Giving itself discretionary powers on release funds to States under various Central schemes, the Planning Commission has decided to restructure 16 Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) into Additional Central Assistance (ACA) Schemes. The new funding pattern will be effective from 2013-14.

While restructuring the CSSs will give more flexibility to the States to utilise the funds, it will also give the Planning Commission absolute control over the quantity of money to be released. CSS funds are routed through the Ministries, but once the new system is in place as many as 11 ministries will lose monetary control over their ambitious schemes.

Two sides also discuss possibility of technological cooperation in gas hydrates that are tough to extract

In the second interaction of its kind this year, India has agreed to test-run Japanese projects intended to improve or utilise the country’s basic energy resources such as coal and water. During the India-Japan Energy Dialogue, which took place in Japan on Wednesday, the two sides also discussed the possibility of technological cooperation in the difficult-to-extract gas hydrates, touched on the possibility of developing an almost carbon-free integrated gasification combined cycle project in India and reviewed ongoing renewable energy projects, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia told The Hindu from Tokyo.

Projects review needed to make it more robust and less prone to abuse

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has proposed to raise its Plan outlay for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) from Rs one lakh crore to Rs 1,24,373 crore.

New Delhi The government is likely to postpone the implementation of coal price pooling because of the strong opposition from consuming states who feel it would raise the cost of power generators and increase tariff for consumers.

Under price pooling mechanism, CIL would have subsidised the price of imported coal (which is 50% costlier now) by raising domestic coal prices and supplying full quantity of coal at uniform price to consumers. The pooling mechanism, being finalised at the instance of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), is meant to address coal shortage being faced by consumers and would be especially helpful to new power plants to cut the cost of fuel imports.

New Delhi: Reacting to a TOI report titled, “MEA, MoEF team up against.

New Delhi: Close on the heels of the controversy over the climate change chapter in the 12th five year plan, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has got into another row on t

New Delhi More than half of the irrigation projects that are to be taken up in the current 12th Five-Year Plan are a spillover from the 11th Plan. Huge time and cost overruns are the major cause of concern in the creation of major and minor irrigation projects in the country, a Planning Commission working group on the 12th Plan has stated in its report.

Out of the 583 irrigation projects, including creation of small and medium facilities, and extension, renovation and modernisation (ERM) of the existing ones, that will be taken up during the 12th Plan period (2012-17), 327 are carry-overs from the 11th Plan, says the plan panel report.

The Union commerce ministry has set up a directorate exclusively to look after the welfare of small tea growers. The directorate, approved by the Planning Commission, will soon start functioning under the aegis of the Tea Board.

“This is a very important imperative for the welfare of small tea growers. It is important to look after the interests of small growers, in our approach to inclusive growth,” said Jyotiraditya Scindia, minister of state for commerce, here on Friday. The Planning Commission has sanctioned 50 posts for the directorate. It will have a central office and many regional offices in states, he told reporters on the sidelines of the 119th annual conference of the United Planters’ Association of South India (Upasi).

New Delhi The Planning Commission on Tuesday said that the country's coal demand is likely to touch 1,000 million tonnes (MT) by 2016-17, much higher than estimated supply of 750 million.

"The demand of coal is estimated at 1,000 MT and we are assuming that domestic availability would be 750 MT," Planning Commission Adviser (Energy) I A Khan said while addressing Indian Coal Markets Conference.