Highlighting the healthcare reforms by the central government, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that the last nine years have turned India into a cost-effective medical destination and this has been possible because of several pathbreaking healthcare reforms. Addressing the inaugural session of the 42nd annual conference of the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) organised at AIIMS Kalyani, West Bengal, Jitendra Singh said that previously India was hardly known for any preventive healthcare but today India is recognized as the vaccination hub of the world. He also said that Medico organisations can collaborate with the government for ensuring last-mile delivery of healthcare. Singh said that today we can evidently see patients from several other countries including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and even European countries coming over to leading hospitals including government hospitals in India for treatment. "All of them have gone back satisfied because the treatment provided to them is world-class as India has all the medical facilities available as present anywhere else in the world and at a much cheaper cost," he said. The Minister said that the number of old age people in the country is increasing. Pensioners outnumber the serving employees. Because of this, diseases of old age are also increasing. Another big challenge the country is facing today is the diseases of old age affecting the middle and young age groups. The Minister said that it is pertinent that India address these metabolic disorders because the country is moving forward rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hence we have to protect the potential and energy of our youth, he added. Jitendra Singh said that during the previous governments, the health budget was a very small fraction of the Union Budget. By bringing in Ayushman Bharat, the first-of-its-kind health insurance scheme in the world, India has moved from a sectoral and segmented approach of health service delivery to a comprehensive need-based health care service. Further revival of the healthcare system has also been initiated through the celebration of International Yoga Day, integrating traditional medicines with allopathy. 2023 is celebrated as the International year of Millets focussing on nutrient-rich millets. In the same line, India has also given the concept of wellness to the world. It is not just prevention of illness but also promotion of health and wellbeing so that citizens can contribute to nation building with utmost energy and wellbeing, he added. Minister said that another important aspect is integrated healthcare where integration of Ayurveda and yoga with modern medical practices is needed. In the past few years, the government has made a cautious effort to revive our traditional knowledge. In this regard, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has established traditional knowledge digital library where everyone has access to it, not only patent holders so that we have a system of healthcare that has an optimum mix of our traditional knowledge with the most modern discoveries and inventions.

Noting that India is the destination for businesses, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that the country has the right combination of factors that matter for a growing economy including a middle class, captive market with purchasing power, technology-driven public investment and products, digital infrastructure and rule of law. In her remarks during an interaction at the Raisina Dialogue here, Sitharman also said that there is no sector in India that is not available for the private sector and rejected opposition criticism that government is on a selling spree of public assets. "There is no sector in India that is not available for the private sector to be in function. Public sector policy is not a crazy one and the government is not selling out everything. Opposition fully understands the meaning but says we are selling them off. We are not selling them off," she said. She said India is putting across voice of the Global South at G20. Sithraman said that well-trained youth, middle class giving a captive market, technology-driven investment and public infrastructure were among reasons for India's sustained growth. Referring to climate finance, she said both adaptation and mitigation need to be discussed. "There is a greater readiness to discuss the Global South and their needs." Referring to AtmanirbharBharat thrust of the government, she said it is not a protectionist measure. "There are several ministers who are part of the G20 who have been speaking of friendshoring. India, today, is the destination for businesses. We have the right combination of things that matter for a growing economy--a middle class, captive market with purchasing power, tech-driven public investment and products. Digital infrastructure exists," she said. Friend shoring refers to relocating supply chains to countries with low risk of disruption from political factors or those considered political and economic allies. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had said during her visit to India last month that Washington is advancing an approach called "friendshoring" to boost resilience of its supply chains by strengthening integration with trusted trading partners including India. Sitharaman also said the way the government responded to COVID-19 pandemic and the necessities of sustaining growth have worked out really well.  Source: ANI

According to "UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report 2022", India has emerged as a leading investment destination for billionaires worldwide. The UBS report is based on surveys, questions and information from the UBS Evidence Lab on over 2,500 billionaires across 75 markets. According to the report, billionaires are looking to put more of their money in India due to the strong growth of the region's economy. Among the sectors, the billionaires favour energy, possibly due to today's supply constraints and the accelerating secular transition to renewables. In the report, 58 per cent of the billionaire respondents chose India and Southeast Asia as their chosen markets for investment. Only 42 per cent of respondents picked China.  In contrast to the rest of the world, India's billionaire population flourished, as it surpassed the United Kingdom to become the fifth-largest economy in 2022. India with a more youthful labour force also overtook China as the fastest-growing of the world's major economies. At the same time, the number of Indian billionaires grew from 140 last year to 166 with their aggregated wealth expanding by 25.7 per cent to USD 749.8 billion. The "UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report 2022" published earlier this month said that "North America, with its huge domestic market and vibrant entrepreneurial culture, also remains a popular region. While still ahead of the rest of the world, mainland China lags these regions somewhat." Few seem to be interested in investing in Western Europe despite it being a major economic bloc.  It is not only in investments that China has seen a fall from a year ago. The ranks of billionaires have also fallen. Mainland China's zero-COVID policy slowed the growth after many years as the world's fastest-growing large economy. There were 540 billionaires, down from 626 a year before. After a decade of significantly increasing, total wealth reduced by a fifth (19.9 per cent) to USD 2.0 trillion. However, China is not alone. With the falling markets, the billionaire population around the world has declined. In March 2022, there were 2,688 billionaires worldwide worth USD 12.7 trillion, down from 2,755 individuals with USD 13.1 trillion in 2021. Asia-Pacific was the region with the largest billionaire population globally at 1,084 with a total wealth of USD 4.2 trillion, in comparison to 1,143 individuals and USD 4.7 trillion a year ago. UBS report noted that the total wealth and number of billionaires is likely to have reduced further since March due to declines in asset prices.  The number of billionaires in the United States, home to about a third of billionaires globally, was also steady witnessing a slight rise from 724 in 2021 to 735. Total wealth increased by 6.9 per cent to USD 4.7 trillion. Notably, finance and investments had the highest number of billionaires (392 in total) and one of the greatest turnovers. Taken together, their total wealth totalled USD 1.7 trillion. 50 new billionaires were created during the year, while 30 dropped from the list. The new billionaires included fintech disruptors, private equity and hedge fund partners. The second most populous sector, technology, witnessed a considerable flux. There were 41 new tech billionaires while 57 disappeared, leaving a total of 348 worth USD 2.2 trillion. This instability demonstrates the dynamism of a sector where barriers to entry are low, and innovation is perpetual.  Manufacturers blossomed amid extraordinary demand for durable goods, as well as the emergence of new electric vehicle and battery entrepreneurs. There were 338 manufacturing billionaires in 2022 worth a total of USD 1.1 trillion, with 44 new billionaires joining the list while 37 dropped from the list. This year's UBS billionaire report revealed that 95 per cent of surveyed billionaires believe that they should use their wealth or resources to help tackle global challenges. Two-thirds said that it is their responsivity to "lead the way" while almost a third believe that they should use their wealth or resources to help tackle these challenges. More than 40 per cent of the billionaires surveyed see smart agriculture as one of the sectors where they can make the greatest impact, along with clean water and poverty alleviation.  The surveyed billionaires also see opportunities in green energy as well as waste management and recycling, they believe the government has a greater potential role in these areas."This year's report highlights how many of the wealthiest in society see it as their responsibility to lead the way, using their wealth or resources to help tackle unprecedented environmental and societal challenges," said UBS's George Athanasopoulos, Head of Global Family and Institutional Wealth, and Alice Page, Head of Ultra High Net Worth Solutions Group, in a joint statement. "The combination of plentiful long-term capital and innovation has the potential to create huge change and opens up new opportunities for a different approach to investing." "We remain realistic about the ability of private capital on its own to solve the world's problems. While we see this convergence as a clear trend, will it be done on a sufficient scale to help meet the UN's sustainability goals (SDGs) and the race to zero carbon? There are reasons for optimism and those who can connect billionaires to opportunities globally, such as UBS, play an important role in this trend."  From a sector perspective, technology and health continue to draw interest from the surveyed billionaires although these industries of late witnessed a decline in valuations and interest in the public equity markets. It is the eighth report from the Swiss bank covering billionaires, focusing on their wealth and ambitions during an era of historic wealth generation, business innovation and impact philanthropy.

  International Desk, Rtv Encouraged and assured by the safe environment in Indian administrated Jammu and Kashmir the state garnered investment projects of around Rs 10,000 crore and projects worth Rs 60,000 crore are in the pipeline. Following the abrogation of Article 370, several budding entrepreneurs are starting their own offices and units in the Union Territory. The investment ecosystem has changed in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir government is encouraging its youth to start their new ventures in the state. The Government is handholding these new entrepreneurs through various schemes and provided all possible assistance to chase their dreams. New industrial estates are coming up and during the past two years, more than 3,300 applications have been approved with Letter of Intent issued in favor of 1,879 applicants besides lease deeds have been executed in favor of 260 applicants. In 111 industrial estates, 9,869 kanals of land has so far been allotted to prospective unit holders. These unit holders have in turn deposited a sum of Rs 217 crore into the government exchequer as their lease dues. According to a recent media report, in the last one year alone, Jammu and Kashmir has received investment proposals worth over Rs 50,000 crore. Almost 17,970 kanals of land, as against a total 39,022 kanals sought for setting up key units, has already been allotted across both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. While the investment applications received up to April 11, 2022, seek to create 2.4 lakh employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir. After introduction of new Industrial Development Scheme and personal interest taken by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, the UT has received investment proposals worth Rs 56,000 crore in just about one year time. The various investment summits arranged by the government also yielded good result. J&K Government has also received dozens of proposals for establishing health care projects in the two medi-cities of J&K. These includes Dubai based businesses like EMAAR Group, Noon.com, Al Maya Group, GL Employment, MATU Investments and others. There is huge rush of investments in Jammu and Kashmir by the private players from the country as well as abroad. Several builders have also shown keen interest in investments during a Real Estate Summit. The golden period of industrial development of Jammu and Kashmir has been ushered in through the new Industrial Development Policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Due to seriousness of the Government, an overwhelming response was received for investments under recently announced new Industrial Policy which will create lakhs of employment opportunities for the youth. J&K is home to worlds finest Biovoltine silk and Pashmina wool with the Handloom sector employing about 43,000 weavers across the UT. Major handicraft items include Carpets, Paper Mache and Shawls. While Jammu and Kashmir offer boundless investment opportunities across sectors, in FY21-22 the drug formulation and biological products has accounted for 24 per cent of the total exports of Rs 390 crore of the UT. Also, Jammu & Kashmir is India's largest apple grower, with 1.72 mntonnes produced in FY22, accounting for 70.54 per cent of overall output. Source: ANI

The National Crime Record Bureau’s report has vindicated the fact that Jammu and Kashmir continues to be a safe destination for foreign tourists. "There was no case of violence, sexual assault, rape, etc. reported from Jammu and Kashmir against the foreigners who have visited the region in these years," the report says. The tourism data shows that most of the foreigners, who visited J&K, had stayed only in the Kashmir division. While the track record of Kashmir in ensuring no crime against foreigners is commendable, the report reveals that on the contrary there have been 22 cases registered against foreigners who have committed crimes in J&K in three years. According to tourism officials, the report should serve as an eye-opener to foreign countries which have barred their citizens from visiting Kashmir. Most of the European countries, the US, Australia and other nations have put adverse travel advisories on Kashmir. "Although we have repeatedly said that Kashmir is a safe destination, these adverse advisories by foreign nations still remain. The tourism department has a very limited role in getting the advisories lifted as we can only request the Ministry of External Affairs and Government of India to take up the issue with the foreign countries," said a senior government official. “This report is a clear reflection of the fact that how Kashmiris treat their guests.  Kashmir’s hospitality is known across the globe and for decades we have welcomed foreigners. But unfortunately in the recent past, there have been some instances where the foreign governments imposed negative travel advisories to Kashmir which has hampered our business. “We urge the government of India to take up the issue of lifting negative advisories keeping in view the ground situation and Home’s Ministry’s data which clearly reflect that Kashmir is a safe place to visit,” said Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers Club, Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya.   He said that over a period of time the Kashmir tourism has been badly hit by negative travel advisories and it is high time to get them lifted so that foreigners will visit the picturesque Kashmir region. Source: India Blooms BM