World Bank to lend $375 mn for India's first National Waterways
The Dollar Business Bureau Inida's first waterways project received a financial backing of $375 million from international lender World Bank. The project is meant to create inland waterway for transportation between Haldia and Varanasi, on the 1,360-km stretch of the Ganges river. The loan sanctioned by World Bank covers 45% cost of the project, being undertaken under the Jal Marg Vikas scheme by the Shipping Ministry. The proposed project will facilitate navigation of commercial vessels with a capacity of 1,500-2,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT). Serving the industries on the banks of river Ganga, the new waterway will pass through four states namely Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. The industrial cities of Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Kolkata, Howrah, Patna, Haldia, Allahabad and Varanasi will immensely benefit from this initiative. The development of National Waterway 1 (NW1) will also provide a good ...
Japan to associate with India for development of three smart cities
The Dollar Business Bureau Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu's meet with Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, on 6 Jan 2017, proved fruitful for India's smart city aspirations. Japan articulated its interest in the urban development initiatives of the Indian Government and decided to be a partner. Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi are the three cities Japan is going to assist in the process of smart city development. The MoU on cooperation in urban development, signed during the recent visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, is also making headway following a meeting between Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and British High Commissioner Dominic Asquith. The last few years have seen heavy investment from foreign countries in India's ambitious 'smart city' plans for ...
Gadkari lays foundation of multi-modal terminal in Varanasi
The Dollar Business Bureau Giving a renewed thrust to the government’s waterway-development agenda, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday laid the foundation stone for a Rs. 211-crore multi-modal terminal in Varanasi. "Multimodal hub here will take the state to growth trajectory. This hub with rail, road and waterways connectivity will change the face of UP," Shipping Minister Gadkari said at a function here. Gadkari said the government will build the phase 1 of the multi-modal terminal at a cost of Rs.211 crore. The project is expected to be ready by August 2018. The Phase-1 of the project covers the Varanasi - Haldia stretch. With the new terminal, a part of Rs.4,200-crore Jal Marg Vikas project, the government envisages to facilitate commercial navigation of vessels ...
International Tourist Arrivals on e-Visa records 893% growth during Jan-Aug 2015
The Dollar Business Bureau Since the government rolled out Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) scheme on November 27, 2014, India has witnessed an upsurge in international tourists arriving on e-Tourist Visa. During January-August 2015, the number of international arrivals has recorded a staggering growth. India attracted nearly 1.7 lakh international tourists, up 892.9% from 17,120 during the same period in 2014. “This high growth may be attributed to introduction of e-Tourist Visa for 113 countries as against coverage of earlier TVoA scheme for 12 countries,” said the Ministry of Tourism in a statement. Last month, 22,286 tourists travelled to India on e-Visa as compared to 2,705 during the same period last year. It registered a growth of 723.9% over August 2014. ...
