The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday gave its approval for setting up Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) at 13 identified entry points on the land borders of the country at a total cost of Rs 635 crore. The ICPs would be sanitized zones with dedicated passenger and cargo terminals comprising adequate customs & immigration facilities, security and scanning equipments, health and quarantine facilities, passenger amenities like waiting areas, restaurants, rest rooms, duty-free shops, parking warehousing, container yards, offices of transport and logistics companies, banks and financial services, dormitories for drivers, and all related facilities like service stations, fuel stations, in a single complex equipped with state-of-the-art modern amenities, the minister of state in PMO, Prithviraj Chauhan said.

A Land Port Authority of India would be established to undertake the construction, management and maintenance of the ICPs for which a Bill would be introduced in the Parliament. The Cabinet in its meeting on July 3 had cleared the Land Port Authority of India Bill, 2008. The home ministry?s proposal to set up the Land Ports Authority to oversee the operations of the ICPs was earlier scuttled by the finance ministry.

Bangladesh already has a similar authority in place. Some of the ICPs are already operating on the borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Well-managed ICPs are expected to boost India?s trade with neighbouring countries and also help contain smuggling of goods. Full-fledged customs and other services are provided at the ICPs to the traders, enabling smooth flow of items.

Of the 13 ICPs, 7 would come up on the Bangladesh border, 4 on the Nepal border and one each on the Pakistan and Myanmar border. While state-owned Rites Ltd has been mandated to create these new fully-automated facilities over the next three years, four ICPs would be set up on a fast-track basis in the next 15 months. These are Petrapole (Bangladesh), Moreh (Myanmar), Raxaul (Nepal) and Wagah (Pakistan).

India would also spend Rs 120 crore to help Nepal set up similar facilities on their side of the border. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan already have such facilities.

Nearly two years after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the setting up of 6,000 model schools at the Block level to live up to the UPA government?s promise of education for all, the CCEA gave its approval to HRD ministry?s proposal to set up these s chools.

In the first phase, 2,500 model schools would be set up in the educationally backward blocks ( EBBs ) under a centrally sponsored scheme. The f inancial requirement for this during the current 11 th Five Year Plan is estimated at Rs 9 ,321 crore, of which the Centre?s share would be Rs 7,457 crore. The Planning Commission has allocated Rs 12,750 crore for this scheme under the 11 th Plan periord (2007-12). Rs 650 crore has been provided in the budget for 2008-09.

The cost of the scheme would be shared by the Centre and the states at the ratio of 75:25 during the 11 th Five Year Plan and 50:50 during the 12 th Five Year Plan, while for special category states, the sharing pattern would be in the ratio of 90:10. The scheme will be implemented from the current financial year, minister of state at the PMO, Prithviraj Chauhan said. Land for these schools would be identified and provided by the state governments free of cost.

The Cabinet, which also met on Thursday, gave its approval for paying Productivity Linked Reward to port and dock workers, employees and officers as per the increased ceiling limit of wage at Rs 3,500 per month from the year 2006-07 till 2009-10. This is expected to benefit about 66,000 port and dock employees, workers and officers.

In another decision regarding the port sector, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared the proposal for capital dredging to deepen and widen the approach channel and berth basin of International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at the Cochin Port. The dredging work is estimated to cost Rs 381.25 crore. The Centre would disburse the amount through a grant-in-aid of Rs 297.42 crore and a loan assistance of Rs 83.83 crore.

Green signal also to…

•In a slew of decisions that would benefit the north eastern region, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday gave its approval for implementation of Pare Hydro Electric Project (110 mw) in Arunachal Pradesh by North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd. (Neepco) at an approved estimated cost of Rs.573.99 crore

• The amount includes interest during construction and financing charges of Rs 68.06 crore at June 2007 price level based on equity from the Centre amounting to Rs 172.20 crore and a debt of Rs 401.79 crore

• The project is scheduled to be commissioned in about three years and eight months (44 months). The power from the project would be utilised within the north eastern region (NER), using the existing 132 KV transmission system of Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project to meet the needs of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and other NER states

• The CCEA also cleared the proposal for taking up construction of new broad gauge line from Sivok to Rangpo in Sikkim (52.7 km) at an estimated cost of Rs 1,339.48 crore. The rail project would be undertaken as ?National Project? and would be funded as per the funding pattern of 25% from the gross budgetary support (GBS) for Railways and 75% from the ministry of finance as an additionality as has been approved for similar other projects of NER

• Rangpo is a township in Sikkim on the border of West Bengal. The new Broad Gauge line will provide rail connectivity to Sikkim and it would make possible direct movement of freight and passengers from this region to other parts of the country

• The work on the project is expected to commence during 2008-09 and is expected to be completed by 2015-16 depending upon availability of resources, the minister of state in PMO, Prithviraj Chauhan said