India - Partner In Growth
Welcome to the May 23, 2018  bulletin of key policy decisions and high-impact news, presented by the Embassy of India, Washington DC.
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KEY POLICY DECISIONS
PM Modi: Use AI and Blockchain in Agriculture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been actively encouraging India to utilize and promote artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies, specifically in the agricultural sector to prevent "the bad quality of seed, fertilizers and medicines" being supplied to farmers.



'Ayush' Finds a Place in the English Language

The Government has adopted the word "Ayush" in Hindi and English for scientific and technical purposes. Ayush is an acronym for five traditional and complementary systems of medicine: Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.


 
Commerce Minister Holds Twitter Live Session on Startups

Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu held a Twitter live session and answered questions from aspiring and existing entrepreneurs who wanted to know more about Startup India and the support they could expect from the Government.


 
Market Regulator SEBI Proposes Uniform Pricing for Deb Securities

To deepen the bond markets, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed a uniform methodology to determine pricing of non-traded and thinly traded non-convertible debt securities. "Availability of such a uniform pricing framework, will ultimately lead to improvement in liquidity in the secondary market and thus will help in deepening the bond markets," SEBI said.

 
Govt. Wants to Max Renewable Energy Mix with Solar-Wind-Hybrid Plants

The Government has given the country's booming renewable energy sector a boost. On May 14, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy released a draft policy for setting up wind-solar-hybrid plants-where both windmills and solar panels are put up on the same piece of land.

 
HIGH-IMPACT NEWS
India's Jet Airways Closing in on Deal for More Boeing 737s

Jet Airways India is closing in on a new order for Boeing's 737 Max single-aisle plane that could take its commitments for the model above 200 aircraft. India's biggest full-service airline is in talks over the purchase and may make an announcement in coming weeks, Chairman Naresh Goyal said.


 
Indian Startups Make It Easier for Moms to Return to Work After Maternity Leave

Bangalore-based JobsForHer works extensively with companies such as Philips, Mindtree, Aditya Birla Group, Barclays, Shell and Citi India among others to help women get back to work. Now, JobsForHer is working with more than 2,500 startups in India as well, to attract and retain female talent.


Amazon vs. Google Race to Capture India's Consumer Space

Two battling technology giants are preparing for a war. The weapons are largely intangible but the prize is tangibly lucrative. The trophy: India. Google and Amazon have intensified their focus on India, an ecommerce frontier that has the greatest potential for now. 



FPIs Pump $2.2 Billion in India in 2018 1st Quarter

Continuing their buying spree in the March quarter, foreign investors (FPIs) pumped in $2.2 billion in the Indian equity market on hopes of better corporate earnings, promising economic data and buoyant global markets.



The U.S.-India Defense Partnership: Trending Upward

In an interview with Bharath Gopalaswamy, director of the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, Vivek Lall, vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, discussed the trajectory of the U.S.-India defense relationship and the progress made by both countries to advance their engagement.



TRANSFORMING INDIA
In Tamil Nadu Village, Teen Girls Set the Agenda for Change

In the Tamil Nadu village of Thennamadevi, girls have taken matters into their own hands. In the past one year, they have ensured lights are installed on the streets they take to school, distributed hygiene supplies to every girl under the Government's program and are now pushing to get every home its own toilet.



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