NRI PROBLEMS: 15 new multi-modal logistics parks will be set up in India

Dubai - Also, maternity leave in the country has been increased from 12 weeks to 26

Q: Transportation bottlenecks have always slowed down movement of goods in India which has affected exports. The present government had promised to sort out this issue. Has anything been done about this?
- R.K. Shivkumar, Dubai
A: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is the nodal agency which has been authorised to build multi-modal logistics parks with a view to improve transportation and warehousing facilities in India. Fifteen new parks are proposed to be set up which would reduce transportation costs and enable freight movement on large-sized trucks. The cities which are selected for setting up these parks have a high level of production activity and connectivity.
The warehouses and wholesale markets will be shifted to these parks which would decongest cities and reduce warehousing costs. The NHAI will form a special purpose vehicle, having state governments as their partners. The parks will be developed and operated by private parties. The NHAI has also been given the responsibility for developing the infrastructure in collaboration with railways and ports. Once these parks are commissioned, they will give a boost to international trade.


Q: What are the rules for maternity leave in India? I believe they are quite archaic. Are any reforms made in this regard?
- Alka Shah, Bahrain
A: On International Women's Day, the Indian Parliament passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill. Under this law, the period of maternity leave has been increased from 12 weeks to 26. India now ranks third in the world in terms of the period of maternity leave; Canada and Norway allow 50 and 44 weeks respectively. The Maternity Benefits Act provides full pay leave even to women who adopt a child below three years of age, and also to women who have a surrogate child.
The new law will apply to all establishments employing 10 or more people. The benefit of 26 weeks leave will be available for the first two children. For the third child or additional child, the entitlement will be for only 12 weeks. At present, paternity leave benefit is not available though there is a demand for the same since most children are now born in nuclear families where both father and mother are required to take care of the child.

Q: My son wants to do his masters in computer engineering. However, I am worried that in the next five years, there may be unemployment in this sector due to artificial intelligence being used in businesses.
- D.S. Bhattacharya, Abu Dhabi
A: A recent study by a well-known international company has suggested that artificial intelligence (AI) may initially reduce jobs in certain functions, but it will overall boost the demand for high value jobs. The reason is that AI is essential to competitiveness. Many companies consider AI to have a transformative effect on their businesses. By 2020, AI's greatest impact will be in sales, marketing and customer services.
It is also expected that AI will be used in other corporate functions such as finance, strategic planning and corporate development. AI will also be used by customer service representatives to quickly resolve customer problems. The most crucial use of AI will be for detecting security intrusions.  It is, therefore, expected that the number of jobs will increase threefold in each function by 2020.

The writer is a practising lawyer specialising in tax and exchange management laws of India. Views expressed are his own and do not reflect the newspaper's policies.

• India