Switzerland climbs to top of global e-commerce index

 

        Europe remains by far the most prepared region for e-commerce, according to UNCTAD's Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2020, but wide gaps with countries with the lowest level of readiness need to be addressed by tackling weaknesses in those nations to spread the benefits of digital transformation to more people. For the first time, Switzerland leads the UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index, just ahead of the Netherlands. In 2019, 97% of the Swiss population used the internet. The only non-European economies among the top 10 are Singapore, ranked fourth, and Hong Kong (China) in the 10th position. The index scores 152 nations on their readiness for online shopping, worth an estimated $4.4 trillion globally in 2018, up 7% from the previous year. Countries are scored on access to secure internet servers, reliability of postal services and infrastructure, and the portion of their population that uses the internet and has an account with a financial institution or a provider of mobile money services.

Article Link : https://unctad.org/news/switzerland-climbs-top-global-e-commerce-index

AC 3-tier economy: Indian Railways to offer affordable air-conditioned journey like never before

 

A few days ago, the prototype of the Indian Railways AC 3-tier economy class was finalized for oscillation trials at the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in Lucknow. The AC 3-tier economy class coach is meant to be an air-conditioned and affordable version of the non-AC Sleeper class. The task of developing this coach was given last to Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, last year, which is the maker of the LHB coaches in India. According to an IE report, AC 3-tier is the only travel class that makes a clear profit for Indian Railways. AC 3-tier economy class is expected to offer AC travel to the masses while keeping it affordable.

According to officials, the entire coach has been reimagined from scratch. Ravinder Gupta, General Manager of RCF, was quoted in the report saying that the factory will start the series production by February-end. RCF, Kapurthala plans to produce as many as 248 coaches. At present, the cost is estimated at between Rs 2.8 to 3 crore per coach, which is around 10 per cent more than the existing AC 3-tier coach. The earning potential of these coaches is also higher for the national transporter, owing to more capacity. The next aim is to redesign Indian Railways’ general unreserved compartment and turn that, too, into an air-conditioned class, the report said. Following are some key features of the AC 3-tier economy class:

Full Article Link : https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/railways/ac-3-tier-economy-indian-railways-to-offer-affordable-air-conditioned-journey-like-never-before-details/2195053/