New Delhi June 25: In a move which otherwise in political circles is considered a prelude to the formation of a new state, the Centre has asked the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments to constitute special authorities dedicated to Bundelkhand regions of the respective states.

Uttar Pradesh government has given its nod to the proposal of NTPC to set up a 4,000 mw power plant in Lalitpur district of the state. The state government would hold 30% equity in the plant and 75% of power generated would be used in Uttar Pradesh, Cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters. An MoU would be signed for the project soon, he said. The state Cabinet also decided to provide high-yield hybrid seeds to farmers at subsidised rates.

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party, whose role could be crucial in a trial of strength in the Lok Sabha in case Left parties withdraw support to the UPA government at the Centre, on Monday kept its cards close to the chest on its stand saying a meeting of the UNPA will be convened soon to discuss the nuclear deal issue. "We are in touch with leaders of UNPA allies and a date will be fixed soon according to the convenience of all including SP general secretary Amar Singh who is currently on a foreign tour,' SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters here.

Aimed at meeting the skilled manpower shortage in the water supply and sanitation sector in the country, a state-of-the-art water training centre will come up in the National Capital Region. The National Water and Sanitation Institute, first of its kind in the country, is to come up in 14 acres of land in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh at an estimated cost of Rs.26 crore with French assistance, a senior Urban Development official said. There is a shortage of skilled manpower for effective management of water supply and sanitation sector.

Smita Aggarwal For UPA government's ambitious project to provide urban infrastructure under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, there is an estimated investment shortfall of Rs 48,715 crore annually. Under the scheme, central government together with state government and Urban Local Bodies (ULB) has envisaged an investment of Rs 14,285 crore per annum for this mission, with central government allocating Rs 50,000 crore over the seven-year period, and an equal contribution being sought from state government and ULBs.

Eastern Uttar Pradesh once again faces the threat of flood with all major rivers in the state rising menacingly. Incessant rains since the past one week have made all rivers record a steady rise. Floodwaters have already entered Lakhimpur district where more than nine villages have been inundated with water, following a collapse of embankments. Though no casualties have been reported so far, people are being moved to higher locations in the affected areas. According to a senior official, a flood alert has been sounded in more than 32 districts of UP, most of them in Purvanchal.

Sahara raised unauthorised constructions, it says High Court pulls up LDA for carrying out late night demolitions Illegal acts of company deprived public of free access along area: plea The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday moved the Supreme Court questioning the interim relief granted by the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, restraining the authorities from demolishing Sahara Shahar, a property belonging to the Sahara India Commercial Corporation in Lucknow.

Indo Asian Fusegear, a Noida-based manufacturer of electrical lighting and switchgear equipment, is planning to foray into power generation. "We are looking at options in hydel and wind projects," said Joint Managing Director P K Ranade. Ranade has already visited prospective hydro project sites in Himachal Pradesh.

VIRENDRA SINGH RAWAT The two proposed power plants in Allahabad for which Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) company Reliance Power has emerged as the lowest bidder are yet to get clearance, from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). "The AAI clearance is required in these cases as the Bamrauli airstrip of Allahabad falls within the zone of the power projects," a senior Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) official involved with the projects told Business Standard.