SIAM concludes its 20th Lecture series with.......................................

SIAM concludes its 20^th Lecture series with deliberations on ‘Vehicle Inspection and Certification: Challenges & Opportunities’

 

The SIAM 20^th lecture emphasized on Vehicle Inspection and Certification, in order to achieve Sustainable Mobility in India

 

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex automotive industry body remarkably and successfully concluded its journey of 20 lecture series, which was started on World Environment Day 2020 with the prime focus on environment, safety and sustainable mobility. The series concluded with 20th lecture concentrating on ‘Vehicle Inspection and Certification: Challenges & Opportunities’. The series delved into the challenges, opportunities, policies, regulations and technology interventions needed for stricter vehicle inspection & certification, so as to ensure that the in-use vehicles, which are on road, meet all the safety standards and emission requirements for safe and environment friendly mobility. SIAM hosted this lecture series with the objective of improving the condition of in-use fleet on the roads.

 

Segmented into two sessions, the lecture series witnessed senior Government officials, industry stalwarts and experts, showcase vehicular inspection best practices and the challenges faced by the industry, while highlighting the myriad opportunities that the sector provides. .

 

Mr Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, said, “A panel of distinguished experts from the automotive domain provided the much needed insight into ‘Vehicle Inspection and Certification: Challenges & Opportunities’ which inter alia highlighted the implementation of vehicle scrappage policy announced by the Government. This will also help in vehicle modernization program to achieve circular economy, sustainability and sustainable development goals in the country by 2030.”

 

The Chief Guest Mr K C Gupta, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, stated, “Making the vehicles safer alone would not bring down the accidents and fatalities unless they are checked and inspected at regular intervals. With the announcement of vehicle scrappage policy by the MoRTH, vehicle Inspection and certification will become critical for the implementation of scrappage policy and Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization program. The road worthiness of vehicles will not only reduce mortality and injuries due to lesser road accidents but also reduces the insurance premium payable by the owner of the vehicle. Inspection and certification also have great Social, Environmental and Economic benefits. In fact, fit and sound vehicle will foster sustainable mobility and sustainable development goals 2030.”

 

Mr Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Transport Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, said, “Due to the rapid increase in public transport, the improvement of vehicle performance capability and servicing becomes an ever-increasing urgency. An effective improvement of roadworthiness can be achieved by the implementing an effective and sound vehicle inspection and certification regime. Vehicles that will fail the fitness test will be labeled as ''End of Life Vehicles (ELV)''. Such vehicles will not be allowed to run on roads. The MoRTH is promoting setting up of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) across India and will encourage public and private participation for opening of such centers. Efforts are also being made to set up Integrated Scrapping Facilities across India. Similarly, the MoRTH is also promoting setting up of Automated Fitness Centers on a PPP model by bringing in state government, private sector, automobile companies, etc. On a single platform.”

 

On this occasion, Mr Punit Talwar, Sr. Vice President, Rosmerta Technologies Ltd, made a presentation on the theme, “Systems of I&C in India” giving the comprehensive overview of the present system prevalent in India.

 

Speaking about the Certification and Inspection Centers in India, Mr R R Meena, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, outlined the national perspective and India’s Roadmap of Vehicle inspection and certification. A video presentation of  Mr Graham Williams, Managing Director GB MOT Training Ltd Manchester, England, UK, shared which showcased the international perspective and prevailing practices about inspection and certification.

 

Mr Sanjay Mehta, President, MRAI, threw light on the Imperatives of Vehicle Road worthiness & ELV recycling, showcase the Cost Benefit Analysis of I&C Centres, Mr Anil Chhikara, MLO, Delhi Transport Department gave an overview about the economics behind the process. Mr B Bhanot, Chairman TED29, Bureau of Indian Standards, shared an overview on the inspection and certification benchmarking, presenting global alignment with the practices.

 

Mr Shriniwas Chakravarthy, Co Chairman, SIAM Service, Inspection, Maintenance & Certification Group, Head (Technical Service), Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt Ltd., moderated the sessions extremely intelligently and scientifically.

 

With deliberations on Government’s Roadmap, Opportunities & Challenges, Cost Benefit Analysis, Overview on Global Best Practices and Alignment, SIAM's lecture series officially concluded on a high note, with a rich and insightful exchange of ideas, best practices and strategies.

 

 

 

 

SIAM hosts 19th Lecture Series on

SIAM hosts 19^th Lecture Series on ‘Vision Sustainable Mobility: Implications of CoP26’

 

Emphasizing Decarbonisation, carbon credits, reducing carbon emissions and attaining net zero emission

 

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the apex automobile industry body, organized the 19th lecture under SIAM lecture series on ‘Vision Sustainable Mobility: Implications of CoP26’ viz. imperatives of decarbonisation, carbon credits, reducing carbon emissions, attaining net-zero emission status etc. The lecture highlighted the policy, regulatory and legislative framework for decarbonisation and sustainable mobility which were recently talked about at the CoP26 summit. SIAM organised this lecture to give the industry perspective towards the climate change and to showcase the pathways India can achieve the Net Zero emissions status.

 

 

Segmented into two sessions, the lecture witnessed senior Government officials, industry stalwarts and experts discussing the vision for sustainable mobility which can help in attaining new net zero CO2 emissions status in the future.

 

Mr Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, stated that, “With the ongoing discussions around CoP26 deliberations, the eminent speakers and experts from Industry, Government and OEM’s gathered around to throw light on the industry’s perspective towards CoP26 and showcased the way India is poised to achieve net zero emission status. Decarbonisation, low carbon strategies and carbon neutrality are some of the profound topics of discussion and therefore, form an integral part of India’s strategy towards achieving sustainability.”

 

The Guest of Honor Mr Rajnath Ram, Advisor (Power and Energy), NITI Aayog, Government of India, stated, “Low emission energy systems are undoubtedly a priority for the country and we are very much committed towards a sustainable future. I truly feel that our experiences can inspire other aspiring countries when it comes to sustainable energy development. Since our transport sector accounts for 20-22% of carbon emissions, decarbonisation of the transport sector is vital. I believe that Zero emission mobility is the future. The growth of EVs will have cascading impact on the economy and biofuels and green hydrogen will play a huge role in this transition.”

 

Mr Rajendra Petkar, Co-Chairman, SIAM Sustainable Mobility Group and President and CTO, Tata Motors Ltd, said, “The Indian Automobile sector has adopted an environmentally sustainable strategy that meet its energy efficiency goals, be it adopting technologically advanced fuel efficient products or for that matter, non-polluting vehicles. We have been aggressively looking towards lowering carbon footprint and achieving carbon neutrality. Many OEMs have set targets keeping in mind India’s goal of attaining carbon neutrality by 2070. In the Paris agreement and CoP26 deliberations, there was an increased thrust for adapting and implementing environmentally benefitting imperatives through reduced usage of fossil fuels.”

 

On this occasion, Dr Srinivas Shroff Nagesha Rao, Former CEO, REC Foundation and Advisor to UNDP, made a presentation on the theme, “The Road to Net Zero Carbon Emissions, Sustainable Mobility in the backdrop of CoP26”.

 

In his special address, Mr R R Rashmi, IAS, Sr. Fellow, TERI, discussed various aspects of energy transition pathways towards Net Zero Emissions & Sustainable Mobility: Challenges and Opportunities’ while giving an insight into the future of sustainable mobility in India.

 

Giving an overview on Glasgow declaration/agreement at CoP26, Prof Abhishek Malhotra, School of Public Policy, IIT, Delhi and Prof B K Panigrahi, Center for Automotive Research and Tribology, IIT, Delhi, focussed on the implications for the automotive sector with outlining a national perspective. Dr Inderjeet Singh, Director & Lead, ESG and Carbon Markets, Deloitte India, explained the environment, social and governance (ESG) and carbon credit market showcasing pathways to reach net-zero emissions. Mr Vinay Deodhar, Senior Clean Energy & Climate Change Consultant, ADB, gave an overview of India’s Green initiatives- Renewable Energy, EVs, Resource Efficiency, Low Carbon Fuels, clean tech. solutions etc.

 

Mr Amit Bhatt, Director, WRI, threw light on the international perspective on Decarbonization of passenger transport. Showcasing the national scenario Ms Kiran Sarkar, Deputy General Manager – Sustainability Mahindra Group Sustainability Office, laid emphasis on Mainstreaming Low Carbon Strategies in Vehicle Manufacturing, Value and Supply Chains. Mr Karan Mangotra, Senior Climate Change Specialist, The World Bank, gave an overview on India’s Five Points (Panchamrits) and Carbon Neutrality and financial mechanism under deliberated at COP 26 at Glasgow.

 

Mr Ruchir Shukla, Director, Electric Mobility Program, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, moderated the sessions.

 

With discussions and deliberation on India's  Carbon strategies to attain Carbon Neutrality, India’s green Initiatives, environmental and social governance (ESG) & carbon credit market therefore, SIAM's lecture series officially concluded on a high note, with a rich and insightful exchange of ideas, best practices and strategies.

SIAM’s Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment

 SIAM’s Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment hosts the 22^nd Edition of SAFE Annual Convention

 

The convention puts 5 E’s — Environment, Education, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency care — of road and vehicular safety in spotlight. 

 

In a bid to strengthen multiple stakeholder sensitization effort towards environment, road/ vehicular safety, the Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE), a SIAM initiative, conducted its 22^nd edition of ‘SAFE Annual Convention 2021’ on 17^th September 2021  on a virtual platform.

With the theme of Environment & Road Safety: Enforcement & Compliance”, the convention witnessed the participation of policy makers and bureaucrats from the central and state governments as well as the industry leaders, scholars and experts on the subject to deliberate upon the pertinent environment and road safety challenges from the lens of regulation, enforcement, technology and environment.

The inaugural session led by Mr Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM, read out the message sent by the Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari. The Hon’ble minister congratulated SIAM and SAFE on the initiative and its participants and explained that road safety and environment is the need of the hour and hence every stakeholder should come forward to resolve it.

As per Mr Rajesh Menon, “Together SAFE and SIAM are working with the Government, transport departments, traffic polices NGOs, private sector, students & academicians, and other stakeholders towards the 5E’s of education, enforcement, engineering, environment, and emergency care. We need to be consistently improvising the efforts.”

In his opening remark, Mr Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, said “While the road safety efforts have gain substantial momentum during Road Safety Week and Road Safety month, but considering the requirement it should become a daily affair. Hence, under the leadership of SAFE and SIAM the activities should continue around the year. We are also launching the SAFE Annual Report capturing all the efforts initiated and conducted by the SAFE in last one year.”

Guest of Honour, Mr K C Gupta, Additional Secretary, MoRTH, Commenting upon the road accident statistics, said “We account for 11% of road deaths in the entire world, although we have only 1% of world vehicles in India. US has 4.6 times higher road accidents than India, but when it comes to number of deaths due to road accidents, their fatalities is 25% of India. However, India is on the top. This is a major concern for all of us and it needs immediate intervention of all stakeholders.” 

Guest of Honour, Mr Rajesh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary - Transport, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said “The matter of road accidents and fatalities cannot be resolved by enforcement solely. There are many factors responsible for these avoidable deaths like, road qualities, safety measures in vehicles, etc. Every state has to device a specific policy to eradicate the problem. The most trusted policy to do so is to enhance awareness.”   

Elaborating upon impact of unsafe roads, Mr Anupam Shrivastava, President - SAFE, said, “Road accidents have direct impact on human capital. In 2019, India recorded 4,37,396 road accident cases with 1,54,732 fatalities. Apart from the enormous human toll, the road safety has a major economic impact.”

Sharing an international perspective, Dr. Sudeshna Mitra, Transport Specialist, World Bank, USA, said “Over 69% of accident fatalities happens in the age group between 18to45. In South Asia, rapid growth of heterogonous mix of traffic and vehicles are making the roads unsafe and vulnerable for road users. We should have targeted enforcement. There needs to be an institutional ownership of the problem.”

Giving an overview of SAFE efforts, Mr Pankaj Gupta, Vice President, SAFE, expressed, “This year the National Road Safety Campaign was a month-long event. Through SIAM SAFE, we were able to connect with different parts of the country, with school children and commercial vehicle drivers.”

Followed by the inaugural session, the first panel discussion on “Strong Leadership by Enforcement Authority and improved Road Safety Management” was graced by Guest of Honour Mr K C Gupta and Mr Rajesh Kumar Singh. Other distinguished Panellists were Mr Niju Azhakesan, Director - Technical Support Group, Kerala Road Safety Authority; Mr Praveer Ranjan, IPS, DGP, UT Chandigarh; Mr L P Padalia, IAS, Commissioner, Road Safety Authority, Gujarat; Dr K K Srinath Raghavan, Chief Manager, RGB Labs, IIT Madras; and Mr Nidhi Singh, Joint Transport Commissioner, Government of Rajasthan. The session was moderated by Mr Pankaj Doval, Senior Editor, The Times of India.

The second session on “Contribution of Corporates & NGOs in Protecting Environment & Road Safety” had experts debate upon the role of companies and civil society in ensuring adherence to road safety measures was graced by Justice A M Sapre, Chairman, Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, along with distinguished participants including Mr Ravi Avalur, Head of Premium Segment Business Unit, Hero MotoCorp Ltd; Mr Kartikeya Joshi, Vice President, Uno Minda Group; Mr N M Kulkarni, Global Technical Manager, Shell Technology Centre; Mr Rod King, Love 30 global campaign, UK; Mr Satish Parakh, President, IRF India Chapter; Mr Ramashankar Pandey, CEO, Hella India was moderated by Mr Parikshit Luthra, Associate Editor CNBC TV-18.

Sharing from his experience and close observation to the matter, Justice A M Sapre, Chairman, Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, appealed to one and all to take the issue of road safety as a mission. He expressed that “over-speeding, driving under influence, using of mobile phones were some of the leading causes of road accidents and fatalities. Police departments should enhance the efficiency of enforcement.”

He emphasized that “road accidents are not the will of god, so are avoidable.”

The third panel discussion had experts discussing on the “Latest Development on Air Quality Improvement”. It was attended by Prof (Dr) Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman, PPCB; Dr Sudheer Chinta Palli, Scientist -D,MoEF&CC; Mr V Sridhar, Senior Director, Purchase, Honda Motorcycle & Scooters; Mr Ravindra K U, Senior General Manger, Bosch Ltd and Mr Sudipta Basu, Executive Director, ECMA, was moderated by Mr Sumantra Barooah, Executive Editor, Autocar Professional.

Experts mentioned how leapfrogging to BSVI was a landmark step undertaken by the Government and the industry. They further discussed on the recent scrappage policy which is another effective step in preventing the environment degradation and how it is crucial step to in reducing accidents due to old, unfit and obsolete vehicles. The panel deliberated upon the challenges of affordability of new vehicles and emerging electronic and hybrid fuel variants.

The 22nd SAFE Annual Convention witnessed deep discussions and knowledge sharing.

SIAM to host 15th edition of Lecture Series on Digital Innovation & Smart Manufacturing: Industry 4.0 & Beyond

In its bid to energize industry’s endeavour towards transitioning to the next-generation smart manufacturing, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the auto industry apex body, is set to virtually host the 15^th edition of its Lecture Series on the theme Digital Innovation and Smart Manufacturing — Industry 4.0 and Beyond, on July 19, 2021, from 2 PM to 5 PM.

The thematic 15^th lecture will witness participation from distinguished leaders and experts from the industry sharing new knowledge, experiences and best practices in digital, technological and business innovations that can steer the automotive sector towards sustainable and connected manufacturing.

Chairman of SIAM Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and EODB Group, Mr Satyakam Arya, CEO & MD, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles would inaugurate the session and set the context. Industry veteran Mr Mahesh Kaikini, Co Chairman, SIAM Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and EODB Group & Chief of Quality, Hero MotoCorp, would make a thematic presentation and moderate the session. Mr Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM would be presenting the welcome address.

The second session of the lecture will witness in-depth presentations by global leaders and luminaries from the field of industry 4.0 around the theme: Digital Manufacturing Transformation. The experts would delve deeper into various aspects of smart manufacturing transformation taking place around the globe and its relevance to India with particular focus on the digital innovation and transformation roadmap, smart manufacturing, growth strategies for smart technology and industry’s readiness.

The 15th lecture will cover the broader aspects of the emergence of new technologies and innovations in the automotive sector, thereby representing a digitally transformed industrial value chain. The lecture can be attended by registering through the SIAM website or clicking here on or before July 19, 2021.

SIAM hosts 12th Lecture Series on Hybrid an

            SIAM hosts 12^th Lecture Series on Hybrid an Electric Vehicles in India:                                             Development, Testing & Homologation

The apex body of the auto industry, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), organized its 12th Lecture on the theme Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India: Development, Testing & Homologation on a virtual platform yesterday. The same was organized as a part of SIAM’s ‘Walk the Talk’ campaign, highlighting the importance of design, development, testing and homologation aspects of hybrid and electric vehicles in Indian context.

The Lecture Series witnessed the participation of prominent industry leaders and technical experts who deliberated upon on the various facets of development, testing, and homologation of hybrid and electric vehicles.

Mr Prashant K Banerjee, Executive Director, SIAM, in his opening remarks said “On World Environment Day, last year, we started the Lecture Series in our endeavour towards sustainable mobility. EV is one of the important pillars in the transformational journey of mobility. In this backdrop, back to back lectures series are planned to understand the nuances of hybrid and electric mobility, development, testing, homologation and on-road experience around safety etc.”

Sharing the industry perspective, Mr Mahesh Babu, Chairman, SIAM Electric Mobility Group said, “Refreshing of the EV products will happen for the next 10 years because this is a new ecosystem including customers, and there’s going to be new technology. It is going to evolve in a period of time like we witnessed the transition from landline telephony to mobile phones.”

Dr Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI, said “The process of developing and certifying measures have been quite robust. The EV ecosystem needs to be developed in India, and it has to be an in-house development. As the regulators, we are ready to support the industry including upcoming start-ups and MSMEs.”

Giving a global perspective, Mr Claas Bracklo, Senior Consultant Electro mobility, VDA & Chairman, Char.IN (Germany), expressed “We have defined a charging infrastructure system that’s capable of being expandable in the future. At a national level, it is important to standardize the needs for the eco-system so that investments can happen without the risk of being obsolete or not accepted.”

Mr Nitin Seth, COO, Switch Mobility, Ashok Leyland, added to the conversation, “The light weight EV design is going to play an important role. Most companies were modifying the model of diesel buses into EV busses. That may not be the way forward and hence it has to be grounds up approach to design and develop EV products.”

 

Mr Kanan Subramaniam, Head, Project House Electrification, Bosch Automotive Electronics India, added “For aspirational vehicles, performance is the key. There are two important interrelated factors here. The first is the customer’s requirement and the second is the technological maturity. Indian environment is very diverse as opposed to any other geography.  For a conventional vehicle which is being sold in retail, it is critical that EV performance does not suffer.”

 

The second session of the lecture included technical experts like Mr T Prasanna Kumar, DY General Manager, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mr Umesh Abhyankar, Sr General Manager, TATA Motors, Mr M S Anandkumar, General Manager, TVS Motors and Mr Rajeev Ranjan, Sr Manager, Homologation JBM Auto.

 

With the theme “Drill Down of Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Homologation,” the experts highlighted the key tenets of Homologation of hybrid four wheelers, electric four-wheelers, electric two/ three wheelers, and electric buses. The speakers touched upon the standards for electric vehicles which are developed to ensure adequate safety for end customer in all weather conditions. Eligibility requirement under FAME India, which is over and above the CMVR requirement, was also highlighted and explained.

 

In the concluding session, Dr S J Dhinagar, Co-Chairman, SIAM Electric Mobility Group, said “This session covered every aspect of electric mobility as well as every segment of mobility from two wheelers, three wheelers, four wheelers to buses. Last mile connectivity and how they are critical to the ecosystem was discussed in brief. The session also focused on the ways to do smart charging and how Indian consumers are slowly and steadily adopting the new mission of electric mobility.”

 

Overall, the edition of the 12^th Lecture Series on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India provided a good learning on the technical aspects of hybrid and electric vehicles development, testing and homologation.

SIAM organizes the 7th edition of

SIAM organizes the 7^th edition of Automotive Logistics Conclave encouraging participants to collaborate

 

Focused on the underlining scope for domestic transportation of finished vehicles, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), virtually organized the 7^th SIAM Automotive Logistics Conclave, yesterday.

 

The conclave witnessed participation of Automobile OEMs, Logistics Players, Technology Providers, Consultants and esteemed Government delegates who came together to jointly discuss the challenges, solutions and way-forward for the Automotive Logistics industry in the country.

 

The conclave witnessed a series of panel discussions on optimization of logistics related activities and mitigating problem that can pave the way for faster growth in the automotive industry.

 

On the occasion of the 7^th Automotive Logistics Conclave, Mr P K Agarwal, Special Secretary (Logistics), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, said “SIAM has been conducting an exclusive conclave on automobile logistics for 7 years now, thereby providing SIAM’s commitment to big improvement to automobile logistics. Automobile Logistics is an important area and we would work with SIAM to ensure issues are addressed wherever Government is involved. The idea of moving as much logistics on rail mode is a very good idea. 30 percent is an achievable target and we all are working towards it.”

 

Setting the context with his opening remark, Mr Vikas Jain, Chairman – SIAM Logistics Group & Vice President, Hyundai Motor India, said “Indian automotive logistics scenario, approximately 90% of transportation is done by Road. It is heartening to note that the Government is improving the road infrastructure and supporting the vibrant trucking industry. While the automobile industry is looking at a good recovery, the future also seems to be promising, with India’s economy poised for fairly good growth. Therefore, capacities have to be created looking at overall demand.

 

Discussing on the various aspects of road transportation logistics, Mr Jasjit Sethi, President & CEO, TCI SCS, “From Euro 1 to Euro 6, in 20 years, the cost of truck has gone up 3 times. The distance which was covered then was around 6,000 kms and we record less than that now. Despite better roads, technology and infrastructure, we are still a bit behind.” 

 

Mr Achal Paliwal, CEO, TML Distribution, added to the discussion, “Transporters and Contractors need to recognize drivers as employees. Machine utilisation can happen with proper networking. Driver and Machines are key resources for transporters and in their best utilisation lies the business viability.”

 

Mr Sumit Lahiri, Head – Logistics & Distribution, Bajaj Auto, said “The pandemic has taught a lot on how to deal with problems. During the initial days of the pandemic, relay driver model is how we could run the show. It reduced fatigue and increase efficiency of drivers.”

 

While discussing how various digital initiatives was influencing the automotive logistics space, Mr Arjun Nagarajan, Co-Founder and CEO, Syook, “The pandemic forced us to innovate. Digital technologies acted as a force multiplier. With scare investments, return on investments is very important. Digital technologies is transforming the sector from being reactive to being proactive with focus on RoI from the day one.”

 

Mr Jagmeet Singh, CEO, Axestrack, added “The pandemic gave motivation to enter into space, which was never thought off. Digital Technologies are supposed to connect man, machine and material. When drivers got stranded during lockdown, it was data analytics and digital technologies, which came into play.”

 

Focusing on what needs to be done, Ms Sapna Ahuja, COO, MapmyIndia, said, “There are many digital initiatives taken by the Government. What needs to be done is to integrate various systems. Transporters have to calculate the cheapest, fastest, and safest route. This can be achieved once these systems are integrated.”

 

Moderating the session, Mr Pratik Shah, Director, EY, had remarked, “The logistics industry constitutes about 12-13% of India’s GDP, which is quiet high comparing to some of the developed countries. Around 3 to 4% is attributed to the inefficiencies there in the system”.

 

Introducing the session on the role of Railways in Automotive Logistics, Mr R S Kapoor, Senior Advisor, Maruti Suzuki, said, “The railways is the backbone of country’s logistics sector, carrying 1.2 billion freight traffic every year over a network of 68,000 kms. Across sectors it is considered a safe, green and energy efficient mode of transportation.”

 

Ms Suhani Mishra, Director (Freight Marketing), Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, said on various future plans of Railways, “From around 16 NMG rakes in 2017, we have increased the number to 82 by 2021. We have taken up the case of modification of designs and for two-wheelers and we are taking suggestions to include new kind of NMG rakes in the system. Also, recently Railways have opened a few auto-hubs and new stations.”

 

Mr Umesh Bhanot, Regional Head – South Asia, APL Logistics, said “Currently, the market share of Railways in vehicle transportation of auto share is 14.5% as of December 2020. It increased from 1% in 2013-2014 to 14% in 2020, which is significant increase. However, there’s still a lot of unmet potential.”

 

Talking about the role of freight corridor, Mr Ved Prakash, General Manager, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India, said “Dedicated Freight Corridor is a Railway line along the Golden Quadrilateral of India, which carries 60% of total rail network, but carrying 58% of passenger and 57% of freight traffic.”   

 

Talking about low transportation of two-wheelers by railways, Mr M C Shekhar, Divisional Head - Logistics, HMSI, said “. Two wheelers should be categorised as a different commodity, as it has to be manually driven. Also, the window time of 7 to 8 hours to be given to load over 11,000 two-wheelers is highly inadequate.”

 

Concluding the conclave, Mr Rakesh Sen, Co-Chairman, SIAM Logistics Group & Senior General Manager, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “The sessions were really enlightening. One of the challenges we are facing for health and safety of drivers community, which has come to fore. Also, the discussions have directed us to integration of man, material, and machine.”

 

As digitalization has proved to be one of the pivotal medium for businesses to bounce back in the post-COVID era, the industry’s logistical arm has also seen substantial improvement in terms of efficiency, Vehicle Location Tracking Device (VLTD) and Mandatory GPS regulations. With these developments coupled with auto industry’s recent advancements in road network and with Dedicated Freight Corridors, the industry could see drastic developments in the automotive logistics space.

As 32nd National Road Safety Month concludes

 As 32^nd National Road Safety Month concludes, SIAM’s virtual educational gallery remained the cynosure

 

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) under the aegis of MoRTH and supported by the Delhi Traffic Police concluded today a month-long nationwide initiative of 32^nd National Road Safety Month organized on the theme ‘Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha’.

Under the initiative, SIAM conducted various activities during the month and launched the virtual road safety educational gallery, which remained the pivotal point of attraction throughout the month.  Designed with the objective of educating stakeholders, and general public about road safety, the gallery sought to spread awareness and discipline on roads and drivers’ behavioral changes through encouraging best practices for road safety.

In the course of one month, SIAM along with its members and stakeholders had successfully reached to approximately one million citizens, propagating the message of ‘Sadak Suraksha Jeevan Raksha’. A series of road safety awareness and training activities were organized by SIAM for drivers of truck, bus and three-wheeler including school and college students, women riders and citizens at large. 

 

The road safety month also included a refresher program on safe driving and conducted eye checkup for three wheeler drivers organized at IDTR’s at Burari, Loni and Sarai Kale Khan. In a bid to further provide a holistic approach to the entire programme, health and eye check-up camps were organized for the drivers in more than 25 locations country wide. SIAM with ASRTU also organized road safety awareness virtual workshops for STU drivers across the nation and trained more than 11,000 drivers.

SIAM along with Delhi Traffic Police organized various awareness building campaigns like Pedestrian Walk and women two-wheeler rally where 100 women riders across different walks of life participated and spread the message of road safety. Additionally, awareness drives for general public were conducted at 119 accident prone road intersections within the capital city, with an objective to reduce accidents, fatalities and related injuries on roads.

 Various programs were organized by SIAM at Delhi, Rajasthan, Orissa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

During the month-long road safety programs, SIAM organized two virtual seminars on Implementation of Vehicle Location Tracking Devices for Enhancement of Safety on Road and Emerging Technologies for Safer Mobility for educating and disseminating information on safety standards and holistic approach in bringing the safety through vehicular technology.

Sharing his views on the Road Safety Month, Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM said, “SIAM has always been committed towards fostering safer vehicular mobility not only through technological innovations and best-practices, but also creating and spreading awareness amongst the public  for making Indian roads safer. As a responsible organization, SIAM understands the criticality of road safety for all and has been instrumental in creating  mass awareness through numerous programmes and initiatives on safety.”

With an objective to drive and generate awareness about the fundamentals of road safety amongst students and children, various competitions like quizzes, slogan/poem writing, and painting competitions were organized across 1000 schools in the national capital. Several such activities were also organized in select colleges in Delhi to educate and  sensitize youth about responsible driving. The continuous support from all the partner OEMs viz. Ashok Leyland, Hero MotoCorp, Hyundai Motor India, Mahindra & Mahindra, M G Motors, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, and TATA Motors through information sharing via videos, presentations etc. from January 18 – February 17, 2021 on road safety, has helped in connecting with the audience at large at the SIAM Virtual Road Safety Education Gallery.

Mr Rajan Wadhera, President, SIAM on “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” package

Mr Rajan Wadhera, President, SIAM on “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” 

package announced by the Hon’ble Finance Minister

While commenting on the “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” package announced by the Hon’ble Finance Minister through a series of announcements, Mr Rajan Wadhera, President, SIAM welcomed the focus towards MSMEs ; NBFCs and the Agri-sector. The Agri sector package may benefit the Auto sector indirectly in the medium term but the Indian Automotive industry needed an immediate stimulus to boost demand, which has not happened, as per Mr Wadhera.

Indian Automotive Industry supports employment of more than 3.7 crore people and contributes to 15% of GST

amounting to Rs 1,50,000 crore every year.  The Sector was already facing an unprecedented challenge with 

18% degrowth last year. As per an assessment made by SIAM on the impact of COVID-19 on demand for 

vehicles in the current financial year, the Indian Automobile sector could have a de-growth in the range of (-22)% 

to (-35)% in various industry segments, for the year FY21, if the overall Indian GDP growth is at 0-1% for FY 21.

Mr Wadhera said that it is against this background that the Industry was keenly looking forward to some direct 

fiscal measures which could have boosted demand for the Auto sector and stop job losses. 

He mentioned that SIAM has had several engagements with Government of India at various levels, where 

specific suggestions were made for demand stimulus including reduction in base GST rates from 28% to 18%

for a limited period and an incentive based vehicle scrappage policy, which would have made it a less painful

revival and kick started the industry.

There is also an urgent need to support the dealers in terms of improving their liquidity and including them under 

MSME Act by changing its definition.

The Industry would continue to engage with the Government and seek direct interventions for revival, 

concluded Mr Wadhera.