5G launch a big step in ease-of-doing business and ease of living: FICCI
Author: BI Bureau
New Delhi: Industry body FICCI has welcomed the rollout of 5G services by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Commenting on the launch, FICCI President Sanjiv Mehta said: “The launch of 5G services by the Hon’ble PM is yet another momentous milestone in the nation’s economic journey and will facilitate both ease-of-doing-business and the ease of living.”
“It will revolutionise our digital sector and will also augment agriculture, disaster management, healthcare, education, logistics and transport, Fintech, Industry 4.0 and is a big push for Atma Nirbhar Bharat,” he said.
Speaking on the 5G launch, Arun Chawla, Director General, FICCI said: “It is a generational leap that can help increase the telecom sector’s contribution to GDP to 8-9 per cent from 6.5 per cent presently.”
He noted that 5G services would comprehensively boost the country’s digital ecosystem, ensure last mile service delivery and accelerate the nation's socio-economic progress.
Rahul Sharma, Chairperson, IT and ITeS Committee, FICCI, said: “Today is a momentous day for India. 5G is a leap toward a future that promises to bring everyone opportunities and access to information.”
It is anticipated that 5G technology will add $ 450 billion to the Indian economy between 2023 and 2040. The potential of 5G in India is genuinely transformative. Once built, it will accommodate up to one million connected devices per square kilometre compared with only 2,000 under 4G. /BI/
More In Tech Governance
The exports of agricultural commodities from March to June 2020 shot up by 23.24 percent on-year to Rs 25,552.7 crores.
As the economy comes to a standstill amid the coronavirus-led lockdown, India’s agriculture sector has taken the baton of economic growth in its hands. The exports of agricultural commodities from March to June 2020 shot up by 23.24 percent on-year to Rs 25,552.7 crores, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The government said that self-reliant agriculture is critical for the goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat and for this, agricultural export is extremely important as besides earning foreign exchange for the country, the exports help farmers, producers, and exporters to take advantage of the wider international market and increase their income.
The surge in exports has also resulted in increased production in the farm sector by increasing coverage area and productivity. The share of India’s agricultural exports and imports in the world agriculture trade in 2017 was 2.27 percent and 1.90 percent, respectively. Even during the difficult time of pandemic lockdown, India took care not to disturb the world food supply chain and continued to export, the government said.
Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a comprehensive action plan for the promotion of Agri trade; the twofold approach focuses on boosting Agri Export with emphasis on value addition and action plan for Import Substitution. Recently, the Agriculture sector has witnessed a series of reforms, giving more choices to the farmers to sell their produce at competitive rates.
To mention a few, the Export strategy focuses on the export promotion of fast-evolving niche markets of Wellness food/ Health-conscious food/nutraceuticals, Development of “Brand India” in campaign mode to help penetration into new foreign markets and of new products which automatically translates into higher value realization, Gulf countries have been identified as focus destination to increase the market share which is a strong market for India though presently India caters to only 10-12% share of their total imports. A product-market matrix has been made containing a list of products of strength that could be expanded in new geographies and a list of known markets which can be introduced with newer products.
At the behest of the Department of Agricultural Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, product-specific Export Promotion Forums have been created to lead Agri exports to new heights. Each Export Promotion Forum shall be having exporters of the related commodity as its members along with official members representing concerned Ministries/Departments of the Central and State Governments. Chairman APEDA shall be the chairman of each of these forums. The forums will meet at least once every two months, to discuss recommendations on issues pertaining to the export.
The recommendations of the forum will be placed in the product committee / Authority of APEDA. The Forum will keep in close contact with the concerned organization of the Ministry of Agriculture such as MIDH, Extension, NPPO, etc., DGFT, Ministry of Civil Aviation, MoFPI, etc. to further the interest of agricultural export.
