Besides, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the statutoryminimum price (SMP) for sugarcane at Rs 56.10 per quintal for the 1999-2000sugar season and the average all-India levy price of sugar for 1998-99season at Rs 1,050.99 per quintal and zone-wise levy price for the season.

The cabinet approved amendment to the Electricity Regulatory Act to enabletwo or more states and Union territories to establish a joint electricityregulatory Commission and revised the costs of two power transmissionprojects.

The Bill on geographical indications will provide for the registration andprotection goods like Basmati rice and Darjeeling tea, an officialspokesperson said after the cabinet meeting.

This along with, Patents (amendment) Bill, Trade Marks Bill and Designs Billwill enable India to discharge commitments under the trade relatedintellectual property rights (Trips) agreement.

Geographical indications refer to any indication which define the goods asoriginating in the territory of a country or a region or locality in thatterritory, and where a given quality, reputation or other characteristics ofthe goods is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

Some well known Indian examples of geographical indications are Malabarpepper, Alleppey green cardamom, Alphonso mangoes, Pashmina shawls andKohlapur chappals.

The proposed legislation for protection of plant varieties aims to stimulateinvestment for research and development for new plant varieties.Development and availability of new and improved varieties of plants andfarmers rights over their traditional plant genetic resources have becomelinked to the issue of intellectual property rights (IPRs) or plantbreeders' rights.

The proposed Indian sui generis system will protect farmers' traditionalrights to save, exchange, share and sell farm produce of the protected plantvariety except sale under commercial marketing arrangements.

CCEA in its meeting also cleared capital investment subsidy for constructionof cold storages for horticultural produce and revised cost estimates ofChandrapur HVDC project and Salal hydroelectric station II.

The SMP for sugarcane is based on the recommendation of the Commission forAgricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). The SMP of Rs 56.10 per quintal linkedto a basic recovery of 8.5 per cent subject to a premium of Rs 0.66 forevery 0.1 percentage point increase in the recovery above that level is anincrease of Rs 3.4 per quintal over the price of Rs 52.70 per quintal fixedfor 1998-99 season.

While fixing the levy sugar price, CCEA also approved the negativeadjustment of molasses prices in determination of ex-factory prices of levysugar for future years based on previous sugar seasons average realisations.The methodology is expected to ensure consistency, uniformity andtransparency in treating molasses realisations in fixation of levy sugarprices.

The capital investment subsidy for construction, expansion and modernisationof cold storages and storages for horticulture produce will be implementedthrough the National Horticulture Board. The outlay during 1999-2000 to2001-2002 will be Rs 175 crores.

The revised cost estimates (completed cost) of Chandrapur HVDC back to backproject have gone up to Rs 1028.59 crore, including an IDC of Rs 76.94 croreat first quater 1998 price level from the original Rs 900.28 crore,including an IDC of Rs 119.68 crore, at first quarter 1993 level.

The revised cost estimate of Salal II transmission system has gone up to Rs101.75 crore, including an IDC of Rs 9.30 crore from the original Rs 93.74crore (IDC Rs 7.35 crore) in 1989.