Joint ventures of defence PSUs
The government has approved guidelines for establishing joint venture companies by defence public sector undertakings in the PPP mode. This will serve the dual purpose of achieving self-reliance in the sector and production of defence goods.
CIL to sign fuel supply agreements
Coal India Limited has been advised to sign fuel supply agreements with power plants that have entered into long-term power purchase agreements with distribution companies. An inter-ministerial group is being constituted to undertake reviews of the allocated mines and make recommendations on de-allocations.
More miles for transport ministry
The target for the ministry of road transport and highways for 2012-13 will be to cover 8,800 km under the National Highways Development Project. The ministry’s allocation has been enhanced by 14 per cent to Rs 25,360 crore.
Self-reliance in urea
Works are on to finalise pricing and investment policies for urea. It is expected that with the implementation of the investment policy, the country will become self-sufficient in manufacturing urea in the next five years.
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Two new mega handloom clusters
In addition to four mega handloom clusters already operationalised, two more clusters, one to cover Prakasam and Guntur districts in Andhra Pradesh and the other for Godda and neighbouring districts in Jharkhand, were announced. The government proposes to set up a powerloom mega cluster in Ichalkaranji in Maharashtra, with an allocation of Rs 70 crore.
Foreign equity in air transport
The government is considering a proposal to allow foreign airlines to participate up to 49 per cent in the equity of air transport undertakings engaged in operation of scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services.
More under VGF umbrella
Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the scheme for support to PPP in infrastructure is an important instrument in attracting private investment into the sector. It has been decided to make irrigation (including dams, channels and embankments), terminal markets, common infrastructure in agriculture markets, soil testing laboratories and capital investment in the fertiliser sector eligible for VGF.
Venture fund for SMEs
A Rs 5,000-crore India Opportunities Venture Fund is to be set up with Sidbi to enhance availability of equity to the MSME sector. To give these enterprises greater access to finance, two SME exchanges were launched in Mumbai recently.
Mandatory buying from MSEs
With the objective of promoting market access for micro and small enterprises (MSEs), the govern-ment has approved a policy which requires minis-tries and Central PSUs to make a minimum of 20 per cent of their annual purchases from MSEs. Of this, four per cent will be earmarked for procure-ment from MSEs owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs.
More funds for paddy in east
The Allocation for Bringing the Green Revolution to Eastern India is to be increased from Rs 400 cr in 2011-12 to Rs 1,000 cr in 2012-13. The scheme has lead to a significant increase in production and produ-ctivity of paddy in the states of eastern India.
Boost to irrigation in Vidarbha
Rs 300 crore has been allocated to the Vidarbha Intensified Irrigation Development Programme under RKVY. This scheme seeks to bring more farming areas under protective irrigation.
Integrating farm programmes
The National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture is being taken up as part of the National Plan on Climate Change. The Rainfed Area Development Programme will be merged with this.
Boost for protein mission
The Mission for Protein Supplements is being strengthened. To improve productivity in the dairy sector, a Rs 2,242 crore project is being launched with World Bank assistance. To broaden the scope of production of fish to coastal aquaculture, apart from fresh water aquaculture, the outlay in 2012-13 is being stepped up to Rs 500 crore. Suitable allocations are also being made for poultry, piggery and goat rearing.
Fund for capitalisation
Rs 15,888 crore has been approved for capitalisation of public sector banks, regional rural banks and other financial institutions, including National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Enhancing capacity of RRBs
The short-term RRB Credit Refinance Fund is being set-up to enhance the capacity of Regional Rural Banks to disburse short-term crop loans to small and marginal farmers.
The government proposes to allocate Rs 10,000 crore to Nabard to refinance RRBs through the fund.
Kisan scheme to be smart card
The Kisan Credit Scheme (KCS) will be modified to make it a smart card which could be used at ATMs. KCS is an effective instrument for making credit available to farmers.
Incentives for agriculture research
Rs 200 crore is to be set aside for incentivising research with rewards for both institutions and the research teams responsible for scientific breakthroughs in enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security.
More money for micro irrigation
To maximise the flow of benefits from investments in irrigation projects, structural changes in the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) are being made. The allocation for AIBP in 2012-13 is being proposed to be stepped up by 13 per cent to Rs 14,242 crore.
Better banking payment structure
As a part of bringing the banking payment structure on par with global standards, a central Know Your Customer depository will be developed in 2012-13, to avoid multiplicity of registration and data upkeep.
Flood management in Murshidabad
A flood management project for Kandi sub-division of Murshidabad district (West Bengal) has been approved by the Ganga Flood Control Commission at a cost of Rs 439 crore, to be taken up for funding under the Flood Management Programme.
Storage facilities for foodgrains
Approval has been given for creation of additional foodgrain storage capacity of 2 million tonnes in the form of modern silos. Nearly 15 million tonnes capacity is being created under the Private Entrepreneur’s Guarantee Scheme, of which 3 million tonnes will be added by the end of 2011-12 and 5 million would be added in 2012-13.
PDS network under Aadhaar
To ensure that the objectives of the National Food Security Bill are effectively realised, a Public Distribution System Network is being created using the Aadhaar platform. A National Information Utility for the computerisation of the PDS is being created. It will become operational by December 2012.
Maternal and child nutrition plan
Following the decision taken in the Prime Minister’s National Council on India’s Nutritional Challenges, a multi-sectoral programme to address maternal and child malnutrition in selected 200 high-burden districts is being rolled out in 2012-13. It will harness synergies across nutrition, sanitation, drinking water, primary health care, women’s education, food security and consumer protection schemes.
ICDS scheme to be strengthened
The Integrated Child Development Services scheme is being strengthened and re-structured. For 2012-13, an allocation of Rs 15,850 crore has been made, against Rs 10,000 crore in 2011-12, an increase of 58 per cent.
Mid-Day Meal scheme gets more
Allocation of the National Programme of Mid-Day Meals in schools is being enhanced to Rs 11,937 crore in 2012-13 against Rs 10,380 crore in 2011-12. The scheme has enhanced enrollment, retention, attendance, and also helped in improving nutrition levels among children.
Rs 750 crore for adolescent girls
An allocation of Rs 750 crore is being made for the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls. The scheme was introduced in 2011-12 to address the nutritional needs and educational and skill development initiatives for self-development of adolescent girls in the age group of 11 to 18 years.
Improving rural road connectivity The allocation for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has been increased to Rs 24,000 crore in 2012-13 — an increase of 20 per cent over 2011-12. It will accelerate connectivity in the states.
Strengthening panchayats A major initiative has been proposed to strengthen panchayats across the country through the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan. This programme will expand the schemes for panchayat capacity building.
More money for backward regions Allocation to the Backward Regions Grant Fund scheme has been enhanced to Rs 12,040 crore in 2012-13, an increase of 22 per cent over the Budget Estimates of 2011-12. This covers projects in backward areas in Bihar, West Bengal and the Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput region of Orissa, development projects for drought mitigation in the Bundelkhand region and projects under the Integrated Action Plan to accelerate the pace of development in selected tribal and backward districts.
Allocation for RIDF enhanced The allocation for the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) has been enhanced to Rs 20,000 crore. Further, in view of the warehousing shortage in the country, Rs 5,000 crore will be earmarked from the above allocation exclusively for creating warehousing facilities under RIDF.
Allocation for SSA increased The allocation for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has been enhanced to Rs 25,555 crore — an increase of 21.7 per cent. The Right to Education Act is being implemented with effect from April 1, 2010, through this scheme.
More schools through PPP In the Twelfth Plan, 6,000 schools have been proposed to be set up at the block level as model schools to benchmark excellence.
Of these, 2,500 will be set up under public-private partnership mode.
More funds for secondary education
The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in March 2009 to enhance access to quality secondary education. The allocation for this scheme has been upped to Rs 3,124 crore in 2012-13, a 29 per cent increase over 2011-12.
Educational loans for the deserving
A scheme for education loans is being implemented by banks. To ensure better flow of credit to deserving students, the government has proposed to set up a Credit Guarantee Fund for this purpose.
Strategy to battle polio
The government had advocated to achieve vaccine security and keep the pressure on disease eradication and prevention so that no new case of polio was reported in the last one year by a two-pronged strategy — modernising units and setting up an integrated vaccine unit near Chennai.
Expanding scope of ASHA
The scope of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) is being enlarged to include prevention of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, to ensure 100 per cent immunisation and better spacing of children. As the project is being implemented through NRHM, the government proposes to increase its allocation to Rs 20,822 crore in 2012-13 from Rs 18,115 crore in 2011-12. At the community level, a more active role is envisaged for ASHA as the convenor of the Village Health and Sanitation Committee, as also to support the initiative on malnutrition. Since ASHAs receive activity-wise, performance-based payments, this will also enhance their remuneration.
Medical colleges’ upgrade
The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, aimed at setting up AIIMS-like institutions and sprucing up of government medical colleges, is being expanded to cover the upgrade of seven more government medical colleges. It will enhance the availability of affordable tertiary health care.
MGNREGS shows positive results
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has had a positive impact on livelihood security. For the first time, there is an effective floor wage rate for rural workers. Distress migration has come down. Community assets have been created. Productivity of barren and fallow lands has gone up. The need for improving quality of assets and bringing about greater synergy between MGNREGS and agriculture and allied rural livelihoods is being addressed.
More funds for women farmers
More funds are being given to Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana under the NRLM, which provides better targeting of women farmers. To achieve this objective the allocation of NRLM is being increased by over 34 per cent, from Rs 2,914 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 3,915 crore in 2012-13.
More bank credit for women
The corpus for the Women’s SHG Development Fund is being enhanced to Rs 300 crore. This fund will also support the objectives of Aajeevika i.e. the National Rural Livelihood Mission. It will empower women SHGs to access bank credit. The government also proposes to provide an interest subvention to women’s SHGs to avail loans of up to Rs 3 lakh at seven per cent per annum.
Women SHGs that repay loans in time will get additional three per cent subvention, reducing the effective rate to four per cent. The initiative, in the first phase, would focus on select 600 blocks of 150 districts, including districts affected by left-wing extremism.
New foundation to help tribals
It is proposed to establish a Bharat Livelihoods Foundation of India through Aajeevika. The foundation will support and scale up civil society initiatives and interventions, particularly in the tribal regions, covering around 170 districts. Private trusts and philanthropic organisations would be encouraged to partner with this autonomous body, which will be managed professionally.
Boost for micro enterprises
The allocation for the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, implemented through KVIC, has been enhanced by 23 per cent — from Rs 1,037 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 1,276 crore in 2012-13.
Pushing skill development
Rs 1000 crore is being allocated to the National Skill Development Fund. In 2011-12 National Skill Development Corporation approved 26 new projects, thereby doubling the number of projects sanctioned since 2009 to 52, with a total funding committment of Rs 1,205 crore. At the end of 10 years, these projects are expected to train 62 million persons and augment vocational training capacity by 12.5 million per year in the private sector.
Fund for skill development
A separate Credit Guarantee Fund is to be set up in order to improve the flow of institutional credit for skill development. This will benefit youth in acquiring market-oriented skills.
Scheme for skill training in J&K
A new scheme titled ‘Himayat’ was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir in 2011-12. It aims to provide skill training to 100,000 youth in the next five years. The entire cost of this programme is being borne by the Centre.
More pension for widows
Monthly pension under the ongoing Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme for BPL beneficiaries is being raised from Rs 200 to Rs 300. On the death of the primary breadwinner of a BPL family, in the age group 18 to 64 years, the lump sum grant of Rs 10,000 currently provided under the National Family Benefit scheme is being doubled.
Big push to voluntary savings
To promote voluntary savings towards pensions, a co-contributory scheme (Swavalamban) was started in September 2010. Over 500,000 subscribers have been enrolled till February 2012. In order to enhance access to this scheme, the Life Insurance Corporation of India has been appointed as an aggregator and all public sector banks have been appointed as points of presence and aggregators.
Supporting research institutes
In order to support research centres, the government has earmarked Rs 25 crore for the Institute of Rural Management, Anand; Rs 50 crore to establish a world-class centre for water quality with focus on arsenic contamination in Kolkata; another Rs 100 crore to Kerala Agricultural University and Rs 50 crore to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka.
It has also proposed to allocate funds to Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar; Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology; Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University in Hyderabad; National Council for Applied Economic Research; Rajiv Gandhi University, Department of Economics, Itanagar; and Siddharth Vihar Trust, Gulbarga, to establish a Pali language research centre.
Residential quarters for police
To increase the availability of residential quarters for forces, the government will construct nearly 4,000 residential quarters for Central Armed Police Forces. To support this project, a provision of Rs 3,280 crore for 2012-13 has been made for construction of office buildings and barracks for 27,000 personnel.
Boost for micro enterprises
The allocation for the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme, implemented through KVIC, has been enhanced by 23 per cent — from Rs 1,037 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 1,276 crore in 2012-13.
Pushing skill development
Rs 1000 crore is being allocated to the National Skill Development Fund. In 2011-12 National Skill Development Corporation approved 26 new projects, thereby doubling the number of projects sanctioned since 2009 to 52, with a total funding committment of Rs 1,205 crore. At the end of 10 years, these projects are expected to train 62 million persons and augment vocational training capacity by 12.5 million per year in the private sector.
Fund for skill development
A separate Credit Guarantee Fund is to be set up in order to improve the flow of institutional credit for skill development. This will benefit youth in acquiring market-oriented skills.
Scheme for skill training in J&K
A new scheme titled ‘Himayat’ was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir in 2011-12. It aims to provide skill training to 100,000 youth in the next five years. The entire cost of this programme is being borne by the Centre.
More pension for widows
Monthly pension under the ongoing Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme for BPL beneficiaries is being raised from Rs 200 to Rs 300. On the death of the primary breadwinner of a BPL family, in the age group 18 to 64 years, the lump sum grant of Rs 10,000 currently provided under the National Family Benefit scheme is being doubled.
Big push to voluntary savings
To promote voluntary savings towards pensions, a co-contributory scheme (Swavalamban) was started in September 2010. Over 500,000 subscribers have been enrolled till February 2012. In order to enhance access to this scheme, the Life Insurance Corporation of Ind