PSUs To Invest Over Rs 10,000 Crore In Mining Sector

New Delhi: Public sector units (PSUs) such as Nalco and Hindustan Copper Ltd have proposed to invest more than Rs 10,000 crore in the mining sector, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

As per data provided by Minister of State for Steel and Mines Vishnu Deo Sai in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, aluminium maker Nalco, Hindustan Copper Ltd and Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL) have proposed an investment of Rs 10,037.50 crore in the mining sector.

It includes Nalco's investment in Pottangi bauxite mines and Utkal D&E coal blocks in Odisha and Hindustan Copper's in copper mines in Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

"Mining sector has been liberalised since 1993 and it is dominated by a large number of private sector miners. Under the liberalised economic environment, investment decisions are taken by the entrepreneurs based on their techno-economic feasibility and commercial considerations," Sai told the House.

In a separate query on illegal mining, the minister informed the House that a total of 533 FIRs have been filed between 2012-13 and 2015-16 (till January) regarding illegal mining in the company.

Besides, a total of 635 complaints have been lodged in 2012-13 and the first 10 months of the current fiscal.

State governments are empowered, under the Section 23C of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act), to make rules for prevention of illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals, he said.

The matters relating to illegal mining come under the legislative and administrative jurisdiction of states.

He added that the Centre has amended the MMDR Act to provide for stringent punitive measures to combat illegal mining.

Illegal mining has been made punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and with a fine, which may extend to Rs 5 lakh per hectare of the area.

"Provisions have also been made for setting up of special courts for the purpose of providing speedy trial of offences relating to illegal mining," the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

'Another Partition,' Warns Jaya Bachchan In Parliament

Highlights

1. Jaya Bachchan raises concerns over migrant workers being targeted
2. Migrants not getting jobs because they don't speak the language: Bachchan
3. Last week, Raj Thackeray threatened migrant auto drivers in Mumbai

New Delhi: 

Actor-politician Jaya Bachchan today warned of a second "Partition" in the country as she raised concerns in Parliament over migrant workers being targeted.

"There will be another partition in this country, and this time not by foreigners but by our own people. This will be a divide based on religion, caste and language," Mrs Bachchan, a Samajwadi Party lawmaker, said in the Rajya Sabha.

"People go looking for jobs to other states and there they do not get jobs because they don't speak the language of the state, which is so sad. They are intimidated," she said.

Mrs Bachchan's comment comes against the backdrop of a controversial diktat by Raj Thackeray recently.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader said three-wheelers with new permits will be set on fire because he alleged that nearly 70 per cent of the auto-rickshaws recently cleared to run on Mumbai's roads belong to non-Maharashtrians.

Later, facing waves of outrage, the party said that the diktat was "on hold".

Terror Attacks Down By 30%, Says Rajnath Singh During Pathankot Debate

New Delhi:  Infiltration at the India-Pakistan border has dropped by 30% in 2015 as compared to 2014, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said in Parliament today while replying to a debate on the terror attack at the Pathankot air base.

"Only 121 cases of infiltration had taken place in 2015, compared to the 222 cases of 2014," the minister said. "If we had not kept vigil on borders, the numbers wouldn't have gone down."

There has been a reduction in the number of deaths as well, Mr Singh said. "Over the past year, there has been 17% less martyrs and 39 per cents less civilian deaths."

With 7 security persons being martyred during the three-day operations at Pathankot, the opposition had launched a scathing attack on the government in Lok Sabha today. Dubbing it a critical mistake to hand over the operation to the National Security Guards, the opposition had also questioned what Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lahore "stopover" had achieved, since the attack took place a few days later.

Responding to the charge, Mr Singh said, "We want good relations with Pakistan but not at the cost of the swambhiman (self respect) and samman (dignity),".

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said there was no coordination between Defence and Home ministries, the Cabinet Committee on Security had no meeting on the situation. It was more of a "show" and less effective, he said.

Asking how the Defence and the Home Ministries could wash their hands off, BJD's Kalikesh Singhdeo said the National Security Guards are used only to tackle urban hostage situations and not for counter-terrorism and added it was "a critical mistake" to hand over the operation to the NSG.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikkar said the Army and the forces had "acted according to standard procedure, but everything cannot be disclosed".

"It is dangerous for the nation's security to turn it into a political issue. I assure you that gaps have been filled. Security audits have been done," he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Lok Sabha clears Real Estate Bill as passed by Rajya Sabha

Shri Venkaiah Naidu clarifies various issues of the Bill

Real Estate Bill is Prime Minister’s Gift to the Nation, says Shri Naidu

The Bill shall have a bearing on the ongoing projects and houses

70% is for both construction cost and land cost to be maintained by the promoter is a separate account and not an escrow account

Imprisonment Provision for non-compliance, as a last option

Single window approval system is being developed for ensuring timely completion of housing projects

Lok Sabha today approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to create a set of rights and obligations for both the consumers and developers and encourage both of them to live up to the expectations of each other as per the agreement entered into by both of them.

Moving the Bill pending in Lok Sabha after it got passed in Rajya Sabha on March 6, Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu clarified the position on the issues such as how the Bill will be applicable to existing projects; the Rules on setting aside 70% of customer advances in an escrow account; compulsory approvals prior to project launches, and payment of similar interest rate to customers as charged from them for delays will impact launches and increase compliance costs. The clarifications by the Minister on different issues are as below:

Requirement to deposit 70% of collections:

• The account to be maintained by the promoter is a separate bank account and not an escrow account.
• Also, the deposit of 70% is for both construction cost and land cost, and if the land cost has already been incurred the promoter can withdraw to that extent
• Requirement to be met for such withdrawals is provided in the act.
• This provision has only been provided to ensure that project funds are not diverted and projects are completed on time.

Ongoing Projects:

• Upon passage of this Bill existing/ongoing projects would not come to a standstill, as is being made out by some respondents from the industry.
• The Bill does not provide that the existing projects should stop all operations until complied with the provisions of the Bill.
• The Bill only provides that upon the formation of the Regulatory Authorities all promoters of existing projects, coming within the ambit of the Bill, would need to register and provide and upload all project details on the website of the Authority.
• A window of 3 months from the date of commencement of the said clause/section has been given to the promoters for registration.
• The developers need to to specify the project details of such apartments so that prospective buyers will make informed choices, project status is known to all and to ensure that the projects are completed on time.

Imprisonment Provision:

• Regarding the provision of imprisonment for any violations of the orders of the regulatory authorities or the Appellate Tribunal, it is certainly not a first option but only the last option.
• There are many regulatory laws in the country with imprisonment provisions under which 3 to 10 years of imprisonment is provided for. Under Securities Act, Insurance Act and Pension Fund Act, 10 years of imprisonment is provided. Food security Act has 7 years provision while it is 5 years under Electricity Act and Reserve Bank of India Act.
• There can’t be a consumer without a developer and vice versa. Keeping in mind the importance of developers for mobilization of land and resources for housing projects, the last option of imprisonment has been kept at 3 years.

Ensuring timely approvals for housing projects

The act also provides under clause 32(b) for the Real Estate Regulatory Authority to take up with appropriate government of competent authority, the creation of a single window system for ensuring time bound project approvals and clearances for timely completion of projects.

Shri Naidu has said that with a target is to ensure that all required approvals are given in about a month’s time, he held 7 high level meetings with the Ministers of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Civil Aviation, Defence, Consumer Affairs, and Culture for streamlining such approvals. All these ministries as a result have taken significant measures to ensure online and timely approvals. Single window approval system is being developed to standardize and settle timelines for approvals and use of IT & GIS for automation of such systems, setting up nodal agency & empowered committees, Shri Naidu added.

added.

• M/o Civil Aviation – Coloured Coded Zoning Maps (CCZMs) of 13 major airports available online, 9 more by June 2016, Automated NOC approval system & height clearance operational (on 6.1.2016)
• M/o Culture – Online NOC process notified,handheld APP, heritage byelaws.
• M/o Defence – Review of Ammunition Storage Policy, LMA’s instructed to share restricted zone details with municipal bodies. CCZM’s for four defence airports by April, 2016.
• Model Building Bye Laws finalized by Ministry of UD in consultation with MoEF & CC.
• MoEF & CC has agreed to integrate environmental conditions and norms in building approval process and now included in the Model Building Bye laws by MOUD. Now it’s up to the States, to adopt this model building by laws and there shall be no need separate clearance by MOEF up to 1.5 lakh Sq.Mtrs .
• Revision of National Building Code National Building Code, 2015 finalized after incorporating MoUD’s Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL).

The Minister assured the industry that with the establishment of a regulatory mechanism there would be greater flow of investment, both national and foreign, into the sector, resulting in reduction in cost of borrowing.

The Bill requires project promoters to register their projects with the Regulatory Authorities disclosing project information including details of promoter, project including schedule of implementation, lay out plan, land status, status of approvals, agreements along with details of real estate agents, contractors, architects, structural engineers etc. Shri Naidu said that this enables transparent, accountable and timely execution of projects.

The Minister further said that the Real Estate Bill, 2016 enables the people meet their genuine aspirations of owning a house including those of urban poor by giving a fillip to affordable housing initiative under which the Government intends to enable construction of 2 crore by the year 2022 under Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (Urban).

Shri Naidu has said that the Real Estate Bill is a gift to the nation by the Prime Minister. The passage of the bill is an example of Prime Minister’s commitment to total transformation, added the Minister.

Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and National Safety Awards for the Performance Year 2013 Presented

Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and National Safety Awards for the Performance Year 2013 Presented

The Minister of State for Labour & Employment (Independent Charge) Shri Bandaru Dattatreya gave away Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and National Safety Awards for the Performance Year 2013, here today. Speaking on the occasion Shri Dattatreya said that workforce is the biggest asset and the backbone of industrialization and protecting their health and interests and ensuring their safety at all times is of the utmost importance. The VRP and NSA awards work both as an impetus as well as a catalyst to unleash the latent and untapped potentials of the promising workers at the plant level while recognizing the excellent performance of the companies in preventing accidents and promoting safety at work place ..............................................

VRP is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or group of workers and implemented by the management in the form of cash prize and a certificate of merit in three categories: Class ‘A’ – Five (5) of Rs. 75,000/- each, Class ‘B’ – Eight (8) of Rs. 50,000/- each and Class ‘C’ - Fifteen (15) of Rs. 25,000/- each. There are 28 award winners out of a total of 193 applications received from different industries for the Performance Year 2013. This year these 28 awards are being shared by 132 individuals. ..................

The NSA is given in recognition of outstanding safety performance of industrial establishments, construction sites, ports and installations under AERB to stimulate and maintain the interests of both the management and the workers in accident prevention programmes. The awards are given under twelve schemes, out of which ten are meant for Factories /Construction sites /Installations under AERB and two are for Ports. Under each award, a Shield and a Certificate of Merit is given to each of the Award Winners and Runners-up. The establishments are classified in different schemes on the basis of working of highest man-hours. ..

Indian Railways Develops Hybrid Vacuum Toilets One Prototype is Fitted in a Coach of Dibrugarh Rajdhani for Trial Minister of Railways had made a statement in the Budget Speech 2015 that Indian Railways shall fit Vacuum toilets on trains. Development Cell of the Railway Board has come up with a design that combines the advantages of Vacuum toilets and those of Biotoilets to create a new design of “Hybrid Vacuum Toilet”. A prototype has been made by modifying the standard flushing protocol of a vacuum toilet so as to create water seal and additional post flush cycles and this concept has been converted into a working prototype by Indian Railways as a first ever system of its kind to have been developed and built by any railway system in the world. This newly developed toilet has been fitted in one coach No. 153002/C FAC that is running in Dibrugarh Rajdhani for trial. The prototype consists of a custom designed Vacuum toilet adapted from a commercially available vacuum toilet that is used in aircrafts which evacuates its discharge into a biodigester tank which is now successfully proven in the biotoilets of Indian Railways. The biodigester tank is fitted underneath the coach and contains anaerobic bacteria that converts human fecal matter into water and small amount of gases before discharging the same on the ground/track. Typically, a conventional toilet or Biotoilet uses 10 – 15 liters of water per flush whereas the vacuum toilet consumes only appx. 500 ml of water for flushing. Water is a very precious natural resource therefore this innovation shall save water to the tune of at least 1/20th of the quantity that is used in the current design of biotoilets/conventional toilets. Further, in foreign countries where the train coaches that are fitted with Vacuum toilets, there is a “retention tank” underneath the coach that holds all the human waste that is flushed out by the toilet. These are very large tanks that need to be evacuated at the terminals stations. Since Indian Railways trains traverse the length and breadth of the country with journey times as long as 72 hours and generally over 50 passengers per coach, it is nearly impossible to hold the human waste in retention tanks on trains that travel such long distances. Also, the stationary facilities for evacuation of these holding tanks need to be maintained very carefully and meticulously or else their malfunction will render the entire train’s toilets unusable. The Municipal Corporations at cities where these ground-handling facilities are to be created have to be taken into confidence to allow one-shot rapid discharge of human waste of an entire train into their sewer systems, which may not be possible at all stations due to constraints in existing sewer system that are already in place. By transferring the discharge of the vacuum toilets into biodigester, the need to create separate ground handling installation and creating additional sewer load on the Municipal Corporation will be done away with.

Indian Railways Develops Hybrid Vacuum Toilets

One Prototype is Fitted in a Coach of Dibrugarh Rajdhani for Trial

Minister of Railways had made a statement in the Budget Speech 2015 that Indian Railways shall fit Vacuum toilets on trains. Development Cell of the Railway Board has come up with a design that combines the advantages of Vacuum toilets and those of Biotoilets to create a new design of “Hybrid Vacuum Toilet”. A prototype has been made by modifying the standard flushing protocol of a vacuum toilet so as to create water seal and additional post flush cycles and this concept has been converted into a working prototype by Indian Railways as a first ever system of its kind to have been developed and built by any railway system in the world. This newly developed toilet has been fitted in one coach No. 153002/C FAC that is running in Dibrugarh Rajdhani for trial...........

The prototype consists of a custom designed Vacuum toilet adapted from a commercially available vacuum toilet that is used in aircrafts which evacuates its discharge into a biodigester tank which is now successfully proven in the biotoilets of Indian Railways. The biodigester tank is fitted underneath the coach and contains anaerobic bacteria that converts human fecal matter into water and small amount of gases before discharging the same on the ground/track....

Typically, a conventional toilet or Biotoilet uses 10 – 15 liters of water per flush whereas the vacuum toilet consumes only appx. 500 ml of water for flushing. Water is a very precious natural resource therefore this innovation shall save water to the tune of at least 1/20th of the quantity that is used in the current design of biotoilets/conventional toilets. Further, in foreign countries where the train coaches that are fitted with Vacuum toilets, there is a “retention tank” underneath the coach that holds all the human waste that is flushed out by the toilet. These are very large tanks that need to be evacuated at the terminals stations. Since Indian Railways trains traverse the length and breadth of the country with journey times as long as 72 hours and generally over 50 passengers per coach, it is nearly impossible to hold the human waste in retention tanks on trains that travel such long distances. Also, the stationary facilities for evacuation of these holding tanks need to be maintained very carefully and meticulously or else their malfunction will render the entire train’s toilets unusable. The Municipal Corporations at cities where these ground-handling facilities are to be created have to be taken into confidence to allow one-shot rapid discharge of human waste of an entire train into their sewer systems, which may not be possible at all stations due to constraints in existing sewer system that are already in place.

By transferring the discharge of the vacuum toilets into biodigester, the need to create separate ground handling installation and creating additional sewer load on the Municipal Corporation will be done away with. ..............................

PM launches financial inclusion initiative in Varanasi

PM launches financial inclusion initiative in Varanasi

• Distributes, e-rickshaws, pedal rickshaws
• Beneficiaries to get Jan Dhan Accounts and RuPay cards
• PM interacts with beneficiaries, shares their dreams with people

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today launched a significant financial inclusion initiative in Varanasi. A total of 101 e-rickshaws, 501 pedal rickshaws, and push-carts are being given as part of this initiative. The beneficiaries will also get bank accounts and RuPay cards under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. The e-rickshaws are equipped with digital gadgets including GPRS and cameras. ..