5 August 2016

More than 44235 MW accumulative capacity of Renewable Energy installed in the Country

More than 44235 MW accumulative capacity of Renewable Energy installed in the Country

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines today informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that total accumulative capacity of over 44235 MW have been installed in the country from various renewable energy sources. These sources include 27151 MW of Wind Power, 7805 MW of Solar Power, 4304 MW of Small Hydro Power and 4975 MW of Biopower.

Shri Goyal stated that Government of India is implementing several scheme for the promotion of Solar Power in the country including hilly/ mountain states like solar rooftop Scheme, scheme on Off-grid & Decentralized Solar Applications, solar Park Scheme for setting up of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects targeting over 20,000 MW of solar power projects, scheme for setting up 1000 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) and Government of India organisations with Viability Gap Funding (VGF), scheme for setting up over 300 MW of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Projects by Defence Establishments and Para Military Forces with Viability Gap Funding(VGF), pilot-cum-demonstration project for development of grid connected solar PV power plants on canal banks and canal tops, bundling Scheme - 15000 MW grid-connected solar PV power plants through NTPC Ltd./ NVVN and VGF Scheme for setting up of 2000 MW of Grid Connected Solar PV Power Projects through SECI

Nuclear Reactors Built with Foreign Collaboration

Nuclear Reactors Built with Foreign Collaboration
The details pertaining to under construction nuclear reactors is tabulated below:
Name of the
Project
Location
Capacity
(MW)
Approved
Cost (Rs. in
crores)
Status
Projects under Construction / Commissioning
Indigenous Nuclear Power Project(s)
Kakrapar Atomic
Power Project
(KAPP)-3&4
Kakrapar,
Gujarat
2X700
11459
Under various stages of
construction.

Expected completion by
2018/19
Rajasthan Atomic
Power Project
(RAPP)- 7&8
Rawatbhata,
Rajasthan
2X700
12320
Nuclear Power Project(s) with foreign technical cooperation
Kudankulam
Nuclear Power
Plant (KKNPP)-2



Kudankulam,
Tamil Nadu
1000
17270*
Reactor attained first
criticality on July 10, 2016.

Expected to start
commercial operation in
current year -2016.
Projects Accorded Financial Sanction
Indigenous Nuclear Power Project(s)
Gorakhpur
Haryana Anu
Vidyut Pariyojna
(GHAVP) -1&2
Gorakhpur,
Haryana
2X700
20594
Work has started.

Expected completion by
2023/24.
Nuclear Power Project(s) with foreign technical cooperation
Kudankulam
Nuclear Power
Plant (KKNPP)-
3&4
Kudankulam,
Tamil Nadu
2X1000
39849
Excavation work
commenced.

Expected completion
by 2023/24.
* Cost for KKNPP-1&2, It is under revision to Rs. 22462 crore
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), a public sector company under Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is constructing one 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. The design and construction of PFBR is fully indigenous. The project is being built with a total cost of Rs 5677 Cr. Construction of this reactor is completed and commissioning is in advanced stage. The reactor is expected to achieve its first criticality by next year.

Benefits of #GST

4 August 2016

GST – A game-changer for India

GST – A game-changer for India
The 122nd Amendment to the Constitution will go down in India’s political-economic history as a watershed, as it is about to give the country the most progressive tax reforms till date in the form of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which should make life easier for the trade and industry and more importantly reduce the cost of goods and services for the consumer, without compromising on the revenues of either the Centre or the States. In fact, the GST should lead to a tax buoyancy and push to the Gross Domestic Product between 1-1.5 per cent with clearance of the cob web of taxes.The excitement among the industry, trade and investors is justified. By a single measure, India would move up the World Bank ranking of ease of doing business by several notches. It is true the GST Bill has been pending for over a decade but the fact that the NDA Government has been able to build a wide political consensus on, what has been the most contentious issue, has conveyed a huge positive signal to the rest of the world that India enjoys a broad political support for the economic reforms, crucial for over a billion people.What is GST?It is a plethora indirect taxes which contribute to bulk of revenues of the states and just about half of the tax kitty of about Rs 16 lakh crore of the Central Government. While direct taxes like the personal income tax concern a small fraction of the population, the indirect taxes affect every Indian. Since the indirect taxes are on consumption , rich and poor , both have to pay the same amount.Presently, the Constitution gives mandate to the Centre and the States to levy indirect taxes ranging from excise duty, customs, service tax. Valued Added Tax or sales tax, entertainment tax, octroi, entry tax, purchase tax, luxury tax and different surcharges. Both the Centre and the States have their own official machineries to collect these taxes. But for Central excise and VAT, most of the taxes get calculated on a base which itself has been subjected to taxation at some or the other stage of manufacturing value chain. So, it is a tax on tax making goods and services rather expensive for the ultimate consumer while making life hard for the trade and industry. The most visible example of inefficiencies of the system can be seen at inter-state borders with long queues of trucks being subjected to different kind of tax inspection and payment of octroi and entry tax, blocking traffic on the highways for hours together.With the roll out of the GST, expected from April 1, 2017, all these taxes would be subsumed into a single tax for the consumer. The Centre would levy and collect Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), and States would levy and collect the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) on all transactions within a State. The input tax credit of CGST would be available for discharging the CGST liability on the output at each stage. Similarly, the credit of SGST paid on inputs would be allowed for paying the SGST on output. Services and goods would be subjected to taxes only on value addition at each stage, thus bringing down the overall tax burden for the consumers.From manufacturing to destinationAs against the present system where the taxes like excise and Central sales tax are levied on manufacturing at the factory gate or on inter-state movement of goods, the GST involves taxation at the destination level. This could mean gains for the consuming state and loss for the manufacturing state. This is why the state with a good manufacturing base like Tamil Nadu was opposed to the GST and consuming states like Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha favoured the same. But, the GST Bill provides for fully compensating the losses to the states for five years. The earlier provision of additional one per cent levy for the losing states has now been done away with.Impact on inflationAnalysts feel that in the short term, there could be some impact on prices of services which now attract an average service tax of around 14 per cent only at the Central level. However, in the case of manufactured products like automobile, the standard GST could be much lower than the combined present effect of excise and state levies. However, in the medium to long term, this should play out. On the whole, GST should be anti-dote to inflation and would thus be people-friendly along with trade /industry friendly. It would also bring in a lot of unorganized sector of the economy within the mainstream.GST RateThere would be about three rates – Standard rate in the form of X which will cover bulk of the items , X-minus for the items of mass consumption and X-plus for the luxury goods or the so-called “sin goods’’. In the Constitutional Amendment, there is no mention of the GST rates, which would be decided by the GST Council comprising of Union Finance Minister as the Chairman and Finance ministers of the states. Any decision of the GST Council would require three-fourth approval of the Council. The states would have two –third of the voting powers and the Centre one-third. The Congress Party has demanded a ceiling of 18 per cent on GST standard rate while the government is called upon to ensure the revenue neutral rate (RNR). Any major deviation from RNR could be counter-productive either for inflation or for fiscal prudence. Getting the right RNR both for the Centre and the states would be a major challenge.Left outPetroleum products and alcoholic beverages have been left out of the GST, for now, on concerns of the states which feared these major revenue heads could not be bargained for. For the sake of wider political consensus, these heads have been left for the future reforms. What Next?After approval of Parliament, the GST Bill would go for ratification by at least half the states. The process is expected to be completed very soon. Afterwards, Parliament will have to again pass two enabling bills – one for the Central GST and the other for the Integrated GST. Besides, the state legislatures will have to pass the enabling law of State GST. In the meantime, work on the central IT backbone being prepared by a non-profit organisation is being done on a war-footing for the possible roll out from the next financial year.

2 August 2016

Fourth Advance Production Estimates of Major Crops During 2015-16

Fourth Advance Production Estimates of Major Crops During 2015-16

The 4th Advance Estimates of production of major crops for 2015-16 have been released by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare here today.

            The estimated production of major crops during 2015-16 is as under:

Ø  Foodgrains  –  252.22 million tonnes
·   Rice  –  104.32 million tonnes
·   Wheat – 93.50 million tonnes
·   Coarse Cereals  –  37.94 million tonnes
Ø Pulses  –  16.47 million tonnes
Ø   Oilseeds  –  25.3 million tonnes
Ø   Cotton  –  30.147 million bales (of 170 kg each)
Ø   Sugarcane – 352.163 million tonnes

Despite setback due to deficient rainfall and due to shortage of water in reservoirs. As per the 4th  Advance Estimates for 2015-16 total foodgrains production in the country has been higher than that in the last year. Total foodgrains production during 2015-16, estimated at 252.22 million tonnes, has been higher by 0.20 million tonnes over the production of 252.02 million tonnes during 2014-15.   

Total production of rice during 2015-16 is estimated at 104.32 million tonnes, which is lower by 1.16 million tonnes than its production of 105.48 million tonnes during 2014-15.  Production of wheat estimated at 93.50 million tonnes is higher by 6.97 million tonnes than the production of 86.53 million tonnes of wheat during 2014-15.

            Total production of coarse cereals is estimated at 37.94 million tonnes which is lower by 4.92 million tonnes as compared to their production of 42.86 million tonnes during 2014-15. Total pulses production of 16.47 million tonnes during 2015-16 is marginally lower than the previous year’s production of 17.15 million tonnes.  With a decline of 2.207 million tonnes over the previous year’s production’s total oilseeds production in the country during 2015-16 is estimated at 25.304 million tonnes.  

            Production of sugarcane estimated at 352.16 million tones, is lower by 10.17 million tonnes than its production during 2014-15. Production of Cotton estimated at 30.147 million bales (of 170 kg each) is also lower by 4.658 million bales than its production of 34.805 million bales during 2014-15.

29 July 2016

Sagarmala Project

Sagarmala Project
Sagarmala is a long term programme, which was approved by Union Cabinet on 25th March, 2015.

The programme involves drawing up a National Perspective Plan(NPP) for Port Modernization & New Port Development, Port Connectivity Enhancement, Port-Led Industrial Development and Coastal Community Development as a first step for an integrated approach to port led development. This planning process which involved extensive interaction and consultation with concerned states/UT governments, stakeholder Ministries and related PSUs, has been completed and the NPP is developed, has been approved by the National Sagarmala Apex Committee on 9th April,2016.

To exploit the potential of India’s approximately 7,500 km long coastline and 14,500km of potentially navigable waterways the Sagarmala Programme aims to promote port-led development in the country. The concept of the Sagarmala Programme approved by the Cabinet on 25th March, 2015. The objectives of the Sagarmala Programme are Port modernization & new port development, enhancing port connectivity to hinterland, port led Industrialization and coastal community development.

The status of major works under Sagarmala programme is as follows:

i. Sagarmala Cell was set up on 1st May, 2015. ii. The setting up of Sagarmala Development Company has been approved by the Cabinet.

iii. Twelve Early Bird Projects have been taken up for implementation in FY 2015-16 which relate to hinterland connectivity, port operations, skill building and development of breakwaters.

iv. The perspective plans of 14 Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs), identified as part of NPP, have been prepared which will lead to formation of detailed master plans.

As part of the NPP, total 173 projects have been initially identified across the programme objectives which will result in significant investment in maritime infrastructure, create employment, reduce logistics cost and boost merchandize exports over the next decade.

The implementation of these projects is to be done by the relevant ports, Central Government Ministries, State Governments and State Maritime Boards preferably through private sector or PPP route. Sagarmala Development Company will provide equity support for the project SPVs (State/Port/Central Ministry Level SPVs) and take up residual projects that cannot be funded by any other means/mode.

A projection has been made that the identified industrial cluster projects once implemented will enable creation of approximately 1 crore new jobs, including 40 lakh direct jobs and 60 lakhs indirect jobs in the next 10 years. 

National Smart Grid Mission to Upgrade India’s Power Grid

National Smart Grid Mission to Upgrade India’s Power Grid

New Program Will Train Utility Personnel on Innovative Smart Grid Components and Applications
India’s National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) with the help of USAID launched its first in a series of training programs aimed at building the capacity and skills of utility personnel to develop India’s Smart Grid infrastructure. This training will help the Government of India achieve its target of having 10 percent of personnel from 14 of India’s state utilities trained in Smart Grid functions.

Building a Smart Grid is a key priority for the Government of India as it will help curb power transmission and distribution losses, ensuring there is 24x7 access to power for all. A trained and skilled workforce is critical to achieving this vision.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Vishal Kapoor, Director - Distribution, Ministry of Power said,“India expects to provide 24x7 quality power to all its people. The power generated will comprise a large share of renewable energy. Managing renewable and conventional energy calls for a grid that is smart and capable of providing electricity to the remote corners of the country,”

Shri Prabhu N. Singh, Director, NSGM, emphasized the importance of having a trained workforce of utility professionals who can understand and own the Smart Grid system. This trained workforce will help accelerate the development of Smart Grids across India.“The Government of India, through the National Smart Grid Mission, is committed to assisting utilities in skill enhancement on Smart Grid aspects. We hope to partner with a number of national and state institutions to take up Smart Grid training in the country,” said Singh.

“Training and capacity building have been identified as one of the key strategic areas under the NSGM. We are happy to partner with the Ministry of Power and the NSGM to facilitate knowledge sharing on Smart Grid technologies and related-operational issues,” said USAID/India Mission Director, Ambassador Jonathan Addleton.

The three-day training program will use a basic Smart Grid course – designed under USAID’s “Partnership to Advance Clean Energy” Program – to build the capacity of utilities on various Smart Grid components and applications. The participants will also visit a Smart Grid Lab at the Centre for Power Efficiency in Distribution in New Delhi, to gain a practical understanding of select Smart Grid functionalities.

The Government of India has taken several proactive steps towards grid modernization, including the establishment of a Smart Grid Mission to plan and monitor the implementation of policies and programs related to Smart Grid activities in India. 

Featured post

UKPCS2012 FINAL RESULT SAMVEG IAS DEHRADUN

    Heartfelt congratulations to all my dear student .this was outstanding performance .this was possible due to ...