Society

Union Budget, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) has asked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to either rejig the FAME II scheme or reintroduce FAME I, saying the programme meant to promote EVs in its second avatar has been able to achieve less than 10 per cent of its target. The Rs 10,000-crore FAME-II scheme which is to be implemented over a period of three years, came into effect from April 1, 2019. It is the expanded version of FAME India I (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) which was launched on April 1, 2015, with a total outlay of Rs 895 crore. In a letter to the finance minister, the industry body of electric vehicle (EV) makers also called for a notional 'green cess' on polluting vehicles and use it to accelerate electric mobility, while also seeking reduction of GST on EVs sold without battery. "For a nascent and disruptive industry like EV that is heavily dependent on government policies, there needs to be an … [Read more...] about Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles calls for rejig of FAME II or reintroduction of FAME I

Ninh Binh (VNA) – The Red Cross Society of northern Ninh Binh province held a humanitarian Lunar New Year fair in support of the poor and the disabled in Yen Thanh, Yen Dong and Yen Thai – the poorest communes of Yen Mo district, on January 25. Joining the event, 180 poor households and those living with disabilities had a chance to receive vouchers worth 500,000 VND (21.7 USD), which could be used once to buy necessities for free at stalls. Chairman of the provincial Red Cross Society Bui Trong Ky said the event is a joint effort among the provincial Red Cross Society, businesses and philanthropists with an aim to ease difficulties faced by the poor. Initiated by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the event will be held in all districts and city in the province between now and the Lunar New Year festival which will fall by the middle of this month./. … [Read more...] about Humanitarian Lunar New Year fair for the poor in Ninh Binh

Hanoi (VNA) – A French court will open a hearing on a lawsuit filed by Vietnamese-French Tran Thi To Nga against 14 multinational companies for producing and selling chemical toxins that was sprayed by the US army in the war in Vietnam, causing serious consequences for the community, her children and herself. Nga, born in 1942, filed the lawsuit in May 2014. Among the companies named in her suit, there were such names as Monsanto (now under the German group Bayer) and Dow Chemical. With the support of several non-governmental organizations, Nga accused the companies of causing lasting harm to the health of her, her children and countless others, as well as destroying the environment. "I am fighting for not only myself, but also my children and millions of victims”, Nga stated. Tran To Nga graduated from a Hanoi university in 1966 and became a war correspondent of the Liberation News Agency, now the Vietnam News Agency. She worked in some of the most heavily … [Read more...] about French court to hold hearing on AO lawsuit

Commenting on the tenure of the 12th National Party Congress, Sengupta stressed that any one should herald achievements in industrial modernisation and agriculture development based on modern technology that Vietnam earned following the Congress. During the period, socio-political stability and national defence-security continued to be strengthened. Vietnam also witnessed successes in its foreign policy based on the principles of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development and multilateralisation of external relations, thus improving its prestige as a responsible member of the international community. … [Read more...] about VIETNAM NEWS JANUARY 25

According to the Information Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (AGROINFO) under the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD), as of late 2019, FDI in Vietnamese agriculture reached US$3.5 billion, accounting for 0.97 percent of total FDI capital in Vietnam, while the global average is three percent. The biggest foreign investors in the Vietnamese agricultural sector included Chinese Taipei, the Virgin Islands (UK), Singapore and Thailand, which accounted for more than 50 percent of total foreign investment capital in the sector. … [Read more...] about Needed: A proper strategy to attract FDI in agriculture