseed Crushers' Association (AICOSCA) will host the 6th SEA–AICOSCA Cottonseed, Oil & Meal Conclave here on August 2 and 3. The conclave will focus on promoting the cottonseed oil among consumers by discussing and highlighting its myriad virtues. Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani will inaugurate the event along with Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu. Roop Rashi, CEO of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, OP Goenka, Director of 3F Ltd, and Dr R Sarada Jayalakshmi Devi, Vice-Chancellor of ANGRAU and several industry leaders will also participate in the conclave. With the theme 'Revitalising Cottonseed: Growth Pathways for Oil, Meal, and Beyond,' the conclave will explore ways to maximise the potential of cottonseed oil and its by-products to enhance India's edible oil security, livestock feed industry, and rural economy. According to president of SEA Sanjeev Asthana, India produces 12.0 lakh tonnes of cottonseed oil annually and is widely used in Gujarat for cooking. 'Through this conclave we envisage to improve the awareness and encourage adoption of Cotton Seed Oil for domestic consumption,' he said. Sandeep Bajoria, Chairman AICOSCA and Dr BV Mehta, Executive Director of SEA also spoke. P Veera Narayan, Director of Sri Dhanalakshmi Cotton and Rice Mills at Guntur and Vice-Chairman of AICOSCA said, 'The conclave will focus on revitalising cottonseed oil processing and usage in the country. Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest producers of cotton seed and it is appropriate that we host the conference in Vijayawada this year. More than 300 delegates, including scientists, industry leaders, and traders, are expected to participate in this national platform, fostering collaboration and sustainable growth in the sector.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
C-DOT to generate revenue of Rs 1,000 crore this fiscal: Mos Telecom
State-owned telecom research organisation C-DOT is likely to generate Rs 1,000 crore revenue in the current fiscal, Minister of State for Telecom Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Thursday. While speaking on the launch of the core 5G router by C-DOT, the minister said growth in C-DOT revenue reflects on its commercial relevance and technology leadership. "C-DoT's projected revenue of around Rs 1,000 crore this year, alongside a government grant of Rs 400 crore, is a strong testament to its growing commercial relevance and technological leadership. It demonstrates how a public R&D institution can evolve into a self-sustaining engine of innovation -- delivering cutting-edge indigenous solutions while upholding national priorities in telecom security and digital inclusion," Pemmasani said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: 1 simple trick to get all TV channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) is expected to get a grant of around Rs 400 crore from the Centre, which will be in addition to the Rs 1,000 crore revenue that the organisation will generate from technology agreements. The organisation's revenue in 2024-25 was Rs 536 crore, excluding around Rs 500 crore grant from the government. Live Events Pemmasani lauded C-DOT's work on 4G technology that made India the 5th country globally to make its 4G network gear. The 5G core router developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) can support a data load of up to 25.6 terabits per second. During interaction with scientists and engineers at C-DOT, the minister advised them to focus on building solutions, not just products. In response to the question of why he joined politics despite his multi-crore business, the minister said he completed his medical education in India by paying a very nominal fee in a government college and always had a motive to serve the country. "I studied medicine here, I only paid Rs 15,000 for my entire medical school. It is kind of a government fee, but I never served the country. I always wanted to do something back to the country. That was the primary motive because taxpayers' money is what made me a doctor, and that gave me (the opportunity) to build something extraordinary. So, that deep gratitude is what brought me here," he added. He is India's richest Member of Parliament with a net worth of over Rs 5,700 crore. Pemmsani assured C-DOT engineers and scientists to provide all support to help them facilitate easy and timely procurement of items required for research.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
C-DoT generates ₹1,000 crore revenue this fiscal year: Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani
NEW DELHI: The Centre for Development of Telematics ( C-DoT ) has generated a revenue of ₹1,000 crore to date in the fiscal year 2025-26, indicating the competitiveness of its products, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Thursday. 'Even though you are given ₹400 crores as the budget this year (FY26), you are able to generate close to ₹1,000 crores total. This is a testament that your products are remarkable,' Pemmasani said, addressing engineers of the state-run telecom research and development (R&D) firm. The minister said that countries are expressing interest in the C-DoT homegrown 4G Core, and added that the company's security products are relevant for global enterprises. 'Hopefully, we can sell these products in international markets. Even the security products and everything you have been developing here have a huge opportunity for outside enterprises. We should be able to get more private partnerships and sell to them,' Pemmasani said. He affirmed that the government is committed to supporting C-DoT, and urged the company's engineers to leverage data and other resources to innovate products, such as in the security domain. Pemmasani said the Central government will coordinate with C-DoT to deploy its solutions, including 4G Core and 5G Core, in commercial environments. 'How can we, instead of just staying in the lab, deploy them and test them against (solutions) of other private organisations?'. At the event, C-DoT launched the Saksham-3000 series of 400G data center switch-cum-router, with speeds of up to 25.6Tbps, to enable data center operators to cater to demand for fifth-generation (5G)-led data consumption and network virtualisation, among others. READ MORE | Cost-effective tariff, free 5G, service quality to drive BSNL 4G customers: Pemmasani C-DoT is among a handful of telecom firms globally, including Chinese Huawei and ZTE, Korean Samsung, and European vendors Ericsson and Nokia , that have their own stack. Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-led consortium that includes Tejas Networks and C-DoT, is setting up data centres and a commercial 4G network for state-controlled Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL ), with a potential 5G upgrade, following a proof-of-concept (PoC). 'BSNL has placed an order for an additional 19,000 sites to densify its 4G footprint, with seamless software upgrade capability to 5G. This follows the successful commissioning of around 90,000 4G sites,' Robert Ravi, chairman and managing director, BSNL, told ETTelecom recently.
New Indian Express
01-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Focus on products where software differentiation is key: Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani tells start-ups
BENGALURU: Minister of State for Communications & Rural Development, Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani has urged start-ups to focus on products where software differentiation is key as this plays to the country's strengths. India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 on Tuesday organised a Roadshow in Bengaluru. Speaking at the event, he asked partners and innovators to focus on core technologies. "As someone who has built and run businesses, I understand the pressure to chase quick valuation. But real success - the kind that lasts - comes when you solve problems that matter to people. The government is ready to back you - not as a regulator alone, but as a collaborator - through TTDF (Telecom Technology Development Fund), shared infrastructure, and policy backing," he said. He also said that the digital transformation has been extraordinary with 1.2 billion mobile subscribers, 1 billion broadband users and over 2.2 lakh villages connected through BharatNet. He said nearly 1 billion access broadband, a massive 1,452% jump from 2014. "We are now investing $18 billion more to connect 40,000 additional gram panchayats and 1.5 crore rural households with high-speed internet. From importing 75% of our mobile devices, we are now exporting Rs 1.8 trillion worth of devices annually," he said.
