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India, Maldives sign 4 pacts including $100M grant for key connectivity project

India and the Maldives on Monday signed four agreements, including one for a $100-million grant for a connectivity project, as visiting foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and the Maldivian leadership discussed ways to boost economic recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Shringla is on a two-day visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago as part of New Delhi’s outreach to key countries in the neighbourhood and beyond. The Maldives is the sixth country he has visited in the aftermath of pandemic-related travel restrictions, the others being Bangladesh, Myanmar, France, Germany and the UK. One of four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed by the two sides was for the grant of $100 million by India for the $500-million Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) that will link capital Male with three islands. India will also provide a $400-million line of credit for the project, the largest such infrastructure venture undertaken in the Maldives. The other MoUs were for setting up soil and plant testing laboratories through a grant of 1.71 million Maldivian rufiyaas, establishing a drug detox facility through a grant of 7.7 million Maldivian rufiyaas and cooperation in sports and youth affairs. The GMCP, “an economic lifeline connecting Male with Villingili, the new commercial port at Gulhifalhu and industrial zone at Thilafushi” will “conform to the hallmarks of Indian development cooperation – transparency, full participation and ownership of the host country, and competitive pricing”, Shringla said while speaking at the foreign ministry in Male. “We deeply appreciate the government of President [Ibrahim] Solih for its ‘India First’ foreign policy. This is reciprocated in full measure by our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy in which the Maldives enjoys a very special and central place,” he said. Talks between Shringla and his Maldivian counterpart Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed focused on economic recovery. They emphasised “resilience efforts to curb the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, including boosting tourism, accelerating the implementation of the ongoing development cooperation projects across the Maldives, and the means of elevating connectivity and bilateral trade”, according to a statement from the Maldives’ foreign ministry. India has unveiled a slew of measures to boost economic recovery in the Maldives, where the tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. In September, India provided a soft loan of $250 million as budgetary support. The two sides also launched a cargo ferry service to cut transportation costs. Shringla began his visit with a meeting with President Solih, seen as one of India’s strongest allies in the neighbourhood. The two sides discussed ways to enhance regional trade and connectivity, economic cooperation, tourism and overcoming the pandemic. Solih thanked the Indian government for agreeing to implement an air bubble between the two sides and noted that increasing numbers of Indian tourists had visited the Maldives since it reopened its borders. Solih thanked India for backing development projects through a line of credit agreements, including the GMCP, Gulhifalhu port project, water and sewerage projects on 34 islands and a cancer hospital. Shringla also met Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and defence minister Mariya Didi, whom he assured of India’s “continued assistance to safeguard our shared interests in the Indian Ocean”, according to a tweet from the Indian high commission.

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India: New guidelines issued for international arrivals

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued new guidelines for international arrivals in the wake of rising Coronavirus cases in Europe. As per the news guidelines, travellers will not be required to undergo institutional or home quarantine if they can submit a negative RT-PCR report that has been conducted within 72 hours of their journey. As per the circular issued, it says, “They should also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, through concerned airlines before they are allowed to undertake the journey that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority to undergo facility/home quarantine/ self-monitoring of their health for 14 days, or as warranted.” For those seeking exemption from quarantine, they can submit a self-declaration form online, at least 72 hours before their scheduled travel. They can even opt to do so after arriving at the airport at the respective health counters. Those who could not undergo RT-PCR test done prior to their departure and are wishing to seek exemption from institutional quarantine, they can avail the facility at the airport and undergo the said test, where such a provision exists. As of now, such airports include Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Cochin. However, in cases such as international passengers arriving without a negative COVID certificate, and not opting for the RT-PCR test at the airport, or arriving at an airport where such a facility is not available, they will be required to undergo mandatory seven days institutional quarantine, as well as seven days home quarantine. Although these are the new guidelines issued by the Central Government, individual states are also allowed to impose additional restrictions with regard to isolation and quarantine rules on passengers arriving in the state from abroad.

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PM Narendra Modi to lay foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 614 crore in Varanasi today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of various development projects in Varanasi, on Monday (November 9, 2020). The developmental projects are related to the agriculture, infrastructure, and tourism sector. The total cost implication of these projects is Rs 614 crore, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. Taking to microblogging site Twitter, PM Modi said, "An important chapter in the development journey of Varanasi will be added tomorrow. I will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of many projects through video conferencing at 10.30 am. These include those related to agriculture, tourism as well as other infrastructure projects." As per the statement issued by the PMO, the prime minister will also interact with the beneficiaries of these projects during the event. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present on the occasion. The projects to be inaugurated include Sarnath Light and Sound show, upgradation of Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital Ramnagar, sewerage related works, infrastructure facilities for protection and conservation of cows, multipurpose seed storehouse. Other projects that will be inaugurated are agriculture produce warehouse of 100 MT, IPDS phase 2, a housing complex for players in Sampurnanand Stadium, Varanasi city smart lighting work, along with 105 Anganwadi Kendras and 102 'Gau Ashray Kendras'. During the event, the prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for projects including the redevelopment of Dashashwamedh Ghat and Khidkiya Ghat, barracks for PAC police force, redevelopment of certain wards of Kashi, parking facility along with redevelopment of park in Beniya Bagh, upgradation of the multi-purpose hall in Girija Devi Sanskritik Sankul, repair work of roads in the city and development of tourist places.

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PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Ro-Pax ferry service in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a Ro-Pax ferry service between Hazira near Surat and Ghogha in Bhavnagar district. The service will reduce the 375-km road distance between Bhavnagar and Surat to 90-km by sea route, Modi said while flagging off the service via video conferencing. It will save time and fuel and boost eco and religious tourism in the Saurashtra region of the state, a release issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) earlier said. The three-deck Ro-Pax Ferry Vessel 'Voyage Symphony' connecting Hazira in Surat district of south Gujarat and Ghogha in Saurashtra's Bhavnagar has a load capacity of 30 trucks, 100 passenger cars, and 500 passengers plus 34 crew and hospitality staff, it said.

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Air travel registers 33% sequential improvement in domestic traffic during Oct: ICRA

The Indian aviation industry has witnessed continued recovery in domestic passenger traffic in October 2020, with a sequential growth (over September 2020) of 33% to 52 lakh passengers. The capacity deployment in October 2020 at 52% (vis-a-vis October 2019) is a significant increase over the 33% capacity deployed in August 2020 and 46% capacity deployed in September 2020. On a Y-o-Y basis however, domestic passenger traffic declined by 58%. Giving further analytical insights, Kinjal Shah, Vice President, ICRA, says, “The number of flights departing has also gradually increased from 416 on Day 1 to 1,749 on Day 156 (October 26, 2020). For October 2020, the average daily departures were 1,574, significantly lower than the average daily departures of 3,031 in October 2019, though better than 1,311 in September 2020. The average number of passengers per flight during October 2020 was 106, as against an average of 131 passengers per flight in October 2019. Thus, it is expected that the domestic aviation industry operated at a passenger load factor (PLF) of 68% in October2020, as against 83.6% in October 2019, that too on a low capacity. The PLF for October 2020 was higher than the 63.2% in September 2020 despite the increase in capacity deployment by 24%. Overall, from May 25, 2020 till October 31, 2020, the domestic passenger traffic has been 16 million.” The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) permitted increasing the capacity to 45% with effect from June 27, 2020; post the initial recommencement of operations of the scheduled domestic flights with effect from May 25, 2020 to a limited extent i.e. maximum 1/3rd of their respective approved capacity of Summer Schedule 2020. It further permitted increasing the capacity to 60% with effect from September 02, 2020. This apart, through a circular dated August 27, 2020, the MoCA has also amended certain provisions, like allowing airlines to provide meals on board, serve pre-packed snacks/meals/ pre-packed beverages, and allowing in-flight entertainment, however with riders. While the scheduled international operations are yet to start, the MoCA has permitted international operations under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) and Air Transport Bubbles (ATB). Under the VBM for evacuation of Indian citizens from foreign shores, which started from May 07, 2020, the international passenger traffic (inbound and outbound) has been 10,96,709 for the period May 07 to October 31, 2020. For October 2020, international passenger traffic was recorded at 255,075, a Y-o-Y decline of 87%. However, it improved sequentially by 22%. As for aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, following the pandemic outbreak, crude oil prices declined materially – reached a low of USD 19/ barrel in April 2020 thereby leading to a decline in ATF prices. However, the crude oil prices have increased gradually since then, and currently range around USD 39/ barrel. Consequently, the ATF prices increased sequentially by 24.1% in July 2020, and by 4.2% in August 2020. However, it declined sequentially by 3.4% in September 2020 and by 5.6% in October 2020, before increasing by 4.6% in November 2020. However, the November 2020 prices are still lower by 33.1% on a Y-o-Y basis. “The prolonged shutdown of manufacturing activities in several countries and the subsequent impact of the outbreak on the global economic activity will keep the crude oil prices and thus the ATF prices low,” Shah added.

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More travellers willing to go on vacation this festive season

Yatra.com conducted its annual festive survey, highlighting what the travel trends look like in the new normal. The survey indicated an uptick in demand for travel as almost 75 per cent of respondents said they are planning to take up a vacation compared to 2019 where 61 per cent of respondents were willing to go on a holiday during the festive season. The trend of advance booking continues with 39.3 per cent of respondents planning leisure trips for more than one month in advance. Safety and hygiene take priority while planning a holiday as travellers are looking at the number of cases in the vicinity, sanitization measures adopted, government guidelines, amenities in case of emergency, among other factors. The survey revealed that about 52.5 per cent of respondents are seeking medical/travel insurance for the sake of security and more than 50 per cent of respondents said that they would prefer ordering room service rather than visiting restaurants and bars. About 72.1 per cent of respondents said that they will be going through sanitization processes followed by monuments and tourist spots before planning a visit to them. Sabina Chopra, Co-Founder and COO, Corporate Travel & Head Industry Relations, Yatra.com, said, “Over the years, consumers have given priority to various aspects of travel while planning a trip to their desired locations. In 2020, they are looking at stringent safety and sanitization processes followed at every touchpoint of travel before choosing a location. According to our survey, travelers are being extra cautious as they are planning their trip with families. In terms of location, accommodation, or even preferred mode of transportation, travelers are ready to pay extra while ensuring all safety measures are in place.”

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