Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor Project

Approval of Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor Project

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for the revised cost estimate of Rs. 81,459 crore for the Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Project, including land costs and financing plan.

The revised cost estimate of Rs. 81,459 crore comprises of construction cost of Rs. 73,392 crore of the Eastern and Western DFC  (Eastern DFC - Rs. 26,674 crore and Western DFC- Rs. 46,178 crore).  The land acquisition cost will be Rs. 8,067 crore. This excludes the cost of the 534 kms Sonnagar- Dankuni section proposed to be implemented through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) route. 

Out of the total requirement of Rs. 81,459 crore for the Eastern and Western DFC project, Rs. 76,143 crore funding will be required during project construction, as interest during construction of Rs. 5,316 crore for the Western DFC  would need to be paid by the Ministry of Railways to the Ministry of Finance, after the moratorium period of 10 years. Rs. 52,347 crore would flow from debt from JICA and World Bank. Equity requirement from the Ministry of Railways (including land) for the project is Rs. 23,796 crore.

The Eastern and Western DFC passes through the States of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The Eastern and Western DFC project will add substantial transportation capacity, help in reducing unit cost of transportation and would provide efficient transportation services to benefit power houses, mines, ports, trade and industry and the container sector. It will benefit the environment as traffic from road will move to rail resulting in reduction in 457 million tonnes of CO₂ over a 30 year period. The Eastern DFC is expected to carry 153 million tonne of traffic in 2021-22, which will increase to 251 million tonne in 2036-37. The Western DFC is expected to carry 161 million tonnes of traffic in 2021-22, which will increase to 284 million tonnes in 2036-37.

For the Eastern DFC, the commitment of World Bank loan is for US $ 2.725 billion and the loan agreement for US $ 975 million to cover the first package of 343 km from Khurja to Kanpur was signed in October 2011. For the second package of 402 km from Kanpur to Mughalsarai, the loan of US $ 1100 million was signed in December 2014. For the third package covering the 447 km Dadri-Khurja-Ludhiana section, negotiations were finalised with World Bank for a loan of US$ 650 million.

For the Western DFC, the commitment for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan is for 550 billion Japanese Yen and the first tranche loan agreements of 230 billion Japanese Yen for both Phase-I and Phase-II, have been signed.

Background:

The Eastern DFC is planned to be implemented in parts; EDFC-1 of 343 km, from Khurja-Kanpur; EDFC-2 of 402 km, from Kanpur-Mughalsarai; EDFC-3 of 447 km from Ludhiana-Khurja-Dadri. The 126 km, Mughalsarai-Sonnagar has already been taken up for implementation with Government funds; and the 538 km, Sonnagar-Dankuni section will be implemented through PPP. The Western DFC is planned to be implemented in two phases. Phase-1 of 963 km, from Rewari-Vadodara and Phase-2 of 557 km, from Vadodara-Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Rewari-Dadri. The completion of the Eastern and Western DFC is targeted in phases from 2017 to 2019.

The project has achieved significant progress. Over 84 percent of land has been acquired with land compensation award of over Rs. 6,900 crore declared according to the provisions of the Railway Amendment Act, 2008. Civil construction contracts and other contracts for about 1526 km on the two corridors and 54 bridges on the Western DFC have been awarded at a total value of over Rs. 20,000 crore. Contracts are being awarded on design build lump sum basis. The systems works for signaling and electrification packages and the balance civil works are also at an advanced stage of tendering. To proceed with project implementation and enter into commitments approval of the revised cost estimates would be essential.

Earlier, the CCEA in Feb, 2008, gave approval for implementation of the Eastern and Western DFC projects and so far, expenditure of over Rs. 13,000 crore has been made

Setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan in Bihar

Setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan in Bihar

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval to the proposal of the Ministry of Culture for setting up of a National Memorial at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, Diara, District Chhapra (Saran) in Bihar - the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan. The Memorial will also house a virtual museum and an institute to undertake study and research on (a) democracy, (b) enhancing the role of Panchayats in nation building, (c) Gandhian thoughts, and (d) centre for Khadi and constructive work keeping in view the thoughts of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, along with Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra at the same place for making national flags by women cluster(s).

Bharat Ratna Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan’s contribution as an exemplary leader of Indian independence movement, a freedom fighter, social reformer and a visionary political leader will be commemorated through these decisions. As sentinel of Indian democracy, his contribution to redeem democracy will be remembered for long. After proclamation of National Emergency, on the mid-night of 25th June, 1975, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan was arrested and kept as a detenu at Chandigarh.

Jai Prakash Narayan’s call for a Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution) for upholding and defending civil liberties at a very critical juncture in the post-independence history of India, ushered a new democratic movement for India and contributed to strengthen the roots of democracy.




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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for being honoured with Colombia's highest civilian award.

"Congratulations to @SriSri ji on being conferred 'Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero' by Colombia," Prime Minister Modi said on twitter.

"We are very proud of the excellent work @SriSri ji is doing across the world. His noble efforts have always created a major impact globally," he added.

A letter sent by the president of Colombia's House of Representatives, Fabio Raul Amin Saleme, had recognised the spiritual leader's contribution in spreading the message of peace in society, inter-mediation in war, reducing stress and combating violence through yoga and breathing exercises.

Establishment of six new Indian Institutes of Management

Establishment of six new Indian Institutes of Management

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for setting up of six new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the country.

These new IIMs will be located at Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha) and Amritsar (Punjab). These IIMs will begin functioning from assigned temporary campuses and shift to their permanent sites after construction of their campuses. It is intended that these six new IIMs will commence their first academic session from 2015-16. Each Institute will start with an intake of 140 students in the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) courses. It is expected that the annual intake will increase to reach a level of 560 students each year by the end of seven years.

The PGP in Management would be the flagship programme of these institutions. Admission to the PGP will be through the open and competitive Common Admission Test (CAT) being conducted by the IIMs.

The Institutes would train young graduates to undertake management responsibilities and carry out research and consultancy in the field of management and allied areas. Their programmes will provide the country, potential leaders in diverse fields of endeavour and enterprise.

Background 

A commitment was made by the Government of India in the Budget speech of the Finance Minister in July 2014 to establish five new IIMs in Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Punjab. In addition, the reorganization of the State of Andhra Pradesh into the two States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana has necessitated the setting up of an IIM in Andhra Pradesh, consequent to and in pursuance of the Andhra Pradesh Re-organization Act, 2014.

FOREIGN TRADE POLICY

FOREIGN TRADE POLICY The Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-20 (‗FTP‘) was announced by the Hon‘ble Minister of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on April 1, 2015. The FTP has been announced in the backdrop of several measures initiated by the Government of India such as ‗Make in India‘, ‗Digital India‘ and ‗Skills India‘, among others. Objectives: The FTP has been introduced,  to double India‘s share in world trade by the year 2020.  to rationalize the general provisions regarding imports and exports and also, various promotional measures offered by the Commerce Ministry  to offer a mechanism for resolving quality complaints and trade disputes. Key Highlights of the FTP  FTP is to be aligned with Make in India, Digital India & Skills India initiatives.  It has been outlined that higher level of support for export of defence, farm produce and eco-friendly products would be provided.  The benefits of the erstwhile FTP have now been consolidated into two new schemes for export of merchandise and services, i.e., Merchandise Export from India Scheme (‗MEIS‘) and Service Export from India Scheme (‗SEIS‘).  MEIS o Objective of MEIS is to offset infrastructural inefficiencies and associated costs involved in export of goods, which are produced/manufactured in India, especially those having high export intensity, employment potential and thereby enhancing India‘s export competitiveness.  SEIS o SEIS is made available to ―Service Providers located in India‖ as against the existing Served Form India Scheme available to ―Indian Service Providers‖. o Objective of SEIS is to encourage export of notified Services from India.  The benefit of MEIS and SEIS has been extended to units located in Special Economic Zones – This step is imperative to boost the SEZ sector. P a g e | 23 Vajiram and Ravi  MEIS and SIES schemes provide rewards to importers and exporters in terms of duty free scrips.4  Additional Ports are now allowed to export and import which include Calicut Airport, Kerala and Arakonam ICD.  Boost to "MAKE IN INDIA" o FTP has reduced Export Obligation5 (EO) for domestic procurement in order to promote domestic capital goods manufacturing industry. o There are higher level of rewards under MEIS for export items with high domestic content and value addition.  Status Holders o Business leaders who have excelled in international trade and have successfully contributed to country‘s foreign trade are proposed to be recognized as Status Holders and given special treatment and privileges to facilitate their trade transactions, in order to reduce their transaction costs and time. o The nomenclature of Export House, Star Export House, Trading House, Star Trading House, Premier Trading House certificate has been changed to One, Two, Three, Four, Five Star Export House. o The criteria for export performance for recognition of status holder have been changed from Rupees to US dollar earnings.  Centre for Research in International Trade – is a new institution being established not only to strengthen India‘s research capabilities in the area of international trade, but also to enable developing countries to articulate their views and concerns from a well-informed position of strength.  The policy also said that two institutional mechanisms are being put in place for regular communication with stakeholders – the Board of Trade and the Council for Trade Development (CTD) and Promotion.  While the Board of Trade will have an advisory role, the CTD would have representation from State and UT governments. CTD will be an institution between the Centre and the states with the objective of to ensure participation of state government into central government policy making, implementation and monitoring. 4 Duty free scrips are explained later. 5 Export Obligation” means obligation to export products in terms of quantity, value or both, as specified by Regional or competent authority. P a g e | 24 Vajiram and Ravi  FTP also promotes e Commerce focusing on job creation.  Unlike the annual reviews of the past, the FTP will be reviewed after two-andhalf years to ensure continuity in the trade policy. What are duty-free scrips? Duty free scrips are paper authorizations that allow the holder to import inputs that go into manufacture of products that are to be exported. Such goods are imported without paying duties equivalent to the printed value on the scrip. For instance, if a duty free scrip is valued at Rs 10 lakh, the holder can use it to import such goods without paying duties up to Rs 10 lakh. Who gets duty-free scrips? Duty free scrips are given to exporters under various export promotion schemes of the government. Under these promotional schemes, incentives are given for exporting identified products and targeting specific markets fixed at a certain percentage of the export value. It is also used to reimburse duties on imported inputs as mentioned in the exmple given above

Kayakalp”

Kayakalp”- An initiative for Awards to Public Health Facility Objective: The objectives of the award scheme are to promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health care facilities, to incentivize and recognize such public healthcare facilities that show exemplary performance in adhering to standard protocols of cleanliness and infection control, to inculcate a culture of ongoing assessment and peer review of performance related to hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation, to create and share sustainable practices related to improved cleanliness in public health facilities linked to positive health outcomes. Benefits:  Kayakalp initiative will encourage every public health facility in the country to work towards standards of excellence to help the facilities stay clean and hygienic.  The initiative will help to develop and put in place systems and procedures for activities such as bio-waste disposal or protocols etc.  This initiative will provide an opportunity and incentive to strengthen intersectoral coordination in improving health systems at the state level. Features: Five awards will be given under this scheme: Best two district hospitals in each state (Best district hospital in small states), best two community health centres/sub district hospitals (limited to one in small states) and one primary health centre in every P a g e | 99 district.Based on the set criterion, prize winners will receive a cash award with a citation. Criteria: The awards would be distributed based on the performance of the facility on these parameters- sanitation and hygiene, infection control, hospital upkeep, waste management, community participation. Assessment would be done sequentially through a three tier system - internal assessment followed by peer assessment and then external assessment.

E-WASTE: INDIA’S NEGLECTED DISASTER

E-WASTE: INDIA’S NEGLECTED DISASTER According to The 'Global E-Waste Monitor 2014', compiled by UN's think tank United Nations University (UNU), India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014. What does the report say?  The volume of global e-waste is likely to rise sharply by 21 per cent in next three years.  The US and China produced the most e-waste (32%) overall in 2014 .  India came in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.  Most e-waste in the world in 2014 was generated in Asia at 16 Mt or 3.7 kg per inhabitant.  Most e-waste in the world in 2014 was generated in Asia at 16 Mt or 3.7 kg per inhabitant. o The top three Asian nations with the highest e-waste generation in absolute quantities are China (6.0 Mt), Japan (2.2 Mt) and India (1.7 Mt).  The top per capita producers by far are the wealthy nations of northern and western Europe, the top five being Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, and the UK.  The lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant was generated in Africa (1.7 kg/inhabitant). The continent generated 1.9 Mt of e-waste in total. P a g e | 40 Other highlights:  Toxins in that e-waste include 2.2 Mt of lead glass, 0.3 Mt of batteries, as well as mercury, cadmium, chromium and 4,400 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances (CFCs). Reasons for increasing e-wastes:  Rising sales of electronic equipments.  Shortening life cycles of electrical and electronic equipment. What is E-waste? E-waste is a term used to cover all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and its parts that have been discarded by its owner as waste without the intent of re-use.E-waste or electronic waste, therefore, broadly describes loosely discarded, surplus, obsolete, broken, electrical or electronic devices. Composition: E-waste consists of all waste from electronic and electrical appliances which have reached their end- of- life period or are no longer fit for their original intended use and are destined for recovery, recycling or disposal. It includes computer and its accessories monitors, printers, keyboards, central processing units; typewriters, mobile phones and chargers, remotes, compact discs, headphones, batteries, LCD/Plasma TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators and other household appliances. The presence of elements like lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, selenium, hexavalent chromium, and flame retardants beyond threshold quantities make e- P a g e | 41 waste hazardous in nature. It contains over 1000 different substances, many of which are toxic, and creates serious pollution upon disposal. How will the report help? The report provides a baseline for national policymakers, producers and the recycling industry, to plan take-back systems. It can also facilitate cooperation around controlling illegal trade, supporting necessary technology development and transfer, and assisting international organisations, governments and research institutes in their efforts as they develop appropriate countermeasures.  ‗Urban mine‘- A large potential reservoir of recyclable materials.  ‗Toxic mine‘ -The hazardous content of e-waste that must be managed with extreme care. Health Problems because of e-waste: Health problems associated with toxins present in the e-waste include impaired mental development, cancer, reproductive disorders, endocrine disruption and damage to livers and kidneys.  Lead is toxic to the kidneys, accumulating in the body and eventually affecting the nervous and reproductive systems. Children‘s mental development can be impaired by low-level exposure to lead.  When burned, PVC produces dioxins, some of the most hazardous carcinogens known.  Brominated flame retardants have been linked to fetal damage and thyroid problems. P a g e | 42  Barium produces brain swelling after a short exposure. It may cause weakness in muscles as well as heart, liver, and spleen damage.  Hexavalent chromium damages kidneys, the liver, and DNA. Asthmatic bronchitis has been linked to this substance.  Mercury is known to harm developing fetuses and is passed through mothers‘ milk to newborns. In adults, it can cause brain and kidney damage.  Beryllium causes acute or chronic beryllium disease, a deadly ailment affecting the lungs.  Cadmium is a carcinogen and long-term exposure leads to kidney and bone damage. E-waste in India:  There are 10 States that contribute to 70 per cent of the total e-waste generated in the country, while 65 cities generate more than 60 per cent of the total e-waste in India. o Among the 10 largest e-waste generating States, Maharashtra ranks first followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Among the top ten cities generating e-waste, Mumbai ranks first followed by Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Surat and Nagpur.  The main sources of electronic waste in India are the government, public and private (industrial) sectors, which account for almost 70 per cent of total waste generation. P a g e | 43  The contribution of individual households is relatively small at about 15 per cent; the rest being contributed by manufacturers. Though individual households are not large contributors to waste generated by computers, they consume large quantities of consumer durables and are, therefore, potential creators of waste.  An Indian market Research Bureau (IMRB) survey of ‗E-waste generation at Source‘ in 2009 found that out of the total e-waste volume in India, televisions and desktops including servers comprised 68 per cent and 27 per cent respectively. Imports and mobile phones comprised of 2 per cent and 1 per cent respectively.  The Cobalt-60 radiation tragedy at Mayapuri in Delhi in which one person lost his life and six persons were admitted to hospital served as a wakeup call drawing attention to the mounting quantity of hazardous waste including ewaste in the country while revealing systemic problems on the issue of waste disposal. What happens to the e-Waste? An incredibly small percentage of e-waste is recycled. The remainder is most often dumped or burned – either in formal landfills and incinerators, or informally dumped or burned. Ways of Disposal of E-waste: 1. Landfill 2. Incineration 3. Reuse 4. Recyc

International Day for Biological Diversity

International Day for Biological Diversity Objective of IDB: The International Day for Biological Diversity is part of a series of activities to focus attention on the Convention on Biological Diversity. A wide range of events are organized globally to increase the understanding of the important role of biodiversity in our future. The day is an opportunity to promote conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Theme of International Day for Biological Diversity 2015 'Biodiversity for Sustainable Development' This year‘s theme reflects the importance of efforts made at all levels to establish a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the United Nations Post- 2015 Development Agenda for the period of 2015-2030 and the relevance of biodiversity for the achievement of sustainable development. What is CBD? The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international environmental agreement established for the conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable The United Nations had proclaimed May 22 as The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. UN General Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity at a conference in Nairobi, Kenya. P a g e | 24 sharing of benefits of biological resources. The agreement has been ratified by 193 countries.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was inspired by the world community‘s growing commitment to sustainable development. It is an important global instrument which first evolved through the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the so-called Earth Summit, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has 3 main objectives: 1. The conservation of biological diversity 2. The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity 3. The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)-India The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing a global multi country project on Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), which provides tools and methodological framework for measuring expenditure on biodiversity, which the countries may choose to use in their efforts to mobilise resources required for achieving the global and national biodiversity targets. Launched in October 2012 by UNDP, BIOFIN focuses on national implementation of the methodological framework in the countries that agree to pilot the initiative. P a g e | 25  In India BIOFIN was launched on the day of International Day for Biological Diversity.  BIOFIN provides a systematic and flexible approach to identify and mobilise the financial resources needed for implementing the National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) and making progress towards achieving the National Biodiversity Targets (NBT).  Through implementation of BIOFIN, it is expected to further enhance awareness and sensitization about significance of biodiversity in development sectors, thereby, inter alia leveraging existing resources to contribute more towards biodiversity, and reducing the financial gap in achieving the NBTs. P a g e | 26 Environmental Democracy Index: EDI is an objective, common index to understand the state of environmental democracy for countries around the world, which is essential to strengthen laws and public participation around environmental issues. The Environmental Democracy Index evaluates environmental democracy in 70 countries, including 75 legal and 24 practice indicators, based on recognised international standards. This index evaluates nations' progress in enacting laws to promote transparency, accountability and citizen engagement in environmental decision making.  Environmental democracy in a country is defined as the ease with which citizens can be a meaningful part of the environmental decision-making process. Environmental democracy also implies making environmental information available to the public. Need:  People around the world often lack the ability to participate in decisions that impact their environment—yet no independent tool currently exists to measure and map these gaps in rights.  Without credible measurement, marginalized groups are unable to advocate for a greater voice in environmental and development decisions and support outcomes that benefit people and the planet.  Policymakers who have made commitments to transparency and citizen engagement need credible and accessible tools to track progress and provide guidance. P a g e | 27 The list was launched by Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) and Access Initiative.  India has ranked 24th out of 70 countries in the first Environmental Democracy Index  Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, the US, South Africa, the UK, Hungary, Bulgaria, Panama and Colombia are the top 10 nations.  93 per cent of the assessed countries have established the right to environmental information.  45 per cent do not have strong protections to ensure that access to information is affordable and timely.  46 per cent of the countries assessed do not provide any ambient air quality data online for their capital cities.  14 per cent of the countries have legal mechanisms that help women access courts to obtain redress when their environmental rights are violated. Need for EDI: Dozens of laws on environmental democracy have been passed in recent years— especially on the right to information—yet laws and regulations protecting citizens‘ rights to participate in decisions that impact their environment are too often either toothless, vague, or absent. Public participation opportunities are often confined to environmental impact assessments, and even then far too often the public is only consulted after the decision has been made. When these processes fail to protect the public interest, ensuring justice requires mechanisms for grievance and compensation P a g e | 28 This index is a powerful lever that will help governments to become more transparent and ordinary citizens to advocate for more rights. Features of EDI:  EDI is composed of original indicators that measures how well countries' national laws protect environmental democracy rights as well as key areas of implementation.  The index will be featured on a web-based platform being developed by The Access Initiative (TAI) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), allowing users to compare countries‘ performances at aggregated and disaggregated levels using an interactive map.  Both legal and practice indicators are updated biennially. Benefits:  The Environmental Democracy Index will dramatically increase a country‘s ability to identify gaps in environmental rights and key aspects of performance by measuring progress against an international standard: the United Nations Environment Programme‘s 2010 Bali Guidelines on Principle 10.  The performance indicators will help users assess, for instance, which capital cities are proactively making air and water quality data available on a regular basis.  By establishing a centralized hub of legal analysis and implementation data on procedural rights, EDI will help governments and advocates identify gaps and prioritize reforms. P a g e | 29  EDI will synergize with other ongoing efforts—such as those of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)—to build capacity and political will to implement environmental rights.