13.07.23

Punjab FM Harpal Cheema bats for changes in IGST Act

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Finance, Planning, Excise and Minister Harpal Cheema said Punjabs case for amendment to Section 10 of the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) Act was vociferously argued while identifying the structural imperfection in the GST system during the 50th meeting of the GST Council.

Disclosing this in a press communique issued here, Finance Minister Cheema said the approval to the proposal for the clear definition of place of supply in Business-to-Consumer transaction (B2C) over the counter supplies in accordance with the principle of destination-based consumption tax was successfully reasoned. He said this amendment had been expected to have a strong beneficial impact on the GST revenue of the state.

Ball set rolling for Gaggal airport expansion

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The ball has been set rolling for the expansion of the Gaggal airport in Kangra district. The government has issued a notification under Section 11 of the Land Acquisition Act. With this notification, the sale and purchase of the land identified for the airport expansion will be legally barred. The notification also implies that the government will soon acquire the land required for the project.

The Chief Minister has been actively pursuing the project of expansion of Gaggal airport.

In the budget, the government has kept a provision of Rs 2,000 crore for the expansion.

An amount of Rs 400 crore was sanctioned by the Central during the stint of the previous Jai Ram Thakur government.

The government has notified the acquisition of 105 acres. This includes about 65 acres of private land and about 40 acres of government land. The private land, as per the notification, would be acquired in Bagh, Balla, Dukhiyari Khas, Bhedi, Gaggal Khas, Chikli Icchi, Muggardadh, Sohara, Sannor, Rachyal, Jugehar, Badol and Kiyori villages.

2.5 years after project plan, no word yet on Uttarakhand Metro

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It has been almost two and a half years since theUttarakhand Metro Rail Corporation(UKMRC) submitted the detailed project report (DPR) of Metro Neo for Dehradun to the in January 2021, but no decision has been taken on it by the Centre so far.

UKMRC officials said that after they submitted the DPR, estimating the cost of the entire project at Rs 1662.8 crore, the state government sent it to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The MoHUA raised some financial queries three times, between March to August last year, and UKMRC answered them all.

Process of land acquisition for Atal Progressway to start soon

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The process of land acquisition for the 411.5 km long Atal Progressway that will originate from Kota inRajasthanand connect with Bundelkhand Expressway in Etawah will start soon. After taking entry from Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, the Expressway will reach Belahar village near Bundelkhand Expressway for which land will be acquired in 27 villages in Etawah district. Most of the villages to be acquired will be of Bharthana tehsil. The length of the expressway will be 411.5 km.
The Gwalior unit ofthe NationalHighways Authority of India has finalized its route chart through a private agency and sent it to the District Administration for initiating the acquisition process. The cost of the expressway is estimated to be around Rs over 13,000 crore and will cover a length of 36 km in the district. Snaking through Gati village in Bhind district it will pass through seven villages of Etawah tehsil, 16 villages of Bharthana tehsil and four villages of Takha tehsil. The NHAI has directed the district administration to acquire the land under section 3A.

Jharkhand millet farmers face challenges during the production and sale of the crop

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A survey on millet cultivation in three districts of Jharkhands Santhal Pargana region revealed the challenges faced by marginal farmers during the production and sale of the crop.

The survey was conducted by an NGO, SwitchOn Foundation, in association with Empowering Energy-Water-Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture nexus (a Network of NGOs) among 488 farmers in three districts of Dumka, Pakur and Sahibganj in Santhal Pargana region between September 2022 and March 2023.

It assumes significance with the government of India proposing to the United Nations for declaring 2023 as the International Year of to create domestic and global demand and to provide nutritional food to the people. The United Nations General Assembly in 2021 declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

Nearly half of the farmers interviewed were observed to be earning between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 as their monthly income from agricultural activities which puts them in the category of low economic groups, the survey points out.

40% of rural girls in Bihar still use cloth during menstruation’

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About 40% of the rural adolescent girls inBiharuse cloth instead of sanitary napkins during their menstruation.

And, at least 5% of them are not allowed to take bath during the period, according to a study conducted by the Population Research Centre (PRC) of Patna University on ‘Menstrual Health and hygiene among adolescent girls in climatic vulnerable areas in Bihar’.

The study reveals that even among the girls who use sanitary napkins, 90% have not received any government-supplied napkin in the recent past. And, surprisingly, 67% of the girls throw the used napkins in open areas.

The study reveals that lack of access to proper disposal system and awareness force the girls to burn or bury their pads. Girls throw their used pads into toilets or other open places as their schools and colleges do not have proper disposal system. Several of the households in rural north Bihar either don’t have or don’t use toilet and as such open defecation is relatively common among the girls. Majority of the girls expressed problems related to privacy, shyness and hesitation for open defecation during menstruation. Some girls said they use neighbours’ or relatives’ toilets during menstruation. Further, they expressed lack of appropriate toilet facilities in the health centres, schools and colleges as well.

CM to launch youth dialogue campaign

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Months ahead of assembly ,Chhattisgarh chief ministerBhupesh Baghel in a bid to reach out to public after meet and greet programme, has decided to have direct dialogues with youth of state and discuss their concerns and aspirations. The youth dialogue campaign will be held division-wise including Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Surguja and Bastar division.
Chief minister on Tuesday decided to hold talks with youths, who will be able to share their views and discuss about development in state and ask questions during the event, said a government official.

There will be exchange of views with chief minister during the programme, providing a platform to the youths to voice their opinions. The inclusive nature of the event ensures the representation of youth from all sections of Society.

The RajivYuvaMitan Clubs in state has played a pivotal role in channelling the energy of youth towards constructive endeavours, generating significant enthusiasm among them. During the regional dialogues, the youth will have chance to share their experiences, enabling others to benefit from their insights.

The chief minister has earlier carried out state-wide meet and greet campaign, in which he reached out to people in remote and urban areas to have direct interaction with them.

Meanwhile, officials said that government has taken decision like Rozgaar Mission (EMPLOYMENT Mission) in state and also waived off the application fees for competitive exams.

Acreage under soyabean to decline this season: SOPA

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Area under soyabean, a major kharif crop, in the country is estimated to drop as against the previous year amid delay in onset ofmonsoonand shift to other crops, a survey by a trade body showed on Tuesday.
Acreage under soyabean as on July 10 in the country was estimated at 90 lakh hectare, according to theSoybean Processors Association of India(SOPA). In the previous year, farmers had sown soyabean on 114 lakh hectare, said the survey report as against the government estimate of 120 lakh hectare.

SOPA executive director DN Pathak said, We estimate that because of delay in onset of monsoon and some minor shift to other crops, the total area under soybean this year may be slightly lower than last year. We will update the sowing data in two weeks when sowing will complete.
SOPA conducted a survey of leading soyabean producing states of the country, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,Rajasthan, ,Karnatakaand Chhattisgarh among others.

Acreage under soyabean in Madhya Pradesh, leading soybean producing state in the country contributing over 60 per cent in total production, was estimated at 42 lakh hectare as on July 10. Area under soyabean in MP last year was 50 lakh hectare.

Gujarat govt implements comprehensive measures to enhance efficiency, quality in roads and buildings department

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TheGujarat governmenthas implemented a series of measures to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of the roads and buildings department’s operations.
In order to deliver high-quality roads and to the people and industries and improve the overall living standards in the state, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has introduced substantial changes in the responsibilities of high-level officials within the department. These changes aim to optimize their work distribution and supervision, ensuring effectiveness, timeliness, and quality.

To enhance quality control in road construction projects, the government has divided the National Highway work into two sections: North and South. A designated Chief Engineer has been authorized to conduct technical audits and provide supervision in SouthGujaratto ensure stringent quality control measures are in place.

Centre yet to release over 2,650 crore salary fund

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The salaries of junior technical assistants (JTAs) under MGNREGA are pending since April as the Centre is yet to release funds meant for material components amounting to Rs 2,651 crore, according to an official in the rural development department.
The official said for the financial year 2022-23, the pending amount for material components is Rs 2,566 crore and for 2023-23, the pending amount is already Rs 85 crore.

The has sent a proposal to the Centre urging it to release Rs 3,777 crore for material components. The proposal has been made keeping in mind the amount to be required for material components for six months from the month of April, the official said.
Out of the total approved labourbudgetof 20 crore for 2023-24, persondays of 12.36 crore have already been generated inRajasthan(up to July 7).

Out of 1.36 crore active MGNREGA workers in the state, 80.5% workers have been linked to the Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) so far by connecting their bank accounts with their Aadhaar numbers. Dausa is the worst performer among districts with 70.0% ABPS coverage, followed byUdaipurat 71.6% coverage, Jaisalmer (72.5%), Pratapgarh (72.8%) and Ajmer at 74.6% coverage.