Investment in logistics to touch $500 bn by 2025: Prabhu
New Delhi, July 30 : Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu on Monday said investments in logistics and infrastructure will touch $500 billion by 2025 as the country becomes an attractive destination for manufacturing and services.
"Expenditure on investment in logistics, including infrastructure, will touch $500 billion, by 2025... this will create millions of jobs and also do away with the hurdles hampering India's internal and global trade," Prabhu said at an event here.
Prabhu said India, with initiatives like "Digital India, Make in India and Skill India", is now being looked upon as one of the most appropriate destinations for manufacturing and service locations by many of the foreign companies.
The minister further said the government has taken many measures to improve the trade performance through efficient and effective logistics including granting of infrastructure status to "warehousing, cold chains and multi-modal logistics parks".
"The measures include smoothening of the border and cross border documentation and activities, dedicated freight corridors, investments in port and other infrastructures, alignment of all business processes thus attempting to improve logistics performance of the country," he was quoted as saying in an official statement.
According to Prabhu, the ministry is working on a "National Logistics Policy" and another policy on the development of "Multi-modal Logistics Parks" to be announced soon.
A logistics wing has been created in the Department of Commerce for integrated development of the sector.
Prabhu was speaking at an event where the commerce department's logistics wing and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) singned an MoU for setting up a Centre for Trade Facilitation and Logistics Excellence (CTFL).
The Centre has been given a mandate to bring together industry, academia, governments and organizations of national and international level, to work on key supply chain and logistics and management challenges facing firms in the globalised environment.
Prabhu said the cost and speed of logistics at present is hindering the market share that Indian products deserve and CTFL will attempt to solve these issues. It will also train trade facilitation and logistics professionals and government officials concerned.
The minister also released the logo of logistics division. It is a graphic symbol representing a pair of swans known for their ability to travel long distances and are comfortable in the sky, water and on earth and represents team work between various partners in logistics.
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Two women died, 6 taken ill after ‘consuming’ mango kernel gruel in Odisha
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur/Phulbani, Nov 1: At least two tribal women died and six others fell ill after allegedly consuming mango kernel gruel in Odisha's Kandhamal district, police said on Friday.
Consumption of mango kernel, prepared by boiling the seeds in water, was reported from Mandipanka village in the district's Daringbadi block, an officer said.
While one of the two women (Rasmita Pattamajhi aged 22) died on Thursday night at Mohana community health centre in Gajapati district where she was undergoing treatment after "consuming the gruel", another woman (Runu Majhi aged 29) breathed her last while being taken to MKCG Medical College Hospital in Berhampur, Gadapur sarpanch Kumari Mallick said.
Six others, who fell ill after allegedly consuming the gruel, were admitted to a hospital and their condition was critical, said Dr Subrat Das, a medical officer of the health facility.
"All the six have been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition. We suspected that they fell sick due to food poisoning. The exact cause of the illness will be ascertained after completion of the investigation," he added.
The six were identified as Pravati Patmajhi, Dranglu Patmajhi, Tuni Majhi, Susama Patmajhi, Jita Majhi and Jibanti Majhi, Daringbadi BDO Pritiranjan Ratha said.
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has rejected allegations that tribal people have been consuming mango kernel gruel due to a lack of access to rice under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
Rasmita's husband Anil Pattamajhi alleged that they were denied rice under PDS for the last three months because of which his wife consumed mango kernel.
However, Kandhamal district magistrate-cum-collector Amrit Ruturaj dismissed the allegations, saying the family received rice according to PDS norms. "We are awaiting the postmortem report to determine the facts," the collector added.
Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, who is also in-charge of the women and child development department said, "It is not a case of malnutrition. Mango kernel is part of their (tribal) regular diet. Sometime, the mango kernels get contaminated and lead to such unfortunate incidents. We have been actively spreading awareness about the risks of food contamination."
Health and family welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling, who ordered a departmental inquiry into the death of two tribal women, said a team from the district headquarters hospital and another local team are at the spot to assess the situation and conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
Mahaling said that the government was waiting for the postmortem report for a confirmation on the cause of the deaths. "People in Kandhamal consume mango kernel. It is common in that region and there also have been reports of health complications linked to it in the past," he said.
The Kandhmal incident reminds a similar tragedy involving mango kernel deaths in Kashipur block of Rayagada district, where at least 20 people died in 2001, and two more succumbed to mango kernel consumption in 2016. Additionally, mango kernel has claimed lives in Laxmipur in Koraput district in 2012 and 2013, as well as in Jharigaon in Nabarangpur district in 2018.
