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India to be world No 2 aviation market in 10 years: Ajit Singh news - 15 Apr 2013 - Doman B

Published On :2013-12-16 14:28:00

 
 Striking an optimistic note amid dwindling figures for India's air passenger traffic, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said on Sunday that the country would become the second-largest air traffic market in the world within a decade, thanks to his government's open air policy.
 
 Speaking at the official inauguration of the new airport at Nagpur in Maharashtra, named the Dr B R Ambedkar International Airport, he said domestic carriers flew close to 162 million passengers in 2011-12, up from 143 million in 2010-11.
 
 Singh called for more investment in aviation infrastructure, especially from the private sector, to help reach the government's ambition of making India an aviation hub.
 
 He suggested that the government may hand over the operation and management of the Kolkata and Chennai airports to private companies under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
 
 

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Proposal to shorten road project approval process gets nod - 31 Mar 2013 - LiveMint

Published On :2013-12-02 16:56:00

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Road ministry has awarded just 1,010 km of road projects in the fiscal year up to March against the target of 9,500 km
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New Delhi: The finance ministry has accepted a proposal by the road ministry to shorten the approval process before bids are sought in a move aimed at speeding up projects.The changes will club projects up to Rs.500 across existing categories, said a senior road ministry official who didn’t want to be named. The road ministry will be responsible for appraisal and approval in a two-step process.

The measure is among proposals that the roads ministry has pitched in its drive to reform the project-award process to encourage greater investment in the sector. The ministry has awarded just 1,010 km of road projects in the fiscal year up to March compared with the target of 9,500 km.Projects up to Rs.500 crore will be appraised by one of two committees—the standing finance committee or the expenditure finance committee—chaired by the secretary, road transport and highways. Once approved by a committee chaired by the roads minister, bids can be sought for the project. For projects ranging from Rs.100 crore to Rs.500 crore, the second committee will have members from the Planning Commission and the finance ministry.

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‘Public-private partnership essential in social sector’ - 22 Mar 2013 - Business Line

Published On :2013-03-25 11:27:00

There is a need to focus on public-private partnership (PPP) in social sector, according to Amita Prasad, director general, Administrative Training Institute, Mysore.
 
 Speaking at the inauguration of the workshop on ‘PPP: Issues and challenges’, jointly organised by the Administrative Training Institute and the Infrastructure Development Department of the Karnataka government here on Friday, she said that PPPs with appropriate regulations and concern for equity should be encouraged in social sectors such as health and education.
 
 Stating that some State governments have already taken steps in this regard, she said the emergency medical response service – popularly known as ‘108 service’ – in Karnataka is a good example in this regard. An ambulance rushes to help those in need when a call is made to the toll-free number 108.
 
 
 

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‘Public-private partnerships vital for education sector’ - 15 Mar 2013 - Business Line

Published On :2013-03-18 11:33:00

Public-private partnerships in the Indian education sector can benefit from the experiences of western nations, an education forum has said.

The Global Education & Skills Forum 2013 (GESF), which began yesterday, is being organised in partnership with UNESCO, the Commonwealth Business Council, the Government of Dubai and GEMS Education from March 14-17.

“Public-private partnerships can revolutionise education in India and facilitate growth to help prevent millions of children missing out on quality education. They can raise the standards of education provision in India and help meet the demand for quality education from a growing middle class with increasing incomes,” spokesperson for the Global Education and Skills Forum Chris Kirk, said.

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Railways reboots PPP programme: An offer that draws big response by private companies - 02 Mar 2013 - Economic Times

Published On :2013-03-04 11:41:00

NEW DELHI: This is one green flag that many are not willing to let go of. Within two months of the government issuing a note allowing companies to own and operate private railway lines to transport goods, Indian Railways has received investment proposals worth Rs 1,360 crore, mostly from logistics companies and ports, an official said. He requested anonymity since he isn't authorised to speak to the media.

Two months ago, the Railway Board asked its zonal general managers to publicise the new policy that allows ports, mines, logistics parks, etc, to construct and own private rail lines. So far, ports at Dhamra, Rewas and Astranga have submitted proposals to the railway ministry. Several other companies in the ports and mining segments have also shown an interest in building railway lines stretching over 26-67 km.

This is the first time the ministry has come out with a policy inviting private firms to build and also own private railway lines. Prior to 1947, the railways were aclutch of 42 networks of which 32 were operated by private companies owned by the princely states. After Independence, all of them were nationalised to form what is today known as the Indian Railways.

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