Amazon to manufacture electronics products in India

British MP and President-designate of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, COP-26, Alok Sharma called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday in New Delhi.COP refers to the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, the 26th session of which will be hosted by the UK in November this year in Glasgow. The Prime Minister and Sharma discussed India-UK collaboration on climate change issues in the run up to COP-26. Modi reiterated India’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and to work constructively for a successful outcome at COP-26. Mr Sharma warmly recalled the Prime Minister’s address at the Climate Ambition Summit in December last year. Modi also expressed his commitment to work with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to further strengthen India-UK ties.

-Amazon India will start manufacturing of electronics products in India. To begin with, it is going to start manufacturing Amazon Fire TV sticks from India. The announcement came after Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's virtual meeting with Amazon’s Global Senior Vice President and Country Head for India Amit Agarwal on Tuesday.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Prasad said, India is an attractive investment destination and is poised to become a major player in the global supply chain in the electronics and IT products industry. He said the government’s decision to launch a Production- Linked Incentive Scheme has received tremendous response globally. The Minister welcomed Amazon’s decision to set up a manufacturing line in Chennai, as it will enhance domestic production capacities, and create jobs as well. He added that it will further our mission of creating an Atma Nirbhar Bharat which is digitally empowered.Amazon will commence its manufacturing efforts with contract manufacturer Cloud Network Technology, a subsidiary of Foxconn in Chennai and start production later this year. The device manufacturing programme will be able to produce hundreds of thousands of Fire TV Stick devices every year, catering to the demands of customers in India.

-Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that Fastag was the only option for facilitation of transport and there was no other way. Speaking to newspersons in Chennai, he said that there was a need to promote alternative fuels other than diesel and petrol. He said that the government will involve successful private industries for research and development in Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises sectors. The Minister said that under Atma Nirbhar scheme, industries should give importance to good design, quality and standard processing for boosting exports. He said that a target of Rs 10 lakh crore was set for the next five years for the automobile industry. He told that electric vehicles have a huge potential in the future. He said that his ministry was not interested in promoting driverless cars as it would render countless drivers from their jobs. He remarked that there was a need for 22 lakh drivers presently. Gadkari said that the logistics cost in India was 18 per cent which was higher than Europe and the US. He said that 22 green express highways would be created. The Minister told that when roads are created, the emphasis should be on ethics, economy, ecology and environment. Gadkari told that sugar industries should concentrate on ethanol productivity rather than sugar which produces diabetes. He said that a target was set for two lakh crore in this industry. Earlier,  Gadkari launched one common effluent treatment plant for Ranipet Tannery at Central Leather Research Institute.

-Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who is also holding the portfolio of State Home Department,  informed the State Assembly during the discussion on Calling Attention Motion that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe into the grenade attack at the media house.On the ninth day of the ongoing Budget Session of State Legislative Assembly today, the Chief Minister said that the four- member SIT headed by Superintendent of Police, Imphal West district has started probe into the grenade attack at the office of Poknapham and its sister publication- People’s Chronicle on 13th of February. Singh strongly condemned the cowardly attacks upon the media, the fourth pillar of democracy and gave assurance that the culprits involved in the incident will be nabbed at the earliest. He said that steps have been taken up by the Government to deploy security personnel at the office of media houses.

-In Jharkhand, a Jawan of Central Reserve Police Force was on Tuesday martyred during an anti-Naxal operation in the forest area under Serengdah Police Station of Lohardaga district. Jawan Dileshwar Paras, who was seriously injured in an IED blast, was brought to Ranchi in a critical condition with the help of an Indian Air Force helicopter. He breathed his last at Medica Hospital in Ranchi. The mortal remains of the martyred Jawan have been taken to RIMS Hospital for post-mortem. Chief Minister Hemant Soren paid tributes to the martyred soldier at JAP-1 Ground here in Ranchi this evening.