ITV

Tag: Make In India

  • India ready for data revolution with 350 million plus Net users: Minister

    India ready for data revolution with 350 million plus Net users: Minister

    NEW DELHI: India’s Telecoms minister Manoj Sinha has said the sector had been growing at a phenomenal pace and was considered as the fastest growing telecom market in the world with the second largest subscriber base with more than 1060 million connectivity, 160 million broadband connections and 350 million plus internet users.

    India is ready for another digital and data revolution, the minister said while inaugurating the 8th Telecom Export Promotion Council’s Buyer-Seller meet earlier this week here.

    (India’s mobile phone revolution has been spurring many media players, global and domestic, to enter the OTT space despite challenges. It is also expected that, with the introduction of 4G technology, the market for streaming video will grow in India.)

    Sinha said the rapid growth of the telecoms sector has fuelled the demand for telecom equipment, including mobile phones, which was worth about $ 20 billion in 2015-16 and is estimated to exceed $ 30 billion by 2020.

    Sinha added that India has all the ingredients of a globally competitive telecom industry like a large domestic market, world class talent, focus on R&D and IPR creation, beside a robust framework for electronic manufacturing, including set-top boxes used in a variety of telecoms and broadcast services.

    According to the Minister, Indian manufacturers have already made significant strides in exports of IT and telecom products to several countries and established that Indian IT and telecom products are of world-class quality and globally competitive on technology and price.

    The massive thrust on ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ initiatives offers a large opportunity for creation of innovative products and services and India is poised for another digital and data revolution.

    Sinha told the representatives from 28 participating countries from South Asia, South-East Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa that India holds the distinction of being the fastest growing telecom network, especially with advent of increased broadband penetration.

    Meanwhile, joining issue with his colleague, Electronics and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that, during the last fiscal ending March 2016, the sector recorded an export of $ 108 billion, which is around 45 per cent of services export from India. The sector gave direct employment to 3.7 million people and around 200,000 additional employment was created in just the past year.

    Prasad said the prime minister Narendra Modi’s government was determined to create a knowledge-based society to “improve effeciency and reach of the services.”

    He said unlike industrial revolution (that India missed), the country was all set to take lead in the ongoing digital revolution.

  • TRAI advocates help of cable operators to spread broadband

    TRAI advocates help of cable operators to spread broadband

    NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman R S Sharma said connectivity was vital for digital India and Aadhaar had built the foundation for online linkages, adding that cable digital television systems could be used to enable delivery of broadband.

    Speaking as the chief guest at the 2nd International Summit ‘India Satcom – 2016’ on the theme of Broadband for all using NextGen Satellite Technologies. Sharma admitted that certain ‘policy constraints have to be crossed.’

    He said internet connectivity in India was barely fifteen per cent, though wireless connectivity was growing at a fast pace through smartphones. There were only twenty million phones in the country but almost the entire country was connected through mobile phones. He also suggested the introduction of wi-fi at all public places.

    Referring to the Ka Band on satellite as earlier speakers had said the C-Band and Ku-band were already exhausted, Sharma said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had issued a paper in this connection in April last year.

    The summit organized by the Broadband India Forum was aimed at showcasing the scope of catalysing achievement of socio-economic objectives with the use of innovations in Satellite Communications technology. It was supported by the Department of Electronic and Information Technology.

    Department of Telecom Secretary and Telecom Commission chairman J S Deepak stressed the need of satellites for reaching difficult terrains and said that a new network in ten states using 2,200 towers had been put into operation for this purpose. Twelve per cent of the communication in these states was through satellite.

    He said the Bharat Net Optic Fibre aimed to reach 2,50,000 gram panchayats in the next few years and 1,00,000 will be reached in the first phase by next year.

    Phase II aimed to reach the rest through underground optic fibre, towers, radio and satellite which had already connected ten to 12 per cent of the country.

    He also said that the country had adopted an liberal foreign direct investment regime with 74 per cent FDI being allowed in this sector. He claimed that India had received $ 200 billion in the last two years.

    He said 90 per cent of the 6,00,000 villages in the country were covered by mobile phones and he wanted internet proliferation to growth on the same path. He said that Internet had grown from 300 to 400 million (from 30 to 40 crore) in fourteen months. The only way to reach all villages was a combination of broadband and smartphones.

    All services that benefit people were expected to be online in the next two years, he said.

    He said all this presented great opportunities for satellite communications and said the policy environment was conducive for this and was being further changed for migration to new technologies.

    He said that even virtual network operator licences were not available in the country, he concluded, adding that ‘satcom is an idea whose time has come.’

    In a message read out in absentia, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman and secretary in the Department of Space A S Kiran Kumar said it was necessary to set up robust growth technology and the networks to receive this.

    Hughes Networks Systems president Pranav Roach said, “We know broadband penetration levels are extremely low in India. High throughput satellites are a natural fit to help improve broadband penetration. Satellite broadband is a proven technology, delivering high-speed services to users worldwide. Ka-band satellite-based networks are able to deliver affordable, immediate and ubiquitous broadband access to users.”

    He said it was ironic that India was the largest exporter of software but lagged behind in consumption, and therefore government had to step in to help the industry.

    BIF chairman M F Farooqui said “Broadband in India will have to be delivered not by one technology but through a mix of technologies. Satellite communication is one of the more important means of achieving broadband to the rural and remote areas and for fulfilling the goals of Govt’s Digital India initiative.”

    Phases X and V Satcast, USA, Chairman and CEO Ven Fotheringham said the cost of distribution, the increasing demand for more content through video and OTT, and the need for newer and better set top boxes were some of the problems that had to be grappled with. He said in the United States, 72 per cent of the content was generated by just 30 per cent experts within the country.

    The summit in different sessions deliberated on the deployment of satellite communication (satcom) technologies – existing and next generation – to expedite penetration of affordable Broadband in India, especially in remote, rural regions, to complement other broadband technologies such as optical fibre, mobile, cable etc.

    BIF president T V Ramachandran said “India has much to gain once broadband penetration, currently at a low 10 per cent or so, picks up momentum from new technology innovations and investments. Satellite sommunication technologies with its manifold innovations & applications could lead the country to the cusp of a digital revolution with associated boost to the efforts of other initiatives like Make in India, Skilling India and a spurt in FDI.”

    The summit deliberations also covered policy and regulatory issues to drive deployment of satcom technologies in support of national socio-economic programs such as Digital India, Make in India and Broadband for all. But such flagship programs need billions of dollars in annual funds – a huge challenge due to misconceptions surrounding satcom technologies. Though one of the fastest means to ensure Internet and Broadband connectivity across India, satcom is erroneously termed as unaffordable, inaccessible and, therefore, unavailable for deployment in India’s highly price-sensitive market. This is as erroneous as the early 1990s’ perception that mobile phones were expensive technology toys not needed by common people.

    The summit speakers stressed broadband service over satellite needed to be affordable (consumer price), accessible (all across India) and available 24×7 (both fixed location and mobile). Affordability is crucial because Broadband Satellite services in India are far more expensive than in the US (284 times on a normalized scale of package capacity, services price and pricing parity). Innovation, long-term commitment of public projects, liberalised policies that attract more local private players and foreign companies were important measures to curb costs and ensure affordability. These measures could also boost accessibility and availability.

  • TRAI advocates help of cable operators to spread broadband

    TRAI advocates help of cable operators to spread broadband

    NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman R S Sharma said connectivity was vital for digital India and Aadhaar had built the foundation for online linkages, adding that cable digital television systems could be used to enable delivery of broadband.

    Speaking as the chief guest at the 2nd International Summit ‘India Satcom – 2016’ on the theme of Broadband for all using NextGen Satellite Technologies. Sharma admitted that certain ‘policy constraints have to be crossed.’

    He said internet connectivity in India was barely fifteen per cent, though wireless connectivity was growing at a fast pace through smartphones. There were only twenty million phones in the country but almost the entire country was connected through mobile phones. He also suggested the introduction of wi-fi at all public places.

    Referring to the Ka Band on satellite as earlier speakers had said the C-Band and Ku-band were already exhausted, Sharma said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had issued a paper in this connection in April last year.

    The summit organized by the Broadband India Forum was aimed at showcasing the scope of catalysing achievement of socio-economic objectives with the use of innovations in Satellite Communications technology. It was supported by the Department of Electronic and Information Technology.

    Department of Telecom Secretary and Telecom Commission chairman J S Deepak stressed the need of satellites for reaching difficult terrains and said that a new network in ten states using 2,200 towers had been put into operation for this purpose. Twelve per cent of the communication in these states was through satellite.

    He said the Bharat Net Optic Fibre aimed to reach 2,50,000 gram panchayats in the next few years and 1,00,000 will be reached in the first phase by next year.

    Phase II aimed to reach the rest through underground optic fibre, towers, radio and satellite which had already connected ten to 12 per cent of the country.

    He also said that the country had adopted an liberal foreign direct investment regime with 74 per cent FDI being allowed in this sector. He claimed that India had received $ 200 billion in the last two years.

    He said 90 per cent of the 6,00,000 villages in the country were covered by mobile phones and he wanted internet proliferation to growth on the same path. He said that Internet had grown from 300 to 400 million (from 30 to 40 crore) in fourteen months. The only way to reach all villages was a combination of broadband and smartphones.

    All services that benefit people were expected to be online in the next two years, he said.

    He said all this presented great opportunities for satellite communications and said the policy environment was conducive for this and was being further changed for migration to new technologies.

    He said that even virtual network operator licences were not available in the country, he concluded, adding that ‘satcom is an idea whose time has come.’

    In a message read out in absentia, Indian Space Research Organisation chairman and secretary in the Department of Space A S Kiran Kumar said it was necessary to set up robust growth technology and the networks to receive this.

    Hughes Networks Systems president Pranav Roach said, “We know broadband penetration levels are extremely low in India. High throughput satellites are a natural fit to help improve broadband penetration. Satellite broadband is a proven technology, delivering high-speed services to users worldwide. Ka-band satellite-based networks are able to deliver affordable, immediate and ubiquitous broadband access to users.”

    He said it was ironic that India was the largest exporter of software but lagged behind in consumption, and therefore government had to step in to help the industry.

    BIF chairman M F Farooqui said “Broadband in India will have to be delivered not by one technology but through a mix of technologies. Satellite communication is one of the more important means of achieving broadband to the rural and remote areas and for fulfilling the goals of Govt’s Digital India initiative.”

    Phases X and V Satcast, USA, Chairman and CEO Ven Fotheringham said the cost of distribution, the increasing demand for more content through video and OTT, and the need for newer and better set top boxes were some of the problems that had to be grappled with. He said in the United States, 72 per cent of the content was generated by just 30 per cent experts within the country.

    The summit in different sessions deliberated on the deployment of satellite communication (satcom) technologies – existing and next generation – to expedite penetration of affordable Broadband in India, especially in remote, rural regions, to complement other broadband technologies such as optical fibre, mobile, cable etc.

    BIF president T V Ramachandran said “India has much to gain once broadband penetration, currently at a low 10 per cent or so, picks up momentum from new technology innovations and investments. Satellite sommunication technologies with its manifold innovations & applications could lead the country to the cusp of a digital revolution with associated boost to the efforts of other initiatives like Make in India, Skilling India and a spurt in FDI.”

    The summit deliberations also covered policy and regulatory issues to drive deployment of satcom technologies in support of national socio-economic programs such as Digital India, Make in India and Broadband for all. But such flagship programs need billions of dollars in annual funds – a huge challenge due to misconceptions surrounding satcom technologies. Though one of the fastest means to ensure Internet and Broadband connectivity across India, satcom is erroneously termed as unaffordable, inaccessible and, therefore, unavailable for deployment in India’s highly price-sensitive market. This is as erroneous as the early 1990s’ perception that mobile phones were expensive technology toys not needed by common people.

    The summit speakers stressed broadband service over satellite needed to be affordable (consumer price), accessible (all across India) and available 24×7 (both fixed location and mobile). Affordability is crucial because Broadband Satellite services in India are far more expensive than in the US (284 times on a normalized scale of package capacity, services price and pricing parity). Innovation, long-term commitment of public projects, liberalised policies that attract more local private players and foreign companies were important measures to curb costs and ensure affordability. These measures could also boost accessibility and availability.

  • Govt moots long-term financing for Indian STB manufacturers

    Govt moots long-term financing for Indian STB manufacturers

    NEW DELHI: The government is working on a plan for long-term financing to Indian manufacturers of set top boxes to accelerate digitization of cable television. This information was given by the Information and Broadcasting ministry to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology which examines issues relating to I and B.

    The Committee expressed the hope that the ministry will be able to meet the targets of cable TV digitization and recommend that the issues of long term financial support to domestic manufacturers to negate easy procurement of Chinese made STBs need to be looked into and addressed suitably by the Ministry.

    While informing the Committee that just around nineteen manufacturers were manufacturing indigenous STBs, the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) said it can scale up the capacity if there is a demand but for that there is need of government support in creating a level playing field for domestic STB manufacturers to compete with the Chinese imported STBs.

    The Committee was given to understand that as of now there is easy facility for obtaining long-term credit to procure the Chinese STBs and this option is not available in the Indian banking system.

    The ministry claimed that it had declared STBs as part of the telecommunications network equipment and reduction of Value Added Tax on domestically manufactured STBs. An indigenous Conditional Access System (CAS) had been developed which will give further impetus to the domestic STB manufacturers to produce and supply the indigenously manufactured STBs.

    However, the Committee said the ministry may also think in terms of increasing the allocation for Mission Digitization which at present is merely taking care of procedural requirement to support the needs of domestic manufacturers.

    This will not only give a further boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government but also help in employment generation in a big way, the Committee said.

    Noting that digitization of the Cable TV sector in the country is one of the thrust areas of the ministry of I&B during the 12th Five Year Plan, the Committee said a look at the budgetary allocation and utilization of funds during 2015-16 under the Scheme of Mission Digitization showed that the ministry had spent Rs 1.25 crore out of Rs 1.30 crore made available at the Revised Estimate stage. Another Rs 5 crore had been allocated at the Budget Estimate stage for the year 2016-17. 

  • Govt moots long-term financing for Indian STB manufacturers

    Govt moots long-term financing for Indian STB manufacturers

    NEW DELHI: The government is working on a plan for long-term financing to Indian manufacturers of set top boxes to accelerate digitization of cable television. This information was given by the Information and Broadcasting ministry to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology which examines issues relating to I and B.

    The Committee expressed the hope that the ministry will be able to meet the targets of cable TV digitization and recommend that the issues of long term financial support to domestic manufacturers to negate easy procurement of Chinese made STBs need to be looked into and addressed suitably by the Ministry.

    While informing the Committee that just around nineteen manufacturers were manufacturing indigenous STBs, the Consumer Electronics and Appliances Manufacturers Association (CEAMA) said it can scale up the capacity if there is a demand but for that there is need of government support in creating a level playing field for domestic STB manufacturers to compete with the Chinese imported STBs.

    The Committee was given to understand that as of now there is easy facility for obtaining long-term credit to procure the Chinese STBs and this option is not available in the Indian banking system.

    The ministry claimed that it had declared STBs as part of the telecommunications network equipment and reduction of Value Added Tax on domestically manufactured STBs. An indigenous Conditional Access System (CAS) had been developed which will give further impetus to the domestic STB manufacturers to produce and supply the indigenously manufactured STBs.

    However, the Committee said the ministry may also think in terms of increasing the allocation for Mission Digitization which at present is merely taking care of procedural requirement to support the needs of domestic manufacturers.

    This will not only give a further boost to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government but also help in employment generation in a big way, the Committee said.

    Noting that digitization of the Cable TV sector in the country is one of the thrust areas of the ministry of I&B during the 12th Five Year Plan, the Committee said a look at the budgetary allocation and utilization of funds during 2015-16 under the Scheme of Mission Digitization showed that the ministry had spent Rs 1.25 crore out of Rs 1.30 crore made available at the Revised Estimate stage. Another Rs 5 crore had been allocated at the Budget Estimate stage for the year 2016-17. 

  • Assembling imported parts not ‘Make in India’ says Broadband Forum

    Assembling imported parts not ‘Make in India’ says Broadband Forum

    NEW DELHI: Observing that assembling in India goes against the very principle of Make in India, the Broadband India Forum has criticized the decision to roll back import duties levied on mobile phone components and said this “is a step not in sync with encouraging manufacture of these items in India.”

    BIF, a dedicated Forum with representation from Telecom Service Providers, Technology Providers, R&D and Chip Design Companies, System Integrator, Project Management, Service & Solution Provide, MSO and DTH, Satellite & VSAT Service Providers, in its appeal to the Communication and Information Technology ministry has requested immediate withdrawal of the import duty rollback on populated PCBs and phone accessories in the interest of ‘Design in India’ as these equipments provide maximum opportunity for design and R&D.        

    In its recent Notification of 5 May 2016, the government decided to roll back import duties levied on components of mobile phones in the Union Budget 2016. The notification brought down the duty on chargers, batteries and headsets from 29 percent to 12.5 percent (at par with that of imported handsets) and lowered the duty on populated PCBs (printed circuit boards) to 0 percent from 2 percent (instead of raising it to 12.5 percent).

    In ia note to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the Department of Telecom,  the BIF has highlighted that no entity will design and invest in R&D in India if the PCB continues to be imported from China at 0 percent (zero) duty in fully-manufactured form. Though the increase in duty on imported handsets by 12.5 percent has increased manufacturing intensity of mobile phones in India from 5 million/year (50 lakh/year) to 100 million/year (10 crore/year), the local value addition is hardly 1 to 2 percent. Therefore, increasing duty on populated PCBs is the next logical step.

    BIF president T V Ramachandran remarked, “While the industry was hoping the government moved ahead with its 2015 initiative, this recent announcement has pushed the country back to the days of phone assembly, instead of progressing to a phased-manufacturing regime. This notification goes against the letter and spirit of the stated intent of the government, which is to gradually reduce the electronic imports and achieve ‘Net Zero Imports’ by 2020 under ‘Make in India’, as part of the Digital India action plan. Therefore, we request the government to withdraw this notification immediately.”

    The mere assembly of PCBs in India will immediately increase value addition to 10 percent from the current 1 percent, with scope of increasing it further with investment in ‘Design in India’ and R&D. It will also raise the quality of jobs and prevent these moving to other markets (in case they provide better economic conditions than India), and encourage component manufacturing in India by enabling components to be consumed in India (most components used in mobile phones are housed in PCBs).

    In its request, BIF also highlighted that India faces a unique challenge in terms of compulsion to encourage and initiate indigenous design and manufacturing or ‘Make in India’ with higher local value addition. Accordingly, it is imperative to work towards reduction of the exponentially increasing Import Bill for electronics/telecom equipment and services – an expense expected to surpass the oil import bill by 2020 (estimated at $ 400 billion).

     

  • Assembling imported parts not ‘Make in India’ says Broadband Forum

    Assembling imported parts not ‘Make in India’ says Broadband Forum

    NEW DELHI: Observing that assembling in India goes against the very principle of Make in India, the Broadband India Forum has criticized the decision to roll back import duties levied on mobile phone components and said this “is a step not in sync with encouraging manufacture of these items in India.”

    BIF, a dedicated Forum with representation from Telecom Service Providers, Technology Providers, R&D and Chip Design Companies, System Integrator, Project Management, Service & Solution Provide, MSO and DTH, Satellite & VSAT Service Providers, in its appeal to the Communication and Information Technology ministry has requested immediate withdrawal of the import duty rollback on populated PCBs and phone accessories in the interest of ‘Design in India’ as these equipments provide maximum opportunity for design and R&D.        

    In its recent Notification of 5 May 2016, the government decided to roll back import duties levied on components of mobile phones in the Union Budget 2016. The notification brought down the duty on chargers, batteries and headsets from 29 percent to 12.5 percent (at par with that of imported handsets) and lowered the duty on populated PCBs (printed circuit boards) to 0 percent from 2 percent (instead of raising it to 12.5 percent).

    In ia note to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and the Department of Telecom,  the BIF has highlighted that no entity will design and invest in R&D in India if the PCB continues to be imported from China at 0 percent (zero) duty in fully-manufactured form. Though the increase in duty on imported handsets by 12.5 percent has increased manufacturing intensity of mobile phones in India from 5 million/year (50 lakh/year) to 100 million/year (10 crore/year), the local value addition is hardly 1 to 2 percent. Therefore, increasing duty on populated PCBs is the next logical step.

    BIF president T V Ramachandran remarked, “While the industry was hoping the government moved ahead with its 2015 initiative, this recent announcement has pushed the country back to the days of phone assembly, instead of progressing to a phased-manufacturing regime. This notification goes against the letter and spirit of the stated intent of the government, which is to gradually reduce the electronic imports and achieve ‘Net Zero Imports’ by 2020 under ‘Make in India’, as part of the Digital India action plan. Therefore, we request the government to withdraw this notification immediately.”

    The mere assembly of PCBs in India will immediately increase value addition to 10 percent from the current 1 percent, with scope of increasing it further with investment in ‘Design in India’ and R&D. It will also raise the quality of jobs and prevent these moving to other markets (in case they provide better economic conditions than India), and encourage component manufacturing in India by enabling components to be consumed in India (most components used in mobile phones are housed in PCBs).

    In its request, BIF also highlighted that India faces a unique challenge in terms of compulsion to encourage and initiate indigenous design and manufacturing or ‘Make in India’ with higher local value addition. Accordingly, it is imperative to work towards reduction of the exponentially increasing Import Bill for electronics/telecom equipment and services – an expense expected to surpass the oil import bill by 2020 (estimated at $ 400 billion).

     

  • FICCI’s reaction to IPR Policy

    FICCI’s reaction to IPR Policy

    NEW DELHI: The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry has said the Intellectual Property Rights Policy correctly identifies IP as a strategic tool for furthering India’s economic goals and therefore recommends for the effective protection of IP rights as an essential element for making optimal use of innovative and creative capabilities of its people.

    Welcoming the much-awaited IPR Policy for India, FICCI President Harshvardhan Neotia said, “”the national policy contains many encouraging recommendations including the need to create awareness on the importance of IPRs through a nation-wide promotional campaign and linking it to other national initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’, undertaking a baseline survey across sectors to evaluate the IP potential in specific sectors.”

    “Other significant policy announcements include making the DIPP as the nodal department for all IPR related developments in India, the emphasis to make the Indian Patent Office an increasingly service oriented organization and to improve IP enforcement and the adjudication mechanism, among others, Neotia added.

     

  • FICCI’s reaction to IPR Policy

    FICCI’s reaction to IPR Policy

    NEW DELHI: The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry has said the Intellectual Property Rights Policy correctly identifies IP as a strategic tool for furthering India’s economic goals and therefore recommends for the effective protection of IP rights as an essential element for making optimal use of innovative and creative capabilities of its people.

    Welcoming the much-awaited IPR Policy for India, FICCI President Harshvardhan Neotia said, “”the national policy contains many encouraging recommendations including the need to create awareness on the importance of IPRs through a nation-wide promotional campaign and linking it to other national initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’, undertaking a baseline survey across sectors to evaluate the IP potential in specific sectors.”

    “Other significant policy announcements include making the DIPP as the nodal department for all IPR related developments in India, the emphasis to make the Indian Patent Office an increasingly service oriented organization and to improve IP enforcement and the adjudication mechanism, among others, Neotia added.

     

  • Governmenent of India joins hands with NDTV Ethnic Retail

    Governmenent of India joins hands with NDTV Ethnic Retail

    MUMBAI: The Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and NDTV Ethnic Retail Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding for popularizing India Handloom textiles as a fashionable product for youth. The three-year long agreement has been signed on 10 May at Udyog Bhawan. 

    With this joint endeavour, they will endorse and launch a project by NDTV. Titled as Indianroots Fashion Accelerator (IFA) the project will support fresh talent and to support new and innovative ventures in fashion industry. The government will support the project with incubation and production support. 

    The brand will also provide an interface for fashion professionals will be able to accesses facilities such as weavers service centres and handloom clusters. The initiative will connect fashion designers with handloom sector in an organized manner.

     “We see this partnership as a welcome move, it will collaboratively take forward the vision of India Handloom and the “Make In India” vision of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The initiative would help us in our objective of promoting traditional handwoven products of India. Our vision is to touch every Indian with the cultural legacy of India. This will also help us engage with youngsters and designers who will take our handloom legacy forward”, said Handlooms development commissioner Alok Kumar NDTV Ethnic Retail Limited chief innovation officer Aneesh Nair was also present on the occasion.