Modi govt’s this policy change offers big boost for Ambani, Adani, Mittal

Agencies
February 2, 2022

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New Delhi, Feb 2: Government of India’s plans to classify data centres and energy storage as infrastructure assets allowing firms to access cheap and long-term credit, in a big boost for billionaires Gautam Adani, Sunil Mittal and Mukesh Ambani’s plans to aggressively grow in these segments.

“Data centres and energy storage systems including dense charging infrastructure and grid-scale battery systems will be included in the harmonized list of infrastructure,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday as part of the Budget speech in Parliament. “This will facilitate credit availability for digital infrastructure and clean energy storage.” 

The policy tweak, effective from April 1, comes as Asia’s no. 3 economy seeks to keep its data within its borders as well as stoke a massive boom in online payments, e-commerce and quantum computing. Roll out of ultra-speedy 5G telecom services will further increase demand for data centre services, spurring conglomerates helmed by Adani and Mittal to rapidly scale up. Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd., which is developing gigafactories including one for energy storage as part of a $76 billion investment plan, is also likely to benefit from this reclassification.

The infrastructure tag “is expected to provide access to cheaper and long-term institutional funds, which will promote investments,” Radha Dhir, chief executive officer and India head at real estate consultancy JLL, said in an email. She expects India’s data centre capacity to double from 499 megawatts in the first half of 2021 to 1,008 megawatts next year.

Adani, Asia’s second-richest person, said in November that he wants his conglomerate to be a world leader in green data storage, with sites run entirely on clean power, in sync with India’s goal of turning carbon net zero by 2070. The Adani Group plans to initially build data centres in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and in and around New Delhi. 

Bharti Airtel Ltd., the country’s No. 2 wireless carrier overseen by Mittal, announced plans in September to invest Rs 5,000 crore to triple its data centre capacity to 400 megawatts by 2025. Reliance’s digital unit has also been looking to build a data centre, according to a local media report.

Representatives for Adani Group, Reliance and Bharti Airtel did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comments on the policy change announced in the Budget.

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News Network
September 19,2024

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Narendra Modi-led government of India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that demanded that Israel bring an end, “without delay”, to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution, with 124 nations voting in favour, 14 against and 43 abstentions, including that by India.

Those abstaining included Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Nepal, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Israel and the US were among the nations who voted against the resolution titled ‘Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and from the illegality of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory’.

The resolution adopted Wednesday demanded that “Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility, and do so no later than 12 months from the adoption of the present resolution.” 

The Palestinian-drafted resolution also strongly deplored the continued and total disregard and breaches by the Government of Israel of its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, and stressed that such breaches seriously threaten regional and international peace and security.

It recognised that Israel must be held to account for any violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including any violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and that it “must bear the legal consequences of all its internationally wrongful acts, including by making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts.”

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News Network
September 12,2024

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Mysuru: More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with the riots between two groups of different faiths, at Nagamangala town, Mandya district, over the Ganesha idol procession, on Wednesday night.

High drama prevailed in front of the Nagamangala town police station on Thursday morning, with women belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities staging a protest against the arrest of their family members and demanding their release.

The two groups started arguing over the Ganesha idol procession on the Mysuru-Nagamangala road, near a 'dargah'. This soon turned violent with stone being pelted. Reports said that around 25 shops were also set on fire.

Several vehicles were damaged and torched by the mob. However, police intervened and brought the situation under control, deploying additional police forces.

Holiday has been declared to schools and colleges in Nagamangala town until further notice. Police have imposed section 144 till 12 noon of September 14.

SP Mallikarjuna Baladandi, IGP (Southern Range) Boralingaiah, DC Kumar and other officials visited the spot.

District incharge Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy visited the spot on Thursday morning and took stock of the situation. Speaking to reporters he said, the incident was unfortunate.

"The clash which started around 9 pm on Wednesday, flared up with miscreants setting fire, damaging shops and vehicles in the town. There is no need for anxiety. Additional police forces have been deployed in the town and the situation is under control now," he said.

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News Network
September 16,2024

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The Israeli regime is recruiting African asylum seekers to kill Palestinians in the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in exchange for permanent residency status, according to a report.

The report, ran by the Israeli paper Haaretz on Sunday, revealed that the project is conducted in an organized manner, with the guidance of military establishment legal advisers.  

In Gaza, the death toll passes 41,200 with close to 100,000 more injured in almost a year since the Israeli regime forces launched their genocidal war. However, the continued violence is prompting some Jewish Israelis to leave the occupied Palestinian land.

To make up for the loss, Tel Aviv is offering the incentive of permanent residency status to asylum seekers who agree to join the Israeli regime forces ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Haaretz has learned that some people have expressed objections to the practice, arguing that it exploits people who have fled their countries due to war. However, according to those sources, these voices have been silenced.

“This is a very problematic matter,” one source was quoted as saying by Haaretz.

According to the report, there are currently some 30,000 African asylum seekers living in the occupied territories, most of them young men. Around 3,500 are Sudanese citizens with temporary status granted by the court because the regime has not processed and ruled on their applications.

Unnamed sources who spoke with Haaretz also revealed that while there were some inquiries about granting status to asylum seekers who assisted in the genocidal war in Gaza, none were actually given status.

Haaretz also learned that the Interior Ministry explored the possibility of drafting the children of asylum seekers, who were educated in schools in the occupied territories, into the Israeli military.

In the past, the regime allowed the children of foreign workers to serve in the military in exchange for granting status to their immediate family members.

African refugees, who came to the occupied territories seeking asylum, were previously kept in internment camps and deported without their own consent.

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