Are we really serious ?

Economic Times ( 14 March 2017 ) carries following news :

“ Start-ups may get Rs 5 crore Boost “

DIPP’s Credit Scheme for New Ventures

According to the scheme, the loan will be provided without any collateral

Govt to guarantee corpus of fund

Scheme to help flow of venture debt from banks

To give 80 % risk cover for collateral-free credit

Feedback taken from Start-ups , VCs, Angel Investors

Start ups must meet the criteria defined for them by the department to access any benefit announced in the START UP INDIA ACTION PLAN last year , including loans under the Credit Guarantee Scheme

No doubt , you have read the " CRITERIA of a START UP " in the " Start Up Action Plan Document "

For the benefit of the readers , I have tried to list these  below :

*   Is yours a Private Ltd Co / LLP / Partnership  ?...........................................  Yes  /  No

*   Is your Company more than 5 years old ?....................................................Yes  /  No

*   Is your Start Up formed by splitting an existing business ?............................ Yes  /  No

*   In last 5 yrs, has your turnover exceeded Rs 25 Crores ?.............................  Yes  /  No

*   Is your product/service " DIFFERENTIATED "  ?............................................ Yes  /  No

*   Is your product / service " COMMERCIAL "  ?............................................... Yes  /  No

*  Is your product / service " INNOVATIVE "  ?................................................  Yes  /  No

*  Is your product / service driven by ,

    " TECHNOLOGY  / INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY "  ? ............................................Yes /  No

*  Is your product/service ,

   " NEW / SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED "  version "  ?.................... ...................... Yes / No

  

*  Does your product/service add " VALUE " to customers  ?................................ Yes / No

*  Does your product/service add " VALUE " to " WORKFLOW " ?.........................   Yes / No

*  Have you got CERTIFICATION  from Inter-Ministerial Board ?................................  Yes /  No

*  Have you got RECOMMENDATION from Incubator in Post Grad Indian College ?....... Yes / No

After a passage of two years , of the 200 Start Ups which applied for the tax exemption , only 10 start ups have qualified !

No prize for guessing how many will manage to get that loan of Rs 5 crore !

Government has provided Rs 500 crore per year – to help out 100 start ups ( @ Rs 5 cr each )

With the prescribed CRITERIA , only those 10 Start Ups will qualify to get the loans !

I wonder if we are really serious about this Start Up initiative

During his forthcoming visit to Israel , Shri Narendra Modiji , will find out that , in 2016 alone , Israeli Start Ups received VC funding to the tune of $ 4.8 billion ( approx. Rs 33,000 Cr )

In his VICTORY ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, two days back , Shri Modiji spoke of the birth of NEW INDIA

“ NEW INDIA “ can learn a lesson or two from :

 Spirit of  Israel 

{  https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/spirit-of-israel.html  }

15  March  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

How Cheap can it get ?

If you ask Tony Seba , how cheap can Solar power get , he would say :

Interest rate of the capital investment in a Solar Power plant

His reasoning :

·          There is no fuel cost ( sunlight is free )

·          Very little maintenance cost ( occasional washing of the panels )

·          No transmission costs ( if it is a roof-top plant )

In his book ( Clean Disruption ) , he writes :

·          Solar panel costs have dropped from $ 100/W in 1970 to $ 0.65 / W in 2013....Every time industry capacity doubles, costs drop by 22 per cent

·          Should solar PV continue to grow at 43 per cent annual clip, the solar capacity installed base will be 56.7 TW by 2030

·          The cost of fuel ( the Sun ) is zero . The on going costs of operations and maintenance ( O&M ) are close to zero

·          CONSEQUENTLY, THE COST OF BORROWING THE CAPITAL ( THE INTEREST RATE ) CONSTITUTES MOST OF WHAT A SOLAR USER PAYS FOR SOLAR ENERGY

·          For Lancaster ( a county in USA ) , the cost of Solar Power ( cents per kwh ) was 7 cents at interest rate of 10 % ( on capital employed ) . It dropped to 3.5 cents per kwh , when interest rate dropped to 1 % "

·          SO , IT IS CLEAR THAT THE " TRICK " LIES IN BRINGING DOWN THE INTEREST RATE FOR SOLAR POWER PLANTS, TO 1 %  OR LESS !

           

So , how cheap can Solar Power get if the interest rate drops to 0.25 % ?

Could it possibly drop to 1 CENT ( 68 paise ) per kwh ?  Only time will tell

But here is the good news ( Business Line / 15 March 2017 ) :

“ The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to develop internal transmission arrangements of the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh, a state government official said on Tuesday.

“The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to develop internal transmission arrangements of the Rewa project. It will provide 25 per cent of the loan amount under its Clean Technology Fund , where the money will be provided at an interest rate of only 0.25 per cent,” a state Public Relations Department official said.

This would be the first solar power project of the country to receive a loan under CTF, official said.

To understand how Solar Power will disrupt fossil fuel power ( coal / oil / gas ) and the transport ( petrol / diesel cars ) , read :

From  Greed  to  Great  ?

 { http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/10/from-greed-to-great.html  }

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Solar Power at Rs 1 per Kwh ?

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/01/solar-power-at-rs-1-per-kwh.html }

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Sun : Our Soul ( A New SOS )

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/01/sun-our-soul-new-sos.html }

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One Up on Donald Trump ?

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/one-up-on-donald-trump.html }

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SUN is THE SOLUTION

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/sun-is-solution.html }

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Unlimited Power : and round the clock ?

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/07/unlimited-power-and-round-clock.html }

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A WELCOME PROBLEM ?

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-welcome-problem.html }

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As far as the Solar Power’s potential for generation of JOBS is concerned , I request you to look up :

National Solar Jobs Census - 2016

{ http://www.thesolarfoundation.org/solar-jobs-census/  }

15  March  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

A Matter of Shame !

DNA ( 11 March 2017 ) carries following news report :

“ Install technology to detect objects on railway tracks : HC “

"This is a matter concerning the lives of thousands of Mumbaikars who travel daily by suburban trains. Prevention should be better than cure," the Bombay High Court observed on Friday while directing the Central and Western Railways to look up and install technology which will help detect foreign objects on railway tracks.

A division bench of Justice VM Kanade and Justice PR Bora asked Railways advocate Suresh Kumar to consult senior railway officials and consider the use of technology to prevent any incidents of sabotage being planned either by miscreants, terrorists or anti-social elements, by placing boulders and slabs on tracks. This apart, CR and WR officials have been directed to place on record its decision before the court on March 17.

The bench pressed for the installation of technology because it felt that it was humanly impossible for gangmen to monitor tracks. However, it asked the Railways to increase manpower and also enlist the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Home Guards for the same. The question of sabotage came up after the court referred to

several cases reported in the media about foreign objects being kept on tracks at different places in the country.

The court made this observation while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by activist Sameer Zaveri, highlighting the problem of accidental deaths at railway stations.

I suppose the HC did not wish to insult the technocrats of railway by saying :

“ All over the World , thousands of kilometres of railway tracks and cross-country oil / gas pipelines are being monitored , 24*7 , through use of low flying drones .

Maharashtra Government has even sub-contracted to a private party , the job of recording speeding cars on the Mumbai – Pune Expressway and alert the highway police to catch the culprits , in real time

And if you want to do better, just request ISRO to develop / install a technology , both in the railway tracks and in the train engine , which will simply bring the speeding train to a complete halt , 100 meters ahead of any obstruction on the track

Did you listen to what Shri A S Arunkumar ( ISRO Chief ) said at the 34^th Foundation Day celebration of the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology ( RRCAT ), a few days back ?

He said :

“ We have the capability to create a Space Station , but you ( government ) have to give us the money and time to make this happen

If the Government and country decides , we are ready

You need to provide us funding , policy clearance. Space mission is low priority for the government because one does not see any immediate use of this in country’s development and growth “

Dear Shri Suresh Prabhuji :

Would saving lives fall under “ Country’s development and growth “ ?

If you agree , please also inquire if ISRO can develop technology to save lives of 10 persons EVERY DAY , who get run over by local trains in Mumbai , by implementing my following suggestions ( sent to you as email ) :

·         Whyalways a “ High Level Inquiry “ ? 

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/01/why-always-high-level-inquiry.html }

·         Not soFuturistic  ? 

    { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/not-so-futuristic.html  }

·         IndianRailways : A  trillion dollar  opportunity 

     {  https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/indian-railways-trillion-dollar.html }

14  March  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Building Castles in the Air ?

Someone has said :

“ It is OK to build castles in the air , as long as you know how to put foundations underneath , later on “

THE  CASTLE [ GREEN  TRANSPORT ] :

·         Auto Mission Plan – 2016-26

India’s passenger vehicle market to grow from current 3.2 million to 13.4 million by 2026

Commercial vehicles to grow from 7 lakh ( 2014-15 ) to 39 lakh ( 2026 )

·         National Electric Mobility Mission Plan – 2020

6 million Electric and Hybrid vehicles on the road by 2020

All passenger and commercial vehicles to be powered by electricity by 2030

( Current population of all vehicles = 200 million )

·         Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles ( FAME )

Subsidies as follows :

#   Bikes………..Rs  29,000

#   Cars………..  Rs  138,000

·         Current Electric Vehicles Sales

#   2014-15………… 16,000

#   2015-16………..  22,000 ( only 2000 cars ; rest 2 wheelers )

·         Energy Import

#  2015-16……….. 202 million tons of oil ( valued at $ 150 billion )

#  By 2030……….  $ 300 billion

·         Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (V-VMP)

#  First Phase…… Scrap vehicles which are older than 15 years

·         Those surrendering their old vehicles will get some financial benefits.

·         Policy may provide benefits of Rs 2-3 lakh for every heavy vehicle to be scrapped.

     *  At the time of new purchase, manufacturer will offer some concession,

         government of India will provide some and there would be value for the scrap

·         The policy proposes three incentives for the vehicles scrapped –

#    half the road tax and excise duty at the time of purchase of the new vehicle,

#    fair value for the scrap, and

#    discounts from automobile manufacturers.

·         These incentives are likely to cut cost of a new vehicle for the buyer by 15% on an average. 

·          

THE   FOUNDATION :

There is NO WAY , this castle can hold up in the air – as envisaged above !

Shri Arun Jetleyji / ShriNitin Gadkariji / Shri Anant Geeteji / Shri Anil Daveji / Shri Piyush Goyalji , are requested to , once again , look up my following earlier blogs / emails.

They will find those foundations there !

·         Not a day too soon

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/not-day-too-soon.html  }

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·         Internet ofVehicles ( IoV )

      { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/internet-of-vehicles-iov.html }

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·         Welcome , Elon Musk!

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/welcome-elon-musk.html }

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·         From old to new ? –no , go Newer !

   { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/from-old-to-new-no-go-newer.html }

·         A Radical RadialRevolution

      { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-radical-radial-revolution.html }

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·         All Charged Up ?

    { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/08/all-charged-up.html }

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·         Retiring OldVehicles – Gadkari style ?

      { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/05/retiring-old-vehicles-gadkari-style.html }

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·         Piyush Plan

     { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/03/piyush-plan.html }

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·         Making Yourself  Obsolete  

     { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/02/making-yourself-obsolete.html }

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·         Pollution Solution 

     { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/12/pollution-solution-aka-pollsolv.html }

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13  March  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs