02.03.22

Central University of Haryana signs pact for research with Hyderabad institute

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The Central University of Haryana (CUH) here has signed an memorandum of understanding with the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, to provide coordination of collaborative research, monitoring and data exchange in the earthquake monitoring and crustal deformation and land movements in and around Mahendergarh region.

The MoU was signed by the Registrar, Prof Sarika Sharma on behalf of the Central University of Haryana while Dr VK Gahalaut, Chief Scientist signed on behalf of the CSIR- (NGRI), Hyderabad.

Himachal Pradesh Budget: Hopes high, options limited, CM faces uphill task

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The grim national economy has prevented the Centre from offering any help to the hill state in the Union Budget earlier this month. Rising demands of the employee organisations for higher scales, regularisation of jobs, removal of pay anomalies, etc, has aggravated his problems in the election year as meeting them will need thousands of crores of rupees.

Major challenges before the Chief Minister are huge debt liabilities, and compulsion of announcing special packages to small and medium industries, creation of jobs, addressing the sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities like petrol and diesel, besides enhancing the allocations in MGNREGA, Health, Education, etc.

The latest report of CAG has made a startling revelation that Himachals debt burden has mounted to Rs 62,212 crore in the financial year 2019-20 as compared to previous year i.e. Rs 53,147 crore. This needs to be addressed in the upcoming budget on urgent basis.

Twin factors, checking fiscal deficit and debt liabilities, make it necessary to increase allocation in capital expenditures which was pegged at Rs 11,701 crore in 2021-22. It was a huge dip of 31.81 per cent as compared to 2020-21 (Rs 17,449) and 3 per cent down from previous year i.e. 2019-20 (Rs 12,333 crore).

Supplementary Budget worth Rs 2698 Cr tabled in House

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On the second day of the on-going budget session of Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon tabled the supplementary budget of Rs 2,698 crore. Mondays budget is the third supplementary budget of the of the current fiscal. The State Government will table the annual budget for financial year 2022-23 on March 3.

Meanwhile, despite strong demands from several quarters, the Jharkhand Government today once again ruled out any possibility of liquor Prohibition in the State. On the second day of the on-going budget session of Jharkhand Assembly, Congress MLA from Mahagama Deepika Pandey Singh raised the issue of liquor prohibition in the State.

Raising the issue, Pandey said that due to use of alcohol domestic violence against Women and atrocities against women has gone up. She further said that as use of alcohol is socially evil, the state government should introduce liquor prohibition in the State which will check domestic violence and atrocities against women. Replying to the query raised by Congress legislators, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that at present the matter of prohibition is not under consideration with the State Government.

Soren said that the government is working on to curb domestic violence, but to say that women are being harassed or domestic violence has increased due to alcohol alone, is not appropriate. There are several other factors behind this; the state government to remove the inequality among women is running various schemes focusing on Empowerment of women. Soren said that the government is also working to make women self-reliant. Under the Phoolo Jhano scheme, 25 thousand women have been linked to self-EMPLOYMENT. All these women used to sell liquor earlier.

The Chief Minister rejecting the proposal for liquor prohibition assumes importance as from April this year, State will get a new liquor policy, after which the system of retail sale of liquor will change in Jharkhand. As per the new excise policy, a private agency will open liquor shops across the State. It will have its own godown in all the five divisions. The agency will order and sell the liquor. The State Government has recently appointed Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) as a consultant by the Jharkhand government. This company has suggested running the shop by private agency on the lines of Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The company says that without increasing the price of liquor, it will get revenue of Rs 2500 crores instead of Rs 1900 crores being available now. However, the expenditure on Infrastructure will have to be borne by the state government. At the same time, the Jharkhand Retail Liquor Vendor Association said that after the implementation of the new product policy, liquor of well-known brands will become expensive.

State needs more funds to boost industries: Experts

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Trade, commerce and bodies inBihargave a mixed response to Rs1,643.74 croreBudgetallocations for industries and investments for fiscal 2022-23.

Bihar Chamberof Commerce and Industries (BCCI) chairman PK Agarwal said it should have been more industries. He said in the pre-budget meeting, a demand was made to increase the budget allocation for the state industries sector, so that their claims could be settled. He said there was a need to form an industrial development fund and create a land bank. Agarwal, however, said the positive thing in the Budget was setting up 151 ethanol factories, which will boost Economic Development and generate EMPLOYMENT. Solar street lights in all villages, creation of portal for monitoring schemes and a mega Skill development centre in every district is a welcome step. The decision to set up tool rooms in every division is also encouraging, Agarwal said.

Bihar Industries Association (BIA) secretary general Ashish Rohatgi told TOI that the industries budget was not as per the expectations of the trade bodies. An amount of Rs 1,643 crore is lesser as per our estimation of the subsidies which has already been announced and pending with the government. We expected around Rs3,000-4,000 crore for the industries. But the positive side is the increase in the total Budget size even in pandemic times, he said.

Baghel launches Noni Sashaktikaran Yojana’

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Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday formally launched the “Mukhyamantri Noni Sashaktikaran Yojana”, a scheme which provides financial assistance to the first two daughters of families of labourers.

He launched the scheme by handing over cheques of Rs 20,000 each to 16 beneficiary daughters in his Home constituency Patan.

Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 20,000 will be given to the first two daughters of the beneficiaries registered in Chhattisgarh Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

The amount is given for the Education, EMPLOYMENT, self-employment and marriage of the daughters.

Self-employment will change picture and destiny of Madhya Pradesh: CM

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Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that all round development of the people is the top priority of our government. The goal of the is to provide EMPLOYMENT opportunities to the unemployed and make their lives happy. On the occasion of Employment Day on January 12 last, 5.26 lakh people were provided employment in the state.

Chouhan has said that we have decided that employment opportunities will be provided to the unemployed by organizing employment day every month. Lakhs of people will be linked with employment by organizing Employment Day again on March 29.Chouhan was addressing the state level employment fair at Polytechnic Ground in Shahdol on Employment Day on Friday.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone and dedicated development works worth Rs 617 crore in Shahdol division.The Chief Minister said that now members of self-help groups will do the work of stitching school uniforms. They will also run ration distribution shops and manufacture ready-to-eat food. These Women will also be entrusted the task of paddy purchase. Our target is that the working women of the state should earn at least Rs 10,000 a month. The women of the group are manufacturing soap, turmeric-powder, oil, sanitizer etc. They will be connected to small industries, so as to remove their POVERTY and make them self-dependent.

Chouhan said that 5 kg each free ration is being distributed to the poor sections of the state under Pradhan Mantri Anna Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Annapurna Yojana till March 2022. Similarly, arrangements are being made by the government to provide employment to the people by approving loans under various schemes. Turmeric is being prepared and sold in Shahdol district under the Ek Zila Ek Utpad scheme. The turmeric powder of Shahdol is being sent to other states along with the state.

The Chief Minister said that Mukhya Mantri Udyam Kranti Yojana has been started in the state, in which a loan of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25 lakh will be made available to the youth who are interested in employment. About 1 lakh people will be benefited from the scheme this year.Employment opportunities will be provided to the unemployed in the state by producing herbs in many areas for medicinal cultivation.

Industries seek policy push in Gujarat budget for infrastructure boost

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As theGujaratgovernment gears up to present its budget on March 3, manufacturing as well as Services-sector”>services sector representatives have high hopes pinned for major policy boost and development to give the Industry a much-needed push. With Covid-19 cases receding and the third wave leaving a little impact, the industrial recovery continued to remain on track.

Consequently, industries across Gujarat want the states budget to focus on a greater policy boost to accelerate the pace of recovery.

Rajkot is a hub of engineering manufacturing units and as manufacturers are poised for expansion, representatives have sought that more GIDCs must be set up so that new businesses can build base. Paresh Vasani, president, Rajkot Engineering Association, said, More GIDCs must come up so that new players get land at a concessional rate to undertake expansion of existing businesses and even fresh greenfield investments.

With several IT and hardware component manufacturing companies mushrooming in Rajkot, the industry players have also been seeking that the State Government announces the establishment of an IT park. The government has also identified three locations around Rajkot for that park. However, they are waiting for the official announcement.

Slow recovery in demand since the pandemic coupled with a steep rise in raw material costs has plagued the textile manufacturers across Gujarat, impacting their profitability and denting their revenues.

Industries, therefore, have sought policy support to help accelerate recovery and Growth. Chintan Thaker, chairman, Assocham, Gujarat, said, Gujarat Textile Policy-2019 should be replaced with a policy in line with Gujarat Textile Policy-2012. The previous policy led to a capital infusion of more than Rs 30,000 crore.

The new policy has lesser incentives. At a time when the industry needs a push for revival, the government must consider revising the textile policy.

Surats man-made fibre industry on the other hand is also seeking that a dedicated textile park is set up under Mega Integrated Textile Re- gion and Apparel (MITRA) Parks.

Surat is one of the main contenders to get a MITRA park for which multiple proposals were made by the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI).

Rajasthan govt pitches for mega textile park

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T Ravikanth, principal secretary of theindustries and commerce department, andRIICO MDArchana Singh met senior central officials to seek support for two flagship projects.

The state has submitted a concept note for a MITRA park at Jodhpur and will be formally submitting a project proposal shortly. Both senior officials also met the Union secretary, department of chemicals and petrochemicals, who assured support to the proposedPetroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Regionat Pachpadra.

Sushri Anusuiya Uikey sworn-in as 18th Governor of Manipur

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Governor designate Sushri Anusuiya Uikey has sworn-in as the 18th Governor of Manipur (Regular) excluding seven additional charge governors in the state. She was administered the oath of office by Acting Chief of High Court of Manipur Justice MV Muralidaran held at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan in Imphal.

She said that she has been entrusted to serve the state and issues will be solved and developmental activities will be taken up in consultation with Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers.

Assam eyes Guinness record with 11,000 Bihu participants on April 14

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Assamwill attempt a shot at Guinness World Records for the “largestBihu dancein a single venue” by over 11,000 participants on April 14 here with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The will also invite governors and CMs of all states and all the ambassadors and high commissioners of the G20 countries and Southeast Asian nations in India to witness the spectacular programme, Sarma said.

Besides, the state government has decided to offer grants of Rs 1.5 lakh to each Bihu celebration committee and a detailed SOP will be published within the next few days.