30.4.15

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015

In a move which may give a major boost to the country's efforts to increase its green cover under a law, the Union Cabinet gave its approval for introducing a new legislation in current session of the Parliament.
The proposed law -Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 -seeks to create an institutional mechanism to properly utilize a corpus of Rs.38,000 crore for afforestation and other related works like wildlife care and ecological services under central and state monitoring authorities.
Besides utilizing the unspent accumulated amount (Rs.38,000 crore), the new authorities -which are to be set up both at the central and state levels -will also monitor use of fresh accrual of an estimated Rs.6,000 crore per annum to newly created “non-lapsable interest bearing“ funds.
The bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament next week. Once the bill is passed, the fund will be distributed among the states and Union territories for afforestation under a central monitoring mechanism.“The legislation seeks to provide an appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in each state and Union Territory , to ensure expeditious utilization in efficient and transparent manner of amounts realized in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose,“ said a statement.

Bharat Mala


The government is proposing to build about 5,000 km of road network all along the borders and coastal areas under a new scheme to be called “Bharat Mala“. If former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's scheme of building Golden Quadrilateral gave a fillip to the highway construction in the country , the new plan will connect all untouched areas in the hinterland to push development and economic activities. Construction of the huge network would need at least Rs.50,000 crore, ministry sources said.
Officials said the project would be part of `work plan' the road transport ministry will submit to PM Narendra Modi on Thursday when he takes the first meeting on infrastructure sector in the current financial year. The road network will pass through all bordering states -Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Bhutan -besides covering the vast coastline.
“Already we have good road network in these stretches. We will build the missing links and also extend the network where no road exists at present. These will provide connectivity to the huge number of ports, which will be part of the `Sagar Mala' project. Once completed, these will provide seamless connectivity along the borders, which is crucial for strategic reasons,“ said a ministry official. According to sources, Rajasthan is likely to get a maximum of about 1,000 km road network under this programme. The roads will provide connectivity from Gujarat to Mizoram in the northeast and across all other states.

West Bengal Civic Poll' Results




28.4.15

Trade snapshot


Of Civic Polls in Maharashtra



Direct & Indirect Tax


Agriculture



Bengal Aerotropolis update

Bengal's showcase project -the greenfield airport at Andal in Burdwan district -finally received the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) licence for commercial flight operation. DGCA granted requisite clearances after the detailed scrutiny and installation of navigational equipment by the communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS), the final component for the facility to become operational.
Flight calibration is considered to be a must for getting the all-important DGCA clearance.Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) is optimistic about starting full-fledged scheduled and non-scheduled flight operation from mid-May . National carrier Air India is likely to fly along the Delhi-Andal-Kolkata sector on May 17. IndiGo and Air Pegasus will follow shortly.
It will definitely be a feather in BAPL's cap if the national carrier decides to operate some of its domestic flights from Andal. BAPL has already offered some compelling concessions for both scheduled and nonscheduled airline operators.
The airport was named the Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport by chief minister Mamata Banerjee. A 12-seater aircraft has al ready touched down at Andal airport runway and later took off from it.
Airport Authority of India (AAI) flew in a Beechcraft-350 -with engineers and technicians from the communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) department onboard -on March 14, 2015. This flight by AAI marked the initiation of a three-day flight calibration schedule of the navigational and meteorological equipments at the physically complete 650 acre Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, the centrepiece of the Rs.10,000 crore airport city developed by BAPL.
Airport developer BAPL has sought for permission to operate Airbus A320 or Boeing B737 (category 4C) aircraft from Andal. It can only make the final application after the airport is absolutely ready to handle flights.
The Bengal government has 1.2% stake in BAPL, and Singapore's Changi Airport is the single largest shareholder. BAPL sources said Pinnacle Air, a non-scheduled airline, will begin its operations from Durgapur four days a week, connecting Bagdogra, Cooch Behar, Durgapur and Kolkata shortly.

Regional Rail Connectivity


For the first time in the history of mass transit in the country, the integration of a rail system operated by Indian Railways with a state-owned Metro rail network will be effected.
Once implemented, the integration will result in significant savings for both the state and Union governments. The ministry of railways has given the in-principle approval for the integration. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) has been formed, making Indian Railways and the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB) partners.
This will mean that citizens on a singe ticket coming from areas like Gandhinagar, Sanand, Viramgam, Dholka, Dhandhuka, Kalol, Kadi, Nadiad, Anand and Naroda, will be able to use the Metro and regional railway services.
Once operational, the network will connect and use the existing railway network.
However, the Centre has said that it may not be possible for the railways to fund the project.
However, GIDB officials said that state does not need funds from the Centre as it plans to develop the project on the PPP model. The officials said that setting up new tracks would have been costly, so the state government sent the proposal to the central government to allow the use of the existing railway tracks for the project. “This was only possible with the change of regime at the Centre,“ said a senior officer from the state government. “In September 2014, the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given the approval to use to railway land for elevated corridor connecting Vasna and Motera.“
On an average, there is time gap of around 15 minutes between two routine trains and hence the state government wants to use the free time and run one regional train.
The only expense would be incurred in laying a second track between Ahmedabad and Kalol via Gandhinagar and Asarwa and Naroda.
The state government had sent a proposal for developing a suburban railway network in Ahmedabad area which is about 53 km long, connecting the state capital with the Ahmedabad city and extending it to various towns situated on the outskirts of the city.
The total cost for the 53 km regional railway service is estimated to be around Rs.2,050 crore. The cost for the 37.76 km elevated and underground Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro service connecting Vasna and Motera (north-south corridor) and Thaltej to Vastral (east-west corridor) is estimated to be around Rs.10,773 crore.
The state government officials said that according to the proposal, the railways will lay a third track between Ahmedabad-Vatva, while they will undertake gauge conversion of the Ahmedabad-Mehsana and Ahmedabad-Botad routes. The RRS will lay a third line between Ahmedabad-Kalol and a second line from Khodiyar to Kalol via Gandhinagar and also another track on the Asarwa-Naroda route.

Government cancels licences of 8,975 NGOs

The Centre has cancelled the licences of 8,975 NGOs for failing to file annual returns for three years, days after suspending foreign funding of Greenpeace India and putting Ford Foundation on its watchlist. The order issued on Sunday said 10,343 NGOs last October were told to file returns within a month, specifying the amount of foreign funds received, their sources and purpose. But only 229 reverted to the home ministry , forcing it to cancel the licences.

27.4.15

We'll try to wipe tears of all Nepalese: PM



PM Narendra Modi reached out to the victims of the disastrous earth quake in Nepal and said India would make all possible efforts to help the Nepalese and wipe their tears in this hour of crisis.
He said India's efforts gelled with its age-old ethos of `Seva Parmo Dharma' (service is our principle duty), manifested in India's intervention in various crises across the world including the recent one in Yemen.
“I can feel what Nepal and its people must be going through since I have seen closely the devastation caused by the earthquake in Kutch (Gujarat) on January 26, 2001,“ Modi said in his monthly `Mann Ki Baat' radio programme on AIR. “My dear brothers and sisters of Nepal, India is with you in this hour of grief. For 125 crore Indians, Nepal is their own country and India will make all efforts to wipe the tears of every person in Nepal, hold their hands and stand with them,“ he said.
Modi said a number of rescue teams along with sniffer dogs were sent to Nepal to save as many lives as they could after the earthquake caused widespread damage.
Observing that help had already started and teams of experts had been sent, he said the priority was to rescue those who might still be alive under the debris, adding that relief and rehabilitation work after the rescue operations will go on for a long time.
Recounting sacrifices made by Indian soldiers in WW I and its contribution in vari ous peacekeeping missions led by the UN, Modi said the world witnessed India's spirit of `Seva Parmo Dharma' during rescue operations in Yemen.
“India earned accolades from various countries when we rescued people of nearly 48 countries in Yemen. This shows our spirit of serving people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion,“ he said.
Talking about the role played by India in the rescue operations in Yemen, Modi said, “We realized the power of humanity when our forces saved a week-old infant in Yemen amid raining bullets and exploding bombs. It was the most pleasurable moment of my life.“




World's largest biometric ID system

The Aadhaar card has emerged as one of the largest biometric identification programmes in the world with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is suing nearly 82 crore cards.
Available data shows that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) biometric data base is way behind with 15 crore and with more Indians expected to register for Aadhaar, it could emerge as the largest programme of its kind globally.
Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of enrolments with 10.48 crore cards while Maharashtra had 9.19 crore and West Bengal 6.12 crore up to April 20 Data showed that the UIDAI has issued 81.78 crore cards, covering nearly 67% of the population. The unique ID card programme, which was on the brink of being abandoned after the NDA government was swept to power in May last year, has been pursued vigorously by the Modi administration as it pushed to tackle unwieldy subsidies and roll out its massive Jan Dhan financial inclusion drive.
The government persisted with Aadhaar after the former chairman of UIDAI Nandan Nilekani detailed the benefits of the Aadhaar card to PM Narendra Modi.
The government is using it extensively in targeting cooking gas subsidies in the petroleum sector.
The government is leaning heavily on the JAM Number Trinity -Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile -to better target subsidies.

Fast Food slows down


NaMo's Trips planned


Nuke weapons


Monsoon snapshotz







Aviation snapshotz



Of Gas-based Power Plants....


25.4.15

GST Bill Introduced

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the Goods and Services Tax Bill in the Lok Sabha for consideration, braving a prolonged wrangling with the Opposition over procedure. Almost the entire Opposition raised technical objections and insisted that the bill be referred to the standing committee.
Given that GST is a Constitution amendment bill that requires two-thirds support in both the Houses and with Congress looking keen on `returning the compliment' to BJP for blocking the same bill when it was in power, the government will need deft political management, especially in Opposition-dominated Rajya Sabha, to ensure the bill's passage. The government has exuded confidence in its ability to push the bill through in both Houses by next week despite the majority of Opposition parties staging a walkout in the Lok Sabha.
Even as Jaitley exhorted all sections of the House to jointly back the bill by citing how GST could offer a `win-win' situation for the states in earning more revenues and by showcasing the legislature “as the best example of co-operative federalism on display ,“ Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was seen actively encouraging party members to press for referring the bill to the standing committee, a demand that was backed by most Opposition parties including government friendly parties AIADMK and BJD.
Later in the day, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said his party was not against GST, “which is our baby“ but warned the Centre of “consequences“ it could face (in the Rajya Sabha) if the bill is pushed without referring to the standing committee.
Congress leaders are debating whether they should eventually let the bill sail through, citing the “party's principled support to the bill“ or whether it should hold back the legislation for a while as it did with the insurance bill. There are indications that apart from trying to engage Congress and allies, Jaitley is also in back-room negotiations with chief ministers such as Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalaithaa, Navin Patnaik and leaders such as Sharad Pawar and some Janata Parivar parties to mop up support. GST needs to be ratified by at least half the number of states too to become a law.

Mann Ki Baat


Unhappy India!


Already rated an unhappy place in 2014 with a ranking of 111, India dropped six places to 117 out of 158 countries ranked in the 2015 list, which took into account data from 2012-2015, and was as usual was dominated by wealthy Nordic nations.
Switzerland displaced Denmark from first place. Iceland, recovering from its economic meltdown, was placed second. Denmark, Norway , and Canada rounded off the top five. The US came 15th and China was ranked at 84.
The bottom 10 were crisis states, wracked by disease or war: Chad, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Benin, Syria, Burundi and Togo. At 81 and 109, Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively, are positioned happier than India.
South Asia broadly features in the bottom half. Bhutan, which prides itself on its Gross National Happiness index, is best placed at 79. Pakistan ranked a surprising 81st (better than even China) considering the near-constant turmoil in the country.Even Bangladesh (109) fared better than India. Only Nepal (121) and Sri Lanka (132) were considered bleaker.
Why India, which is generally considered a country with great promise and a bright future is ranked so poorly, while countries with aging population and declining economic growth are ranked higher, is not hard to fathom.
The index considers current conditions and also takes into account not just economic measures, but also positive social relations, characterized by values such as trust, benevolence and shared social identities that contribute positively to economic outcomes as well as delivering happiness directly .
Pro-social behavior, including honesty , benevolence, cooperation, and trustworthiness, entails individuals making decisions for the common good that may conflict with short-run egoistic incentives, the report explains.
Countries that are at the top of the rankings show evidence of high social capital, while those at the bottom show the opposite: generalized distrust, pervasive corruption, and lawless behavior (e.g. widespread tax evasion that deprives the government of the needed funds to invest in public goods).


EPFO allowed to invest 5% corpus in ETFs

The government has allowed retirement fund body EPFO to invest 5% of its corpus in exchange traded funds (ETFs) which will result into an inflow of around Rs.5,000 crore into the stock markets during this fiscal.
The labour ministry notified the new investment pattern for the Employees' Provident Fund Organization two-three days ago.
According to estimates the EPFO's incremental de posits for 2014-15 would be around Rs.80,000 crore. During the current fiscal, the incremental deposits could be around Rs.1 lakh crore as the body had increased the monthly wage ceiling for coverage under its social security schemes to Rs.15,000 from Rs.6,500 in September last year.

Somewhere near Tadoba Tiger Reserve....


A 15-month-old female tiger cub was run over by a vehicle on the outskirts of Chandrapur near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. The cub managed to crawl around 30 metres into the foliage after being hit by an unknown vehicle. The cub's body was semi-decomposed indicating the accident took place at least two to three days ago. Forest officials found the carcass in the forest beside road no. 476 under the forest development corporation of Maharashtra, Junona range, on Thursday .
Corporation official Sudhakar Dole said the cub suffered multiple injuries including a fractured limb. “There were signs of it being dragged some distance with the vehicle,“ Dole said.
It was the fourth instance of a carnivore's death in a road accident in Chandrapur in the last five months. A full-grown female leopard died in an accident on Junona-Karwa road in Ballarpur range and its body was discovered on December 19 last year. The death of a female tiger cub on the outskirts of Chandrapur near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve highlights the rising number of deaths of wild animals on the road that goes through the forest.
A sub-adult leopard was knocked dead by a speeding vehicle on Umri Potdar-Maonra road and its body discovered on January 11. Also, the carcass of a female tiger was discovered on Mudholi-Katwal road on Moharli range on January 1, but the forest department had ascribed her death to a territorial fight.
The Junona range has been in news for poaching and lack of protection, resulting in several large carnivore deaths in recent years.
Honorary wildlife warden Bandu Dhotre said the Junona forest is an important tiger corridor on the southern side of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve. “This pristine forest is rich with herbivores and predator population thanks to ample water,“ Dhotre said. “However, there's no control over vehicular movement on the Junona-Gilbili-Pombhurna road that cuts through the forest,“ Dhotre said.
“The road is frequented by wildlife buffs and even motorists wanting to avoid highway traffic. With no speed breakers and warning signposts about wildlife presence, vehicle speeds are high on the stretch,“ he added. Asked about the unchecked traffic on the road, Dole said the forest department has directed the PWD to build speed breakers on the road. “We've started measures to restrain traffic movement on the Junona-Gilbili road. As a first step, a check post has been put up at Junona. It will be manned by the forest department and record every vehicle passing on the road,“ Dole said.

23.4.15

Somewhere in Maharashtra...


Death of a Farmer


A 41-year-old farmer from Dausa in Rajasthan hanged himself before more than a thousand people at a kisan rally called by the Aam Aadmi Party to protest against the land acquisition Bill, in Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.
Gajendra Singh, climbed the tree, with a broom in hand, at around 1 pm and remained there for about half-an-hour even as the crowd standing below and the AAP leaders on the stage urged him to come down. The seriousness of the situation became clear when Singh tied a piece of cloth around his neck, wrapping the other end around a branch of the tree. It was another 25 minutes before he was brought down by AAP volunteers and rushed to hospital.
In the minutes before he hanged himself, Singh threw down a note, written in Hindi, which said that he was 41 years old, from Nangal Jhamarwara village in Dausa, had three children, and had been thrown out of his house by his father because his crops had failed. “Give me a solution so I can return home,” said the letter, ending with, “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.”
“He was brought to emergency by police personnel… There was no pulse, blood pressure or pupil movement. We tried resuscitation measures but it was clear that it was too late,” said a senior hospital official.






Somewhere Online....







IMD's Monsoon Forecast

Raising the spectre of a second successive year of deficient rains, the India Meteorological Department has predicted below normal rainfall for the upcoming monsoon season with a 33% probability of rains being less than 90%, commonly referred to as a drought.
“The monsoon seasonal rainfall is likely to be 93% of the long period average with a model error of plus or minus 5%,“ said Union earth science minister Harsh Vardhan, announcing IMD's first long range forecast for the monsoon. The forecast spells further bad news for the farm sector which has had poor back-to-back kharif and rabi seasons. Harsh Vardhan said there was no reason to panic, as government agencies were prepared to take all necessary measures to deal with the below normal rainfall situation.
As per IMD's first stage forecast, there is a 35% probability of a `below normal' monsoon with rains in the 90% to 96% range. The odds on normal rains (96%-104%) were placed at 28%, while there was a worrying 33% chance that rains could slip below the 90% mark.
Ministry of earth science secretary Shailesh Nayak said initial predictions indicate poor rains in the agriculturally important northwest India as well as in the central parts of the country, as compared to south India. “The main factor behind the prediction of below-par rains is the high chance that El Nino, which has already developed, would continue through the Indian summer,“ D Sivananda Pai, IMD's lead monsoon forecaster said.
As in the past few years, IMD also released an experimental forecast using its more modern coupled dynamical model, which predicts the all India monsoon rainfall to be 91% of average. In April last year, facing a similar situation of a growing El Nino, IMD had predicted `below normal' monsoon with 95% rainfall. The monsoon eventually produced 88% rains in June-September, making 2014 a drought year (IMD prefers to call below 90% rains as `deficient' monsoon). As usual, IMD will issue an update to its forecast in June, when region-wise and monthly predictions will be released.

22.4.15

Mumbai DP 2034 scrapped

Opinions are divided over Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's decision to scrap the contentious Mumbai Development Plan. The BJP leaders say Fadnavis may have managed to kill two birds with one stone, while the opponents have sneered that he had no options left.
The government was facing criticism from various quarters over the flaws in the plan, with activists saying it favoured the builders, and had nothing for the common man.
By scrapping it, Fadnavis has not only emerged as the champion of the aam aadmi, but has also given the BJP an upper hand in its uneasy relationship with ally Shiv Sena, a senior BJP leader has said. “The chief minister has done the right thing by scrapping the plan, and not exploring the option of giving it an extension. Had the plan been given an extension, the Sena and the MNS would have got plenty of ammunition to attack us,“ the party leader said.
The plan had proposed a considerable hike in Floor Space Index (FSI), ratio of a building's total floor area to the size of the plot of land on which it is built, and also opened up the so far protected south Mumbai for utilisation of transfer of development rights (TDR) as floating FSI.
The overall increase in bulk FSI was linked to proximity to mass transit modes but not indexed to provision of physical and social infrastructure.Activists had claimed it would increase congestion in already crowded areas such as Andheri and Dadar.
The BJP sources said that Fadnavis has used the opportunity to silence the Sena and the MNS, which had given the Development Plan an emotional pitch, by claiming that it was against the interests of the Marathi manoos.
The Sena had distanced itself from the Development Plan, putting the onus of taking it forward entirely on Fadnavis. Sensing trouble for his party which rules the cash-rich BMC, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had said that his party had nothing to do with the plan. “It deserved to be flung in the dustbin if it offered no relief to working class Mumbaikars,“ he had said.
Similarly, MNS chief R a j Thackeray had rallied Bollywood celebrities to protest against the plan, and said that the politician-builder nexus was out to oust the Marathi manoos from the city.
Hours after the plan had been scrapped, Uddhav wrote to Fadnavis demanding that Sena be heard while formulating the new Development Plan. “The focus should be on improving infrastructure rather than increasing the FSI. The DP needs to be a comprehensive planning guideline rather than a rigid set of rules, which have become impractical and outdated,“ Uddhav's letter said.

Another airline in the making....


21.4.15

RaGa's back

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi mixed wit with political savviness as he continued with his at tack on the Modi government in his first speech during the Budget Session in Lok Sabha, which resumed on Monday.
Addressing a farmers' rally a day earlier, Rahul had accused PM Narendra Modi of bringing in the land acquisition ordinance to grab farmers' land and use it repay industrialists who funded his election campaign last year.
Modi was singled out yet again, with Rahul calling the NDA government a `suit-boot ki sarkar' in an apparent reference to the expensive suit worn by the PM during US President Barack Obama's visit in January.
As ruling party MPs rose in protest, he added, tongue firmly in cheek, “Chalo suit ki baat khatam ho gayi hai (the talk about the suit is over). You auctioned it. I will not speak about it now. Happy?“ When his reference to Modi as “aap ke pradhan mantri (your PM)“ elicited sharp remonstrations from some BJP MPs who said Modi was PM of the country, Rahul replied, “Ok, desh ke pradhan mantri hain... but is he not your PM?“ He did not stop at this, saying Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the only leader in the ruling party who speaks his heart. “He (Gadkari) had said farmers should not depend on god, or the government. It was dil ki baat, mann ki baat (spoken from the heart),“ he added.
Rahul's appearance in Lok Sabha and his speech clearly left his party MPs both delighted and entertained.“Rahul has learnt to play to the galleries, as he did today. That is what we wanted. He has decided to walk the path of power, responsibility. He will give Modi a run for his money,“ said Silchar MP Sushmita Dev. “Rahul communicated with a sense of ease, spoke with wit, humour and charm and managed to have his say in the House. We gained an upper hand over the Opposition,“ she added.
Surrounded by the Congress's `youth brigade' including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gaurav Gogoi and Dev, Rahul said Modi was “committing a mistake by thinking that industrialists and corporates were the real power in India“.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had been present in the House since morning, left before Rahul's speech. Later, she told reporters that those who attended had praised his speech.
No senior minister except the agriculture minister and parliamentary affairs minister were present in the Lok Sabha, while finance minister Arun Jaitley put in a brief appearance.


“The acche din government has failed the country.“

“My small advice to the PM is why doesn't he go to the affected farmers and see their plight for themselves?“ “We know your government is of industrialists, it is of big people, we all know it, everyone knows it. Suit-boot ki sarkar hai yeh, we understand it. [After vociferous protests from the treasury benches] The suit-boot has been sold off, we won't say anything about it, are you happy?“ “You are hurting the farmer, and he will hurt you when the time comes. The farmer are the true power of the nation.“

TN GIM 2015


INS Visakhapatnam






Indian Navy's new stealth destroyer, Visakhapatnam, designed indigenously and fitted with advanced features, was launched in Mumbai on Monday , boosting the maritime force's firepower capability .
The Kolkata-class warship, the first of P15-B stealth destroyers, was launched by Minu Dhowan, wife of chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan, at Mazagaon Docks Ltd (MDL). Top Navy and MDL officials were present on the occasion.
The ship weighed approximately 3,000 tons during the launch.
The 163-metre-long vessel will be propelled by four gas turbines, and is designed to achieve a speed of over 30 knots at a displacement of approximately 7,300 tons.
The indigenously designed stealth destroyer will have state-of-the-art weapons, sensors, an advance Action Information System, in Integrated Platform Management system, sophisticated Power Distribution System and a host of other advanced features.
It will be fitted with supersonic surface-to-surface missile system. The system enables the ship to engage shorebased and naval surface targets at long range, making it a lethal platform for strike against enemy targets.
The ship's air defence capability, designed to counter the threat of enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles, will revolve around the vertical launch and long range surface to air missile system.
Four 30mm rapid-fire guns will provide the ship with close-in-defence capability, while an MR gun will enable her to provide effective naval gunfire support.
Indigenously developed twin tube torpedo launchers and rocket launchers will add punch to the ship's antisubmarine capability . The vessel is follow-on of P15A Kolkata-class destroyers with enhanced features.
The vessel is expected to be commissioned in the Navy in 2018.
The indigenization content in P15-B class destroyers is a notch above her illustrious predecessors in line with the `Make in India policy' of the Government.
The P15-B stealth destroyers have been designed by the force's in-house unit Directorate of Naval Design.
The design of Project 15B destroyers is testimony of the Navy's firm commitment towards achieving indigenisation by using high-end technology in the field of weapon sensors machinery and stealth.