New Delhi : Taking cues from the Centre’s initiative of expediting clearances for stalled projects, Odisha has set up a project monitoring group (PMG).

In a move to fast-track green nods, the government will digitise environment and forest clearances (EC and FC) at both the central and state levels.

India’s energy consumption has risen at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.96% in the last three decades even while GDP has grown by 5.7%, pointing to need for fuel price reforms and securing more of the hydrocarbon from domestic sources.

According to the Energy Statistics report for 2013 prepared by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI), the per capita energy consumption has grown by five times to 6205.25 kWh at the end of 2011-12 from 1,204.39 kWh in 1970-71, a CAGR growth of 3.98%. The per capita energy consumption was up by 7.2% during 2011-12.

Long-term lenders like IIFCL and IDBI Bank are unlikely to fund road projects where land acquisition is incomplete, a move that could scuttle plans to award projects of 8,000 km this fiscal year. Lenders and builders have approached the finance ministry, road ministry and NHAI, insisting that road contracts should not be awarded without all clearances in place.

“We are not taking up new projects unless 100% land acquisition is done. We are taking up the issue with NHAI,” IIFCL chairman SK Goel told FE. “We feel other lenders will follow suit,” he added.

New Delhi The labour ministry is planning to move a Bill to amend the Mines Act in the Monsoon session of Parliament, which proposes an increase in penalties on mining companies by as much as 100% in case of death of workers due to any lapse in operations, a senior government official said on Thursday. The Bill will also enlarge the coverage of workers in special economic zones, territorial waters, continental shelf and other maritime zones, where oil explorations are being carried out.

"The Bill will address the safety issues of mining workers. We are trying to introduce the Bill in Monsoon session," a labour ministry official told FE.