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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected crack cocaine worth about $2.1 million (with photo)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected crack cocaine worth about $2.1 million (with photo)
    Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected crack cocaine worth about $2.1 million (with photo)
    ******************************************************************************************

         Hong Kong Customs yesterday (February 11) seized about 2 kilograms of suspected cocaine and about 400 grams of suspected crack cocaine, with a total estimated market value of about $2.1 million, in Sham Tseng. A 31-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case was arrested.      During an anti-narcotics operation conducted in Sham Tseng yesterday night, Customs officers intercepted a suspicious man and seized about 400g of suspected crack cocaine inside a plastic bag carried by him. The man was subsequently arrested. Customs officers later escorted him to a residential premises nearby for a search and further seized about 2kg of suspected cocaine and a batch of suspected drug packaging paraphernalia.      The arrestee has been charged with two counts of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (February 13).     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 16:32

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Tender of 2-Year Exchange Fund Notes to be held on February 21

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Tender of 2-Year Exchange Fund Notes to be held on February 21
    Tender of 2-Year Exchange Fund Notes to be held on February 21
    **************************************************************

    The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announces that a tender of 2-year Exchange Fund Notes will be held on February 21, 2025 (Friday), for settlement on February 24, 2025 (Monday), as set out in the published tentative issuance schedule. This is to roll over an issue of 2-year Exchange Fund Notes maturing on the same day.            A total of HK$1,200 million 2-year Notes will be on offer, of which HK$5 million will be made available for offer to members of the public who wish to submit non-competitive tender bids through Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (HKSCC). If the Notes reserved for non-competitive tender are under-subscribed, the non-subscribed amount will be added to the portion of notes for competitive tender (initially set at HK$1,195 million). The Notes will mature on February 24, 2027, and will carry interest at the rate of 3.34 per cent per annum payable semi-annually in arrears.           Members of the public who wish to submit non-competitive tender applications for Notes that are open to HKSCC may do so through Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for those who hold Investor Accounts of the Central Clearing and Settlement System (CCASS) at the HKSCC, directly through HKSCC, for submission to the HKMA for processing. Competitive tender applications for the Notes must be submitted through any of the Eligible Market Makers appointed by the HKMA, with the current published list available on the HKMA’s website at www.hkma.gov.hk. Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof for both competitive and non-competitive tender.           The tender results will be published on the HKMA’s website, the Refinitiv screen (HKMAOOE), and Bloomberg. Applicants who submitted non-competitive tender bids through HKSCC may also obtain the tender results from Stock Exchange Participants/Brokers, or for applicants who hold Investor Accounts at HKSCC’s CCASS from the CCASS terminal for CCASS Broker/Custodian/Participants and CCASS Phone System. HKMA Exchange Fund Note Programme Tender Information_______________________________________________     Tender information of 2-Year Exchange Fund Notes: 

    Issue Number
    :
    02Y2702

    Stock code
    :
    4104 (EFN 3.34 2702)

    Tender date and time
    :
    February 21, 2025 (Friday)9.30am to 10.30am

    Issue and Settlement Date
    :
    February 24, 2025 (Monday)

    Amount on offer
    :
    HK$1,200 million(up to HK$5 million for non-competitive tender)

    Commencement of/Deadline forsubmission of non-competitive tender bids by retail investors through HKSCC
    :
    Please refer to requirements as set down by HKSCC

    Maturity
    :
    Two years

    Maturity Date
    :
    February 24, 2027 (Wednesday)

    Interest Rate
    :
    3.34% p.a.

    Interest Payment Dates
    :
    August 25, 2025February 24, 2026August 24, 2026February 24, 2027

    Tender amount
    :
    Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof for both competitive and non-competitive tender. Members of the public who wish to apply for the Notes through non-competitive tenders that are open to HKSCC may do so through Stock Exchange Participants/ Brokers, or for those who hold Investors Accounts at HKSCC’s CCASS, directly through HKSCC. Members of the public who wish to apply for the Notes through competitive tender may only do so through any of the Eligible Market Makers on the current published list.

    Other details
    :
    Please see Information Memorandum published or approach Eligible Market Makers, HKSCC, or brokers who are Exchange Participants of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

    Expected commencement date of dealing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong
    :
    February 25, 2025 (Tuesday)

         Price/Yield Table of the new EFN at tender for reference* only: 

    Yield-to- Maturity
    Price
    Yield-to-Maturity
    Price

    2.34
    101.97
    3.34
    100.05

    2.39
    101.87
    3.39
    99.96

    2.44
    101.78
    3.44
    99.86

    2.49
    101.68
    3.49
    99.77

    2.54
    101.58
    3.54
    99.68

    2.59
    101.49
    3.59
    99.58

    2.64
    101.39
    3.64
    99.49

    2.69
    101.29
    3.69
    99.39

    2.74
    101.20
    3.74
    99.30

    2.79
    101.10
    3.79
    99.21

    2.84
    101.00
    3.84
    99.11

    2.89
    100.91
    3.89
    99.02

    2.94
    100.81
    3.94
    98.93

    2.99
    100.72
    3.99
    98.84

    3.04
    100.62
    4.04
    98.74

    3.09
    100.53
    4.09
    98.65

    3.14
    100.43
    4.14
    98.56

    3.19
    100.34
    4.19
    98.47

    3.24
    100.24
    4.24
    98.37

    3.29
    100.15
    4.29
    98.28

    3.34
    100.05
    4.34
    98.19

     * Disclaimer: The information provided here is for reference only. Although extreme care has been taken to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, the HKMA does not warrant that all, or any part of, the information provided is accurate in all respects. You are encouraged to conduct your own enquiries to verify any particular piece of information provided on it. The HKMA shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any use or reliance on any of the information provided here.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 16:30

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ1: Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ1: Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering
    LCQ1: Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering
    **************************************************

         Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):Question:     Regarding the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering (the Action Plan) promulgated by the Government last year, will the Government inform this Council:(1) given that the Action Plan proposes to “adopt a multi-fuel strategy”, but it is learnt that at present, there are many types of green maritime fuels in the market, and most of them are at an early stage of development, while investments in the diversified development of fuels will not only increase the operational burden on investors, but also reduce the cost-effectiveness of such investments, whether the authorities will expeditiously specify the “designated fuels” and set relevant standards, carbon reduction targets, timetables, etc, so that investors can concentrate their resources and carry out long-term development planning;(2) as it is learnt that at present, the Mainland is already one of the major producers of maritime fuels such as bio-diesel and green methanol, and the related technologies have become relatively mature, how the authorities will, through administrative measures, support Hong Kong enterprises in fully grasping the advantage of enjoying the strong support of the motherland to build Hong Kong into a maritime fuel bunkering centre; and(3) given that the Action Plan proposes to set up a Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering Incentive Scheme within this year to encourage pioneer companies to develop green maritime fuel bunkering business in Hong Kong, when the authorities will announce the details of the Scheme?Reply: President,     The maritime industry accounts for about three per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. In order to reduce maritime operations’ negative impact on the environment, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set out a target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. There are many ways to reduce emissions, including adoption of energy saving technologies, switching to more energy-efficient vessels, usage of smart maritime technologies, among which the use of green maritime fuels is by far the most effective. Therefore, the industry has started to switch to using low or even zero-carbon green maritime fuels. Hong Kong must enhance its green maritime fuel bunkering capabilities to respond to market needs, so as to give full play to our advantage of our excellent geographical location and our position as a major bunkering port in South China, consolidate Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime centre, and maintain the competitiveness of our port.     The Government promulgated the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering (Action Plan) in November last year, setting out clear targets with five strategies and 10 action measures with an aim to develop Hong Kong into a green maritime fuel bunkering centre. The Government has received strong support from the industry and maintained positive communication with Legislative Council members since the promulgation of the Action Plan. Various domestic and international players from different parts of the green maritime fuel bunkering supply chain have also expressed their interest in developing relevant businesses in Hong Kong.     Regarding the Hon Chan Hak-kan’s questions, the reply is as follows: (1) Currently, a number of green maritime fuels, including biodiesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG), green methanol, green ammonia and hydrogen are being used or tested by the industry, but not a single type of green maritime fuel is being particularly favoured. According to publicly available information on new vessels on order, by 2030 we expect that there will be over 1 000 vessels capable of being powered by LNG and nearly 400 methanol ones by 2030, as well as a number of hydrogen and green ammonia vessels in the world. Meanwhile, as most of the vessels that can use green maritime fuels will likely have dual-fuel engines, these vessels as well as the other traditional ones not yet due for replacement will likely adopt biodiesel, which is cheaper than other green maritime fuels currently, to reduce emission in the short term.     Taking into consideration the current trend in the maritime industry to retrofit or build new vessels powered by different green maritime fuels, the aforementioned figures, the high investment involved in ordering or retrofitting vessels, and that new vessels can generally operate for around more than 20 years after delivery, we expect diversified development in the green maritime fuel bunkering market in the coming decades. On one hand, Hong Kong will adopt a “multi-fuel” strategy like major ports such as Singapore, Rotterdam and Shanghai. But on the other hand, as mentioned in Hon Chan Hak-kan’s questions, we aim to provide a clear orientation on fuel options to the industry and the society, including making biodiesel bunkering immediately available, developing LNG and green methanol bunkering in the short- and medium-term respectively, and considering the development of the bunkering of hydrogen and green ammonia in the long run.     Following the aforementioned orientation and development directions, there are several actions we are about to implement, including:  

    in terms of LNG, we issued the Code of Practice (CoP) on LNG bunkering in January and the trade will soon conduct the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering in Hong Kong waters this week;
    on green methanol, we will within this year invite the industry to submit expressions of interest in relation to developing green methanol storage facilities on a site in Tsing Yi South, and complete the CoP on green methanol bunkering; and
    as for hydrogen and green ammonia, we will simultaneously commence a feasibility study on the future bunkering of these fuels within this year, with a view to setting out a clear development direction.

         As regards standards on green maritime fuels, the IMO expects to finalise a number of mid-term measures within this year, which are expected to enter into force around 2027 and among which the “Green House Gas (GHG) fuel standard” will require the phased reduction of the GHG intensity of maritime fuels. As an Associate Member of IMO, Hong Kong will respond and follow the requirements in this regard.(2) Establishing a stable green maritime fuel supply chain is one of the action measures set out in the Action Plan. Given Hong Kong’s proximity to the Mainland, which is a major producer of a number of green fuels, we expect that most of Hong Kong’s green maritime fuels will be imported from the Mainland. In fact, currently some Hong Kong companies have already set up production facilities in different provinces and cities in the Mainland, including Inner Mongolia and Foshan, to produce green maritime fuels, while some Hong Kong and Mainland producers have expressed interest in providing such fuels to Hong Kong. Such stable green maritime fuel supply chain can also allow Hong Kong to take advantage of its robust and resilient financial system, good business environment, and regulatory regime in line with international standards, to develop into an international green maritime fuel trading centre.     At present, the Government will actively foster the conclusion of green maritime fuel offtake agreements by shipping companies interested in bunkering such fuels in Hong Kong. The Marine Department has set up a dedicated team to provide one-stop services for relevant companies, so as to help build a systematic and organic supply chain in Hong Kong. (3) As for the Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering Incentive Scheme, it aims to encourage pioneer enterprises to start green maritime fuel bunkering businesses in Hong Kong. At present, we are formulating the details of the scheme, and expect to establish the scheme in 2025 and will announce it in due course.     Thank you, President.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 16:22

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 87th Meeting of Network Planning Group under PM GatiShakti evaluates key Infrastructure projects

    Source: Government of India

    87th Meeting of Network Planning Group under PM GatiShakti evaluates key Infrastructure projects

    NPG evaluates Metro, RRTS, Road and Airport Projects

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 1:41PM by PIB Delhi

    The 87th meeting of the Network Planning Group (NPG) evaluated five projects (1 Metro, 1 RRTS, 2 Road, and 1 Airport) for their conformity to the PM GatiShakti principles of integrated multimodal infrastructure, last-mile connectivity to economic and social nodes and intermodal coordination. These initiatives are expected to boost logistical efficiency, reduce travel times, and deliver significant socio-economic benefits across regions.

    The meeting chaired by Shri E. Srinivas, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), was convened to evaluate infrastructure projects in the Metro, RRTS, Road, and Airport sectors and focused on enhancing multimodal connectivity and logistics efficiency in alignment with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (PMGS NMP).

    The evaluation and anticipated impacts of these projects are detailed below:

    Delhi – Panipat – Karnal Namo Bharat Project (RRTS Corridor)

    The Delhi – Panipat – Karnal Namo Bharat Project, proposed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and implemented by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), is a greenfield initiative spanning approximately 136.30 km between Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi and Karnal in Haryana. The corridor is designed to operate at an average speed of 90 kmph, offering a significantly faster transit option compared to the existing modes of transport. The project is expected to reduce travel time from the current 3.5–4 hours to approximately 90 minutes, thereby enhancing connectivity between Delhi and key centers in Haryana.

    It is designed to be interoperable with other Namo Bharat corridors, ensuring seamless multimodal integration at key hubs such as the common Namo Bharat station at Sarai Kale Khan. In addition, the project will integrate multiple modes of transport by linking with major railway, metro, bus, and airport networks, providing seamless connectivity to people.

    Pune Metro Line 4: Kharadi – Khadakwasla with spur line of Nal Stop – Warje – Manik Baug

    The Pune Metro Line 4: Kharadi – Hadapsar – Swargate – Khadakwasla, with a spur line from Nal Stop – Warje – Manik Baug is proposed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and implemented by the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., the project spans approximately 31.64 km. Currently at the DPR stage, the integrated design, which includes interchanges with operational and proposed metro lines as well as feeder routes, is anticipated to boost overall ridership and facilitate seamless multimodal connectivity.

    Mahabubnagar Economic Corridor

    The “Development of Four Laning of Gudebellur – Marikal – Hasnapur/Potulamadugu section of NH-167” is a brownfield highway project under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, executed by the National Highways Authority of India. Located in Telangana’s Narayanpet and Mahabubnagar districts, the project aims to upgrade and realign the existing NH-167 corridor—including bypasses around major towns—to a four-lane configuration over a design length of 90.37 km. As a key component of the Hyderabad–Panaji Economic Corridor, this initiative will improve inter-state connectivity between Hyderabad and Raichur.

    Mungiakami-Champaknagar (NH-08 corridor)

    The project, proposed by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and implemented by the National Highways Infrastructure & Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), aims to improve and widen the existing NH-08 corridor from Mungiakami to Champaknagar in Tripura. Covering a design length of 25.45 km, the project involves upgrading the current road into a four-lane highway with necessary bypasses and realignments to decongest built-up areas. The project is expected to enhance connectivity across West Tripura and Khowai districts, thereby integrating key economic and social nodes and supporting regional inter-state connectivity.

    Development of “Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham” (Phase-II)

    The Phase-II expansion of the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya, aims to meet the growing demand for air travel in the region. The existing terminal has a capacity of 674 passengers during peak hours and an annual capacity of 1 million. To address the anticipated surge in passenger traffic, a new Integrated Terminal Building will be constructed. The new terminal will be designed to handle 4,000 peak hour passengers and accommodate 6 million passengers annually, by 2046-47. The project also includes strengthening and extending the runway, constructing additional parking bays, a multi-level car park, fire station, ATC tower and improved city-side access.

    ***

    Abhishek Dayal/Abhijith Narayanan/Asmitabha Manna

    (Release ID: 2102188) Visitor Counter : 61

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Coal Ministry Issues Letters of Award to Selected Applicants under Categories II of the Financial Incentive Scheme for Coal Gasification

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 12:58PM by PIB Delhi

    The Ministry of Coal has made a significant stride in India’s ambitious Coal Gasification Initiative with the issuance of Letters of Award (LOAs) to selected applicants under Category II of the ₹8,500 crore Coal Gasification Incentive Scheme.

    The LOAs were presented by Shri Vikram Dev Dutt, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, in the august presence of Additional Secretary, Ms. Vismita Tej, and OSD (Technical), Shri Asheesh Kumar and Director (Technical), Shri BK Thakur, Ministry of Coal.

    Awardees under the Scheme:

    Category II: Private Sector/ Government PSUs (For allocation of Rs 1,000 crore per project or 15% of capex, whichever is lower)

    • Jindal Steel and Power Limited: The 2MMTPA coal gasification project in Angul, Odisha, has been awarded ₹569.05 crore in financial incentives. The ₹3,793 crore project will convert coal into Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) through coal gasification while also setting up a carbon capture and utilization plant designed to capture 30 TPD of CO2 for conversion into valuable products.
    • New Era Cleantech Solution Private Limited: A financial incentive of ₹1,000 crore has been granted for New Era Cleantech’s coal gasification project in Bhadravati, Chandrapur, Maharashtra. With a total project cost of ₹6,976 crore, it aims to produce 0.33 MMTPA of Ammonium Nitrate and 0.1 MMTPA of Hydrogen. Additionally, the project will implement Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technology, where captured CO2 will be utilized for methanol production. The proposed CO2-to-methanol plant will have a capacity of 3,000 TPD (1.0 MMTPA).
    • Greta Energy Limited: The Greta Energy Limited has been awarded ₹414.01 crore of financial incentive for its coal gasification project at MIDC Bhadravati, Chandrapur, Maharashtra. With a total investment of ₹2,763 crore, the project aims to produce 0.5 MTPA of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI).

    The Coal Gasification Incentive Scheme plays a pivotal role in India’s ambitious target of reaching 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030. This initiative is designed to accelerate technological advancements in coal gasification, significantly reduce carbon emissions, bolster energy security, and create a foundation for a more sustainable energy landscape.

    ****

    Shuhaib T

    (Release ID: 2102157) Visitor Counter : 81

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ13: Lantau Tomorrow Vision

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Paul Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):Question:     It is learnt that the Government has yet to confirm the commencement date of the reclamation project for the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision. According to a paper submitted by the Government to the Panel on Development of this Council on December ‍29, 2022, the Government’s target was to commence the reclamation works for the Artificial Islands at the end of 2025. The Government subsequently indicated that the reclamation works “would be slightly deferred”. At the meeting of the Panel on Development of this Council on October 22 last year, the Secretary for Development advised that hopefully the reclamation works could commence within the current term of the Government (i.e. by June 30, 2027). On the 7th of last month, the Secretary for Development remarked that at present there was no need to fix a date for the commencement of the reclamation works; while a commentary article “The Lantau Tomorrow Vision is yesterday’s dream” published on the Ta Kung Wen Wei website on the same day pointed out that the Government had no choice but to slow down the pace of creating artificial land by reclamation under the Lantau Tomorrow Vision or even shelve the development plan, highlighting that the Lantau Tomorrow Vision has become “a thing of the past”. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:(1) as there are views that the Government has been procrastinating on the commencement date of the works for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision, and the subsequent remark made by the Secretary for Development that at present there is no need to fix a date for the commencement of the reclamation works is entirely different from the remark in the commentary article “The Lantau Tomorrow Vision is yesterday’s dream” on the Ta Kung Wen Wei website, of the latest update of the project;      (2) whether the principal officials in charge of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision will formally and publicly give an account of the retention or otherwise of the project; and(3) given that the aforesaid commentary article has highlighted that “the Lantau Tomorrow Vision has become a thing of the past”, of the detailed expenditures incurred by the Government to date on the preliminary studies, design and consultancy work relating to the Lantau Tomorrow Vision; whether the Government will immediately suspend or freeze such work in order to minimise unnecessary expenditures; if so, of the estimated amount of expenditures that can be saved; if not, the reasons for that?Reply:President,     According to the findings of the study “Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030”, the target for supply of developed land in the 30 years from 2019 to 2048 is about 7 000 hectares, of which 1 000 hectares of land will come from the proposed Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands (KYCAI) project. This 1 000 hectares of newly reclaimed land, geographically located at a strategical position, will expand the scope and capacity of the development of Hong Kong and provide transport infrastructures connecting the Northern Metropolis and Lantau Island. It helps to support Hong Kong’s sustainable development in the medium to long term.     The replies to various parts of Hon Paul Tse’s questions are as follows:(1) The article cited in this question was contributed by an individual to the relevant media. It is understood that it does not represent the position of the media, let alone the position of the Government.(2) The KYCAI is a project necessary for Hong Kong’s long-term development. The Government is taking forward the project in a steady and prudent manner, and will formulate the project implementation strategy in light of the progress of various studies of the project, as well as the priority and overall deployment of the Government’s various land creation and infrastructure projects.     The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the reclamation part to the Environmental Protection Department on December 31 last year, with the target of completing the approval work within 2025. In addition to the EIA report for the reclamation part, the CEDD still needs to complete a series of tasks, including completing the EIA for the strategic roads and land development, and progressively commencing a series of detailed engineering studies (including formulating specific design and construction requirements for key infrastructure projects, and conducting relevant financial studies and analysis). The Government announced its forecast for the supply of developed land in the next 10 years in October last year, including 300 hectares of reclaimed land from the KYCAI project. At that time, it was expected that such land would only become available in the later stage of the decade. For such large-scale land development project, the current priority is to prudently complete the necessary preparatory work in the study and planning stages so that construction work can commence as quickly as possible at the appropriate time in the future.     The Government has reiterated the above position in the 2024 Policy Address, the Legislative Council’s Panel on Development’s Policy Address briefing, media interviews for the Secretary for Development, social media, and the KYCAI project’s dedicated website. When we applied for the block vote funding from the Legislative Council’s Public Works Subcommittee in January this year, we also explained the contents of the detailed engineering studies to Members.      (3) At its meeting on December 4, 2020, the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee approved a funding of $550.4 million for the ongoing planning and engineering study on the KYCAI (i.e. PWP Item No. 768CL “Studies related to artificial islands in the Central Waters”) to engage a consultant to carry out the relevant study and related site investigation works for KYCAI. By the end of the 2024/2025 financial year, the CEDD projects an expenditure of about $400 million. As explained in the reply in Part (2) above, the Government is taking forward the project in a steady and prudent manner, including continuing with the statutory EIA work and necessary studies.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ22: Work safety on bamboo scaffolding

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ22: Work safety on bamboo scaffolding
    LCQ22: Work safety on bamboo scaffolding
    ****************************************

         Following is a question by the Hon Lam Chun-sing and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, in the Legislative Council today (February 12): Question:      The revised Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety (the Code), which officially took effect on October 19 last year, aims to enhance the safety of bamboo scaffolding works. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:(1) of the number of industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolding works recorded by the authorities in each of the years from 2018 to October 18 last year, and since the implementation of the Code on ‍October 19 last year, together with the number of casualties involved in such accidents, and set out in Table 1 a breakdown by nature of works (i.e. (i) new works and (ii) repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works), type of works (i.e. (I) public works and (II) ‍non-‍public works) and type of cases (i.e. (a) fatal cases (the‍ number of fatalities) and (b) non-fatal cases (the number of injuries)); Table 1

    Date
    (i)
    (ii)

    (I)
    (II)
    (I)
    (II)

    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)

    2018
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    ……
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    From January 1 to October 18, 2024
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Since October 19, 2024
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Total
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    (2) of the respective numbers of (i) workplaces inspected by the Government for bamboo scaffolding works, as well as (ii)‍ improvement notices (together with their compliance rates) and (iii) suspension notices (together with their compliance rates) issued by the Government to contractors involved in non-compliances in relation to bamboo scaffolding works, in each of the years from 2018 to ‍October 18 last year, and since the implementation of the Code on ‍October 19 last year, and set out in Table 2 a breakdown by nature of works (i.e. (a) new works and (b) repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works) and type of works (i.e. (I) public works and (II) ‍non-‍public works); Table 2

    Date
    (i)
    (ii)
    (iii)

    (I)
    (II)
    (I)
    (II)
    (I)
    (II)

    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)

    2018
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    ……
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    From January 1 toOctober 18, 2024
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Since October 19, 2024
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Total
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     (3) in respect of the improvement notices issued by the Government as mentioned in (2)(ii), of (a) the non-compliances primarily involved and (b) the average time taken by contractors to remedy non-‍compliances or cease illegal acts, and set out in Table 3 a breakdown by nature of works (i.e. (i) new works and (ii) repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works); Table 3

    Date
    (i)
    (ii)

    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)

    2018
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

    ……
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

    From January 1 toOctober 18, 2024
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

    Since October 19, 2024
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

     (4) in respect of the suspension notices issued by the Government as mentioned in (2)(iii), of (a) the non-compliances primarily involved by contractors and (b) the average time taken for such notices getting revoked by the authorities, and set out in Table 4 a breakdown by nature of works (i.e. (i) new works and (ii) repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works); Table 4

    Date
    (i)
    (ii)

    (a)
    (b)
    (a)
    (b)

    2018
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

    ……
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

    From January 1 to October 18, 2024
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

    Since October 19, 2024
     
     
     
     

     
     
     
     

     (5) of the respective numbers of prosecutions instituted by the authorities and convictions for non-compliances in respect of bamboo scaffolding works involving contractors, in each of the years from 2018 to October 18 last year, and since the implementation of the Code on October 19 last year, as well as the major non-compliances involved and the average sentences imposed; (6) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of employers who, in each of the past seven years and this year to date, have failed to take out employees’ compensation insurance (commonly known as labour insurance) as required under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (Cap. 282) for workers involved in the industrial accidents mentioned in (1), and on the number of employers prosecuted as a result; among such prosecution cases, of the number of convicted cases and the average sentences imposed; (7) of the number of applications for taking out labour insurance received and approved by the Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme Bureau from employers in the bamboo scaffolding industry in each of the past seven years and this year to date; what measures the Government has put in place to strengthen assistance for the construction industry in taking out labour insurance for workers engaged in bamboo scaffolding works in order to enhance the protection for these workers; (8) given that at the meeting of the Panel on Manpower of this Council on March 16, 2021, the authorities proposed amending the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 59I) to include small-‍scale construction works involving higher risks (including truss-out scaffolding works) within the scope of mandatory notification to facilitate the Labour Department in arranging targeted inspections, of the latest progress and the specific timetable for the relevant legislative amendment work; and (9) how the Government will strengthen its promotion of the enhanced application of technology in the industry to enhance the occupational safety and health of frontline workers working on bamboo scaffolds?Reply: President,      The Government attaches great importance to workplace safety. Pursuant to the risk-based principle and keeping close tabs on the occupational safety and health (OSH) risk levels and trends of various industries (in particular the construction industry), the Labour Department (LD) has been formulating and adjusting the strategies of inspection and enforcement, publicity and promotion, as well as education and training in a timely manner to raise the OSH level in Hong Kong.     With the objective of enhancing scaffolding safety, the Government held a meeting on “Enhancement of Scaffolding Safety” on January 24, 2025 with relevant organisations and stakeholders. The LD is considering carefully the opinions of the trade representatives and will continue to work closely with relevant organisations and stakeholders to explore ways to enhance the safe use of scaffolds.      My reply to the Hon Lam Chun-sing is as follows:(1) The numbers of fatal cases and fatalities of industrial accidents (Note 1) involving bamboo scaffolds on construction sites from 2018 to 2025 (as at January 26) are tabulated below. These cases did not involve Public Works Projects (Note 2). 

    Year
    Industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolds

    (i) New Works (Note 3)
    (ii) Repair, Maintenance, Alteration, and Addition Works (Note 4)

    Number of fatal cases (number of fatalities)
    Number of fatal cases (number of fatalities)

    2018
    1 (1)
    4 (4)

    2019
    3 (3)
    1 (1)

    2020
    1 (1)
    1 (1)

    2021
    –
    4 (4)

    2022
    –
    4 (4)

    2023
    –
    –

    2024 (Note 5)(January 1, 2024 – October 18, 2024)
    1 (2)
    2 (2)

    2024 (Note 5)(October 19, 2024 – December 31, 2024)
    –
    –

    2025 (Note 5)
    –
    –

    Note 1: Industrial accidents refer to injuries and deaths arising from industrial activities in industrial undertakings in Hong Kong as defined under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance.Note 2: Public Works Projects refer to construction sites under the Architectural Services Department, Drainage Services Department, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Highways Department, Water Supplies Department, and Civil Engineering and Development Department.Note 3: New Works refer to construction sites where new development or re-development works take place. Such works include building, piling, demolition, site formation and civil engineering works.Note 4: Repair, Maintenance, Alteration, and Addition Works refer to minor works such as minor alterations, repairs, maintenance and interior decoration of existing buildings, term maintenance or repair contracts (such as roads, water and drainage works).Note 5: The numbers of fatal cases of industrial accidents of 2024 and 2025 are recorded as at January 26, 2025.     The LD does not keep the numbers of injury cases and injuries of industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolds on construction sites. (2) to (5) The enforcement figures related to construction sites by the LD from 2018 to 2024 are tabulated below.(i) The number of inspections conducted and enforcement figures of new works construction sites from 2018 to 2024

     
    2018
    2019
    2020
    2021
    2022
    2023
    2024(Jan – Oct)
    2024(Nov – Dec)

    Inspections
    27 709
    35 202
    23 419
    29 525
    26 664
    26 788
    25 024
    4 781

    Prosecutions taken
    1 435
    1 453
    1 101
    1 095
    1 171
    1 494
    1 277
    272

    Improvement notices
    1 264
    1 954
    1 340
    2 433
    2 103
    2 985
    2 631
    368

    Suspension notices
    246
    124
    116
    153
    351
    131
    81
    31

    (ii) The number of inspections conducted and enforcement figures of repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works sites from 2018 to 2024

     
    2018
    2019
    2020
    2021
    2022
    2023
    2024(Jan – Oct)
    2024(Nov – Dec)

    Inspections
    42 928
    52 466
    34 616
    41 538
    38 907
    44 447
    36 965
    7 640

    Prosecutions taken
    1 077
    848
    910
    774
    838
    828
    685
    97

    Improvement notices
    835
    1 051
    762
    851
    956
    1 158
    1 018
    240

    Suspension notices
    353
    353
    204
    284
    270
    157
    132
    64

         The LD does not keep the numbers of safety inspections, enforcement figures and convictions breakdown by the bamboo scaffolding trade or works category.      The LD will assess the severity and consequences of the violation of law and take different enforcement means in accordance with the established guidelines and procedures, including the issuance of improvement notices or suspension notices to duty holders, if violation is detected during inspection of construction site.     The LD does not keep the statistics of the time required for revoking improvement notices or suspension notices. In general, the LD will take follow up actions in a timely manner in accordance with the established procedures after the notice has been issued. The notice would be revoked when the LD is satisfied that measures have been taken by the duty holders to abate the relevant risks. There is no specified timeframe for revoking a notice, which will be dependent on the attitude of the duty holders and the complexities of the actual work to abate the relevant risks. (6) Among the 22 fatal cases of industrial accidents provided in part (1), five employers were prosecuted by the LD for failing to take out the employees’ compensation insurance (EC insurance) policies at the time of the accidents. Relevant prosecution figures are tabulated below: 

    Year of accidents
    Number of summonses heard
    Number of summonses convicted
    Fine imposed

    2018
    1
    1
    $25,000

    2019
    1
    1
    $8,000

    2020
    1
    1
    $5,000 (Note)

    2021
    1
    1
    $3,000

    2022
    1
    1
    $6,000

    Note: In addition to the fine of $5,000, the employer was concurrently sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.(7) The Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme (ECIRS) serves as a market of last resort to assist employers who cannot procure EC insurance in the market, with a view to ensuring that employers can acquire EC insurance. Relevant figures pertaining to the applications by employers in scaffolding industry received and approved by the Employees’ Compensation Insurance Residual Scheme Bureau (ECIRSB) from 2018 to January 2025 are as follows: 

    Year
    Number of applications received from the employers(a)
    Number of applications approved and provided cover by ECIRSB(b)

    2018
    15
    15

    2019
    12
    12

    2020
    14
    13 (Note 1)

    2021
    15
    15

    2022
    19
    31 (Note 2)

    2023
    24
    23 (Note 1)

    2024
    25
    25

    2025(as at January)
    3
    2 (Note 3)

    Note 1: The figures in column (b) are lower than that in column (a) of the above table as the employers have either taken out EC insurance directly through ECIRS’s member insurers or they did not take out EC insurance through ECIRS eventually.Note 2: In exercise of its authority under section 35(2)(b) of the Insurance Ordinance, the Insurance Authority appointed Managers to take full control of the affairs, business and property of Target Insurance Company Limited (Target) in 2022. As a participating member of ECIRS, Target jointly underwrote the EC insurance policies issued under ECIRS. Due to Target’s inability to continue operations because of insolvency, ECIRS had to reissue the affected insurance policies to the insured in 2022, including 12 policies specific to the scaffolding industry.Note 3: One application is under processing.     The Government is deeply concerned about the procurement of EC insurance by employers in the scaffolding sector. ECIRSB has been offering premium discounts to the employers in the scaffolding sector and implemented flexible arrangements, including short-term EC insurance policies, tailored to the circumstances of the scaffolding industry. The Government will continue to maintain close communication with ECIRSB to assist employers in the scaffolding sector who have implemented enhanced occupational safety measures in qualifying for higher premium discounts, thus ensuring compliance with the requirement to procure EC insurance.(8) The LD is studying the refinement of statutory notification mechanism for construction works and its feasibility.      At the same time, to enhance the bamboo scaffolding safety, the LD updated the Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety last year, strengthening the regulation against truss-out bamboo scaffold (TOS). This includes requiring workers engaged in TOS works to hold valid certificates issued by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) to bolster safeguards for workers.      In addition, the LD has been actively collaborating with the scaffolding and insurance industries as well as other stakeholders in recent years to improve the occupational safety of bamboo scaffolding industry through various measures. This aims to reduce related insurance premiums, enabling employers in the bamboo scaffolding industry to take out employees’ compensation insurance at relatively reasonable prices, so as to form a virtuous cycle uplifting the overall safety standards of the industry to further lower the premium for labour insurance. (9) The Government supports the construction industry in using innovative technologies to improve site safety. The LD has been working closely with the Development Bureau (DEVB), relevant government departments and organisations to promote the industry to effectively use innovative technologies and expand their scope of application to enhance site safety.      The LD is collaborating with the DEVB to promote the implementation of the Smart Site Safety System (4S) in more construction projects to enhance monitoring and risk management of construction sites, and further improve the overall site safety standards. The LD has also actively participated in the work of the Task Force on Smart Site Safety System Standardisation set up by CIC, and will continue to keep in view the development of various advanced technology and encourage the industry to adopt appropriate technological equipment for preventing accidents.      In addition, the LD, in collaboration with the Occupational Safety and Health Council, organised the first OSH Innovation and Technology Expo in March 2024 to introduce and showcase innovative solutions, products and technologies in the field of OSH for promoting innovative developments in this area. Meanwhile, the LD will provide advice on OSH legislation for technology products developed by industries to facilitate the introduction and application of more such products.      At the meeting of “Enhancement of Scaffolding Safety” on January 24, 2025, the LD has discussed with the industry and other relevant stakeholders to explore measures from various aspects (including the application of technology) to enhance the bamboo scaffolding safety.      However, we must point out that technology is merely an auxiliary tool. It is more important to address the issue at the root by enhancing the overall OSH culture in the construction industry, as well as raising workers’ safety awareness. The Government will continue to strive for promoting OSH culture through the adoption of multi-pronged strategies, including promotion, education and training, inspections and enforcement as well as the application of technologies, to help reduce accidents.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 15:25

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana Turns One

    Source: Government of India

    PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana Turns One

    Powering India’s Solar Revolution

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 12:48PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    On February 13, 2025, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) will mark its first anniversary, celebrating a year of empowering households with affordable solar energy and accelerating India’s transition to a sustainable future. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, 2024, this groundbreaking initiative aims to provide free electricity to households by facilitating the installation of rooftop solar panels. The PMSGMBY, the world’s largest domestic rooftop solar initiative, is reshaping India’s energy landscape with a bold vision to supply solar power to one crore households by March 2027.

    As of January 27, 2025, the scheme has already benefitted 8.46 lakh households through rooftop solar installations. The rapid adoption of solar energy is evident in the tenfold increase in monthly installation rates, which now stand at around 70,000 installations per month, significantly surpassing pre-scheme levels. The scheme offers a subsidy of up to 40%, making renewable energy more affordable and accessible. So far, ₹4,308.66 crore has been disbursed as Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to 5.54 lakh residential consumers, with an average subsidy of ₹77,800 per household. Additionally, an estimated 45% of the beneficiaries are now receiving zero electricity bills, depending on their solar power generation and consumption patterns.

    Top 5 states with the highest number of households benefiting under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana.

     

    Key Benefits

    The PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana offers several significant benefits to participating households:

    • Free Electricity for Households: The scheme provides households with free electricity through the installation of subsidized rooftop solar panels, significantly reducing their energy costs.

     

    • Reduced Electricity Costs for the Government: By promoting the widespread use of solar power, the scheme is expected to save the government an estimated ₹75,000 crore annually in electricity costs.

     

    • Increased Use of Renewable Energy: The scheme encourages the adoption of renewable energy sources, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy mix in India.

     

    • Reduced Carbon Emissions: The transition to solar energy under this scheme will help lower carbon emissions, supporting India’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

    Subsidy Details

    The subsidy provided under the scheme varies based on the household’s average monthly electricity consumption and the corresponding suitable rooftop solar plant capacity:

    Average Monthly Electricity Consumption (units)

    Suitable Rooftop Solar Plant Capacity

    Subsidy Support

     

    0-150

    1-2 kW

    ₹ 30,000/- to ₹ 60,000/-

    150-300

    2-3 kW

    ₹ 60,000/- to ₹ 78,000/-

    > 300

    Above 3 kW

    ₹ 78,000/-

     

    Subsidy Application and Vendor Selection: Households can apply for the subsidy through the National Portal, where they can also select a suitable vendor for installing rooftop solar. The National Portal will assist in decision-making by providing information on appropriate system sizes, a benefits calculator, vendor ratings, and other relevant details. With all credentials are entered correctly on the National Portal, the average time taken in processing the CFA is around 15 days after redemption request made by the consumer.

     

    Collateral-Free Loans: Households will have access to collateral-free, low-interest loans at around 7% interest for the installation of residential rooftop solar (RTS) systems up to 3 kW.

    Eligibility

    Application Process

    The application process involves following nine specific steps to ensure a smooth and efficient submission and approval of solar panel installation.

    Impact

    The   PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is expected to have far-reaching outcomes, both for individual households and the nation as a whole:

    • Household Savings and Income Generation: Households will benefit from significant savings on their electricity bills. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to earn extra income by selling surplus power generated by their rooftop solar systems to DISCOMs. For instance, a 3-kW system can generate over 300 units per month on average, providing a reliable source of energy and potential revenue.

     

    • Expansion of Solar Capacity: The scheme is projected to add 30 GW of solar capacity through rooftop installations in the residential sector, significantly contributing to India’s renewable energy goals.

     

    • Environmental Benefits: Over the 25-year lifetime of these rooftop systems, it is estimated that the scheme will generate 1000 BUs of electricity while reducing CO2 emissions by 720 million tonnes, making a substantial positive impact on the environment.

     

    • Job Creation: The scheme is also expected to create approximately 17 lakh direct jobs across various sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, sales, installation, operations and maintenance (O&M), and other services, thereby boosting employment and economic growth in the country.

     

    Model Solar Village

    Under the “Model Solar Village” component of the scheme, the focus is on establishing one Model Solar Village per district throughout India. This initiative aims to promote solar energy adoption and empower village communities to achieve energy self-reliance. An allocation of ₹800 crore has been designated for this component, with ₹1 crore provided to each selected Model Solar Village.

    To qualify as a candidate village, it must be a revenue village with a population of over 5,000 (or 2,000 in special category states). Villages are selected through a competitive process, evaluated on their overall distributed renewable energy (RE) capacity six months after being identified by the District Level Committee (DLC).

    The village in each district with the highest RE capacity will receive a central financial assistance grant of ₹1 crore. The State/UT Renewable Energy Development Agency, under the supervision of the DLC, will oversee the implementation, ensuring these model villages successfully transition to solar energy and set a benchmark for others across the country.

    Conclusion

    In conclusion, the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is set to significantly reshape India’s energy landscape by empowering millions of households with solar power. By March 2025, installations are expected to exceed 10 lakh, doubling to 20 lakh by October 2025, reaching 40 lakh by March 2026, and ultimately achieving the ambitious one crore target by March 2027. This transformative initiative is set to save the government ₹75,000 crores annually in electricity costs, reinforcing India’s leadership in clean energy innovation. Through substantial subsidies, accessible financing options, and a focus on renewable energy, the initiative will not only provide free electricity to households but also contribute to significant savings for the government, reduced carbon emissions, and job creation.

    The Model Solar Village initiative further supports rural areas in becoming energy self-reliant, underscoring the government’s commitment to sustainable development. This ambitious programme sets India on a path toward a greener, more energy-efficient future, reinforcing its leadership in renewable energy.

    References:

    v https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2005596

    v https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/pmsgmb

    v https://www.pmsuryaghar.gov.in/whatIsNew

    v https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3716e1b8c6cd17b771da77391355749f3/uploads/2024/08/2024080998431910.pdf

    v https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2080833

    v https://sansad.in/getFile/annex/266/AU945_gOv3Tm.pdf?source=pqars

    Kindly find the pdf file 

    ****

    Santosh Kumar/ Sarla Meena/ Anchal Patiyal

    (Release ID: 2102149) Visitor Counter : 38

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Six arrested in international investment fraud operation

    Source: Europol

    The operation, which took place in the early hours of 27 January 2025, was carried out by law enforcement authorities in France, Spain and Israel, with support from Europol and judicial authorities.International fraud schemeThe investigation began after a French citizen was deceived between April and May 2022, believing he was making substantial investments in renewable energy contracts. The suspects maintained…

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Singapore Airlines’ advertising campaigns focus on KrisWorld entertainment to elevate in-flight experience, reveals GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Singapore Airlines’ advertising campaigns focus on KrisWorld entertainment to elevate in-flight experience, reveals GlobalData

    Posted in Business Fundamentals

    Singapore Airlines’ advertising campaigns between November 2024 and January 2025 effectively showcased its premium service offerings and entertainment capabilities, positioning the airline as an example of luxury travel and passenger experience. Through a series of targeted campaigns, the airline successfully highlighted its KrisWorld entertainment platform, exclusive partnerships, and commitment to exceptional service. This multifaceted campaigns were aimed at reinforcing Singapore Airlines’ commitment to deliver enhanced service and create memorable travel journeys, according to the Global Ads Platform of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company

    Satya Prasad Nayak, Ads Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Singapore Airlines has masterfully balanced the promotion of its entertainment offerings with its premium service excellence. By showcasing the extensive capabilities of KrisWorld alongside luxury partnerships like Charles Heidsieck champagne, Singapore Airlines demonstrates its commitment to elevating the entire travel experience. This strategic approach reinforces Singapore Airlines’ position as a premium carrier.”

    Below are the key focus areas of Singapore Airlines advertisements, revealed by GlobalData’s Global Ads Platform:

    Seamless digital entertainment experience: Singapore Airlines offers a “theatre in the sky” through KrisWorld Digital, featuring new releases, documentaries, TV shows, and live sports. Passengers can browse and plan their in-flight entertainment pre-flight via the KrisWorld platform. With integrated mobile apps and QR code accessibility, the airline blends digital innovation with personalized service for a seamless travel experience.

    Premium partnerships: Singapore Airlines’ collaboration with luxury brands, particularly through its partnership with Charles Heidsieck champagne, reinforces its premium positioning. The airline’s exclusive offerings in its first-class suites showcases its efforts to provide unique, high-end experiences. These partnerships extend to entertainment collaborations, including a special offer of Apple TV+ trials for passengers.

    Service excellence: The airline’s advertisements consistently emphasize the warmth and attentiveness of its cabin crew, particularly evident in campaigns featuring family travel experiences. This focus on personal service highlights Singapore Airlines’ commitment to creating memorable journeys for passengers of all ages, from children to elderly travellers, demonstrating the airline’s ability to cater to diverse passenger needs with equal care and attention.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Supply chain drives M&A deal activity to record 5% YoY value growth in 2024, reveals GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Supply chain drives M&A deal activity to record 5% YoY value growth in 2024, reveals GlobalData

    Posted in Strategic Intelligence

    Helped by a steady fall in interest rates and modest economic growth, global mergers and acquisition (M&A) deal activity surged during 2024, with a 5% increase in total deal value year-over-year (YoY). Supply chain resilience was a key theme that drove this momentum, with $160 billion in supply chain-related transactions across 22 deals, covering sectors like healthcare and industrials, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    GlobalData’s latest Strategic Intelligence report, “Global M&A Deals in 2024 – Top Themes by Sector – Strategic Intelligence,” reveals that in terms of deal volume, there was a 0.3% decrease from 2023 to record 31,952 deals in 2024.

    Priya Toppo, Analyst, Strategic Intelligence at GlobalData, comments: “Rising geopolitical tensions, shifting demographics, heightened ESG regulations, ongoing labor shortages, and accelerated digital transformation have further intensified the focus on supply chain-related M&A deals. Companies are increasingly prioritizing resilient, localized, and technology-driven supply chains to mitigate risks and enhance operational efficiency. This was especially true in the healthcare, industrials, energy, and real estate sectors.”

    The biggest supply chain deal was Novo Holdings’ acquisition of Catalent for $17 billion. This deal was also the biggest in the industrials sector in 2024. It was followed by China First Heavy Industries’ merger with China Shipbuilding for $16 billion and Johnson & Johnson’s acquisition of Shockwave Medical for $13 billion.

    Toppo continues: “An ongoing trend is the dominance of North America in M&A deal activity, accounting for 12,571 deals worth $1.3 trillion during 2024. However, China, South America, and the Middle East and Africa saw a YoY decline in deal value.”

    Toppo concludes: “The M&A outlook for 2025 is cautiously optimistic, as potential rate cuts in certain markets and an improving global economic environment could drive deal activity. However, mega-deals may continue to face challenges, particularly in the US, where antitrust scrutiny remains a key focus for regulators.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Romanian firms as likely as others in EU to tackle impacts of weather and reduce carbon emissions, EIB Investment Survey shows

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Around three in 10 Romanian firms reported innovation activity, in line with EU average.
    • Romanian businesses are also on par with other EU-based companies in use of digital technologies.
    • Romanian firms perform better than counterparts elsewhere in EU in gender balance

    Most Romanian firms – 90% – have acted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with companies elsewhere in Europe, according to a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group survey. Companies in Romania have taken steps such as curbing waste, recycling, saving energy and embracing cleaner technologies, new country results from the EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) show.

    Romanian firms are more likely than other EU-based businesses to have limited waste, recycled and invested in less-polluting technologies but less likely to have pursued energy efficiency, according to the national data.

    EIBIS is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms in all EU Member States plus a sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October 2024, showing that EU businesses lead way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.

    The detailed country reports for individual member states were released today. Key takeaways for Romania include:

    • Investments stand at 27% above pre-pandemic levels.
    • The share of investing firms is 70%, below an EU average of 87%.
    • The share of innovative firms in Romanian is like the EU average, with three in ten reporting innovation activity.
    • Uncertainty about the future, energy costs and an insufficiency of skilled staff remain key concerns for businesses in Romania.

    “Romanian businesses are demonstrating resilience and optimism, even amid global economic uncertainties,” said EIB Vice-President Ioannis Tsakiris. “The EIB Group remains committed to supporting the country’s investment ambitions, ensuring that local businesses on the ground in Romania have access to the financing they need to thrive in a competitive global landscape.”

    The full country report about Romania is available here.

    Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.

    The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe’s policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world. 

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.   

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Slovenian businesses among EU’s climate-action leaders, EIB Investment survey shows

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Almost all companies in Slovenia – 97% – have taken steps to cut emissions, according to annual survey commissioned by EIB.
    • Share of Slovenian businesses moving to reduce carbon footprint is second highest in EU.
    • Slovenian firms also have done more than most in EU in embracing digital technologies.

    Nearly all Slovenian companies – 97% – have taken steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the second-highest share in Europe behind only Finland, according to a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group survey. In addition, four in five Slovenian businesses have embraced advanced digital technologies compared with a European Union average of 74%, new country results from the EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) show.

    EIBIS is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms in all EU Member States plus a sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October 2024, showing that EU businesses lead the way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.

    The detailed reports for individual EU countries were published today. Key takeaways for Slovenia include:

    • The share of Slovenian companies that have moved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions trails only Finland’s 99% in the EU, where the average is 91%.
    • Slovenian businesses are more likely than counterparts elsewhere in the EU to invest in less-polluting technologies and sustainable practices.
    • Slovenian firms are more likely than EU firms to have adopted automation via robotics, Internet of Things and big data/AI.
    • Green strategies by firms in Slovenia include saving energy, curbing waste and recycling.
    • Regarding investment barriers, Slovenian companies express concerns about political, regulatory and economic factors and an insufficiency of skilled staff is the most common obstacle cited.

    “Slovenian firms are leading the way in green and digital investments, showing strong commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said EIB Vice-President Kyriacos Kakouris. “However, challenges such as regulatory uncertainty and workforce availability must be addressed to unlock further growth. The EIB Group is committed to continue supporting Slovenian businesses to overcome these challenges and boost their competitiveness.” 

    The full country report about Slovenia is available here.

    Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.  

    The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe’s policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe. 

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.  

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.   

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Circularity requirements for vehicle design and management of end-of-life vehicles – 12-02-2025

    Source: European Parliament

    The EU’s automotive sector is resource-intensive. There are 286 million motor vehicles on the road in the EU, and every year around 6.5 million vehicles become waste. If improperly managed, these vehicles may cause environmental damage and the economy may lose millions of tonnes of materials. In July 2023, the European Commission presented a proposal for a regulation addressing the whole life cycle of vehicles, from design to end-of-life, aimed at improving design and end-of-life management of vehicles for a more resource-efficient automotive sector. It would set circularity requirements on vehicle design and production concerning reusability, recyclability, recoverability and the use of recycled content. It would also lay down requirements on information and labelling of parts, components and materials in vehicles. In addition, the proposed regulation would establish requirements on extended producer responsibility, collection and treatment of end-of-life vehicles, and on the export of used vehicles from the EU to third countries. The proposal is now in the hands of the co-legislators. In the European Parliament, the Committees on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) are jointly responsible for the file. The joint committee vote is scheduled for June 2025. Second edition. The ‘EU Legislation in Progress’ briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EIB Investment Survey shows Belgium investments have returned above pre-COVID levels.

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Investments in Belgium last year were 4% higher than pre-COVID levels.
    • Businesses in Belgium are ahead of overall European levels in terms of innovation and adoption of advanced digital technologies.
    • Share of Belgian firms prioritising development or introduction of new products and services is far above the bloc’s average.

    A very high percentage of Belgian firms (90%) reported having adopted digital technologies, the second highest percentage of all EU-countries and far above the bloc’s average, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Investment Survey country results released today. The survey results for Belgium also show that Belgian businesses are far ahead in using Internet of Things (IoT) in their firms. In this field Belgium is far ahead of other EU countries, with an adoption rate of around 65%.

    The EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS), is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms across all EU member states, with an additional sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October, showing that EU businesses lead way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.

    The detailed country reports for individual member states are released today

     When it comes to Belgium, key takeaways include:

    • Together with the Netherlands, Belgium leads the way in terms of the share of businesses’ investments devoted to intangible assets like software, data and website activities.
    • Belgium shows a strong focus on investments in new products and services (39% vs. EU average of 25%).
    • Around six out of every ten Belgian businesses (58%) invested in energy efficiency improvements.

    “European companies are making significant progress in tackling climate change and embracing digital transformation across the board,” remarked EIB Chief Economist Debora Revoltella. “However, enhancing EU investment necessitates a more cohesive and integrated single market.”

    The full country report about Belgium is available here.

    Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.  

    The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe’s policies, including industrial decarbonization, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe. 

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world. 

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.  

    In 2024, the EIB Group reached a funding volume of just over €2 billion in Belgium, focusing on energy, innovation, SMEs and climate.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: EIB Investment Survey 2024: Investment in Portugal remains strong, yet companies face regulatory and financial challenges above the EU average

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Investment in Portugal continues to grow, standing 14% above pre-pandemic levels.
    • Compliance with new regulations and logistical challenges are the main barriers to business activity.
    • Financial constraints are increasing, with more Portuguese companies facing financing restrictions above the EU average.
    • Regulation and bureaucracy hinder investment, posing greater obstacles in Portugal than in the rest of Europe.

    Investment in Portugal is nearly 14% above pre-pandemic levels in real terms, continuing to grow despite some volatility in the first half of 2024. The percentage of companies planning to increase investment remains stable (20%) and above the EU average.

    The EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS), is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 companies across all EU member states, with an additional sample from the United States. Its main results released in October, indicate, among other findings, that many businesses in EU remain optimistic about investment over the past three years.

    The detailed country reports are available today, with key takeaways for Portugal including:

    • Regulatory and logistical challenges weigh on Portuguese businesses – Compliance with new regulations, standards, and certifications, as well as logistical challenges, are the main obstacles to business activity. Compared to EU companies, Portuguese businesses express greater concern over access to raw materials and components.
    • Financial constraints are increasing and exceed the EU average – The percentage of Portuguese companies struggling to access financing has risen significantly and is now above the European average, due to loan rejections, difficulties in securing sufficient financing, and high credit costs.
    • Key barriers to investment – Portuguese companies identify the main obstacles to expansion as uncertainty about the future, lack of skilled labor, regulation, and energy costs. Bureaucracy and business regulations remain more significant challenges in Portugal than in the rest of the EU.

    “Portugal’s strong investment performance, despite financial and regulatory pressures, demonstrates the resilience of its businesses”, said EIB Chief Economist Debora Revoltella. “While compliance costs, bureaucracy, and financing difficulties remain key challenges, Portuguese companies continue to adapt and innovate. As the EU bank, the EIB will continue to support investments that enhance resilience, sustainability, and long-term growth.”

    The full country report about Portugal is available here.

    Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg. 

    The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe’s policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world. 

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.   

    In 2024, the EIB Group reached a funding volume of €2.1 billion in Portugal, focusing on energy transition and support for SMEs and midcaps, the backbone of the Portuguese economy.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Most Estonian businesses have taken steps to reduce emissions, EIB Investment Survey shows

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Vast majority of Estonian firms has acted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with efforts across the EU.
    • Estonian businesses are generally satisfied with their investment levels over the past three years.
    • Uncertainty about the future, insufficiency of skilled staff and energy costs are top three investment obstacles for companies in Estonia.

    Almost nine in 10 Estonian firms – 87% – have acted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with a 91% average in Europe, according to a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group survey. Estonian businesses are more likely than companies elsewhere in the European Union to promote cleaner technologies and business areas while being less likely to focus on energy efficiency, new country results from the EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) show.

    EIBIS is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms across all EU Member States plus a sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October 2024, showing that EU businesses lead way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.

    The detailed reports for individual EU countries were published today. Key takeaways for Estonia include:

    • Most Estonian firms –  73% – are satisfied with their investment levels over the past three years.
    • The business environment remains a concern for Estonia-based companies, with uncertainty about the future, an insufficiency of skilled staff and energy costs being the top three investment obstacles.
    • Compared with the EU average, Estonia has a higher share of companies with 40% or more women in senior management and a similar share where 50% or more of the company owners are women.
    • Almost three-quarters of Estonian firms – 74% – are integrated into global trade compared with an average in the EU of 63%.

    “Estonian firms are demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainability by taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros. “Their investments in new, less-polluting technologies highlight Estonia’s proactive approach to addressing climate change and fostering green growth.”

    The full country report about Estonia is available here .

    Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.  

    The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe’s policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe. 

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.  

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.    

    In 2024, Estonia received €498 million in financing from the EIB Group, fuelling business innovation and green growth.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Bangladesh protests probe reveals top leaders led brutal repression

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Peace and Security

    The repression of mass protests in Bangladesh last year that toppled the country’s president left as many as 1,400 people dead in just 46 days – the vast majority shot by security forces, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Wednesday.

    In addition to those killed by the former government’s security and intelligence services alongside Awami League party associates, the OHCHR report into the alleged crimes indicated that thousands were injured, including one youngster who was shot in the hand at point-blank range for throwing stones.

    “There are reasonable grounds to believe that officials of the former government, its security and intelligence apparatus, together with violent elements associated with the former ruling party, committed serious and systematic human rights violations,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

    Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Türk highlighted that some of the gravest violations detailed in the report may constitute international crimes that could be heard by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as Bangladesh is a State party to the Rome Statute which created the tribunal in The Hague. The ICC’s foundational Statute gives it jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression (following an amendment in 2010).

    Read our ICC explainer here.

    Alleged crimes in Bangladesh against the student-led protest included “hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention and torture, and ill treatment, including of children, as well as gender based violence”, the UN rights chief said.

    Iron grip on power

    Furthermore, these violations “were carried out with the knowledge, coordination and direction of the former political leadership and senior security officials, with a specific goal of suppressing the protests and keep the former government’s grip on power”.

    According to the OHCHR report, as many as 12 to 13 per cent of those killed were children. Bangladesh Police also reported that 44 of its officers were killed between 1 July and 15 August 2024.

    Last summer’s protests that led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down after 15 years in power were triggered by the High Court’s decision to reinstate a deeply unpopular quota system in public service jobs. But broader grievances were already entrenched, arising from “destructive and corrupt politics and governance” that had entrenched inequalities, the UN human rights office report maintained.

    Soundcloud

    “I went to one of the hospitals in in Bangladesh when I visited, and I could talk to some of the survivors and some of them will be disabled for their lives. Especially young people…some of them were children,” Mr. Türk told journalists in Geneva, recounting his visit to Dhaka in September.

    State killings

    “The brutal response was a calculated and well-coordinated strategy by the former Government to hold onto power in the face of mass opposition,” insisted UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk.

    “The testimonies and evidence we gathered paint a disturbing picture of rampant State violence and targeted killings, that are amongst the most serious violations of human rights, and which may also constitute international crimes. Accountability and justice are essential for national healing and for the future of Bangladesh,” he added.

    The UN human rights office probe mission started work in Bangladesh on 16 of September 2024 with a team that included a forensic physician, a weapons expert, a gender expert and an open-source analyst. The investigators visited protest hotspots including universities and hospitals. Their work was complemented by more than 900 witness testimonies.

    Soundcloud

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: WRRC Webinar: Driving Resilience: The Critical Role of Private Sector’s Readiness for Recovery

    Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction

    Venue

    Online participation via Zoom

    This webinar aims to address the critical role of private sector resilience in disaster recovery, highlighting the economic and social impacts of disasters on business operations. The session will explore lessons from past disasters, the links between climate change and operational resilience, and public-private collaboration in building resilience. Through expert insights and interactive discussions, it will highlight practical strategies for disaster adaptation and recovery, featuring contributions from key resilience networks. The discussion will also initiate dialogue on principles for private sector engagement in Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and emergency response, assessing their business case and gathering stakeholder feedback. Participants will gain actionable insights to strengthen organizational resilience and contribute to shaping emerging guidelines for private sector involvement in DRM.

    This webinar is co-organized by the Corporate Chief Resilience Officers (CCRO) Network, ARISE Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

    Background

    Disasters disrupt communities and private sector operations, which form the backbone of economies and livelihoods. With businesses accounting for 70-80% of economic activity in most countries, their resilience is vital for recovery and stability. However, disasters often expose weaknesses in operational readiness, leading to financial losses, supply chain disruptions and prolonged recovery periods, affecting both businesses and national economies.

    Recent events such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated the severe impact disasters can have on private sector continuity. Climate change further intensifies these risks, with rising sea levels, extreme weather and resource scarcity threatening business sustainability, particularly in vulnerable regions. Strengthening private sector preparedness is essential to mitigate these cascading effects and ensure resilient recovery.

    Objectives

    This webinar will serve as a precursor to the technical session at the World Resilient Recovery Conference (WRRC), focusing on enhancing the operational readiness of private sector actors for resilient recovery. It will explore key challenges and data gaps related to private sector resilience, including operational continuity, financial preparedness, climate change impacts, and public-private collaboration. It will identify good practices for business resilience, outline potential strategies to address these challenges, and highlight areas for further discussion at the WRRC Technical Session. The session will also emphasize enhanced collaboration between businesses, governments, NGOs, and financial institutions to foster resilience and drive sustainable recovery efforts.

    The session further aims to:

    1. To synthesize good practices in operational readiness across diverse business scales, from large corporations to MSMEs, drawing on case studies and lessons learned from past events.
    2. To discuss a framework for climate-resilient business operations, examining the unique challenges posed by increasingly frequent and severe climate-driven disasters.
    3. To forge consensus on a standardized framework for declaring public-private partnerships in disaster resilience, identifying concrete opportunities to enhance collaboration in preparedness and recovery efforts in alignment with Sendai Framework Priority 4.  

    How to register:

    Online (Zoom) 10 April, 2-3.30 pm CET:

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ4: Ten-year Hospital Development Plan

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    LCQ4: Ten-year Hospital Development Plan
    LCQ4: Ten-year Hospital Development Plan
    ****************************************

         Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 12): Question:      The Government has implemented the first 10-year Hospital Development Plan (HDP) since 2016, setting aside $200 billion for the construction, redevelopment and expansion of a number of hospitals and the provision of other healthcare facilities. In 2018, the Government invited the Hospital Authority to commence planning for the second 10-year HDP, which is expected to cover 19 projects involving about $270 billion. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the implementation of the first 10-year HDP, the estimated final expenditure, the additional annual recurrent expenditure involved and the assessment of the effectiveness of HDP; (2) of the planning for the second 10-year HDP, the projects to be covered and the expenditure (including recurrent and non-recurrent expenditures) to be involved; and (3) whether the formulation of the second 10-year HDP has taken into account circumstances and development trends emerged in recent years, including: the latest projections on the population and the supply and demand of healthcare manpower; the community’s greater emphasis on mental health, Chinese medicine and Chinese-‍Western medicine collaboration (especially for cancer treatment); the public’s demand for public dental services; the Government’s more proactive promotion of preventive and primary healthcare services; the continuous improvement in the quality of Mainland’s healthcare services and their enhanced accessibility to the Hong Kong public; the increasing number of Hong Kong people who are willing to go north for medical treatment and age in the Mainland; as well as the financial positions of the Government and Hospital Authority? Reply: President,      Having consulted the Hospital Authority (HA), my consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Tony Tse is as follows: (1) In 2016, the Government and the HA commenced the implementation of the First Hospital Development Plan (HDP) with $200 billion set aside for a total of 16 projects, covering the redevelopment and expansion of 11 hospitals, the construction of a new acute hospital, three community health centres and one supporting services centre.      Up till now, 14 out of those 16 projects have been upgraded to Category A with a total commitment of about $186,339 million (in money-of-the-day prices). Approval for upgrading the remaining health centre and community health centre building projects to Category A will also be sought later. Upon completion of the First HDP, it is anticipated that a total of about 2.2 million square metre of additional construction floor area, including an addition of 6 557 bed spaces (Note) and 94 operating theatres, will be provided for the whole public healthcare system. It is also anticipated that the total number of public hospital bed spaces under the HA will increase from about 30 000 in March 2022 to about 35 000 in 2031, while that of operating theatres from about 250 to about 350. Meanwhile, there will be more room for increasing service quotas of specialist and general out-patient clinics.      Among the projects, the new Phase 1 Building of the redevelopment project of Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) was completed in late 2022, providing a construction floor area of about 145 000 square metre. As compared to the old KWH, four operating theatres, one cardiac catheterisation room, four endoscopy rooms, one magnetic resonance imaging room and a one-stop ambulatory care centre are provided additionally. For the new Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, which is approximately three times the size of the old one, it has an additional Emergency Medicine Ward with 40 beds, isolation areas for infection control and other supporting facilities. With the commissioning of the new A&E department, the average waiting time for patients who, after treatment at the A&E department of KWH, need to wait before being admitted to the hospital has dropped by 24 per cent in the previous two quarters (i.e. the third and fourth quarters of 2024) as compared with the same period in 2023. Besides, upon the full operation of the North District Community Health Centre Building following its completion in the end of 2024, it is estimated that the total number of attendances of the general out-patient and family medicine specialist clinics of the North District Family Medicine Centre will increase by approximately 143 000 and 44 000 respectively.      Some capital works projects under the First HDP involve in-situ redevelopment. Taking the expansion of United Christian Hospital as an example, certain facilities have to be temporarily closed or adjusted and workspace is limited, with clinical services being maintained under limitations. The Health Bureau (HHB) and the HA would like to express their gratitude towards all healthcare staff for their patient-oriented spirit and standing fast at their posts to provide high-quality services under such conditions during the construction period, as well as towards the public for their understanding of the importance of the construction works in improving healthcare services and their patience towards the inconveniences arising from the construction works.      Since some of the projects under the First HDP remain underway while some other are pending commencement, there is currently no complete information on its final expenditure and evaluation of its effectiveness. As for the operating expenses of the new hospitals, they will be covered by the subvention allocated by the Government to the HA. The HA will enhance and provide additional services and make good use of the recurrent provision from the Government having considered the growth of service demands of clusters, the scale, progress and plans of various hospital redevelopment and expansion projects. The Government also reviews and administers the subvention to the HA in accordance with the prevailing mechanisms. (2) and (3) The Government announced under the 2018 Policy Address and set out in the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 Budgets that it has invited the HA to commence planning for the Second HDP. The preliminary idea of the projects under the Second HDP was presented by the then Food and Health Bureau (FHB) to the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Health Services in April 2019. The preliminary planning idea back then, which was based on the 2014-based Territorial Population and Employment Data Matrix compiled by the Planning Department and population projections by the Census and Statistics Department up to 2031, was to implement the Second HDP within ten years from 2026 to 2035 to meet the projected service demand up to 2036. A total of 19 projects were covered in the plan back then with an aim to provide over 9 000 additional beds and other necessary healthcare facilities.      With the changes in the population structure, planning and development situation of Hong Kong, the HHB and the HA are currently reviewing the Second HDP. Amongst others, in view of the territory-wide and regional planning and development strategies as announced by the Planning Department, including the “Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030” and the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, the corresponding population projections of Hong Kong including the latest changes in overall population, its distribution and demographics, as well as the population policy and talent attraction initiatives of the Government and more, the HHB and the HA have to adopt a planning horizon of up to 2040 and beyond for the Second HDP, and to project healthcare service demand and consider the supply and conditions of the land required, thereby optimising the Second HDP.      The Government also considers factors such as the needs for and cost-effectiveness of renovation, refurbishment, redevelopment or addition of facilities for individual hospitals, and the convenience of public access to healthcare services under various major transport infrastructure development plans for determining the distribution, scale and priority, etc. of various hospital development projects under the Second HDP. Upon completion of the review, the Government will announce the revision details of the Second HDP in due course. In the course of planning, the HA will forecast future service demand and corresponding healthcare manpower requirements and make corresponding assessments and planning, with a view to flexibly deploying manpower and recruiting additional staff during the commissioning of new hospital facilities and phased introduction of services.      In planning and implementing the Second HDP, the HA will proactively tie the projects in with the policy initiatives of the Government, especially those for healthcare reform, including the development of primary healthcare services, mental health services, and Chinese medicine services, integrated Chinese-Western Medicine, the third medical school and development into an international health and medical innovation hub, while providing better healthcare services to the public by reserving spaces in newly built hospital facilities to facilitate the development of various services, increasing resources as appropriate and optimising services. As for the use of healthcare services provided in the Mainland by Hong Kong citizens, the HHB has a strong determination to enhance local healthcare and shoulder the primary responsibility for the health of all citizens, while offering convenience to Hong Kong citizens across the boundary and closely monitoring the needs for cross-boundary healthcare services and the progress of the healthcare collaboration initiatives in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the principles of complementarity and mutual benefits.      Thank you, President. Note: The figures include the additional beds at Kai Tak New Acute Hospital, which are provided for the relocation of the services from Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH). Currently, QEH has around 1 940 beds and the reprovisioning of these beds will depend on the reallocation or redevelopment plan of its vacated buildings after its service relocation.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2025Issued at HKT 19:15

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ16: Tobacco duty

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Shiu Ka-fai and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):     Question:     It has been reported that smoking prevalence has been reduced slightly from 9.5 per cent to 9.1 per cent, following the Government’s measures to increase tobacco duty by 31.48 per cent and 31.92 per cent in 2023 and last year respectively. Some members of the community have pointed out that while an increase in tobacco duty by more than 30 per cent should have brought substantially more tax revenue since there has not been any significant decrease in the number of smokers, the revenue from tobacco duty dropped from $7.93 billion before the duty increase in 2022-2023 to $7.25 billion afterwards in 2023-2024, and the tax revenue reduced even more significantly last year after the Government drastically increased tobacco duty again. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:     (1) of the monthly revenue from tobacco duty in the past three years (set out in the table below);(2) whether it has examined the reasons for reduction in the Government’s revenue from tobacco duty; whether it has assessed (i) the amount of revenue from tobacco duty reduced each year as a result of the increase in tobacco duty in 2023 and last year, and (ii) how much of such amount may be channelled to the market of illicit cigarettes; if it has assessed, of the details; if it has not assessed, the reasons for that;(3) of the number of illicit cigarettes seized, the market value of such illicit cigarettes and the number of persons arrested in each month of the past three years;(4) of the respective numbers of persons prosecuted by the Government for (i) trafficking and (ii) purchasing illicit cigarettes, as well as the penalties imposed on the convicted persons, in each of the past three years; and(5) whether it will consider restoring the tobacco duty rate to the level prior to the duty increase last year, with a view to bringing the revenue from tobacco duty back to the previous level, thereby increasing the Government’s revenue by billions of dollars and at the same time minimising the benefits brought to lawbreakers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?Reply:President,     Having consulted the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the consolidated reply to the various parts of the Hon Shiu Ka-fai’s question is as follows.     Hong Kong is facing an ageing population and a continuous rising number of chronic disease patients. Numerous scientific studies have shown that smoking is the most important and preventable risk factor leading to chronic diseases and deaths. According to the estimation of the World Health Organization (WHO), the global economic loss caused by tobacco products amounts to US$1,800 billion annually, and a research of the University of Hong Kong in 2021 also revealed that the economic loss resulting from tobacco-induced health problems was estimated to be about HK$8.2 billion every year. It is therefore beyond doubt that smoking brings harm to the economy. On the contrary, that tobacco control harms the economy is disinformation created by the tobacco companies.     The results of the Thematic Household Survey (THS) on smoking pattern in 2023 conducted by the Census and Statistics Department showed that there are about 580 000 people in Hong Kong who are still daily smokers of conventional cigarettes, and nearly half of them are aged between 40 and 59. Smoking-induced diseases suffered by smokers who continue to smoke will pose a heavy burden on the healthcare system. In order to stop the tobacco hazards, the Government need to curb the use of tobacco and more importantly, prevent the public, especially the younger generation, from picking up smoking habit. Increasing tobacco duty is recognised internationally as the most effective means of reducing tobacco use. Through raising the costs of smoking, it provides a greater incentive for smokers to quit smoking, and dampens the eagerness of non-smokers, the youth in particular, to smoke.     Following an increase of tobacco duty by 60 cents in 2023-24, the Government has raised the tobacco duty by another 80 cents to $3.306 per stick in 2024-25. The measure can ensure that tobacco prices are maintained at a relatively high level which help prevent a rebound in smoking prevalence upon lifting of the mask-wearing requirements after resumption of normalcy after the epidemic, conveying a clear message to the society on the Government’s commitment and determination to safeguard public health through stringent tobacco control measures. The effectiveness of tobacco duty adjustment should be evaluated by whether it can effectively control and reduce the number of smokers, rather than the amount of additional revenue it brings to the Government.      Past experience in increasing tobacco duty indicated that increasing tobacco duty is conducive to reducing smoking prevalence. The greater the tax hike, the greater the drop in smoking prevalence. The number of calls to the Department of Health’s Integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline (Quitline) immediately after the increase in tobacco duty is also a sensitive indicator of smokers’ response (i.e. their intention to quit smoking) to the duty increase. In the first month after the duty increase was announced in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 Budget, the number of calls to the Quitline increased by about three times respectively when compared to the monthly number of calls received in the previous three months, reflecting the strong intention of smokers to quit smoking as a result of the duty increase. The number of calls received by the Department of Health’s Quitline increased from about 7 400 in 2022 to about 9 300 in 2024, representing an increase of more than 20 per cent.     The tobacco duty revenue, as well as smoking prevalence/smoking consumption and arrival passengers statistics from 2018 to 2024 are set out at Annex I. As 2020-22 was within the epidemic period, the pre-epidemic situation of 2018-19 is also presented for ease of comparison. The figures revealed that the number of duty-paid cigarettes and tobacco duty revenue in 2024 have decreased by about 39.4 per cent and 23.0 per cent respectively compared with 2023, and by 46.7 per cent and 18.5 per cent respectively when compared with 2019 (i.e. before the epidemic).      Tobacco duty revenue is collected from tobacco products as a dutiable commodity imported into Hong Kong, and therefore the amount of revenue generated is affected by many factors. Apart from the local sales volume of duty-paid tobacco products, it also depends on the commercial decisions of tobacco companies such as pricing strategies, timing of import and quantity, storage capacity of duty-paid tobacco products (there are no relevant figures as the commercial behaviour of tobacco companies is not transparent), as well as tobacco products purchased, by arrival passengers, outside Hong Kong or at duty-free shops at border control points and brought into Hong Kong (whether legally or illegally (Note)). Cross-boundary travel was greatly affected during the epidemic and the public were unable to bring back duty-free cigarettes through border control points. Tobacco duty was about 20 per cent higher than that before the epidemic, indicating that cross-boundary passenger travel has a great impact on tobacco duty. The number of passenger arrivals in 2024 was close to 150 million, which has fully restored to the pre-epidemic level, with the number of passenger arrivals at land boundary control points being close to 125 million exceeding the pre-epidemic level. It is estimated that the tobacco products brought into Hong Kong by inbound passengers will inevitably have a significant impact on tobacco duty revenue.     At the same time, the local sales volume of duty-paid tobacco products is also affected by the smoking population and their average consumption, whereas the increased cost of smoking will reduce the consumption of tobacco products. The WHO pinpoints that every 10 per cent increase in cigarette price will reduce the overall tobacco consumption by four per cent in high-income regions. In aggregate, tobacco duty was raised by 73.5 per cent in 2023 and 2024. Following the increase of tobacco duty in 2023, the THS conducted from May to August in the same year revealed that smoking prevalence dropped from 10.2 per cent in 2019 and 9.5 per cent in 2021 to 9.1 per cent in 2023. The number of smokers is estimated to have decreased by 60 600 or 9.5 per cent. The number of cigarettes consumed by smokers per day also dropped from 12.7 sticks in 2019 and 2021 to 12.1 sticks in 2023, which together represented a 13.8 per cent reduction in tobacco consumption. The Government has further increased tobacco duty in 2024 and the relevant THS will be conducted at a later time. It is expected that the drop in demand for tobacco products would be reflected in the survey results.       On the other hand, illicit cigarettes activities have always existed and the rebound in cross-boundary freight after resumption from the epidemic might also lead to increase in illicit cigarettes activities. That said, industry statistics from international market research companies revealed that the sales of illicit cigarettes in Hong Kong did not show an upward trend. As a matter of fact, both the WHO and the World Bank have pointed out that there is no direct correlation between the increase in tobacco duty and illegal tobacco trade activities. Combatting illicit cigarette trading activities and raising tobacco duty should be regarded as complementary measures. Taking into consideration the above factors, we are of the view that the drop in tobacco duty is attributable to a number of factors. The full effect of tobacco duty in reducing tobacco use is to be ascertained subject to the availability of latest data, and at this stage, we cannot rule out the possibility that some of the revenue from tobacco duty may be lost as a result of illicit cigarettes activities, but there is no evidence to suggest that illicit cigarettes activities are the main cause of the drop in tobacco duty.     In any case, as an important pillar under the tobacco control strategy, the Government will spare no efforts in combatting illicit cigarettes. The C&ED will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach and take stringent enforcement actions at all levels to combat the sale of illicit cigarettes. The monthly tobacco duty revenue and the relevant enforcement figures against illicit cigarettes (including smuggling, storage and distribution as well as sale) in the past three years are set out at Annex II. The increase in the number of seizures of illicit cigarettes reflects the effectiveness of the C&ED’s stepped-up enforcement actions against illicit cigarettes and the success of its enforcement strategy does not denote an expanding scale of illicit cigarettes activities.     The Government announced the “10 measures for tobacco control” in June last year. Stepping up enforcement against illicit cigarettes was accorded the highest priority among the 10 measures, including – (i) introducing a duty stamp system to distinguish duty-paid cigarettes from non-duty-paid cigarettes;(ii) requiring tobacco products being sold at a price lower than the tobacco duty need to be proved duty-paid;(iii) increasing the maximum penalty for handling, possessing, selling or buying duty-not-paid cigarettes; and (iv) listing the relevant offences under the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 455), so as to enable the C&ED to apply for freezing and confiscating illicit proceeds and assets associated with illicit cigarette activities by virtue of the Ordinance.     On duty stamp system, taking into account factors such as enforcement effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, we propose to require the affixing of duty-paid labels on the retail packages of cigarettes at this stage. Through the application of anti-forgery features and related digital technologies, frontline officers of the C&ED would be able to distinguish duty-paid cigarettes from duty-not-paid ones in a more effective manner, thereby enhancing enforcement efficiency. The C&ED expects that a pilot scheme on the duty stamp system will be rolled out in the middle of this year to work out the practical operating requirement of the scheme, which will then be launched next year at the earliest.      The Government expects that the above measures will increase the deterrent effect and enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement departments in combating illicit cigarettes. The Government will continuously review the effect of tobacco control measures as a whole and the pace of future adjustments in tobacco duty. Our ultimate aim is to further lower the smoking prevalence so that the whole society and our healthcare system does not have to pay a heavy price for smoking-related diseases.Note: Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109), a person aged 18 or above may bring into Hong Kong 19 cigarettes duty-free for his own personal use.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chairs the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chairs the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Cooperation in New Delhi

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave the mantra of ‘Sahkar Se Samriddhi’ by forming the Ministry of Cooperation in the interest of farmers and rural sector across the country

    Soon, PACS will also be able to sell Arline tickets

    The bill for the formation of “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University will be passed by the Parliament soon

    After the formation of the university, professionals’ coming to the cooperative sector will be able to get technical education, information and training related to accounting and administration

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 4:25PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chaired the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Cooperation on ‘Initiatives taken and currently being taken to strengthen cooperative societies’ in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by Union Ministers of State for Cooperation, Shri Krishan Pal and Shri Murlidhar Mohol, Members of the Committee, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation and senior officers of the Ministry. The committee discussed various issues related to the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Cooperation since its establishment and the current efforts being made to empower cooperative societies.

    Addressing the meeting, Shri Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi established a separate Ministry of Cooperation for the welfare of farmers and rural areas across the country and gave the mantra of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”. He mentioned that the Modi government believes that both employment generation and prosperity of rural areas are possible through cooperation.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the cooperative movement was strong in the country for a few years after independence, but later it got weakened in most states. He mentioned that after the formation of the Ministry of Cooperation at the Centre, the first task was to create a database of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in collaboration with the states and initiate the process of registering two lakh PACS. He said that the work to develop the National Cooperative Database is almost complete, and now, information about cooperative societies across the country, categorized by region, is available at one click. Shri Shah said that steps have been taken for the computerization of PACS. He added that in the coming times, there will not be a single panchayat in the country where PACS will not be available.

    Union Minister of Cooperation said that the model by-laws created to make PACS ‘viable’ have been adopted by almost all states in the country. He added that PACS have been linked to more than 20 activities and have now started providing services such as Common Service Centres, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, and other services.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the Ministry of Cooperation has introduced a bill for the establishment of “Tribhuvan” Sahkari University, it will be passed by the Parliament soon. The establishment of this university will provide technical education, accounting, administrative knowledge, and training to professionals entering the cooperative sector. Shri Shah added that this will ensure the availability of trained manpower in the cooperative sector.

    Union Minister of Cooperation said that national-level cooperative organizations such as National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samriti Limited (BBSSL) have been established, which will help promote exports, organic products, and advanced seeds in the cooperative sector. He added that these initiatives will lead to significant changes in the cooperative sector in the coming years.

    Shri Amit Shah said, that it is the endeavour of the government that the cooperative sector gets the same opportunities as the corporate sector. He said that the Ministry of Cooperation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Reserve Bank, and Income Tax Department, has taken steps to make one tax structure for the corporate and cooperative sectors. Minister of Cooperation expressed confidence that the enterprises associated with the country’s cooperative sector will progress in competition with the corporate world and will fulfill Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahkar Se Samriddhi”. 

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation informed the Consultative Committee that a roadmap has been made for the rapid development of national federations associated with cooperation, in collaboration with Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO), Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and other federations. He mentioned that currently, PACS are involved in booking railway tickets, and expressed confidence that due to the initiatives of the Ministry of Cooperation, PACS will soon be able to sell airline tickets as well.

    Referring to the cooperative model of Gujarat, Shri Amit Shah said that today, women working in the cooperative sector in Gujarat have earned an annual income of 7.5 lakh crore, which is an achievement in itself. He mentioned that among these women, there was a woman having formal education only upto fourth grade, yet she earned a profit of 1.16 crore, setting a significant example of women empowerment.

    Shri Amit Shah said that in view of the regional disparity in the development of cooperatives in the country, the government is taking special steps to bring uniform balanced development in all the states.

    In the meeting, the committee members provided their suggestions on issues related to empowering cooperative societies in the country and appreciated the important steps taken by the government to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country.

    ****

    RK/VV/PR/PS

    (Release ID: 2102294) Visitor Counter : 56

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ20: Office of Former Chief Executives

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Michael Tien and a written reply by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):
     
    Question:
     
         It has been reported that the Office of Former Chief Executives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Office) located at Pacific Place in Admiralty will be relocated to the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai upon the expiry of lease. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
     
    (1) of the renovation costs involved in setting up the Office at Pacific Place in Admiralty; whether the relocation of the Office away from its present location will involve reinstatement costs; if so, of the estimated relevant expenditures;
     
    (2) of the estimated costs associated with the relocation of the Office and the estimated renovation costs of the new Office respectively;
     
    (3) as the Government announced in the 2017 Policy Address that it planned to reprovision the three government towers at the Wan Chai waterfront, including the Immigration Tower, so as to release the precious land in the Wan Chai district for convention, exhibition and commercial uses, and the Chief Executive indicated last month that the reprovisioning plan would be implemented as scheduled, whether the Government will, in the light of the prevailing economic environment, utilise the relevant sites for the more important use of promoting economic recovery; if so, of the progress and timetable of the relevant plan; and
     
    (4) whether it has assessed if the Office will need to be relocated again after it has been relocated to the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai in the light of the commencement of the reprovisioning plan mentioned in (3); if it has assessed and the result is in the affirmative, whether the Government will consider a longer-term option, so as to avoid wasting public money?
     
    Reply:
     
    President,
     
         The reply to the question raised by the Hon Michael Tien is as follows:
     
     (1), (2) and (4) As the Office of Former Chief Executives (FCEO) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at 28 Kennedy Road can only accommodate three former Chief Executives (former CEs) at most, and there was no suitable and available government premises at the time, a leasable office unit was thus identified at Pacific Place as office for the fourth former CE for a tenancy period of three years starting from May 2022. The renovation works was carried out by the Architectural Services Department at a cost of about $6.55 million, funded under Subhead 3101GX of Head 703 – Buildings.
     
         The tenancy of the office will expire in May this year. The Government had liaised with the landlord who agreed to take over the office in an as-is condition and no reinstatement works will be required. The Government plans to relocate the office to 23/F, Immigration Tower in Wan Chai for continuous operation. The renovation works is in progress and the estimated renovation cost is around $2.8 million.
     
         The Government will continue to provide support to all former CEs according to the recommendations set out in the Independent Commission on Remuneration Package and Post-office Arrangements for the Chief Executive of the HKSAR’s report, including appropriate office accommodation and administrative support, to facilitate their performance of promotional and protocol-related functions for Hong Kong.
     
    (3) The convention and exhibition (C&E) industry brings important contributions to Hong Kong’s economy by attracting high-spending overnight business visitors to Hong Kong, spurring economic activities and creating employment opportunities in sectors such as tourism, retail, catering, entertainment industries; while facilitating local small and medium enterprises to connect with international buyers and suppliers to develop new markets and explore business opportunities. In order to provide more C&E facilities to facilitate the long-term development of the Hong Kong C&E industry, the Government is taking forward the Wan Chai North Redevelopment project near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre as planned. This project involves the redevelopment of the sites of the Wan Chai Government Offices Compound, Gloucester Road Garden and the Kong Wan Fire Station into C&E facilities, hotel and Grade A offices. Among others, with the funding approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council, the Government has commenced the reprovisioning of Kong Wan Fire Station project to relocate the Kong Wan Fire Station to the site adjoining Fenwick Pier Street and Lung Hop Street.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India’s Index of Industrial Production records growth of 3.2% in December 2024

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi

    The Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) are released on 12th of every month (or previous working day if 12th is a holiday) with a six weeks lag and compiled with data received from source agencies, which in turn receive the data from the producing factories/ establishments. These Quick Estimates will undergo revision in subsequent releases as per the revision policy of IIP.

    2.        Key Highlights:

    1.  The IIP growth rate for the month of December 2024 is 3.2 percent which was 5.2 percent (Quick Estimate) in the month of November 2024.
    2.  The growth rates of the three sectors, Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity for the month of December 2024 are 2.6 percent, 3.0 percent and 6.2 percent respectively.
    3.  The Quick Estimates of IIP stands at 157.2 against 152.3 in December 2023. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of December 2024 stand at 143.1, 156.2 and 192.8 respectively.
    4.  Within the manufacturing sector, 16 out of 23 industry groups at NIC 2 digit-level have recorded a positive growth in December 2024 over December 2023. The top three positive contributors for the month of December 2024 are – “Manufacture of basic metals” (6.7%), “Manufacture of electrical equipment” (40.1%) and “Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products” (3.9%).
    5.  In the industry group “Manufacture of basic metals”, item groups “MS blooms/ billets/ ingots/ pencil ingots “, “Galvanized products of Steel (including colour coated tin plates, TMBP and Tin free steel)”, “Pipes and tubes of Steel”, have shown significant contribution in growth.
    6. In the industry group “Manufacture of electrical equipment”, item groups “Electric heaters”, “Transformers (Small)”, “End facing connector for optical fibres and cables” have shown significant contribution in growth.
    7. In the industry group “Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products” item groups “Diesel”, “Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF)”, “Naphtha” have shown significant contribution in growth.
    8.  As per the use base classification, the indices stand at 157.7 for Primary Goods, 114.5 for Capital Goods, 169.3 for Intermediate Goods and 191.7 for Infrastructure/ Construction Goods for the month of December 2024. Further, the indices for Consumer durables and Consumer non-durables stand at 124.0 and 166.0 respectively.
    9.  The corresponding growth rates of IIP as per Use-based classification in December 2024 over December 2023 are 3.8 percent in Primary goods, 10.3 percent in Capital goods, 5.9 percent in Intermediate goods, 6.3 percent in Infrastructure/ Construction Goods, 8.3 percent in Consumer durables and (-)7.6 percent in Consumer non-durables (Statement III).  Based on use-based classification, top three positive contributors to the growth of IIP for the month of December 2024 are – Primary goods, Intermediate goods, and Infrastructure/ construction goods.
    10.   Monthly Indices and Growth Rate (in %) of IIP for the last 13 months

    3.       Along with the Quick Estimates of IIP for the month of December 2024, the indices for November 2024 have undergone the first revision and those for September 2024 have undergone final revision in the light of the updated data received from the source agencies. The Quick Estimates for December 2024, the first revision for November 2024 and the final revision for September 2024 have been compiled at weighted response rates of 91 percent, 95 percent and 96 percent respectively.

    4.     Details of Quick Estimates of the Index of Industrial Production for the month of December 2024 at Sectoral, 2-digit level of National Industrial Classification (NIC-2008) and by Use-based classification are given at Statements I, II and III respectively. Also, for users to appreciate the changes in the industrial sector, Statement IV provides month-wise indices for the last 13 months, by industry groups (as per 2-digit level of NIC-2008) and sectors.

    5.     Release of the Index for January 2025 will be on Wednesday, 12th March 2025.

     

    Note: –

    1. This Press release (English and Hindi Version) is also available at the Ministry’s Website –http://www.mospi.gov.in.
    2. Detailed information pertaining to IIP is available at https://mospi.gov.in/iip and https://esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in/

     

     

    STATEMENT I: INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION – SECTORAL

    (Base: 2011-12=100)

    Month

     

    Mining

    Manufacturing

    Electricity

    General

    (100)

    (14.372472)

    (77.63321)

    (7.994318)

    		  

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    Apr

    122.6

    130.9

    138.8

    144.6

    192.3

    212.0

    140.7

    148.0

    May

    128.1

    136.5

    143.1

    150.4

    201.6

    229.3

    145.6

    154.7

    Jun

    122.3

    134.9

    141.6

    146.6

    205.2

    222.8

    143.9

    151.0

    Jul

    111.9

    116.1

    142.1

    148.8

    204.0

    220.2

    142.7

    149.8

    Aug

    111.9

    107.1

    144.4

    146.1

    220.5

    212.3

    145.8

    145.8

    Sep

    111.5

    111.7

    141.5

    147.2

    205.9

    206.9

    142.3

    146.9

    Oct

    127.4

    128.5

    142.1

    148.3

    203.8

    207.8

    144.9

    150.2

    Nov

    131.3

    133.8

    139.3

    147.0

    176.3

    184.1

    141.1

    148.1

    Dec*

    139.5

    143.1

    151.6

    156.2

    181.6

    192.8

    152.3

    157.2

    Jan

    144.3

    		  

    150.8

    		  

    197.1

    		  

    153.6

    		  

    Feb

    139.7

    		  

    144.4

    		  

    187.2

    		  

    147.1

    		  

    Mar

    156.2

    		  

    156.2

    		  

    204.2

    		  

    160.0

    		  

    Average

    		                

    Apr-Dec

    122.9

    127.0

    142.7

    148.4

    199.0

    209.8

    144.4

    150.2

    Growth over the corresponding period of previous year#

    		      

    Nov

    7.0

    1.9

    1.3

    5.5

    5.8

    4.4

    2.5

    5.0

    Dec*

    5.2

    2.6

    4.6

    3.0

    1.2

    6.2

    4.4

    3.2

    Apr-Dec

    8.5

    3.3

    5.7

    4.0

    7.0

    5.4

    6.3

    4.0

    * Figures for December 2024 are Quick Estimates.

    NOTE: Indices for the months of September’24 and November’24 incorporate updated production data.

     

     

    STATEMENT II:  INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION – (2-DIGIT LEVEL)

    (Base: 2011-12=100)

    Industry

    Description

    Weight

    Index

    Cumulative Index

    Percentage growth#

    code

     

     

    Dec’23

    Dec’24*

    Apr-Dec*

     

    Dec’24*

    Apr-Dec*

     

     

     

     

     

    2023-24

    2024-25

     

    2024-25

    10

    Manufacture of food products

    5.302

    160.8

    151.9

    128.9

    126.1

    -5.5

    -2.2

    11

    Manufacture of beverages

    1.035

    101.3

    104.0

    108.3

    111.9

    2.7

    3.3

    12

    Manufacture of tobacco products

    0.798

    82.7

    89.1

    81.4

    82.8

    7.7

    1.7

    13

    Manufacture of textiles

    3.291

    112.3

    113.8

    107.8

    108.6

    1.3

    0.7

    14

    Manufacture of wearing apparel

    1.322

    113.1

    119.2

    103.6

    112.5

    5.4

    8.6

    15

    Manufacture of leather and related products

    0.502

    95.9

    89.2

    94.1

    92.2

    -7.0

    -2.0

    16

    Manufacture of wood and products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials

    0.193

    97.7

    114.5

    96.7

    102.0

    17.2

    5.5

    17

    Manufacture of paper and paper products

    0.872

    78.1

    76.5

    79.1

    79.1

    -2.0

    0.0

    18

    Printing and reproduction of recorded media

    0.680

    95.5

    86.7

    88.9

    83.8

    -9.2

    -5.7

    19

    Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products

    11.775

    141.9

    147.4

    131.9

    136.1

    3.9

    3.2

    20

    Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products

    7.873

    127.5

    130.3

    127.0

    129.9

    2.2

    2.3

    21

    Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products

    4.981

    286.3

    259.2

    236.0

    232.9

    -9.5

    -1.3

    22

    Manufacture of rubber and plastics products

    2.422

    106.9

    106.6

    107.7

    112.5

    -0.3

    4.5

    23

    Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products

    4.085

    147.1

    151.2

    140.9

    144.3

    2.8

    2.4

    24

    Manufacture of basic metals

    12.804

    220.2

    234.9

    210.7

    224.4

    6.7

    6.5

    25

    Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment

    2.655

    98.1

    107.3

    89.2

    95.7

    9.4

    7.3

    26

    Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products

    1.570

    111.6

    114.5

    119.9

    129.3

    2.6

    7.8

    27

    Manufacture of electrical equipment

    2.998

    116.6

    163.3

    104.0

    129.8

    40.1

    24.8

    28

    Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.

    4.765

    115.5

    127.6

    118.7

    122.0

    10.5

    2.8

    29

    Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers

    4.857

    118.5

    116.4

    125.8

    129.9

    -1.8

    3.3

    30

    Manufacture of other transport equipment

    1.776

    137.2

    142.0

    140.6

    159.2

    3.5

    13.2

    31

    Manufacture of furniture

    0.131

    197.4

    241.1

    176.8

    226.3

    22.1

    28.0

    32

    Other manufacturing

    0.941

    70.5

    77.6

    86.8

    82.2

    10.1

    -5.3

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    05

    Mining

    14.372

    139.5

    143.1

    122.9

    127.0

    2.6

    3.3

    10-32

    Manufacturing

    77.633

    151.6

    156.2

    142.7

    148.4

    3.0

    4.0

    35

    Electricity

    7.994

    181.6

    192.8

    199.0

    209.8

    6.2

    5.4

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    General Index

    100.00

    152.3

    157.2

    144.4

    150.2

    3.2

    4.0

    * Figures for Dec 2024 are Quick Estimates.

    		              

     

     

    STATEMENT III: INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION – USE-BASED

    		  

    (Base :2011-12=100)

     

     

    Primary goods

    Capital goods

    Intermediate goods

    Infrastructure/ construction goods

    Consumer durables

    Consumer non-durables

    Month

    (34.048612)

    (8.223043)

    (17.221487)

    (12.338363)

    (12.839296)

    (15.329199)

     

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    2023-24

    2024-25

    Apr

    142.2

    152.2

    92.4

    95.0

    152.0

    157.8

    169.8

    184.2

    108.1

    119.5

    154.7

    150.9

    May

    149.9

    160.9

    102.6

    105.3

    156.9

    162.4

    173.2

    186.3

    115.6

    130.2

    149.8

    154.0

    Jun

    146.7

    156.0

    107.4

    111.3

    154.2

    159.1

    170.9

    184.9

    116.8

    127.1

    146.7

    145.2

    Jul

    141.8

    150.1

    102.1

    114.0

    153.8

    164.6

    170.3

    179.7

    117.0

    126.6

    153.5

    147.1

    Aug

    145.4

    141.6

    107.4

    107.4

    157.4

    162.3

    176.8

    181.5

    123.2

    129.8

    148.3

    141.8

    Sep

    138.8

    141.3

    112.6

    116.5

    154.2

    160.8

    172.8

    178.8

    125.0

    132.9

    142.6

    145.7

    Oct

    146.1

    149.8

    106.1

    109.4

    157.5

    164.8

    175.9

    184.4

    123.0

    130.0

    142.4

    146.1

    Nov

    143.8

    147.7

    98.0

    106.6

    151.3

    158.6

    164.2

    177.5

    106.5

    121.5

    157.2

    157.9

    Dec*

    151.9

    157.7

    103.8

    114.5

    159.8

    169.3

    180.3

    191.7

    114.5

    124.0

    179.7

    166.0

    Jan

    154.3

    		  

    108.3

    		  

    163.8

    		  

    186.6

    		  

    121.4

    		  

    164.9

    		  

    Feb

    148.2

    		  

    106.7

    		  

    157.6

    		  

    179.5

    		  

    121.9

    		  

    149.9

    		  

    Mar

    163.1

    		  

    131.6

    		  

    169.2

    		  

    195.2

    		  

    129.9

    		  

    155.2

    		  

    Average

    		                        

    Apr-Dec

    145.2

    150.8

    103.6

    108.9

    155.2

    162.2

    172.7

    183.2

    116.6

    126.8

    152.8

    150.5

    Growth over the corresponding period of previous year#

    		              

    Nov

    8.4

    2.7

    -1.1

    8.8

    3.4

    4.8

    1.5

    8.1

    -4.8

    14.1

    -3.4

    0.4

    Dec*

    4.8

    3.8

    3.7

    10.3

    3.7

    5.9

    5.5

    6.3

    5.2

    8.3

    3.0

    -7.6

    Apr-Dec

    6.9

    3.9

    7.1

    5.1

    4.8

    4.5

    10.7

    6.1

    1.1

    8.7

    5.4

    -1.5
                               
    		 

     

    * Figures for December 2024 are Quick Estimates.

     

    NOTE: Indices for the months of Sept’24 and Nov’24 incorporate updated production data.

     

     

     

     

    STATEMENT IV:  MONTHLY INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION – (2-DIGIT LEVEL)

     

    (Base: 2011-12=100)

    Industry code

    Description

    Weight

    Dec-23

    Jan-24

    Feb-24

    Mar-24

    Apr-24

    May-24

    Jun-24

    Jul-24

    Aug-24

    Sep-24

    Oct-24

    Nov-24

    Dec-24

    10

    Manufacture of food products

    5.3025

    160.8

    158.9

    151.9

    142.4

    119.8

    116.4

    118.3

    119.9

    122.3

    120.5

    129.5

    136.5

    151.9

     

    11

    Manufacture of beverages

    1.0354

    101.3

    112.6

    120.0

    124.2

    123.8

    136.4

    125.2

    112.9

    100.3

    101.8

    103.2

    99.4

    104.0

     

    12

    Manufacture of tobacco products

    0.7985

    82.7

    84.6

    77.3

    78.3

    61.1

    88.1

    83.2

    81.3

    78.5

    91.2

    92.3

    80.4

    89.1

     

    13

    Manufacture of textiles

    3.2913

    112.3

    109.7

    104.1

    106.9

    105.3

    107.0

    106.2

    109.1

    109.4

    109.3

    111.2

    106.4

    113.8

     

    14

    Manufacture of wearing apparel

    1.3225

    113.1

    117.3

    125.6

    143.0

    105.1

    123.6

    122.6

    111.7

    112.5

    103.7

    104.0

    110.2

    119.2

     

    15

    Manufacture of leather and related products

    0.5021

    95.9

    99.9

    96.8

    95.9

    89.3

    102.6

    99.2

    102.0

    94.3

    89.5

    87.6

    76.1

    89.2

     

    16

    Manufacture of wood and products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials

    0.1930

    97.7

    96.4

    101.7

    111.4

    84.3

    100.3

    103.8

    99.1

    108.1

    106.7

    103.1

    98.2

    114.5

     

    17

    Manufacture of paper and paper products

    0.8724

    78.1

    79.1

    79.2

    83.0

    75.6

    81.0

    79.8

    81.7

    83.0

    81.2

    78.3

    74.9

    76.5

     

    18

    Printing and reproduction of recorded media

    0.6798

    95.5

    91.3

    88.8

    91.6

    82.1

    91.9

    85.3

    84.4

    83.3

    84.7

    78.6

    77.3

    86.7

     

    19

    Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products

    11.7749

    141.9

    134.7

    131.2

    142.4

    135.4

    140.7

    132.2

    140.9

    130.8

    128.8

    132.8

    135.6

    147.4

     

    20

    Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products

    7.8730

    127.5

    127.6

    125.4

    132.3

    127.0

    133.2

    131.7

    135.2

    129.5

    129.4

    129.2

    123.3

    130.3

     

    21

    Manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products

    4.9810

    286.3

    245.6

    205.6

    228.0

    244.4

    245.0

    218.8

    224.7

    212.6

    222.9

    216.8

    251.4

    259.2

     

    22

    Manufacture of rubber and plastics products

    2.4222

    106.9

    112.8

    110.3

    116.3

    108.9

    112.4

    114.5

    116.9

    115.5

    117.6

    116.6

    103.5

    106.6

     

    23

    Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products

    4.0853

    147.1

    147.5

    147.7

    165.4

    148.7

    149.1

    154.1

    136.3

    139.8

    137.6

    144.8

    137.1

    151.2

     

    24

    Manufacture of basic metals

    12.8043

    220.2

    226.9

    213.2

    232.1

    220.7

    225.9

    219.2

    223.7

    225.6

    219.7

    227.9

    222.1

    234.9

     

    25

    Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment

    2.6549

    98.1

    95.1

    95.7

    115.0

    85.0

    97.8

    89.5

    93.7

    92.8

    99.5

    100.3

    95.0

    107.3

     

    26

    Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products

    1.5704

    111.6

    120.8

    125.8

    134.7

    114.2

    136.5

    134.8

    130.9

    146.6

    146.7

    123.8

    115.9

    114.5

     

    27

    Manufacture of electrical equipment

    2.9983

    116.6

    108.1

    111.5

    124.7

    110.4

    122.7

    136.8

    131.8

    127.7

    128.1

    126.2

    121.1

    163.3

     

    28

    Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.

    4.7653

    115.5

    116.4

    121.0

    145.4

    108.0

    118.1

    125.3

    126.2

    122.9

    131.7

    120.3

    117.7

    127.6

     

    29

    Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers

    4.8573

    118.5

    140.5

    130.4

    130.5

    126.5

    134.4

    128.9

    133.5

    129.2

    132.6

    133.4

    134.4

    116.4

     

    30

    Manufacture of other transport equipment

    1.7763

    137.2

    149.5

    145.8

    175.7

    140.3

    153.2

    153.4

    155.0

    156.4

    189.0

    184.5

    159.4

    142.0

     

    31

    Manufacture of furniture

    0.1311

    197.4

    199.0

    227.7

    296.4

    220.8

    246.0

    217.0

    209.2

    226.2

    246.6

    227.8

    201.9

    241.1

     

    32

    Other manufacturing

    0.9415

    70.5

    76.6

    76.4

    90.0

    96.5

    72.5

    74.6

    83.3

    86.9

    99.5

    91.8

    56.9

    77.6

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    5

    Mining

    14.3725

    139.5

    144.3

    139.7

    156.2

    130.9

    136.5

    134.9

    116.1

    107.1

    111.7

    128.5

    133.8

    143.1

     

    10-32

    Manufacturing

    77.6332

    151.6

    150.8

    144.4

    156.2

    144.6

    150.4

    146.6

    148.8

    146.1

    147.2

    148.3

    147.0

    156.2

     

    35

    Electricity

    7.9943

    181.6

    197.1

    187.2

    204.2

    212.0

    229.3

    222.8

    220.2

    212.3

    206.9

    207.8

    184.1

    192.8

     

     

    		  

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    General Index

    100

    152.3

    153.6

    147.1

    160.0

    148.0

    154.7

    151.0

    149.8

    145.8

    146.9

    150.2

    148.1

    157.2

     
                                       

     

    * Figures for December 2024 are Quick Estimates

      NOTE: Indices for the months of Sept’24 and Nov’24 incorporate updated production data.

    Click here to download PDF

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CONSUMER PRICE INDEX NUMBERS ON BASE 2012=100 FOR RURAL, URBAN AND COMBINED FOR THE MONTH OF January 2025

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 4:00PM by PIB Delhi

    I. Key highlights:

    1. Headline Inflation: Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of January 2025 over January 2024 is 4.31% (Provisional). There is decline of 91 basis points in headline inflation of January, 2025 in comparison to December 2024. It is the lowest year-on-year inflation after August, 2024.

    1. Food Inflation: Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for the month of January 2025 over January, 2024 is 6.02% (Provisional). Corresponding inflation rate for rural and urban are 6.31% and 5.53%, respectively. All India inflation rates for CPI(General) and CFPI over the last 13 months are shown below. A sharp decline of 237 basis point is observed in food inflation in January, 2025 in comparison to December, 2024. The food inflation in January, 2025 is the lowest after August, 2024.

    1. Rural Inflation: Significant decline in headline and food inflation in rural sector observed in January 2025. It is 4.64% (provisional) in January, 2025 while the same was 5.76% in December, 2024. The CFPI based food inflation in rural sector is observed as 6.31% in January, 2025 in comparison to 8.65% in December, 2024.

    2. Urban Inflation: Sharp decline from 4.58% in December, 2024 to 3.87% (Provisional) in January, 2025 is observed in headline inflation of urban sector. Similar decline is observed in food inflation which is decreased from 7.9% in December, 2024 to 5.53% in January, 2025.

    3. Housing Inflation: Year-on-year Housing inflation rate for the month of January, 2025 is 2.76%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of December, 2024 was 2.71%. The housing index is compiled for urban sector only.

    4. Education Inflation: Year-on-year Education inflation rate for the month of January, 2025 is 3.83%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of December, 2024 was 3.95%. It is combined education inflation for both rural and urban sector.

    5. Health Inflation: Year-on-year Health inflation rate for the month of January, 2025 is 3.97%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of December, 2024 was 4.05%. It is combined health inflation for both rural and urban sector.

    6. Transport & Communication: Year-on-year Transport & communication inflation rate for the month of January, 2025 is 2.76%. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of December, 2024 was 2.64%. It is combined inflation rate for both rural and urban sector.

    7. Fuel & light: Year-on-year Fuel & light inflation rate for the month of January, 2025 is -1.38 %. Corresponding inflation rate for the month of December, 2024 was -1.33%. It is combined inflation rate for both rural and urban sector.

    8. The significant decline in headline inflation and food inflation during the month of January, 2025 is mainly attributed to decline in inflation of Vegetables, Egg, Pulses & Products, Cereals and Products, Education, Clothing and Health.

    9. Top five items with highest inflation: The top five items showing highest year on year Inflation at All India level in January 2025 are Coconut oil (54.20%), potato (49.61%), coconut (38.71%), garlic (30.65%), peas [vegetables] (30.17%).

    10. Top five items with lowest inflation: The key items having lowest year on year inflation in January, 2025 are jeera (-32.25%), ginger (-30.92%), dry chilies (-11.27%), brinjal (-9.94%), LPG (excl. conveyance) (-9.29%). For other data related to All India Item Index and Inflation, please visit the website www.cpi.mospi.gov.in.

    11. Top five major states with high Year on Year inflation for the month of January 2025 are shown in the graph below.

     

    1. All India Inflation rates (on point to point basis i.e. current month over same month of last year, i.e.

    January 2025 over January 2024), based on General Indices and CFPIs are given as follows:

     

    All India year-on-year inflation rates (%) based on CPI (General) and CFPI: January 2025 over January 2024

     

    January 2025 (Prov.)

    December 2024 (Final)

    January 2024

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Inflation

    CPI (General)

    4.64

    3.87

    4.31

    5.76

    4.58

    5.22

    5.34

    4.92

    5.10

    CFPI

    6.31

    5.53

    6.02

    8.65

    7.9

    8.39

    7.91

    9.02

    8.30

    Index

    CPI (General)

    196.0

    190.6

    193.5

    198.4

    192.0

    195.4

    187.3

    183.5

    185.5

    CFPI

    198.8

    204.1

    200.7

    204.7

    210.3

    206.7

    187.0

    193.4

    189.3

                          Notes: Prov.  – Provisional, Combd. – Combined

     

    1. Monthly changes in the General Indices and CFPIs are given below:

         Monthly changes (%) in All India CPI (General) and CFPI: January 2025 over December 2024

    Indices

    January 2025 (Prov.)

    December 2024 (Final)

    Monthly change (%)

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    Rural

    Urban

    Combd.

    CPI (General)

    196.0

    190.6

    193.5

    198.4

    192.0

    195.4

    -1.21

    -0.73

    -0.97

    CFPI

    198.8

    204.1

    200.7

    204.7

    210.3

    206.7

    -2.88

    -2.95

    -2.90

           

    Note: Figures of January 2025 are provisional.

    1. Response rate: The price data are collected from selected 1114 urban Markets and 1181 villages covering all States/UTs through personal visits by field staff of Field Operations Division of NSO, MoSPI on a weekly roster. During the month of January 2025, NSO collected prices from 99.7% villages and 98.5% urban markets while the market-wise prices reported therein were 88.7% for rural and 93.1% for urban.

    2. Next date of release for February 2025 CPI is 12th March 2025 (Wednesday). For more details, please visit the website www.cpi.mospi.gov.in or esankhyiki.mospi.gov.in

    List of Annex

    Annex

    Title

    I

    All-India General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for December 2024(Final) and January2025(Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Annexure I)

    II

    All-India inflation rates (%) for General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for January 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Annexure II)

    III

    General CPI for States for Rural, Urban and Combined for December 2024 (Final) and January 2025 (Provisional) (Annexure III)

    IV

    Year-on-year inflation rates (%) of major States for Rural, Urban and Combined for January 2025(Provisional) (Annexure IV)

    V

     Time Series Data for All India General CPI (Base 2012 =100) Since January 2013 (Annexure V)

    VI

     Time Series Data for All India Year-on-year inflation rates (%) based on General CPI (Base 2012=100) Since January 2014 (Annexure VI)

                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                            Annex I

    All-India General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for December 2024 (Final) and January 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Base: 2012=100)

     

    Group Code

    Sub-group Code

    Description

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

    Weights

    Dec. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Dec. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Dec.24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

    (12)

     

    1.1.01

    Cereals and products

    12.35

    198.9

    199.8

    6.59

    196.5

    197.5

    9.67

    198.1

    199.1

     

    1.1.02

    Meat and fish

    4.38

    219.1

    220.9

    2.73

    228.7

    230.8

    3.61

    222.5

    224.4

     

    1.1.03

    Egg

    0.49

    209.8

    206.1

    0.36

    215.8

    210.8

    0.43

    212.1

    207.9

     

    1.1.04

    Milk and products

    7.72

    187.3

    187.7

    5.33

    187.9

    188.2

    6.61

    187.5

    187.9

     

    1.1.05

    Oils and fats

    4.21

    189.0

    189.0

    2.81

    174.6

    175.6

    3.56

    183.7

    184.1

     

    1.1.06

    Fruits

    2.88

    189.0

    192.1

    2.90

    192.4

    193.8

    2.89

    190.6

    192.9

     

    1.1.07

    Vegetables

    7.46

    242.4

    203.6

    4.41

    289.2

    245.6

    6.04

    258.3

    217.8

     

    1.1.08

    Pulses and products

    2.95

    212.4

    207.8

    1.73

    217.4

    213.0

    2.38

    214.1

    209.6

     

    1.1.09

    Sugar and Confectionery

    1.70

    130.0

    129.6

    0.97

    132.7

    132.4

    1.36

    130.9

    130.5

     

    1.1.10

    Spices

    3.11

    229.0

    227.3

    1.79

    224.1

    222.9

    2.50

    227.4

    225.8

     

    1.2.11

    Non-alcoholic beverages

    1.37

    186.7

    187.7

    1.13

    175.5

    176.6

    1.26

    182.0

    183.1

     

    1.1.12

    Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.

    5.56

    201.2

    201.7

    5.54

    211.7

    212.9

    5.55

    206.1

    206.9

    1

     

    Food and beverages

    54.18

    203.9

    198.8

    36.29

    209.4

    204.6

    45.86

    205.9

    200.9

    2

     

    Pan, tobacco and intoxicants

    3.26

    208.7

    208.2

    1.36

    212.2

    212.6

    2.38

    209.6

    209.4

     

    3.1.01

    Clothing

    6.32

    200.4

    200.6

    4.72

    190.0

    190.3

    5.58

    196.3

    196.5

     

    3.1.02

    Footwear

    1.04

    193.7

    193.9

    0.85

    175.6

    176.0

    0.95

    186.2

    186.5

    3

     

    Clothing and footwear

    7.36

    199.4

    199.7

    5.57

    187.8

    188.1

    6.53

    194.8

    195.1

    4

     

    Housing

    –

    –

    –

    21.67

    181.7

    182.5

    10.07

    181.7

    182.5

    5

     

    Fuel and light

    7.94

    182.3

    183.1

    5.58

    170.5

    170.6

    6.84

    177.8

    178.4

     

    6.1.01

    Household goods and services

    3.75

    187.0

    187.3

    3.87

    178.3

    178.8

    3.80

    182.9

    183.3

     

    6.1.02

    Health

    6.83

    200.2

    200.8

    4.81

    194.5

    195.4

    5.89

    198.0

    198.8

     

    6.1.03

    Transport and communication

    7.60

    176.7

    177.2

    9.73

    165.8

    166.1

    8.59

    171.0

    171.4

     

    6.1.04

    Recreation and amusement

    1.37

    181.5

    181.6

    2.04

    176.7

    177.0

    1.68

    178.8

    179.0

     

    6.1.05

    Education

    3.46

    192.2

    192.5

    5.62

    187.9

    188.0

    4.46

    189.7

    189.9

     

    6.1.06

    Personal care and effects

    4.25

    206.3

    208.4

    3.47

    208.0

    210.2

    3.89

    207.0

    209.1

    6

     

    Miscellaneous

    27.26

    190.8

    191.5

    29.53

    182.0

    182.6

    28.32

    186.5

    187.2

    General Index (All Groups)

    100.00

    198.4

    196.0

    100.00

    192.0

    190.6

    100.00

    195.4

    193.5

    Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI)

    47.25

    204.7

    198.8

    29.62

    210.3

    204.1

    39.06

    206.7

    200.7

    Notes:

    1. Prov.       : Provisional.

    2. CFPI        : Out of 12 sub-groups contained in ‘Food and Beverages’ group, CFPI is based on ten sub-groups, excluding ‘Non-alcoholic beverages’ and ‘Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.’.

    1. –   : CPI (Rural) for housing is not compiled.

    Annex II

    All-India year-on-year inflation rates (%) for General, Group and Sub-group level CPI and CFPI numbers for January 2025 (Provisional) for Rural, Urban and Combined (Base: 2012=100)

     

    Group Code

    Sub-group Code

    Description

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

     

    Jan. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Jan. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Jan. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

     

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

    (12)

     

    1.1.01

    Cereals and products

    187.5

    199.8

    6.56

    187.1

    197.5

    5.56

    187.4

    199.1

    6.24

     

    1.1.02

    Meat and fish

    209.9

    220.9

    5.24

    219.4

    230.8

    5.20

    213.2

    224.4

    5.25

     

    1.1.03

    Egg

    204.8

    206.1

    0.63

    206.1

    210.8

    2.28

    205.3

    207.9

    1.27

     

    1.1.04

    Milk and products

    182.6

    187.7

    2.79

    182.8

    188.2

    2.95

    182.7

    187.9

    2.85

     

    1.1.05

    Oils and fats

    161.2

    189.0

    17.25

    155.8

    175.6

    12.71

    159.2

    184.1

    15.64

     

    1.1.06

    Fruits

    169.7

    192.1

    13.20

    174.5

    193.8

    11.06

    171.9

    192.9

    12.22

     

    1.1.07

    Vegetables

    179.9

    203.6

    13.17

    226.2

    245.6

    8.58

    195.6

    217.8

    11.35

     

    1.1.08

    Pulses and products

    202.5

    207.8

    2.62

    207.7

    213.0

    2.55

    204.3

    209.6

    2.59

     

    1.1.09

    Sugar and Confectionery

    129.7

    129.6

    -0.08

    131.0

    132.4

    1.07

    130.1

    130.5

    0.31

     

    1.1.10

    Spices

    245.9

    227.3

    -7.56

    235.5

    222.9

    -5.35

    242.4

    225.8

    -6.85

     

    1.2.11

    Non-alcoholic beverages

    182.3

    187.7

    2.96

    169.8

    176.6

    4.00

    177.1

    183.1

    3.39

     

    1.1.12

    Prepared meals, snacks, sweets etc.

    195.0

    201.7

    3.44

    203.1

    212.9

    4.83

    198.8

    206.9

    4.07

     

    1

    Food and beverages

    187.7

    198.8

    5.91

    194.2

    204.6

    5.36

    190.1

    200.9

    5.68

     

    2

    Pan, tobacco and intoxicants

    203.2

    208.2

    2.46

    208.9

    212.6

    1.77

    204.7

    209.4

    2.30

     

    3.1.01

    Clothing

    195.3

    200.6

    2.71

    185.1

    190.3

    2.81

    191.3

    196.5

    2.72

     

    3.1.02

    Footwear

    190.4

    193.9

    1.84

    171.8

    176.0

    2.44

    182.7

    186.5

    2.08

     

    3

    Clothing and footwear

    194.6

    199.7

    2.62

    183.1

    188.1

    2.73

    190.0

    195.1

    2.68

     

    4

    Housing

    –

    –

    –

    177.6

    182.5

    2.76

    177.6

    182.5

    2.76

     

    5

    Fuel and light

    184.1

    183.1

    -0.54

    175.7

    170.6

    -2.90

    180.9

    178.4

    -1.38

     

    6.1.01

    Household goods and services

    182.9

    187.3

    2.41

    173.0

    178.8

    3.35

    178.2

    183.3

    2.86

     

    6.1.02

    Health

    193.2

    200.8

    3.93

    187.8

    195.4

    4.05

    191.2

    198.8

    3.97

     

    6.1.03

    Transport and communication

    172.0

    177.2

    3.02

    162.1

    166.1

    2.47

    166.8

    171.4

    2.76

     

    6.1.04

    Recreation and amusement

    177.2

    181.6

    2.48

    172.2

    177.0

    2.79

    174.4

    179.0

    2.64

     

    6.1.05

    Education

    185.8

    192.5

    3.61

    180.8

    188.0

    3.98

    182.9

    189.9

    3.83

     

    6.1.06

    Personal care and effects

    188.6

    208.4

    10.50

    189.9

    210.2

    10.69

    189.1

    209.1

    10.58

     

    6

    Miscellaneous

    183.4

    191.5

    4.42

    175.2

    182.6

    4.22

    179.4

    187.2

    4.35

     

    General Index (All Groups)

    187.3

    196.0

    4.64

    183.5

    190.6

    3.87

    185.5

    193.5

    4.31

     

    Notes:

    1. Prov.       : Provisional.

    2. –               : CPI (Rural) for housing is not compiled.

     

    Annex III

    General CPI for States for Rural, Urban and Combined for December 2024 (Final) and January 2025 (Provisional) (Base: 2012=100)

     

    Sl. No.

    Name of the State/UT

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

    Weights

    Dec. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Dec. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    Weights

    Dec. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25 Index
    (Prov.)

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

    1

    Andhra Pradesh

    5.40

    199.5

    199.1

    3.64

    199.4

    199.2

    4.58

    199.5

    199.1

    2

    Arunachal Pradesh

    0.14

    199.1

    197.6

    0.06

    —

    —

    0.10

    199.1

    197.6

    3

    Assam

    2.63

    200.1

    198.4

    0.79

    196.7

    194.8

    1.77

    199.4

    197.7

    4

    Bihar

    8.21

    195.7

    189.7

    1.62

    203.1

    199.1

    5.14

    196.8

    191.1

    5

    Chhattisgarh

    1.68

    193.1

    188.9

    1.22

    185.9

    182.6

    1.46

    190.3

    186.5

    6

    Delhi

    0.28

    176.5

    175.2

    5.64

    171.2

    171.7

    2.77

    171.5

    171.9

    7

    Goa

    0.14

    183.6

    183.1

    0.25

    181.9

    182.7

    0.19

    182.6

    182.9

    8

    Gujarat

    4.54

    193.4

    191.0

    6.82

    182.8

    179.9

    5.60

    187.4

    184.7

    9

    Haryana

    3.30

    200.3

    197.5

    3.35

    186.3

    184.7

    3.32

    193.7

    191.5

    10

    Himachal Pradesh

    1.03

    182.9

    180.9

    0.26

    187.4

    185.3

    0.67

    183.7

    181.7

    11

    Jharkhand

    1.96

    191.5

    186.7

    1.39

    193.6

    191.0

    1.69

    192.3

    188.3

    12

    Karnataka

    5.09

    200.2

    199.9

    6.81

    200.9

    201.2

    5.89

    200.6

    200.6

    13

    Kerala

    5.50

    204.2

    205.4

    3.46

    199.1

    200.3

    4.55

    202.4

    203.6

    14

    Madhya Pradesh

    4.93

    196.6

    193.4

    3.97

    196.0

    193.8

    4.48

    196.4

    193.6

    15

    Maharashtra

    8.25

    196.3

    193.8

    18.86

    188.2

    186.8

    13.18

    190.9

    189.1

    16

    Manipur

    0.23

    239.4

    233.9

    0.12

    193.0

    191.0

    0.18

    224.7

    220.3

    17

    Meghalaya

    0.28

    179.5

    177.8

    0.15

    187.3

    187.4

    0.22

    181.9

    180.8

    18

    Mizoram

    0.07

    207.7

    207.4

    0.13

    183.1

    181.9

    0.10

    192.7

    191.8

    19

    Nagaland

    0.14

    202.5

    201.1

    0.12

    187.7

    186.9

    0.13

    196.2

    195.1

    20

    Odisha

    2.93

    204.9

    201.3

    1.31

    191.8

    189.4

    2.18

    201.2

    198.0

    21

    Punjab

    3.31

    191.3

    189.4

    3.09

    181.8

    179.9

    3.21

    187.0

    185.1

    22

    Rajasthan

    6.63

    193.6

    192.0

    4.23

    191.3

    189.2

    5.51

    192.8

    191.0

    23

    Sikkim

    0.06

    205.9

    203.7

    0.03

    189.9

    189.0

    0.05

    200.7

    198.9

    24

    Tamil Nadu

    5.55

    204.2

    203.8

    9.20

    200.8

    200.2

    7.25

    202.2

    201.7

    25

    Telangana

    3.16

    207.3

    205.9

    4.41

    200.2

    199.4

    3.74

    203.4

    202.3

    26

    Tripura

    0.35

    216.5

    209.9

    0.14

    207.7

    203.4

    0.25

    214.2

    208.2

    27

    Uttar Pradesh

    14.83

    198.5

    194.9

    9.54

    193.8

    191.2

    12.37

    196.8

    193.6

    28

    Uttarakhand

    1.06

    190.8

    188.5

    0.73

    195.8

    193.7

    0.91

    192.7

    190.4

    29

    West Bengal

    6.99

    201.9

    198.2

    7.20

    195.1

    193.4

    7.09

    198.7

    195.9

    30

    Andaman & Nicobar Islands

    0.05

    206.1

    203.2

    0.07

    192.0

    191.8

    0.06

    198.9

    197.4

    31

    Chandigarh

    0.02

    195.8

    192.0

    0.34

    181.2

    179.3

    0.17

    182.0

    180.0

    32

    Dadra & Nagar Haveli

    0.02

    183.8

    182.2

    0.04

    190.5

    188.5

    0.03

    188.3

    186.4

    33

    Daman & Diu

    0.02

    200.6

    199.5

    0.02

    190.3

    189.0

    0.02

    196.3

    195.1

    34

    Jammu & Kashmir*

    1.14

    205.8

    204.7

    0.72

    199.6

    197.5

    0.94

    203.6

    202.2

    35

    Lakshadweep

    0.01

    199.9

    197.5

    0.01

    190.8

    185.5

    0.01

    195.2

    191.4

    36

    Puducherry

    0.08

    210.8

    208.1

    0.27

    199.4

    198.8

    0.17

    202.3

    201.2

    All India

    100.00

    198.4

    196.0

    100.00

    192.0

    190.6

    100.00

    195.4

    193.5

    Notes:

    1. Prov.:  Provisional

    2. –:  indicates the receipt of price schedules is less than 80% of allocated schedules and therefore indices are not compiled.

    3. *: Figures of this row pertain to the prices and weights of the combined Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir

    and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir).

    Annex IV

     

    Year-on-year inflation rates (%) of major@ States for Rural, Urban and Combined for January 2025 (Provisional) (Base: 2012=100)

     

    Sl. No.

    Name of the State/UT

    Rural

    Urban

    Combined

    Jan. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Jan. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    Jan. 24 Index
    (Final)

    Jan. 25

    Index
    (Prov.)

    Inflation Rate
    (%)

    (1)

    (2)

    (3)

    (4)

    (5)

    (6)

    (7)

    (8)

    (9)

    (10)

    (11)

    1

    Andhra Pradesh

    191.4

    199.1

    4.02

    191.5

    199.2

    4.02

    191.4

    199.1

    4.02

    2

    Assam

    189.3

    198.4

    4.81

    186.4

    194.8

    4.51

    188.7

    197.7

    4.77

    3

    Bihar

    180.9

    189.7

    4.86

    188.0

    199.1

    5.90

    181.9

    191.1

    5.06

    4

    Chhattisgarh

    176.8

    188.9

    6.84

    175.2

    182.6

    4.22

    176.2

    186.5

    5.85

    5

    Delhi

    169.9

    175.2

    3.12

    168.4

    171.7

    1.96

    168.5

    171.9

    2.02

    6

    Gujarat

    183.9

    191.0

    3.86

    173.2

    179.9

    3.87

    177.8

    184.7

    3.88

    7

    Haryana

    187.1

    197.5

    5.56

    176.6

    184.7

    4.59

    182.2

    191.5

    5.10

    8

    Himachal Pradesh

    173.6

    180.9

    4.21

    178.2

    185.3

    3.98

    174.4

    181.7

    4.19

    9

    Jharkhand

    183.3

    186.7

    1.85

    184.1

    191.0

    3.75

    183.6

    188.3

    2.56

    10

    Karnataka

    190.0

    199.9

    5.21

    191.8

    201.2

    4.90

    191.0

    200.6

    5.03

    11

    Kerala

    191.4

    205.4

    7.31

    189.3

    200.3

    5.81

    190.7

    203.6

    6.76

    12

    Madhya Pradesh

    183.9

    193.4

    5.17

    187.5

    193.8

    3.36

    185.4

    193.6

    4.42

    13

    Maharashtra

    188.9

    193.8

    2.59

    179.9

    186.8

    3.84

    182.9

    189.1

    3.39

    14

    Odisha

    188.5

    201.3

    6.79

    182.0

    189.4

    4.07

    186.7

    198.0

    6.05

    15

    Punjab

    180.6

    189.4

    4.87

    173.7

    179.9

    3.57

    177.5

    185.1

    4.28

    16

    Rajasthan

    184.3

    192.0

    4.18

    183.3

    189.2

    3.22

    183.9

    191.0

    3.86

    17

    Tamil Nadu

    193.4

    203.8

    5.38

    191.3

    200.2

    4.65

    192.2

    201.7

    4.94

    18

    Telangana

    201.2

    205.9

    2.34

    195.2

    199.4

    2.15

    197.9

    202.3

    2.22

    19

    Uttar Pradesh

    185.5

    194.9

    5.07

    184.3

    191.2

    3.74

    185.1

    193.6

    4.59

    20

    Uttarakhand

    180.6

    188.5

    4.37

    183.4

    193.7

    5.62

    181.6

    190.4

    4.85

    21

    West Bengal

    191.0

    198.2

    3.77

    187.9

    193.4

    2.93

    189.5

    195.9

    3.38

    22

    Jammu & Kashmir*

    194.3

    204.7

    5.35

    190.2

    197.5

    3.84

    192.9

    202.2

    4.82

    All India

    187.3

    196.0

    4.64

    183.5

    190.6

    3.87

    185.5

    193.5

    4.31

    Notes:

    1. Prov.     :  Provisional.

    2. *               : Figures of this row pertain to the prices and weights of the combined Union Territories of Jammu &                            Kashmir and Ladakh (erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir).

    3. @               : States having population more than 50 lakhs as per Population Census 2011.

     

    Annexure V

    Time Series Data for All India General CPI (Base 2012 =100) Since January 2013

     

    Year

    Jan

    Feb

    Mar

    Apr

    May

    Jun

    Jul

    Aug

    Sep

    Oct

    Nov

    Dec

    2013

    104.6

    105.3

    105.5

    106.1

    106.9

    109.3

    111.0

    112.4

    113.7

    114.8

    116.3

    114.5

    2014

    113.6

    113.6

    114.2

    115.1

    115.8

    116.7

    119.2

    120.3

    120.1

    120.1

    120.1

    119.4

    2015

    119.5

    119.7

    120.2

    120.7

    121.6

    123.0

    123.6

    124.8

    125.4

    126.1

    126.6

    126.1

    2016

    126.3

    126.0

    126.0

    127.3

    128.6

    130.1

    131.1

    131.1

    130.9

    131.4

    131.2

    130.4

    2017

    130.3

    130.6

    130.9

    131.1

    131.4

    132.0

    134.2

    135.4

    135.2

    136.1

    137.6

    137.2

    2018

    136.9

    136.4

    136.5

    137.1

    137.8

    138.5

    139.8

    140.4

    140.2

    140.7

    140.8

    140.1

    2019

    139.6

    139.9

    140.4

    141.2

    142.0

    142.9

    144.2

    145.0

    145.8

    147.2

    148.6

    150.4

    2020

    150.2

    149.1

    148.6

    151.4

    150.9

    151.8

    153.9

    154.7

    156.4

    158.4

    158.9

    157.3

    2021

    156.3

    156.6

    156.8

    157.8

    160.4

    161.3

    162.5

    162.9

    163.2

    165.5

    166.7

    166.2

    2022

    165.7

    166.1

    167.7

    170.1

    171.7

    172.6

    173.4

    174.3

    175.3

    176.7

    176.5

    175.7

    2023

    176.5

    176.8

    177.2

    178.1

    179.1

    181.0

    186.3

    186.2

    184.1

    185.3

    186.3

    185.7

    2024

    185.5

    185.8

    185.8

    186.7

    187.7

    190.2

    193.0

    193.0

    194.2

    196.8

    196.5

    195.4

    2025

    193.5*

    Notes:

    1. * :Index Value for January 2025  is  Provisional.

    Annexure VI

     

    Time Series Data for All India Year-on-year inflation rates (%) based on General CPI (Base 2012=100) Since January 2014

     

    Year

    Jan

    Feb

    Mar

    Apr

    May

    Jun

    Jul

    Aug

    Sep

    Oct

    Nov

    Dec

    2014

    8.60

    7.88

    8.25

    8.48

    8.33

    6.77

    7.39

    7.03

    5.63

    4.62

    3.27

    4.28

    2015

    5.19

    5.37

    5.25

    4.87

    5.01

    5.40

    3.69

    3.74

    4.41

    5.00

    5.41

    5.61

    2016

    5.69

    5.26

    4.83

    5.47

    5.76

    5.77

    6.07

    5.05

    4.39

    4.20

    3.63

    3.41

    2017

    3.17

    3.65

    3.89

    2.99

    2.18

    1.46

    2.36

    3.28

    3.28

    3.58

    4.88

    5.21

    2018

    5.07

    4.44

    4.28

    4.58

    4.87

    4.92

    4.17

    3.69

    3.70

    3.38

    2.33

    2.11

    2019

    1.97

    2.57

    2.86

    2.99

    3.05

    3.18

    3.15

    3.28

    3.99

    4.62

    5.54

    7.35

    2020

    7.59

    6.58

    5.84

    –

    –

    6.23

    6.73

    6.69

    7.27

    7.61

    6.93

    4.59

    2021

    4.06

    5.03

    5.52

    4.23

    6.30

    6.26

    5.59

    5.30

    4.35

    4.48

    4.91

    5.66

    2022

    6.01

    6.07

    6.95

    7.79

    7.04

    7.01

    6.71

    7.00

    7.41

    6.77

    5.88

    5.72

    2023

    6.52

    6.44

    5.66

    4.70

    4.31

    4.87

    7.44

    6.83

    5.02

    4.87

    5.55

    5.69

    2024

    5.10

    5.09

    4.85

    4.83

    4.80

    5.08

    3.60

    3.65

    5.49

    6.21

    5.48

    5.22

    2025

    4.31*

    Notes:

    1. * :Inflation Value for January  2025  is Provisional.

    2. – :Inflation was not compiled and released due to Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. 

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Ministry of Ayush and Department of Social Justice & Empowerment Sign a Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Geriatric Healthcare and Combat Substance Abuse

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Ministry of Ayush and Department of Social Justice & Empowerment Sign a Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Geriatric Healthcare and Combat Substance Abuse

    By leveraging the holistic approach of Ayush systems alongside social welfare initiatives, we aim to empower our senior citizens and those affected by substance abuse: Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Ayush

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 3:59PM by PIB Delhi

    In a landmark move aimed at improving the well-being of senior citizens and addressing the growing concern of substance abuse, the Ministry of Ayush and the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi today. This strategic partnership seeks to implement Ayush-based interventions to promote geriatric healthcare and combat substance abuse.

    The MoU was signed in the presence of Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush, and Shri B.L. Verma, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Sh. Amit Yadav, Secretary and senior officials from both ministries were also present on the occasion.

    Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of State (IC), Ministry of Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, stated, “Geriatric healthcare and substance abuse are critical areas that require special focus, especially as we face an ageing population and growing concerns around addiction. This collaboration between the Ministry of Ayush and the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment represents a significant step towards addressing these challenges. By leveraging the holistic approach of Ayush systems alongside social welfare initiatives, we aim to empower our senior citizens and those affected by substance abuse.”

    While addressing the gathering, the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri B L Verma, said, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, our government has taken several steps to ensure the welfare of our senior citizens. The signing of the MoU with the Ministry of Ayush will benefit our senior citizens in a big way. The development of elderly-specific training modules, treatment protocols, yoga training programs, sharing of preventive and curative practices, etc., under the MoU will go a long way in enabling our senior citizens to lead a healthy life. By joining hands with the Ministry of Ayush, I am sure that together we can provide comprehensive services to the community.”

    While highlighting the initiatives of the Ministry of Ayush for geriatric healthcare, the Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, stated, “We have various programmes and initiatives to address the challenges being faced by the ageing population, such as the Geriatric Healthcare Camps under the National Ayush Mission. The Ministry of Ayush remains committed to enhancing the health and well-being of senior citizens, and this MoU will boost our efforts to provide quality health care to the senior citizens.”

    Sh. Amit Yadav, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, said, “By signing of MoU with Ayush, the Ministry will try to make this country a place free from any addiction of drugs with the help of Ayush by adopting their model of treatment and living a healthy life. And ensure that our senior citizens lead a healthy and dignified life by adopting a series of interventions devised through the Ministry of Ayush.

    The MoU is a pioneering step to develop cooperative initiatives for health promotion among senior citizens and those affected by substance abuse. By leveraging the strengths of Ayush systems, both Ministries committed to working together on various initiatives, including awareness programs, capacity-building for service providers and the establishment of geriatric health and de-addiction units under Ayush autonomous bodies.

    Key objectives of the MoU include:

    1. Cooperative Efforts: Developing cooperation, convergence, and synergy between the Ministry of Ayush and DoSJE to foster innovative initiatives for promoting the health of senior citizens, reducing the demand for drugs, addressing substance abuse, and aiding mental rehabilitation. This will be achieved through awareness generation and capacity building of service providers using Ayush systems.
    2. Research Promotion: Encouraging research in the areas of geriatric health, substance abuse, and mental health, with a focus on exploring the therapeutic benefits of traditional healthcare practices.
    3. Health Promotion Activities: Supporting additional activities for health promotion tailored to both the geriatric population and individuals affected by substance abuse.

    The MoU marks a significant milestone in India’s healthcare journey, combining the strengths of both Ayush systems and social justice initiatives to create a healthier and more inclusive society.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ12: Tackling smoking problems

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Lillian Kwok and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):Question:     It is learnt that recent years have seen a trend of vapers getting younger, and there are even primary pupils among them, which is worrying. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:(1) of the number of cases reported by schools to the Government in each month of the past three years regarding students vaping or smoking at school;(2) of the numbers of enforcement actions and prosecutions initiated by the Government in each month of the past three years against the illegal sale of tobacco products by shop operators to persons under 18 years of age;(3) whether the Government will ramp up efforts in education and publicity about smoking bans, including educational efforts targeting such e-cigarette oils as “space oil” which contain illegal harmful substances; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and(4) whether the Government will allocate additional resources for smoking cessation counselling services to assist smokers in smoking cessation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?Reply:President,     Having consulted the Security Bureau (SB) and the Education Bureau (EDB), the consolidated reply to the various parts of the Hon Lillian Kwok’s question is as follows:     The Government has been adopting a multi-pronged and progressive approach, including legislation, taxation, publicity, education, enforcement and promotion of smoking cessation services, in a bid to reduce the hazards caused by smoking products to the public and the society. Currently, the EDB does not require schools to report figures relating to the number of students who smoke e-cigarettes or cigarettes. The Census and Statistics Department conducts Thematic Household Surveys (THS) regularly to keep track of the local smoking situation. The THS results in 2023 showed that the percentage of daily conventional cigarette smokers among all persons aged 15 and above has dropped steadily from 11.1 per cent in 2010 to 9.1 per cent in 2023. The percentage of daily conventional cigarette smokers among teenagers aged 15 to 19 decreased continuously from 2.5 per cent in 2010 to 1.0 per cent in 2017. In the survey conducted in 2019, 2021 and 2023, the sample count for smokers aged 15 to 19 was too small to produce a representative prevalence estimate. Regarding e-cigarette use, in 2023, about 11 600 persons aged 15 and above reported daily use of e-cigarettes, accounting for 0.2 per cent of the population. The relevant sample count was also too small to produce a representative estimate of the proportion of such persons aged 15 to 19. The proportion of daily smokers from 2010 to 2023 is at Annex I. Separately, the Health Bureau (HHB) has commissioned the School of Public Health of the University of Hong Kong to conduct school-based surveys on smoking among students (school-based survey) since 2010, and the results of the last school-based survey conducted in 2023 showed that the smoking prevalence among primary and secondary school students (see Annex II) maintained at a low level.     However, over the years, tobacco companies have been using a myriad of tactics to lure young people to smoke so as to sustain their long-term profitability. Considering the harm brought about by tobacco products to the society, especially young people, there is a need for the Government to implement more effective and targeted tobacco control measures to combat smoking hazard and to prevent smoking prevalence from rebounding. Therefore, the Government announced in June last year the introduction of 10 tobacco control measures to safeguard the health of the community.     First, the findings of the THS showed that the younger the age group, the higher the rate of smoking flavoured cigarettes. For instance, among the conventional cigarette smokers aged from 20 to 29, over 70 per cent of them currently smoke flavoured cigarettes, while nearly 70 per cent smoked flavoured cigarettes when they first smoked. Besides, over 70 per cent of female smokers of conventional cigarettes currently smoke flavoured cigarettes; and over 60 per cent of current female smokers of conventional cigarettes smoked flavoured cigarettes when they first smoked (see Annex III). Scientific evidence shows that flavoured cigarettes, such as menthol or fruit-flavoured cigarettes, reduce the awareness of the hazard of tobacco and in turn increase the chances of non-smokers (especially teenagers) to start smoking. They also make consumers more vulnerable to getting into and continuing with the smoking habit. Flavoured cigarettes are indeed “sugar-coated poison”. Tobacco companies add flavours to conventional cigarettes to cover up the harshness of tobacco smoke, so as to lure members of the public, especially young people, to smoke and become addicted to smoking. The situation is worrying. The Government therefore proposes to prohibit adding flavours in conventional smoking products to counteract the intention of tobacco companies to use flavouring agents to disguise the toxicity of tobacco products and attract young people to smoke.     Secondly, alternative smoking products (ASPs) have rapidly gained popularity around the world in recent years. The Government resolutely banned the import, promotion, manufacture, sale or possession for commercial purposes of ASP on April 30, 2022, so as to reduce the chance for tobacco companies to use ASPs as another means to lure the public, especially the younger generation, to become addicted to smoking.     Recently, e-cigarette devices have even been used for drug abuse. E-liquid, mixed with drugs such as etomidate (commonly known as “space oil drugs”), a psychoactive substance, can be inserted into e-cigarette devices and heated to generate aerosol for smoking. By their appearance, “poisonous capsules” (or “zombie capsules”) containing “space oil drugs” or other regulated drugs or narcotics are no different from regular e-cigarettes capsules, and it is difficult to distinguish the ingredients by bare eye, thus largely increasing the possibilities of smokers to abuse drugs through ASPs anytime, anywhere and in a more covert manner. Young people may become addicted to drugs by smoking e-cigarettes containing “poisonous capsules” without realising it.     The Government will strengthen the control of etomidate, which is the main active ingredient of “space oil drugs”, and planned to gazette to list etomidate as a dangerous drug (i.e. narcotic) on February 14, 2025, so as to increase deterrence and enable law enforcement agencies to effectively respond to the relevant situation.     On publicity and education on the harmful effects of smoking and ASPs, the Department of Health (DH) and the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health (COSH) will strengthen their collaboration with the EDB to publicise the harmful effects of smoking and ASPs to students through seminars, dramas and mentorship programmes. The EDB has also been organising seminars and professional development programmes continuously for teachers to enhance their understanding and awareness of tobacco products, especially ASPs. On school curriculum, health education (including resistance to harmful substances) is a key component of values education. The Values Education Curriculum Framework (Pilot Version) issued in 2021 has further strengthened values education in related areas (including resistance to harmful substances including drugs, traditional tobacco products and ASPs) and outlined the expected learning outcomes for students across various key learning stages. The Whole School Health Programme launched by the DH will also step up publicity and education on tobacco hazards.     On the other hand, the Narcotics Division (ND) of the SB has been collaborating with various government departments, the COSH and non-governmental organisations to explain the harmful effects of “space oil drug” to the public through different channels, raise self-awareness on drug prevention among the public, and seek more ways to reach out to hidden drug abusers. To target drug traffickers selling “space oil drugs”, the Government is stepping up efforts to educate students on their harmful effects. The ND and the EDB will jointly launch an “anti-space oil drug” week in schools, during which a series of activities will be held, including talks, anti-drug video broadcast, anti-drug drama shows, with a view to preventing the spread of “space oil drugs” among the younger cohort and to tie in with the legislative work.      The relevant ban on ASPs has been in force for nearly three years. At present, there are no legal channels to import or purchase ASPs, and ASPs purchased for personal use before the ban came into effect should have been largely consumed after a certain period of time. Yet the findings of the aforementioned school-based survey indicated that the ratio of primary and secondary school students who smoke e-cigarettes to those who smoke conventional cigarettes is nearly one to one, suggesting that e-cigarettes, among other tobacco products, are particularly popular amongst the younger generation. It is worrying that young people are still exposed to ASPs despite the implementation of the ban on their import and sale. Prevailing legislation does not prohibit the possession of ASPs for non-commercial use. To suppress the continued circulation of ASPs, which are hazardous novel tobacco products, in Hong Kong and to tackle the problem of “poisonous capsules” at its root, the HHB will further strengthen the regulation of ASPs, including banning the possession of relevant products, so as to curb the emergence of ASPs as an alternative drug abuse product. Details will be announced later.     Thirdly, to prevent young people from smoking and suppress the harm posed by tobacco on them, the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) stipulates that no person shall sell any conventional smoking product to any person under the age of 18. The number of complaints/referrals received, the number of inspections conducted and the number of summonses issued by the DH in relation to the restrictions on the sale or giving of conventional smoking products under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) from 2022 to 2024 are set out in Annex IV. For the comprehensive protection of the underaged, the Government proposes to further prohibit giving tobacco products to persons under the age of 18 such that the provider is to be held liable.     Fourthly, the Government has been actively conducting public education programmes on multiple fronts to promote a smoke-free environment. The DH collaborates with the COSH, non-governmental organisations and healthcare professionals to promote the harms of smoking and smoking cessation, including joining with district service organisations to disseminate smoke-free messages through promotional activities, smoking cessation competitions, smoking cessation counselling, targeting at young people, women, elderly groups, etc. Promoting smoking cessation is also an important pillar under the tobacco control strategy. Since 2021, the DH has launched the Quit in June campaign to promote smoking cessation services and one-week nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) trial packs have been distributed for free at more than 250 designated community pharmacies, smoking cessation clinics and District Health Centres (DHC)/DHC Expresses with a view to encouraging smokers to attempt quitting. Last year, the DH introduced a trial programme on the use of Chinese medicine ear-point patches for smoking cessation. So far, more than 3 500 NRT trial packs and more than 300 Chinese Medicine Ear-point Patch trial packs have been distributed, and most of the smokers who have tried the ear-point patches have found them helpful in alleviating the symptoms of addiction and the response has been very positive.     Besides, the DH has subvented two more service providers (increased from two to four) since last year to operate smoking cessation clinics focusing on counselling and pharmacotherapy, and is planning on subventing three more Chinese medicine smoking cessation service providers (increased from one to four) in the second half of this year to operate smoking cessation clinics focusing on counselling and acupuncture. It is expected that the number of service users can be increased by about 40 per cent and doubled respectively.     The Government will continue to step up the work on smoking cessation and explore various tobacco control measures in the medium and long term in order to eliminate the hazards posed by tobacco products on the society in all aspects and protect the health of the community under a progressive and multi-pronged approach.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LCQ11: Work of the Joint Office for Investigation of Water Seepage Complaints

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Wai-keung and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (February 12):     Question:     Some members of the public have relayed that even through complaints about water seepage problems in building units have been lodged with the Joint Office for Investigation of Water Seepage Complaints (JO) formed by the Buildings Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the problems remain unresolved because the occupants of the units suspected of causing water leakage cannot be found, or water seepage has recurred after JO’s intervention and handling of the cases. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:(1) of the following statistics on cases of water seepage in buildings handled by JO in each of the past three years: the respective numbers of reports (i) received and (ii) handled, (iii) cases with consultants engaged to conduct investigation, (iv) cases with the source of water seepage successfully identified and investigation completed, (v) cases with the source of water seepage not identified but investigation terminated, (vi) cases referred to other government departments, (vii) cases with Nuisance Notices issued, cases with (viii) Warrants to Effect Entry into Premises and (ix) Nuisance Orders issued by the court, and cases with (x) prosecutions instituted and (xi) convictions secured, and set out in the table below a breakdown by District Council district and nature of cases (i.e. (a) cases handled for the first time and (b) recurring cases (i.e. those with water seepage reportedly occurring at the same address as a case previously handled));District Council district:                                                             (2) of the respective average costs incurred by the JO in handling cases mentioned in (1)(iii) and (iv) in the past three years;(3) given that according to the information of the JO, for simple and straightforward cases with the co-operation of the owners/occupants concerned, the investigation and tests can normally be completed within 90 working days, whereas for cases in which the investigation cannot be completed within 90 working days, the complainants will be notified of the investigation progress in writing, (i) whether the JO has broken down the 90 working days for handling cases into work stages and drawn up performance pledges for each of them; (ii) whether the JO will inform the complainants in writing of the relevant investigation and test results; if not, of the reasons for that; and (iii) among the cases mentioned in (1)(ii) in the past three years, of the number and proportion of those in which the investigation could not be completed within 90 working days;(4) given that in the reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on January 10 last year, the authorities indicated that most of the cases in which the JO could not complete the investigation within 90 working days were more complicated (e.g. involving more than one source of water seepage, repeated or intermittent water seepage, requiring multiple tests to identify the source, and failure of owners or occupants to co-operate with the investigation), whether the authorities have kept a breakdown of such cases by the reasons for not being able to complete the investigation within 90 working days; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;(5) whether the authorities have compiled statistics on, among the cases referred to other government departments as mentioned in (1)(vi) in the past three years, (i) the number of cases in which the handling has been completed as well as the average time taken to handle them, and (ii) the number of cases in which the handling has yet to be completed; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;(6) as it is learnt that at present, the JO is conducting on a trial basis Stage II initial investigation and Stage III professional investigation in parallel under the General Procedures for Investigating Water Seepage in six “pilot districts” (i.e. Wong Tai Sin, North, Yuen Long, Islands, Tai Po and Kwai Tsing Districts), and has introduced new testing technologies such as infrared thermography and microwave tomography at Stage III in most districts, whether the authorities will consider standardising the relevant procedures, extending such new testing technologies across the territory, and conducting the Stage II and Stage III investigation procedures in parallel in all districts, so as to enhance investigation efficiency; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and(7) as there are views that water seepage or leakage caused by defective fresh water mains, gutters or waterproofing membranes at rooftops of buildings cannot be dealt with under the existing section 12(1)(b) of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), resulting in JO having no alternative but to refer relevant complaints received to other government departments, and thus prolonging the time during which members of the public are subjected to nuisances, whether the authorities will consider amending the legislation to bring the aforesaid situation under the regulation of Cap. 132 or expanding the JO’s functions, so as to save the time required for referral of cases among government departments; if so, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that?Reply:President,     If water seepage occurs in private buildings, the owners concerned may first co-operate among themselves to engage professionals/consultancy firms for carrying out water seepage investigation to identify the source of seepage and conducting necessary repair works to fulfill owners’ responsibilities of proper management, maintenance and repair of buildings. Consultancy firms or professionals are also available in the market to provide services for investigating and resolving water seepage problems. A list of consultancy firms and experts providing professional advice and services on water seepage problems has also been uploaded onto the websites of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Buildings Department (BD) for public reference. When the water seepage condition concerned has caused health nuisance, risk to structural safety of the building or water waste, the Government will intervene to handle the case in accordance with the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) (PHMSO), the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) (BO) and the Waterworks Ordinance (Cap. 102) respectively.     If owners are unable to resolve water seepage problems in consultation with their neighbours, they can seek assistance from the Joint Office (JO) jointly set up by the FEHD and the BD. Through inter-departmental co-ordination, the JO seeks to identify the source of water seepage using one-stop and systematic testing methods and require the owners concerned to carry out repair works by exercising the powers conferred by the law, leveraging the expertise of relevant departments and with co-operation of the owners or occupants concerned.     Having consulted the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the FEHD, the replies to the various parts of the question are as follows:(1) The investigation of water seepage cases in buildings by the JO can be divided into the following stages (Note):     Stage I: Identify the water seepage situation;     Stage II: Conduct initial investigation; and     Stage III: Conduct professional investigation.     The statistics of water seepage cases in buildings and repeated reports handled by the JO in each of the past three years are set out at Annex.  (2) The manpower and expenses involved in handling each water seepage case by the JO vary, depending on factors such as the complexity (e.g. water seepage involving multiple sources of seepage or intermittent seepage), the investigations required for each case (e.g. not all cases will undergo Stage II or III investigations). The need to engage consultancy firms to assist in professional investigations also requires appropriate arrangements to be made in light of the actual circumstances (e.g. internal renovations of the premises affected by the water seepage), and the cost of each case also varies. Although the JO does not compile statistics of the relevant average cost, the annual cost of engaging consultancy firms for Stage III investigation is about $40 million.(3) For cases that are simple and easy to handle (i.e. officers can access the premises for investigation, there is no difficulty in tracing the source of water seepage, multiple sources or multiple tests are not involved, and there is no need to confirm the test results of the source of water seepage with government laboratories) and where the owners/occupants concerned are willing to co-operate in the investigation, the performance indicator of the JO is to complete the investigation within 90 working days from the receipt of the report and to notify the informant of the investigation results in writing.     Although the JO has not set specific performance pledges for each of the stages mentioned above, for such simple cases, investigation can generally be completed within 90 working days: the processing time for Stage I was six working days, 32 working days for Stage II, and 52 working days for Stage III.     Based on statistics of reported cases received, including those simple and easy to handle as well as those relatively complicated cases, the percentage of cases in which investigation could be completed within 90 working days from the receipt of the report and the informant could be notified of the investigation result was 70 per cent, 68.5 per cent and 65.4 per cent in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively. The corresponding figures for cases that could not be completed or for which the informant could not be notified of the results within 90 working days were 30 per cent, 31.5 per cent and 34.6 per cent respectively.      In addition to the performance indicator mentioned above, the existing performance pledges of the JO include contacting the informant within six working days upon receipt of a case about water seepage to arrange for investigation at the premises concerned; and issuing a Nuisance Notice within seven working days upon verification of the investigation results on the source of the water seepage nuisance.(4) The progress of investigation depends on multiple factors, including the complexity of cases. For example, a case may involve more than one source of water seepage, repeated or intermittent water seepage requiring multiple tests to identify the source, and co-operation of owners or occupiers with the JO’s investigation. Moreover, each case may involve more than one factor. The JO does not compile statistics on the reasons affecting the progress of investigation.     Nevertheless, the JO will continue to optimise the workflow for handling water seepage cases to expedite investigation. In terms of regulations, the Government is working on amending the relevant legislation on environmental hygiene, which include proposals to extend the time for entering premises suspected of causing public health nuisance (including water seepage in buildings) to the evening, as well as making non-compliance with the Notice of Intended Entry issued by government officers illegal, so as to enable government officers to promptly enter the relevant premises for investigation.     In terms of the handling process, the current procedure involves conducting Stage I and Stage II investigations first, and only proceeding to Stage III professional investigation if the water seepage source cannot be identified. The JO has implemented a pilot to carry out in parallel Stage II and Stage III investigations in six pilot districts, namely Wong Tai Sin, North District, Yuen Long, Islands, Tai Po, and Kwai Tsing. Under this arrangement, Stage III professional investigation can be carried out earlier without waiting for the results of Stage II investigation, which aims to reduce the investigation time required for most of the applicable cases by approximately 30 per cent from 90 working days to about 64 working days.  (5) Cases are referred to the relevant departments for appropriate follow-up and enforcement actions in accordance with their respective purview. For example, cases involving building structural issues, defective exposed drain pipes in buildings, or where suspected water seepage source involves “actionable” unauthorised building works will be referred to the BD; and cases involving defective water supply pipes will be referred to the Water Supplies Department (WSD). Therefore, the JO does not compile breakdown statistics of the number of cases completed by the relevant departments or their average processing time. The JO would explore the feasibility of periodically requesting the relevant departments to provide updates on the status of case processing.(6) The JO is implementing the pilot to carry out Stage II and Stage III investigations in parallel in the six pilot districts as mentioned in Part (4) above. The JO will review the effectiveness of the new investigation mode in the pilot districts, continuously optimise relevant workflow and technical guidelines, and assess resources, manpower arrangement, and the availability of consultancy service providers with a view to considering gradual extension of the parallel investigation mode to more districts.     Infrared thermography and microwave tomography (advanced testing technologies) used during Stage III professional investigation are mainly for detecting the location and extent of the water seepage area and whether waterproofing facilities of floor slabs are defective. Up to December 2024, the JO has extended the use of advanced testing technologies as a preferred investigation tool in the stage of professional investigation for applicable cases in 16 districts and the relatively complicated cases in the remaining two districts. The JO will review the supply of relevant service providers in the market and extend the application of advanced testing technologies to applicable cases in the remaining two districts progressively. Nevertheless, under special circumstances where the advanced technologies cannot be applied effectively due to site conditions, such as spalling of ceiling concrete affected by water seepage, uneven surfaces or tile finishes, blockage by pipes or other facilities on the ceiling, the JO has to continue to employ the conventional testing methods (such as colour water test for drains or ponding test for floor slabs) in order to identify the source of water seepage.(7) Upon receiving a report regarding water seepage in a building, the JO will send officers to the concerned premises to conduct inspections and tests. After confirming the source of the water seepage, if the source is a water nuisance specified in section 12 of the PHMSO, the JO would issue a Nuisance Notice to the owner(s) of the premises causing the water seepage problem. Other cases not involving nuisances under the PHMSO, including water seepage caused by water supply pipes, exposed drain pipes or rooftop issues, there is already a mechanism for referring the cases expediently in order to handle them effectively under the relevant regulations.     For example, in respect of water seepage cases caused by water supply pipes, the JO will immediately refer relevant cases involving continuous dripping or visible seepage of water supply pipes discovered during investigation to the WSD for follow-up in parallel. The WSD will investigate whether the cases has caused water wastage due to seepage in the water supply system. If so, the WSD will issue a repair notice to the registered user concerned in accordance with the Waterworks Ordinance and require them to repair the defective pipes within a specified period. If the user fails to comply with the requirements of the repair notice and complete the repair, the WSD will consider arranging disconnection of water supply.     In cases of water seepage caused by damaged waterproofing layers on building rooftops or rainwater pipes, if building structural safety hazards (such as spalling concrete from ceiling and rusty reinforcement) or problems with improper or defective exposed drain pipes (such as rainwater pipes or foul water pipes) are identified during the water seepage investigation, the JO will immediately refer the case to the BD for follow-up under the BO, including issuing advisory letters and/or building repair orders, investigation orders or drainage repair orders under the BO to the owners concerned. For defective buildings or drainage systems, any person who fails to comply with the statutory orders served on him under the BO for remedial works shall be liable to prosecution.Note: Generally speaking, the JO carries out investigation on water seepage cases in three stages. Stage I investigation ascertains whether the moisture content of the water seepage areas reaches 35 per cent or above. The JO will not investigate reports of water seepage with moisture content below 35 per cent. If the moisture content reaches 35 per cent or above, Stage II investigation will be arranged. Stage I (confirmation of water seepage) and Stage II (initial investigation, including monitoring of moisture content at the water seepage areas, dye tests for drain pipes, and reversible pressure tests for water supply pipes) are carried out by JO officers. If the source of water seepage cannot be identified, Stage III professional investigation will be conducted. In Stage III, the JO will engage contract consultancy firms to assist in carrying out investigation, including monitoring of moisture content at the water seepage areas, ponding tests for floor slabs, water spray test on walls, and reversible pressure tests for water supply pipes. New testing technologies such as microwave tomography and infrared thermography will be employed for suitable cases.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India – France Joint Statement on the visit of Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to France

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 3:22PM by PIB Delhi

    At the invitation of the President of the French Republic, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, paid a visit to France on 10-12 February 2025. On 10 and 11 February 2025, France and India co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, gathering Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, small and large enterprises, representatives of academia, non-governmental organizations, artists and members of civil society, in order to build on the important milestones reached during the Bletchley Park (November 2023) and Seoul (May 2024) summits. They underlined their commitment to take concrete actions to ensure that the global AI sector can drive beneficial social, economic and environmental outcomes in the public interest. Prime Minister Modi congratulated President Macron on France’s successful organization of AI Action Summit. France welcomed India’s hosting of the next AI Summit.

    This was Prime Minister Modi’s sixth visit to France, and follows President Macron’s visit to India in January 2024 as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day of India. Prime Minister Modi and President Macron held bilateral discussions on the entire gamut of the exceptionally strong and multifaceted bilateral cooperation and on global and regional matters. Both leaders also went to Marseille where President Macron hosted a private dinner for Prime Minister Modi, reflecting the excellent relationship between the two leaders. They jointly inaugurated India’s Consulate General in Marseille. They also visited the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor facility.

    President Macron and Prime Minister Modi reaffirmed their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in the Joint Statement issued following President Macron’s State Visit to India in January 2024 and in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap published during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to France in July 2023 as the Chief Guest of the Bastille Day Celebrations on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership. They commended the progress achieved in their bilateral cooperation and committed to accelerating it further across its three pillars.

    The two leaders reiterated their call for reformed and effective multilateralism to sustain an equitable and peaceful international order, address pressing global challenges and prepare the world for emerging developments, including in the technological and economic domains. The two leaders stressed, in particular, the urgent need for the reform of the United Nations Security Council and agreed to coordinate closely in multilateral fora, including on UNSC matters. France reiterated its firm support for India’s permanent membership of the UNSC. The two leaders agreed to strengthen conversations on regulation of use of the veto in case of mass atrocities. They held extensive discussions on long-term global challenges and current international developments and agreed to intensify their global and regional engagement, including through multilateral initiatives and institutions.

    Acknowledging the paramount importance of advancing scientific knowledge, research and innovation, and recalling the long and enduring engagement between India and France in those areas, President Macron and Prime Minister Modi announced the grand inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation in New Delhi in March 2026 by launching its Logo.

    Partnership for Security and Sovereignty

    Recalling the deep and longstanding defence cooperation between France and India as part of the Strategic Partnership, President Macron and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the continuation of the cooperation of air and maritime assets in line with the ambitious Defence Industrial Roadmap agreed in 2024. Both leaders commended progress in collaboration in construction of Scorpene submarines in India, including indigenization, and in particular the work carried out with a view to the integration of DRDO developed Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) into P75-Scorpene submarines and the analyses conducted regarding the possible integration of the Integrated Combat System (ICS) into the future P75-AS submarines. Both leaders welcomed the commissioning of the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene-class project, INS Vaghsheer, on 15 January 2025.Both sides welcomed the ongoing discussions in missiles, helicopter engines and jet engines. They also welcomed the excellent cooperation between the relevant entities in the Safran group and their Indian counterparts. Prime Minister Modi also invited the French Army to take a closer look at the Pinaka MBLR, emphasizing that an acquisition of this system by France would be another milestone in Indo-French defence ties. In addition, President Macron welcomed the decision to include India as an observer to the Eurodrone MALE programme managed by OCCAR, which is another step forward in the growing strength of our partnership in defence equipment programmes.

    Both leaders appreciated the regular conduct of military exercises in all domains including maritime exercises and joint patrolling by maritime patrol aircraft. They noted the recent visit of the French Carrier Strike Group Charles De Gaulle to India in January 2025, followed by the Indian Navy’s participation in the French multinational exercise La Perouse, and the future conduct of the Varuna exercise in March 2025.

    They welcomed the launch of FRIND-X (France-India Defence Startup Excellence) in Paris on 5-6 December 2024, involving the DGA and the Defence Innovation Agency, in line with the vision enshrined in HORIZON 2047 and the India-France Defence Industrial Roadmap. This collaborative platform brings together key stakeholders across both defence ecosystems, including defence startups, investors, incubators, accelerators, and academia, fostering a new era of defence innovation and partnership.

    In order to deepen the research and development partnerships in defence, both leaders stressed on the early launch of an R&D framework through a Technical Arrangement for cooperation in defence technologies between DGA and DRDO. Inaddition, both leaders welcomed the ongoing discussions between L’Office National d’Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to identify technologies for R&D partnerships. Further, India welcomes the participation of Indian students, alongside French students, in the challenge on distributed intelligencelaunched recently by Interdisciplinary Center for Defence and Security from the Institut Polytechnique de Parisand encourages organizing of more joint challenges in the future to evoke the interest of students in defence.

    Both leaders had a detailed conversation on international issues, including on the Middle-East and the war in Ukraine. They agreed to pursue their efforts to coordinate and remain closely engaged on a regular basis.

    The two leaders recalled the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) on the margins of the G20 Summit in Delhi in September 2023 and agreed to work together more closely on implementing the initiative. Both leaders stressed the importance of IMEC to foster connectivity, sustainable growth trajectories and access to clean energy across these regions. In this regard, they acknowledged the strategic location of Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea.

    They underlined the key importance of strengthening EU-India relations, in view of the upcoming India-EU summit at the earliest possible in New Delhi.

    They appreciated the growing cooperation in trilateral format with Australia and with the United Arab Emirates. They commended the joint military exercises that took place between France, India and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the participation of India, France and Australia in each others’ multilateral military exercises. At the invitation of the United Arab Emirates and India, France joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate. They directed their concerned officials to work together with officials from the Governments of United Arab Emirates and Australia, towards identifying concrete projects of trilateral cooperation in the field of economy, innovation, health, renewable energy, education, culture, and the maritime domain, including under the IPOI and IORA as identified during the focal points meeting held virtually last year for both the trilateral dialogues.

    The two leaders underlined their common commitment to a free, open, inclusive, secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.

    They reiterated their desire to continue to deepen bilateral cooperation in the space sector. Taking note of the substantial contribution of the first two sessions of the India-France Strategic Space Dialogue to furthering this objective, they agreed to hold its third session in 2025. They commended the strength of the partnership between CNES and ISRO and supported the development of collaborations and synergies between their space industries.

    The two leaders reaffirmed their unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. They called for the disruption of terrorism financing networks and safe havens. They further agreed that no country should provide safe haven to those who finance, plan, support, or commit terrorist acts. The leaders also called for concerted action against all terrorists, including through designations of individuals affiliated with groups that are listed by the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee. The two sides emphasized the importance of upholding international standards on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, consistent with Financial Action Task Force recommendations. Both countries reiterated their commitment to work together in FATF, No Money For Terror (NMFT) and other multilateral platforms.

    They commended the cooperation between the National Security Guard (NSG) of India and the Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN) for agency-level cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. The two leaders welcomed the outcomes of the counter-terrorism dialogue held in April 2024, reflecting the growing India – France counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation. The two leaders also looked forward to the successful organization of Milipol 2025 in New Delhi.

    They welcomed the ongoing discussions to create a comprehensive framework for an enhanced bilateral cooperation in the civil aviation sector, which are at advanced stages.

    Prime Minister Modi and President Macron launched an India-France Roadmap on Artificial Intelligence (AI), rooted in the philosophical convergence in their approaches focusing on the development of safe, open, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence. They welcomed the inclusion of Indian startups at the French Startup Incubator Station F. They also welcomed the expanded possibilities for using India’s real-time payment system – Unified Payments Interface (UPI) – in France. The two leaders reiterated the strategic significance of cyberspace and their wish to strengthen their coordination at the United Nations regarding the application of international law and the implementation of the framework for responsible State behaviour in cyberspace, as well as the need to address issues arising from the proliferation of malicious cyber tools and practices. They looked forward to the next India-France Strategic Cybersecurity and Cyberdiplomacy Dialogues to be held in 2025.

    Partnership for the Planet

    Prime Minister Modi and President Macron stressed that nuclear energy is an essential part of the energy mix for strengthening energy security and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy. Both leaders acknowledged the India-France civil nuclear ties and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, notably in relation with the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant Project. They welcomed the first meeting of the Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy, and welcomed the signing of a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) and the Implementing Agreement between India’s GCNEP, DAE and France’s INSTN, CEA for cooperation in training and education of nuclear professionals.

    The two leaders reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to jointly address the environmental crises and challenges including climate change and promoting sustainable lifestyles. The leaders welcomed the renewal of bilateral cooperation in the field of environment between the Ministries of Environment. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to the principles established by the Paris Pact for People and the Planet for reform of the international financing system towards supporting vulnerable countries in addressing both the eradication of poverty and the preservation of the planet. Both leaders affirmed the significance of United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC-3) as an important milestone in international efforts towards conservation and sustainable use of oceans. In the context of upcoming UNOC-3 to be held in Nice in June 2025, France and India recognize the importance of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of Natural Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), as one of the pillars of inclusive and holistic international ocean governance. Having already signed the treaty, they called for its entry into force at the earliest. Prime Minister Modi offered India’s support to France for UNOC-3 in June 2025.

    They lauded the launching of the India-France Indo-Pacific Triangular Development Cooperation, aiming to support climate- and SDG-focused projects from third countries in the Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders welcome the partnership between Proparco and the concerned Indian microfinance institutions for an equity agreement of 13 million Euros in the areas of financial inclusion and women empowerment. They also commended the strong and fruitful cooperation within the framework of the Franco Indian presidency of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the International Solar Alliance.

    Noting the record level of bilateral trade in 2024, they acknowledged that there is vast untapped potential for trade and investment between the two countries. Both leaders highlighted the need to maintain strong confidence for companies investing in France and in India. They commended the numerous economic cooperation projects announced in 2024 in the field of urban development. They recalled the participation of India as guest of honor of the 7th Choose France Summit in Versailles in May 2024. The two leaders were delighted with the organization of the bilateral CEOs Forum in November 2024 and February 2025.

    The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the unprecedented momentum initiated for cooperation between the two Ministries of Health, with the first mission in Paris of India’s Ministry for Health and Family Welfare last January. Digital health, anti-microbial resistance and exchange of health professionals have been identified as the main priorities for bilateral cooperation in 2025. The two leaders welcomed the signature of a Letter of Intent between PariSante Campus and the C-CAMP (Centre for Molecular Platforms), and the creation of the Indo-French Life Sciences Sister Innovation Hub.

    Partnership for the People

    Recalling the ambition underpinning the Letter of Intent signed on the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France in July 2023, President Macron and Prime Minister Modi welcomed the signature of the Agreement between the National Museum in Delhi and France Muséums Développement in December 2024. This agreement paves the way for further collaboration as well as broader museum cooperation including training of Indian professionals. France offered to continue consultations on its participation in the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex.

    To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the signing of the first cultural agreement between India and France in 1966, both sides agreed to undertake multiple cultural exchanges and programs in the context of the Year of Innovation 2026 which is a cross-sectoral initiative that includes culture.

    Prime Minister Modi congratulated President Macron on the successful organization of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics 2024 and thanked President Macron’s willingness to share France’s experience and expertise regarding the organization and securing of major international sporting events in the context of India’s bid to host the Olympics and Paralympics Games in 2036.

    Both Leaders welcomed the launch of a regional edition of the Raisina Dialogue focusing on Mediterranean issues in Marseille in 2025, to foster high-level dialogue involving representatives of governments, industry leaders, experts on trade and connectivity issues and other relevant stakeholders with an aim to enhance trade and connectivity between the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific regions.

    Both leaders welcomed the successful launch in September 2024 of the International Classes Scheme under which Indian students are taught French as a foreign language, and methodology and academic contents in highly reputed French universities in France during one academic year, before entering their chosen curricula in France. It will create conducive conditions to increase student mobility and meet the target of 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030. In that regard, they welcomed the rising number of Indian students in France, with 2025 figures expected to reach an unprecedented 10,000.

    Both leaders also welcomed the operationalization of the Young Professionals Scheme (YPS) under India-France Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) which will facilitate two way mobility of youth and professionals, further strengthening the bonds of friendship between people of India and France. Moreover, both leaders stressed on early conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding to foster cooperation in the fields of skill development, vocational education and training which will create opportunities for both countries to strengthen cooperation in this field.

    To foster their dynamic and comprehensive Strategic Partnership, both countries committed to constantly deepen their long-term cooperation following the ambitions expressed in the bilateral Horizon 2047 Roadmap.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India Energy Week 2025 Showcases India’s Clean Cooking Gas Model: A Blueprint for the Global South

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 12 FEB 2025 3:06PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri chaired a Ministerial Roundtable on Clean Cooking on the second day of India Energy Week 2025. Shri Puri highlighted India’s remarkable success in ensuring universal access to clean cooking gas through targeted subsidies, strong political will, digitization of distribution networks by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), and nationwide campaigns promoting cultural shifts towards clean cooking.

    The session brought together representatives from Brazil, Tanzania, Malawi, Sudan, Nepal, and industry leaders including the International Energy Agency (IEA), Total Energy, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

    Shri Puri emphasized that India’s model is not only successful but also highly replicable in other Global South nations facing similar energy access challenges. The Union Minister noted that under India’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), beneficiaries receive LPG access at a highly affordable cost of just 7 cents per day, while other consumers can avail themselves of clean cooking fuel at 15 cents per day. This affordability has been a game-changer in driving widespread adoption.

    During the discussion, international representatives shared their experiences and challenges in expanding access to clean cooking solutions. Hon. Dkt. Doto Mashaka Biteko, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Tanzania outlined its strategy to enable 80% of households to transition to clean cooking by 2030, leveraging subsidies and a mix of energy sources, including LPG, natural gas, and biogas. However, he acknowledged significant challenges, including financing constraints, the high cost of infrastructure, and the need for regulatory reforms to encourage private-sector participation.

    H.E. Dr. Mohieldien Naiem Mohamed Saied, Minister of Energy and Oil, Sudan, emphasized the need for private sector engagement to bridge gaps in LPG supply, as the country still imports a significant portion of its energy needs. Encouraging local cylinder production and ensuring cost-effective imports remain key hurdles in achieving broader adoption. Representatives of Rwanda and Nepal shared their efforts in reducing firewood dependency through electric stoves and biogas expansion.

    Mary Burce Warlick, Deputy Executive Director of IEA noted that India’s success offers valuable lessons for other countries, particularly in tackling challenges related to affordability, access, and infrastructure. She further emphasized the role of concessional financing and public-private partnerships (PPP) in expanding clean cooking access globally. Addressing cultural acceptance and regulatory adjustments, such as tax reductions, were also highlighted as crucial measures for large-scale adoption.

    Rahool Panandiker, Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) highlighted India’s clean cooking transformation, underscoring its strong political commitment, effective subsidy targeting, and robust public awareness campaigns. He further credited India’s Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for enabling last-mile LPG delivery through digital platforms, making adoption seamless. Panadiker also underscored the need for refining the cylinder refill model to ensure sustained usage and balancing affordability with economic sustainability.

    Responding to the potential of solar cookers in expanding clean cooking technologies across the Global South, Shri Puri highlighted that IOCL’s advanced solar cookers, featuring integrated solar panels, are priced at approximately $500 per unit with no additional costs over their lifecycle. The Union Minister added that while the current price point remains a challenge for widespread adoption, leveraging carbon financing and collaborating with the private sector could drive costs down, making solar cooking a viable alternative for millions.

    This initiative aligns with India’s broader efforts to diversify clean cooking options beyond LPG, reinforcing the country’s commitment to reducing reliance on traditional biomass fuels and cutting carbon emissions.

    Shri Puri concluded the discussion by reaffirming India’s commitment to supporting energy access initiatives worldwide. He underscored that the Indian model, backed by smart subsidies and sustainable policies, provides a scalable solution for other developing nations striving to achieve clean cooking access. He stressed that achieving universal clean cooking access is not merely an economic imperative but a moral one, given the severe health and environmental impacts of traditional biomass cooking.

    This roundtable reaffirmed India’s position as a global leader in energy transition and clean cooking solutions, setting the stage for greater international cooperation in achieving universal access to clean energy.

    About India Energy Week 2025

    India Energy Week was envisioned as more than just another industry conference—it was designed to be a dynamic platform redefining global energy dialogues. In just two years, this self-funded initiative has achieved precisely that, becoming the world’s second-largest energy event. The third edition, scheduled from February 11-14, 2025, at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, represents a significant milestone in shaping the global energy narrative.

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