Latest news with #EssentialServicesMaintenanceAct
Time of India
02-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
TTD urges contract staff to avoid strikes, warns of action under ESMA
Visakhapatnam: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams ( TTD ), in an official statement issued on Wednesday, stated that contract employees providing services to devotees of Lord Venkateswara will face appropriate action if they boycott duties or stage protests. Contract employees have been advised to raise their concerns with their respective departmental heads and resolve issues amicably. "Employees in departments such as sanitation and health are rendering crucial services and have been urged not to engage in actions that cause inconvenience to devotees. The Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), which prohibits disruptions to essential services, is currently in force and must be strictly followed at TTD," the statement said. The organisation emphasised that boycotting duties in a globally recognised spiritual institution is inappropriate. It further added that if employees violate rules and initiate strikes, ESMA provisions will be enforced. In addition to staff from the SLSMPC organisation, contract employees and workers from various societies are employed within TTD. Should they boycott their duties, alternative measures will be taken under the ESMA provisions, the statement added.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
India may need 40–45 TWH more power and 50 million sq ft real estate for AI-linked data centres by 2030: Report
New Delhi: India will need 40–45 Terawatt-hours (TWH) of additional electricity and 45–50 million square feet of real estate space to meet the projected demand for data centres driven by artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030, according to Deloitte India's report "Attracting AI Data Centre Infrastructure Investment in India" . The report underscores the need for significant investments and targeted policy interventions to position India as a global hub for AI-enabled data centres. 'For India to accelerate its AI capabilities and realise its potential, it is necessary to introduce enabling policies to support the sector,' said S. Anjani Kumar, Partner at Deloitte India. The study identifies six pillars crucial to developing an AI-ready ecosystem in India: real estate, power and utilities infrastructure, connectivity and network infrastructure, compute infrastructure, talent, and policy framework. It also estimates the total investment required for the 47 GW AI data centre pipeline at around $360 billion. "India's strategic location allows it to serve domestic and global markets effectively," said Neha Aggarwal, Partner at Deloitte India. She added that building scalable power, cooling systems, and efficient network infrastructure would be necessary to attract global investments. The report notes that while India benefits from lower land and labour costs, substantial construction is still required. Interest in colocation models is rising, supported by government incentives through state data centre policies. Deloitte also highlighted policy gaps. It recommended introducing a separate category for data centres in the National Building Code, recognising them under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, and setting up dedicated data centre facilitation units to streamline approvals. The growth of data centres has increased pressure on India's power infrastructure. Deloitte suggests that expanding generation capacity, modernising the grid, and integrating renewable energy will be essential. 'Building a supportive policy framework for dedicated power supply infrastructure and improving renewable energy banking policies across states will be critical,' the report said. On the connectivity front, limited fibre optic reach, high latency, and unreliable internet remain bottlenecks. Policy support such as access to dark fibre, easing regulatory frameworks for terrestrial and subsea networks, and improving last-mile connectivity are recommended. For compute infrastructure, the report emphasises enhancing GPU supply, encouraging GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), and attracting foreign investment to build Exaflop-scale capacity. It also calls for Government-to-Government discussions to mitigate impacts of restrictive policies like the US AI Diffusion Framework on GPU imports. Deloitte highlighted talent development as another key area. The report recommended specialised training programmes and strengthening of AI research institutions in India. The firm also suggested policy updates such as Text and Data Mining (TDM) exceptions under the Copyright Act, streamlined data localisation rules, and creating dedicated data centre zones. Revisions to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 and the Telecommunication Act, 2023 were also proposed to exclude data centres from surveillance provisions and align operational realities. The report concludes that coordinated public–private investments and a comprehensive policy overhaul are critical for India to meet its AI infrastructure requirements and become a leading global AI data centre destination.>
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
JIRE wins 300 MW solar-plus-storage project under SJVN tender at ₹3.32/kWh
New Delhi: India will need 40–45 Terawatt-hours (TWH) of additional electricity and 45–50 million square feet of real estate space to meet the projected demand for data centres driven by artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030, according to Deloitte India's report 'Attracting AI Data Centre Infrastructure Investment in India'. . The report underscores the need for significant investments and targeted policy interventions to position India as a global hub for AI-enabled data centres. 'For India to accelerate its AI capabilities and realise its potential, it is necessary to introduce enabling policies to support the sector,' said S. Anjani Kumar, Partner at Deloitte India. The study identifies six pillars crucial to developing an AI-ready ecosystem in India: real estate, power and utilities infrastructure, connectivity and network infrastructure, compute infrastructure, talent, and policy framework. It also estimates the total investment required for the 47 GW AI data centre pipeline at around $360 billion. "India's strategic location allows it to serve domestic and global markets effectively," said Neha Aggarwal, Partner at Deloitte India. She added that building scalable power, cooling systems, and efficient network infrastructure would be necessary to attract global investments. The report notes that while India benefits from lower land and labour costs, substantial construction is still required. Interest in colocation models is rising, supported by government incentives through state data centre policies. Deloitte also highlighted policy gaps. It recommended introducing a separate category for data centres in the National Building Code, recognising them under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, and setting up dedicated data centre facilitation units to streamline approvals. The growth of data centres has increased pressure on India's power infrastructure. Deloitte suggests that expanding generation capacity, modernising the grid, and integrating renewable energy will be essential. 'Building a supportive policy framework for dedicated power supply infrastructure and improving renewable energy banking policies across states will be critical,' the report said. On the connectivity front, limited fibre optic reach, high latency, and unreliable internet remain bottlenecks. Policy support such as access to dark fibre, easing regulatory frameworks for terrestrial and subsea networks, and improving last-mile connectivity are recommended. For compute infrastructure, the report emphasises enhancing GPU supply, encouraging GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), and attracting foreign investment to build Exaflop-scale capacity. It also calls for Government-to-Government discussions to mitigate impacts of restrictive policies like the US AI Diffusion Framework on GPU imports. Deloitte highlighted talent development as another key area. The report recommended specialised training programmes and strengthening of AI research institutions in India. The firm also suggested policy updates such as Text and Data Mining (TDM) exceptions under the Copyright Act, streamlined data localisation rules, and creating dedicated data centre zones. Revisions to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 and the Telecommunication Act, 2023 were also proposed to exclude data centres from surveillance provisions and align operational realities. The report concludes that coordinated public–private investments and a comprehensive policy overhaul are critical for India to meet its AI infrastructure requirements and become a leading global AI data centre destination.>
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
No let-up in plans, all depts. to remain alert: Delhi CM
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a meeting with the heads of all Delhi government departments on Saturday to assess their disaster response preparations. Despite the ceasefire announced by India and Pakistan in the evening, the CM asked all government officials to remain alert. The CM directed the Revenue Department to immediately operationalise District Disaster Management Authorities and keep civil defence volunteers ready for prompt deployment. Ms. Gupta asked the department heads to establish communications with the armed forces, as well as officials at railway stations and IGI Airport, for a swift and coordinated response during crisis situations. She instructed officials to prepare to implement the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) wherever necessary. Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, the CM said, 'Health Department officials were asked to ensure that hospitals are fully ready with functional ambulances, ample stock of medicines, backup power for ICUs, and clear duty rosters for doctors and paramedical staff.' A senior official said Ms. Gupta had directed Power Department officials to ensure prompt response in case of outages and prepare backup power sources for essential services. The Food and Civil Supplies Department was directed to monitor adequate stock at ration shops and keep the food supply chain operational. Civic agencies, including the Public Works Department and Municipal Corporation of Delhi, were told to maintain a list of contractors for emergency evacuation and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. 'Prepare route maps' Moreover, the public transporters — Delhi Transport Corporation and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation — were asked to finalise emergency evacuation plans. 'The CM asked both to prepare clear standard operating procedures (SOPs), route maps, and fleet management plans to ensure safe and coordinated evacuation of people to secure locations during a crisis,' said the official.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi reviews emergency preparedness and directs departments to remain alert amid security threat
Times News NetworkNew Delhi: With the threat of a possible attack by Pakistan still looming over the capital, chief minister held a meeting with her ministers and the top officials of all departments to review the preparedness to combat any war-time India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire at 5pm Saturday, officials said there were reports of the violation of the cessation of hostile acts by the neighbouring country within a few hours. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With the situation still tense, and official said, "We will continue to be on alert and will remain prepared for any eventuality."According to officials, the purpose of the meeting was to assess departmental preparedness for the current emergency situation and to review the progress of development works. CM issued several key directions to implement a "multi-tiered, coordinated, and active strategy" among health, transport, education, fire services, and welfare sectors to address emergency situations in the govt, in a statement, said that the health department was directed to ensure full readiness of hospitals, including the availability of ambulances, adequate stock of medicines and consumables, electrical backup for intensive care Units and clear duty rosters for doctors and paramedical staff. Leaves of all medical personnel were cancelled, and coordination with central hospitals like AIIMS was also power department was directed to ensure a prompt response in case of outages and to provide backup electricity for essential services. Delhi Jal Board was instructed to safeguard the water supply network, deploy tankers and ensure round-the-clock electrical backup for all pumping stations, the govt statement said."The revenue department was directed to activate district disaster management authorities, ensure identification of shelters and their readiness, and keep civil defence volunteers ready for emergency deployment. Special emphasis was also placed on establishing coordination with the armed forces, railways, and airport authorities to enable swift and coordinated responses during any situation," govt said, adding that CM also directed the home department and Delhi Police to ensure 24×7 security of critical infrastructure sites and prioritise the safety of essential services' supply chains and implementation of the Essential Services Maintenance Act, wherever food and civil supplies department was instructed to monitor adequate stocks at ration shops, petroleum and cooking gas reserves and to keep the food supply chain operational, while PWD, MCD and NDMC were instructed to maintain a list of contractors for emergency evacuation and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. They are also directed to plan in advance for the deployment of necessary machinery and equipment, including street cleaning, power supply, lighting, and other essential said the Delhi Transport Corporation and Delhi Metro were directed to finalise emergency evacuation plans and prepare standard operating procedures, route maps, and fleet management plans to ensure the safe and coordinated movement of people to secure locations during a said CM directed the education department to prepare schools and college campuses to be used as temporary shelters and informed that the fire service was told to remain in alert mode at all times and coordinate closely with the revenue department and police for swift response and relief work in case of emergencies such as fires, explosions or structural damage. The labour department was told to ensure the safety, rehabilitation, and provision of necessary assistance to workers in the informal sector and migrant labourers. This includes providing temporary employment support, ration distribution, and health services in relief camps.
