Page 8 - Union Cabinet

Cabinet approves Rs 6,600 crore scheme 'PM-DevINE' for North-Eastern states

Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE), a Rs 6,600 crore scheme to support infrastructure, industries and other livelihood projects in the Northeastern states, was approved on Wednesday by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The new scheme, to be implemented during the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26, is a 100 per cent Central government-funded plan and will be administered by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), an official statement said. Efforts will be made to complete the PM-DevINE projects by 2025-26 so that there are no committed liabilities beyond this year and this implies front-loading of the sanctions under the scheme in 2022-23 and 2023-24 primarily, it said. While expenditure would continue to be incurred during 2024-25 and 2025-26, focused attention will be given to completing the sanctioned PM-DevINE projects. The PM-DevINE will lead to the .

Cabinet approves development of container terminal at Deendayal Port

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the project to develop the container terminal at Tuna-Tekra, Deendayal Port in Gujarat under the public private partnership mode. The estimated cost of Rs 4,243.64 crore will be on the part of the Concessionaire and an estimated cost of common user facilities of Rs 296.20 crore will be on the part of the concessioning authority toward development of common user facilities. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said that during the concession period, the concessionaire will have the liberty to handle vessels up to 18 metre-draught by deepening/widening its approach channel, berth pocket and turning circle. Deendayal Port is one of the 12 major ports in India and is located on the west coast in the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat. The project is proposed to be developed on BOT (Built Operate Transfer) basis by a private developer/ BOT operator to be selected through an international competitive bidding process. The concessionaire will

Cabinet okays amendments in Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act to bring transparency in the sector and reform the electoral process. The Union Cabinet has approved the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to amend the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters here after the Cabinet meeting. He said the amendments have been brought in to improve the ease of doing business. The Bill will incorporate the provisions of the 97th Constitutional Amendment. The amendments have been brought to improve governance, reform the electoral process, strengthen monitoring mechanisms and enhance transparency and accountability. The Bill also seeks to improve the composition of board and ensure financial discipline, besides enabling the raising of funds in the multi-state cooperative societies.

Centre extends free food grain scheme till Dec at a cost of Rs 45k cr

Move to cost the exchequer additional Rs 44,762 crore

Cabinet hikes dearness allowance for central govt employees to 38%

The move will benefit about 4.8 million central government employees and 6.9 million pensioners. The decision will be effective from July 1, 2022.

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Cabinet approves extension of free ration scheme for poor by three months

The government on Wednesday extended by three months its programme to provide free rations to the poor at a cost of over Rs 44,700 crore, as it looked to ease pain from high inflation and make political gains in the upcoming Gujarat election. The scheme to provide 5 kg of wheat and rice free of cost to 80 crore poor every month, which was ending on Friday, will now run through December 31, 2022, I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) was started in April 2020 to help the poor whose livelihoods were shuttered by a nationwide lockdown aimed at containing the spread of the Coronavirus.

Cabinet approves National Logistics Policy for 'tech-enabled' ecosystem

The policy has three targets-to reduce the cost of logistics in India to be comparable to global benchmarks by 2030

Govt tweaks Rs 76k-cr semiconductor, display fab scheme to woo global firms

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved modifications in the scheme for semiconductors and display manufacturing ecosystem, with uniform fiscal support of 50 per cent of project cost for all technology nodes under the ambitious programme. Announcing the decision of the Cabinet, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said the modifications will strengthen the semiconductor scheme, thus raising capacities within the country, encouraging investments, and creating employment opportunities. "Under modified programme, a uniform fiscal support of 50 per cent of project cost shall be provided across all technology nodes for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs," an official release said. Given the niche technology and nature of compound semiconductors and advanced packaging, the modified programme shall provide fiscal support of 50 per cent of capital expenditure for setting up of compound semiconductors / silicon photonics / sensors / discrete semiconductors fabs. "The programme has attracted many global ...

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The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the national logistics policy, which aims at reducing transportation cost and improve global performance of the sector.

Union Cabinet has approved National Logistics Policy: Anurag Thakur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week unveiled the policy which seeks to cut transportation costs by promoting seamless movement of goods across the country

Union Cabinet to approve National Logistics Policy on Wednesday: Report

The Union Cabinet is likely to approve the National Logistics Policy in its meeting on Wednesday, sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week unveiled the policy which seeks to cut transportation cost by promoting seamless movement of goods across the country. While launching the policy, the prime minister had said that "from 13-14 per cent (of the GDP), we should all aim to bring the logistics cost to single-digit as soon as possible". According to an e-book of the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), an unified logistics interface platform (ULIP) will be developed as part of the policy to help different government and private agencies; shippers, service providers enable information exchange on a real time basis in a confidential manner. Development of ULIP is one of the eight interventions proposed under the comprehensive logistics action plan, through which the policy will be implemented. The other interventions proposed include Standardisat

Govt clears proposal to grant ST status to several communities in 5 states

Basically due to spelling errors and similar sounding names of several communities, these could not be brought under ST category for a very long time, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said

Cabinet approves proposal to add Himachal's Hatti community to ST list

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said Cabinet has also approved proposals to grant Scheduled Tribes status to Binjhia community in Chhattisgarh, Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran community in TN

PM SHRI: Here is what the scheme is about and how it will be implemented

The Union Cabinet approved a Rs 27,360 cr budget for the ambitious PM SHRI scheme to upgrade nearly 14,500 government schools across the country

Cabinet approves Rs 27k-cr scheme for setting up over 14k PM-SHRI schools

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 27,360 crore scheme for setting up over 14,000 PM-SHRI schools across the country. Under the scheme, over 14,000 schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas, will be strengthened to emerge as PM-SHRI Schools (PM ScHools for Rising India), Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Anurag Thakur told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. The scheme, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 5 on the occasion of Teachers Day, will seek to strengthen existing schools from amongst those managed by the Central and state governments, as well as local bodies. The total project cost would be Rs 27,360 crore for five years. Of this, the central share would be Rs 18,128 crore. The government expects this scheme to benefit 187 lakh students.

Union Cabinet approves policy on long-term leasing of Railways' land

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a policy for long-term leasing of railway land for the PM Gati Shakti programme, which the government said will help set up 300 cargo terminals and generate 1.25 lakh jobs. The new policy will help provide land lease for a longer period of up to 35 years as against five years at present, Union Minister Anurag Thakur told the media after the cabinet meeting. With an employment generation potential of about 1.25 lakh jobs, the policy will also bring more revenue to the Railways; 300 cargo terminals will be developed in five years. The new policy will enable the integrated development of infrastructure and more cargo terminals.

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Cabinet approves Kochi Metro Rail project's 2nd phase, to cost Rs 1,957 cr

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the second phase of the Kochi Metro Rail project, which will have 11 stations covering a length of over 11 km and cost Rs 1,957 crore. In a statement after the cabinet meeting, the government said preparatory work for the second phase, including road widening of the Seaport Airport Road, are progressing well. The first phase in Kochi from Aluva to Petta, covering a length of 25.6 Km with 22 stations at an estimated completion cost of Rs.5181.79 crore, is fully operational. The second phase from JLN Stadium to Infopark will pass through Kakkanad. The Kochi Metro Phase 1A project of viaduct of 1.80 km between Petta to SN Junction with an approved cost of Rs 710.93 crore is being implemented as a state sector project. Kochi Metro Phase 1 B Project of 1.20 km from SN Junction to Thripunithura Terminal is also under construction as state sector project. Kochi is Kerala's most densely populated city and is part of an extended metropolitan regio

Govt approves signing of MoU with Nepal on biodiversity conservation

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an environment ministry proposal for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Nepal on biodiversity conservation. The MoU would help in promoting cooperation between India and Nepal in the field of forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation and climate change, including restoration of corridors and interlinking areas, and sharing knowledge and best practices, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement on Wednesday. The region along the Indo-Nepal border hosts some of the best wildlife habitats remaining in the Indian subcontinent.