Need of alternate line between capital cities via Rajouri-Poonch stressed

JAMMU: In order to meet the electricity requirement during winter months when generation from hydro projects comes down considerably, State Government has demanded one each Thermal and Solar Power Projects from the Union Government besides alternate transmission line between Jammu and Srinagar via twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch for dependable power supply to snow bound areas. The State has also reiterated the demand of Rs 1000 crore equity assistance for the construction of Stage-II of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Project on river Chenab at Chanderkote in Ramban district.

New Delhi: Groundwater, a precious natural resource, is for all practical purposes private property in India. Anyone can bore and extract water with few rules to restrict over-exploitation.

Aizawl: Under its New Land Use Policy (NLUP), Mizoram is laying emphasis on ending the age-old jhum shifting cultivation and has allocated Rs 410 crore in this year’s budget to enable about 30,000 more tribal families to shift to stable farming, a minister said on Tuesday. “In this year’s State budget, Rs 370 crore has been earmarked for the execution of the NLUP.

Under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana, Rs 40 crore has also been sanctioned for the same NLUP,” Mizoram Finance Minister H Liansailova told the State Assembly during its on-going budget session.

In line with the depressed projections of economic growth, the Planning Commission on Wednesday lowered the target for power capacity addition during the 12th Plan period ending March 2017 to 88,000 Megawatt (Mw) from 100,000 Mw set earlier. Also, state power ministers raised concerns over 55 of the 89 thermal power generating units running on low capacity.

Every one per cent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) requires power capacity to grow by 0.9 per cent in India. Power is one of the eight core infrastructure sectors, which have a combined weight of 38 per cent in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a meeting tomorrow to discuss an alternative plan for the National Food Security Bill, the ruling coalition’s most ambitious social security programme.

Also termed ‘Plan B’, it seeks to widen the numbers covered under the programme to about 68 per cent of the entire population from the 64 per cent in the pending Bill. It was first floated by a section of activists on the issue. The original Bill, as cleared by the cabinet last year, is currently being vetted by a standing committee of Parliament.

New Delhi It’s a throwback to history.

In an apparent attempt to provide a fresh push to the Congress’s manifesto promise of Right to food, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to step in to instil a clarity on the way forward for

The Planning Commission on Monday said India will not be able to achieve $1 trillion target for investment in the infrastructure sector during the 12th Plan (2012-17) in view of lower economic grow

Insurers may be burning their fingers in urban health portfolios for some time now, but the government’s rural healthcare initiatives, including its decision to provide free generic drugs to public hospitals, are set to offer fresh avenues of growth for them.

The recent government decision to provide free generic drugs to government hospitals at an expense of $5.4 billion (Rs 29, 820 crore) could be a game-changer for the health insurance business in India. While insurers suffer a high claim ratio in urban centres, in excess of 100 per cent, the cost of health insurance in rural centres is expected to come down with the new regulation.

The major reason for production shortfall was delays in project implementation by ONGC and Cairn Energy

India missed oil and natural gas production targets by a wide margin due to fall in output at Reliance Industries' KG-D6 fields and delays in implementation of project by ONGC, according to Planning Commission. "Against crude oil production target of 206.73 million tonnes in 11th (Five Year) Plan period (2007-12), the anticipated achievement is 177 million tonnes, i.e. 14% below the target," the Plan Panel's draft note on Energy for the current 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17) said.