Dam safe for increasing water level, says report

The Supreme Court will consider on Monday the report of the Empowered Committee — headed by the former Chief Justice of India, A.S. Anand — which has said the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam (MPD) “is hydrologically, structurally and seismically safe for raising the water level from 136 feet to 142 feet after carrying out certain repairs.” On May 4, a Constitution Bench of Justices D.K. Jain, R.M. Lodha, Deepak Verma, C.K. Prasad and Anil R. Dave asked the Registry to supply copies of the report to the Union government, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and directed the matter be listed for further hearing to July 23.

New Delhi: It’s not just groundwater regulations that the Centre is looking at changing.

Just a day after Tata group chairman Ratan Tata tweeted in defence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while seeking action to restore the credibility of the government, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) chairman C. Rangarajan spelt out what that action could be, and called for decontrol of diesel prices and foreign investment in multi-brand retail.

“I do hope action in terms of changing prices of petroleum products, more particularly diesel, will come through as early as possible. That is extremely important,” said Dr. Rangarajan, who is a key adviser to the Prime Minister, besides Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, ever since Dr. Singh took charge of the Finance portfolio.

New Delhi THE government’s promise of another reform-linked mega-bailout for power distribution companies comes even though there is little evidence that such largesse prompts states to mend their ways and restructure the sector.

In July 2008, the Centre had launched the Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (R-APDRP) scheme to help states finance projects and reduce theft and other “commercial losses” that undermined the viability of the sector.

LUCKNOW: The Planning Commission of India on Wednesday approved UP's annual plan outlay of Rs 57,000 crore for 2012-13.

The State-level committee on Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY) sanctioned nine new projects under the second green revolution programme on Wednesday.

Even as the Health Ministry has introduced a series of amendments to the organ transplant Act to give a boost to the national programme, the budget for the National Organ Transplantation Programme

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday gave further momentum to an alternative proposal that seeks to replace rigid provisions in the National Food Security Bill with “liberal” options that wil

The Annual Plan for Uttar Pradesh for 2012-13 was finalised at Rs.57,800 crore at a meeting here on Wednesday between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

While the outlay for the current fiscal is 23 per cent higher than the Rs.47,000 crore that was approved for 2011-12, it includes a special assistance of Rs.800 crore for the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad next year.

New Delhi: The Planning Commission has asked states to hike electricity charges to not only save the ailing power sector but also use the subsidy to fund essential services like drinking water, edu