Stepping up the road development programme, the The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved four projects worth Rs 3,230.80 crore for two, four and six-laning of sections of national highways in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka. The projects include Rs 1,203.64 crore four/six laning of Jaipur-Tonk-Deoli section of NH 72 in Rajasthan and Rs 1,661.9 crore project for four laning of NH 6 at Surat-Hazra section in Gujarat .
The committee also approved two laning of Beawar-Gomti section of NH 8 in Rajasthan and subsequently its four laning at a cost of Rs 200.54 crore, besides two laning of Hospet-Bellary section of NH 63 at a cost of Rs 162.56 crore. The CCEA decided to allot Rs 746 crore to develop marine fisheries and infrastructure in the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12). Under the scheme, funds would be utilised to empower traditional fishermen through motorisation of their craft, assist small scale mechanised sector by subsidising excise duty on fuel and improve safety of fishers in sea.
The government also approved a subsidy of Rs 500 crore to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) for selling cotton at less than the purchase price. CCI has been set up to protect cotton farmers by purchasing the fibre crop if the prices fall below the government-set minimum support price (MSP). CCI has also been directed to dispose off the cotton procured at MSP rates by offering discounts for bulk purchases as has been the practice in Maharashtra State Co-operative Cotton growers Marketing Federation Co-operative. The CCI undertook extensive procurement in the crop year ending September 2009 after government raised the MSP of the popular Shankar variety by up to 40% amid falling market rates following a slowdown in the textile sector.
The CCEA nearly doubled the cost estimates to Rs 172.8 crore from Rs 96 crore for National Aerospace Laboratories? (NAL) project to design, develop and manufacture small civilian aircraft. The meeting also gave its nod to the revised time duration of five years from the earlier four years for the project.
To expedite processing of income tax returns and issuing refunds, a new centre is expected to be operationalised in Bangalore in four months to process such documents filed online from all over the country. This Centralised Processing Centre would cost Rs 255.46 crore over five years. Besides online returns from across the country, the Centre will process paper returns filed in Karnataka.
The government decided to build All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS like institutes in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh at a cost of Rs 823 crore each. The proposal was approved by the UnionCabinet which also decided to upgrade five existing government medical colleges in five states to AIIMS level at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore each. Aimed at securing health and safety of workers, the Union Cabinet approved the National Policy on Health and Environment at workplace. ?It provides general guidelines for all the stakeholders such as the governments, inspection authorities, employers, research and development institutions and educational institutions for developing a safety culture and environment at workplaces,? Chidambaram said.
The government handed over 18.22 acres of defence land to the Maharashtra government for construction of Deputy Regional Transport Office in Ahmednagar, which houses the regimental centres of the mechanised forces of the Indian Army. The Cabinet gave approval to an agreement signed by India , Brazil and South Africa last year on providing housing and basic services to the urban poor.
The CCEA also expanded the scope of National Social Assistance Programme to include about 35 lakh poor widows and persons with severe and multiple disabilities for providing them a monthly pension of Rs 200. This is expected cost about Rs 1,691 crore annually to the government. Widows aged between 40-64 years and persons with severe and multiple disabilities in the age group of 18-64 years belonging to below poverty line households will now be covered under NSAP.