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HPT AT WARANGAL IN ANDHRA PRADESH Scheme for the establishment of a 10 KW High Power Transmitter at Warangal in Andhra Pradesh is at present under implementation. Project is likely to be completed during 2000-2001, subject to timely completion of tower and civil works, construction of approach road to transmitter site and availability of other infrastructural facilities. The transmitter would be commissioned soon thereafter depending upon availability of requisite staff for its operation and maintenance.

This information was provided by the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in written reply to question in Lok Sabha today.

EXTERNALLY FUNDED SLUM IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS IN INDIA There are nine externally funded Slum Improvement Projects in the country. The first such project is in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) started in 1988-89 at a cost of Rs.28.59 crores and funded by the United Kingdom. Another such projects is at Chinagadali Phase I and II which has been taken up as an extension of Visakhapatnam Slum Improvement Project and resettlement project. This is also funded by the United Kingdom with a projected expenditure of Rs.6.59 crores. The third Slum Improvement Project is at Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), taken up at a cost of Rs.49.15 crores in 1990-91 and funded by the United Kingdom. The fourth Slum Improvement Project is at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), taken up at a cost of Rs.60.50 crores in 1990-91. This is also funded by the United Kingdom. The fifth Slum Improvement Project is in Calcutta, taken up at a cost of Rs.46.30 crores in 1990-91. This is funded by the United Kongdom. This Slum Improvement Project in Calcutta has the components of Phase I a, I b, I c. The sixth Urban Poverty Reduction Project is at Cuttack (Orissa), taken up at a cost of Rs.67.91 crores in 1997-98 and funded by the United Kingdom. It is Phase II Urban Poverty Reduction Project. The seventh Urban Poverty Reduction Project is a phase II project at Cochin (Kerala), taken up at a cost of Rs.60.48 crores in 1997-98. This project is funded by the United Kingdom.

The eighth Slum Improvement Project is a Nagpur based Phase I programme in Maharashtra taken up in January 1996 and funded by the German Government. The ninth Urban Poverty Reduction Project is a Bangalore based phase I project taken up at a cost of Rs.1.5crores in 1994-95 and funded by the Netherlands.

Project proposals for improvement of urban slums seeking foreign assistance from the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations are examined in the Ministry of Urban Affairs and Employment. If the proposals are in order, the Ministry of Urban Affairs forwards them to the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance. The Department of Economic Affairs thereafter poses these projects to the representatives of the donor countries in India for consideration. It is for them to accept or reject the proposal in accordance with their own norms and priorities.

SPECIAL TASK FORCE SETUP TO DETECT MODVAT CREDIT MIS-USE The Government has set up a Special Task Force (STF) to detect misuse of MODVAT credit scheme. The Task Force headed by the Director General, Anti-Evasion, has become functional with immediate effect and will initiate necessary legal action against the culprits to recover government dues and would also launch their prosecution.

The STF would study the inputs/capital goods where there is potential for mis-use of MODVAT credit and also the units where payment of MODVAT credit is in excess of the gross revenue as a percentage or is very large in absolute terms. The STF will also identify the assessees who are availing substantial MODVAT credit on the sensitive inputs/capital goods.

Apart from this, STF is expected to conduct a study about the activities of the registered dealers of imported/indigenous inputs where there is potential misuse of MODVAT credit and also suggest checks to be conducted by the field formations to prevent the misuse of MODVAT credit. The STF will also suggest amendments to the rules/regulations of MODVAT credit and would work out the modalities to create a comprehensive data bank at both the commissionarate and all India levels to analyse MODVAT credit schemes.

It may be noted that if MODVAT credit is used correctly, there will be a certain buoyancy in the revenue collection.

HOCL GEARS UP TO FACE GLOBAL MARKET CHALLENGES CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE FOR MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS MEETS The Minister of Chemical and Fertilizers, Shri Surjit Singh Barnala has stated that Indian companies will have to operate in a fiercely competitive global environment. Economies of scale, a lean and trim organisation, achieving consistently high quality and competitive prices will be crucial for their survival and growth. Speaking at the meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Members of Parliament attached to his Ministry, Shri Barnala said that changes in the existing structure in the form of mergers, take overs and strategic alliances will be the order of the day.

Speaking on the performance of the Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOCL), a public sector undertaking in the Chemicals sector which was on the agenda of today’s meeting, the Minister said that HOC has effectively geared itself to face the market challenges posed by the liberalisation process through innovative steps and used it as an opportunity by enhancing exports. It has recently been recognised by the Ministry of Commerce as an ‘Export House’ for excellent export performance in 1997-98.

HOC’s strength lies in its wide range of products and the product mix. Apart from focussing on only commodity chemicals, HOC has, in the recent years, entered new value added specialised area like ‘Polyurethanes’. The Rs.400 crore Joint Venture with a Swedish Company for producing the intermediate for Polyurethanes (MDI) will place HOC in a strategically advantageous position vis-à-vis established world players in this field, Shri Barnala said.

Stating that Chemical industry which has traditionally demonstrated an average 9-10 per cent growth has been going through a bad phase since 1996-97 due to multiple factors, the Minister said that HOC also was affected due to global recession and the Asian currency crisis. Shri Barnala hoped that the company which has already demonstrated improved performance in the first half of current year, will be able to maintain this trend in the second half of current financial year and the subsequent years.

The Members appreciated the performance of the HOC but wanted to know of the threats the company is facing in its efforts to face the competition from multinationals. Some Members emphasised the need for greater accountability of officers and setting higher efficiency standards for the public sector undertakings. Some Members also laid stress on greater research and development efforts on part of the companies.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary, Fertilizers, Shri A.V. Gokak, Secretary, Chemicals & Petro-chemicals, Shri Dipak Chatterjee, CMD, HOCL, Smt. Reena Ramachandran and other senior officers of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

The following Members of Parliament were present at the meeting: - S/Shri Dileep Sanghani, Haribhai P. Choudhary, I.M. Jayarama Shetty, Dr. Laxmi Narayan Pandey, Bijoy Kumar ‘Bijoy’, Surinder Singh Barwala, Shakuni Chaudhary, Madhavrao B. Patil, Ram Ragunath Chaudhary from Lok Sabha and Dipankar Mukherjee from Rajya Sabha.

MDA FOR HANDLOOM SECTOR TO CONTINUE The government has decided to continue the Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme for the handloom sector up to March 31, 2000. The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) in the Ministry of Textiles had introduced the MDA Scheme in 1989-90 with a view to providing support to handloom agencies in the country i.e., State Handloom Development Corporations, Apex Handloom Weavers Cooperative Societies and Primary Handloom Weavers Cooperative Societies in marketing their Handloom Products. Under the Scheme, the assistance was provided towards rebate/discount and other consumer incentives, interest subsidy, capital/margin money for setting up of showrooms and any other purpose as approved by the State and/or Central Government. Out of the total eligible assistance for a particular agency, the assistance towards rebate/discount and other consumer incentives was limited to a maximum of 75%. The assistance under the Scheme was equally borne by the Central and the State Government.

The scheme was to discontinue w.e.f. 1.4.98. However, following persistent requests from state governments and others to continue the MDA scheme for some more time, the government have now decided to continue the scheme upto 31st March, 2000 with the following partial modifications.

(a) The assistance towards rebate/discount will be phased out @ 25% per annum. During the year 1998-99, not more than 50% of the total assistance can be used towards rebate/discount and in the subsequent year, the assistance for this purpose will be limited to a maximum of 25% of the total eligible assistance. (b) The assistance towards strengthening of the infrastructure base will be increased @ 25% per annum. During the year 1998-99, out of the remaining 50%, 20% will be used towards for purchase/renovation of showrooms, another 20% on transportation cost for holding/participation in exhibition, fairs and festivals and 10% on upgradation of design facilities like installation of Computer Design Centres, engagement of qualified desginers etc., and in the subsequent year, 75% of the total eligible assistance will be used for infrastructure support. The criteria for working out the eligibility, the pattern of funding and other guidelines remains same as was being followed during 1997-98.

On the above changes in the MDA Scheme, the state governments and others concerned are being informed with a request to send their proposals on these lines.

RECORD 13.59 CRORE CHILDREN COVERED UNDER 1ST PHASE OF PPI SUCCESS ATTRIBUTED TO ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN A record 13.59 crore children were administered Oral Polio vaccine during the 1^st phase of Pulse Polio Immunisation programme held on 6^th Dec., 1998. This include 13.36 crore children below 5 years of age and 23.9 lakhs above 5 years. While the average all India coverage for below 5 years group has been 106% it was 105 in rural areas and 107 in urban areas.

The success of the programme has been attributed to the unstinted cooperation from all State Governments, NGOs and many agencies in the private sector. One remarkable feature of this year’s campaign has been the enthusiastic involvement of secondary school children who could successfully bring the beneficiaries from inaccessible areas also, to the vaccination posts. Also, the use of Vaccine Vial Monitors at the point of use, ensured high quality and safety of the entire programme.

It may be noted that on 6^th Dec., PPI programme was carried out in 526 districts and 14 districts of Kerala undertook this exercise on 13^th December.

PM'S COUNCILS ON THE WEB Information about the PM's Council on Trade and Industry and the Economic Advisory Council is available on the World Wide Web of the Internet. The site address is :

http://www.nic.in/pmcouncils

Govt Notifications, observations of the PM and the relevant Press Notes are available on the site established by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The site also contains Reports prepared by the six Subject Groups set-up under the aegis of the Council on Trade and Industry. These reports can also be directly accessed at the address : -

http://www.nic.in/pmcouncils/reports

INDUSTRIAL ESTATES FOR FOOD PROCESSING Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, a body under the administrative control of Commerce Ministry has a scheme for extending financial assistance for setting up of special infrastrucutral facilities and for conducting feasibility studies relating to export promotion of agro products. Ministry of Food Processing Industries is also operating plan schemes to help in establishment of Food Processing Industrial Estates under which assistance is provided to public and private sector undertakings as well as non-governmental organisations for creation of common facilities such as analytical and quality control laboratories, cold storages, warehousing facilities, supplementary pollution control facilities etc. Under the above schemes assistance is provided on receipt of specific proposals. This information was given in Lok Sabha today by Shri Sompal, Minister of State for Agriculture in reply to a question by Shri K. Yerrannaidu.

In reply to another question in Lok Sabha today the Minister informed that the value of exports of fruit juices including food drinks to USA was Rs. 163 lakhs in 1995-96 , Rs. 37 lakhs in 1996-97 and Rs. 158 lakhs in 1997-98.

NATIONAL MINERAL AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED TOMORROW 36 Geoscientists of the country would be conferred with the National Mineral Awards by the Union Minister for Steel & Mines, Shri Naveen Patnaik here tomorrow. Award of Excellence goes to a renowned geologist, Dr. K.S. Valdiya. Several other Geoscientists of outstanding performance will get the award in recognition of their works in their chosen field of specialisations within 12 identified geoscientific fields. Each field carries an award money of Rs. 50,000/- with certificate, trophy and citation.

The Award of Excellence carries an award money of Rs. 1 lakh with trophy, certificate and citation given to one eminent dedicated geoscientist of the country for his life time endeavours towards excellence. National Mineral Award Ceremony is an occasion on which the status of developmental activities in geosciences such as mining technology, mineral discoveries, metallurgical processes, environmental sciences etc. get highlighted.

National Mineral Award ceremony is an annual feature of the Department of Mines for promoting all-round excellence in geosciences in the country. The Secretary, Department of Mines is the Chairman of the Award Making Authority.

RETURN OF BUDDHA SCULPTURE TO INDIA A life size stone image of Buddha, which has been missing from collection of the Mahant of Bodhgaya, has now been found and is likely to return to India by February, 1999. The 120 cm X 45 cm standing image of Buddha is at present on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. India has been in touch with the authorities of the Museum, to request them to return the statue of Buddha. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York has agreed. The Associate Director for Exhibitions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Mrs. M. Tarapor has come to India for a meeting with Secretary (Culture), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Dr. R.V.V. Ayyar. They worked out the modalities and facilitate return of the Buddha.

Dr. D. Mitra, former Director General, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had informed the ASI that she suspected a stone image of Buddha is missing from the collection of Mahant of Bodhgaya in Bihar.

The standing image of Buddha figuring in the art of South and South East Asia (by Martin Lerner and Steven Kossak, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994 which also indicates that the image was purchased by the Museum Authorities in 1990.

There have been a couple of retrievals in the past from USA like (I) dancing Siva Nataraja (Bronze) stolen from Tiruvilakudi Distt. Thanjavur, Tamilnadu from Los Angeles and (iii) Terracotta figure from Bhitargaon, Distt. Kanpur from India and South East Asian Art, Los Angeles, Country Museum of Art, California (USA).

STAMPS COMMEMORATING 50^TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS JAPANESE AMBASSADOR PRESENTS THE STAMPS TO JAGMOHAN The Ambassador of Japan to India H.E. Hiroshi Hirabayashi presented Japanese stamps commemorating the 50^th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights to Minister of Communications, Shri Jagmohan, here today. The stamps are based on the design of an Indian citizen, Ms. Mary Carmel Mulloor in a stamp designing contest organised by the Government of Japan. Shri Jagmohan presented an album containing a selection of stamps on Buddhism, World Peace and Human Rights to the Japanese Ambassador.

Accepting the set of stamps, Shri Jagmohan said that both India and Japan lay strong emphasis on human rights and activities to ensure the preservation of peace and harmony, the world over. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10^th December 1998, was the first ever truly international proclamation of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Minister invited attention to the important aspects of human rights which have remained unfulfilled - the right to live a want, hunger and disease-free life in this world which has of late made tremendous advances in science and technology.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Communications, Shri Kabindra Purkayastha said that stamps in commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights issued by India and Japan, show the deep concern that the two countries have, for the protection of Human Rights. In addition to the stamps the Department of Posts, India had issued stationery items carrying special inscriptions "All Human Rights for ALL". Secretary, Department of Posts, Shri R.U.S.Prasad and Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Shri Anil Kumar were present on the occasion.

The "50^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Postage Stamp Design Contest" was held with the purpose of inviting entries from Japan as well as from abroad with a view to using the design for the "50^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Postage Stamp" to be issued on December 10, 1998. The design theme was "Happiness," and there were 21,955 entries both from Japan and 101 foreign countries in the contest.

TARGET OF COAL PRODUCTION The target fixed for coal production in the country during the years 1998-99 is 306.50 million tonnes and for the year 1999-2000 is 308.70 mt.

Steps taken to achieve the target of production inter-alia include opening of new mines, modernisation of existing mines, upgradation of technology, ensuring timely availability of inputs and infrastructural facilities, better capacity utilisation, improvement in productivity and maintaining good industrial relations.

The Government has accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Integrated Coal Policy to increase competition in the coal sector. Accordingly a proposal is under consideration to permit any Indian company to mine coal without the restriction of captive consumption.

This information was given by MOS for Coal Shri Dilip Ray in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON METALLURGICAL COKE The Government on recommendation of the Designated Authority after preliminary enquiry has imposed provisional anti dumping duty on metallurgical coke imported from China at the rate of Rs. 1800/- per metric tonne. Subsequently, after hearing the concerned parties and considering their submissions, the Designated Authority recommended for imposition of anti-dumping duty based on difference between Rs. 4763/- per metric tonne and landed value of imported met-coke subject to a minimum of Rs. 692/- per metric tonne. The definitive duties have been imposed by the Ministry of Finance accordingly but without the minimum duties.

Since, import of met-coke is under open general licence, Ministry of Coal is not monitoring its import. Coal/coke is being imported by consumers as per their need and commercial arrangements. No instance of over invoicing of such imports and thereby draining of precious foreign exchange has been brought to the notice of this Ministry.

However, there has been no import of metallurgical coke by the Government in the last two years nor there is any proposal to import the same in the current year. The liberalised import of metallurgical coke has affected domestic coke industries and also off-take of coal companies adversely.

This information was given by MOS for Coal Shri Dilip Ray in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

TELECAST OF REGIONAL LANGUAGES PROGRAMME ON DOORDARSHAN Prasar Bharati have intimated that each regional Doordarshan Kendra can originate programmes for 6 ½ hours daily in the regional language. In addition, Doordarshan has Eleven Regional Language Satellite Services (RLSS) Channels devoted for exclusive programmes in regional languages.

This information was provided by the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in written reply to question in Lok Sabha today.

SETTING UP OF TV TRANSMITTER IN JAMMU & KASHMIR Prasar Bharati have prepared a special plan for special assistance for improving their infrastructure and coverage in J&K. On sanctioning of the special assistance, the proposal for installation of more transmitters in J&K for DD-I and DD-II including at Hiranagar and Ramnagar would be considered.

This information was provided by the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in written reply to question in Lok Sabha today.

FOREIGN EQUITY IN FILM SECTOR M/S Sonly Pictures Entertainment Inc. USA (SPE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation has submitted a proposal to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board in the Ministry of Industry for investment in India with a 100% foreign equity amounting to $2.5 million for the purpose of production and distribution of films in India. The comments of I&B Ministry have been called for in its capacity as administrative Ministry. The proposal is under consideration as the policy regarding extent of permissible foreign equity in this sector is yet to be finalised.

This information was provided by the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in written reply to question in Lok Sabha today.

"GOVERNMENT INITIATES STEPS FOR ENACTING BROADCASTING LAW" Government have initiated steps for enacting a Broadcasting Law for the country which would seek to contain, apart from other provisions, compulsory uplinking from Indian soil. This information was provided by the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in written reply to question in Lok Sabha today.

Regarding reviewing implementation of Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, the Minister informed that the Act provides for the appointment of authorised officer by respective State Governments for enforcing the provisions of the Act. The Act also provides for punishment including imprisonment for contravention of any of its provisions. Till now, only nineteen States and one Union Territory have notified the authorised officers. In the recently held State Information Ministers Conference, the State Governments were requested to expedite the notification of authorised officers. In order to make the law more effective and responsive to the current needs, a meeting was held last month in November with major cable operators from all over the country. Since certain issues are linked to the proposed Broadcast Bill, no time can be presently specified by which a final decision can be taken in this regard.

PROGRAMMES ALLOTTED TO PRODUCERS BY DD A total number of 365 programmes in various formats were commissioned by Doordarshan during the year 1998.

The details are as under:-

Telefilm - 54

Serials - 103

Documentaries - 171

Spots - 2

Short Films - 3

Current Affairs - 27

Others - 5

This information was provided by the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in written reply to question in Lok Sabha today.

AMU STUDENTS STRIKE CALLED OFF The Aligarh Muslim University students called off the hunger strike today with the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi offering juice to them. While the AMU students met Hon’ble Minister for HRD, the Vice Chancellor of AMU & Smt. Sheela Gautam, MP, Aligarh were also present at the occasion.

The students and the University Authorities have agreed on the students demands. The ad-hoc unions will be dissolved with immediate effect and new union will be constituted soon. The residence scheme will be implemented in toto. No action will be taken against those students who were on strike.

Earlier a delegation of some Parents of junior doctors in the presence of Smt. Sheela Gautam, MP met the Vice Chancellor, AMU to resolve the issue.

COMMITTEES TO SUGGEST MEASURES TO ENSURE DELIVERY OF QUALITY PRODUCTS The Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri V. K. Ramamurthy has announced the constitution of four sub-committees of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his ministry to go into the problem of adulteration of the petroleum products and other mal practices in their distribution. Re-iterating the strong resolve of the present Government to provide quality products and the best services to the consumers, he said that the committees will start working from January 1^st, 1999 and submit their reports within three months. Speaking at the extended session of Consultative Committee here today, the Minister said that the committees would also suggest measures for prevention of adulteration of petroleum products.

Talking about subsidy on the SKO distributed through PDS, Shri Ramamurthy informed that there was no proposal with the Ministry to reduce it in the wake of complains that subsidised kerosene gives an incentive to mix it with the higher priced products like, Diesel. SKO (PDS) is meant for the deprived section of the society. He, however, disclosed that his Ministry is thinking of the ways and means to prevent diversion of SKO (PDS) and SKO sold to parallel marketing, to adulterate other petroleum products.

The Minister informed that the Government has decided that special surprise drives will be undertaken once in every two months to check mal-practices in the marketing of petroleum products. These drives will be on the lines undertaken earlier for five days from October 29 to November 2^nd, 1998 when 68 cases of suspected adulteration were detected. Action is being taken by the oil companies against the dealers indulging in irregularities.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar said that the newly set up dealer selection boards (DSBs) will be soon selecting dealers for nearly seven thousand outlets throughout the country. Provisions have been made for reservations to SCs/STs, various other weaker sections of the society, outstanding sportspersons, freedom fighters and their dependents and disabled persons etc. The members suggested that the preference in allotment of dealerships should be given to the unemployed youth also. All possible efforts should be made so that the dealerships are not cornered by the affluent sections only.

The members who were present in the meeting are : S/Shri Prabhu Dayal Katheria, Lal Bihari Tiwari, N.K.S. Chauhan, K. Krushnamurthy, Indrajit Mishra, Sushil Kumar Singh, K. Pary Mohan, Zora Singh Mann, K.D. Sultanpuri, Somjibhai Damor, M.G. Gavit, Rajbansi Mahto, K.B. Raju and Smt. Sheela Gautam from Lok Sabha and S/Shri N. Rajendran, Gandhi Azad, Gopalsinh G. Solanki, Drupad Bargohain, Prof. Ram Baksh Singh Varma and Prof. Ram Deo Bhandari from Rajya Sabha.

GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE SHARE IN HYDRO POWER GENERATION Government has set up a task force to look into the problems of the hydel power generation sector. The task force is headed by the Minister himself. This was disclosed by Shri P.R. Kumaramangalam, Minister of Power at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today.

The Minister said that the share of the hydro power capacity to total installed capacity had increased from 33 per cent at the start of First Plan in 1951 to 46 per cent by the end of Third-Five Year Plan. Average annual growth rate of installed capacity of hydro power plants during this period was around 14 per cent. Despite hydroelectric projects being recognised as the most economic and preferred source of electicity,the share of hydro experienced a steady decline since 1963, when a peak load of 50.62 per cent was achieved. As on August’98 the hydro share stood at 24.85 per cent of the total installed capacity of 88543 MW. To rectify this problem of low share of hydel power, the Government announced the Hydro Power Development Policy in August 1998. This was done based on the recommendations of the Committee on Hydro power, in consultation with State Governments, IPPs, and the Financial Institutions.

The objectives of the policy are; ensuring targetted capacity addition during ninth plan, Exploitation of vast hydro electric potential at a faster pace; Promoting small and mini hydel projects; Strengthening the role of PSUs/SEBs for taking up new hydel projects; Increasing private investment. In order to achieve the above objectives, Government is taking steps on the following policy instruments

Providing adequate funds in the Central/State Government budget and organising supplementary funding through Power Finance Corporation. Entrusting basin wise development to Central Hydel Public Sector Providing adequate funds in the Central/State Government budget and organising supplementary funding through Power Finance Corporations. Funding support for Survey and Investigations; Establishing a Power Development Fund by levy of a cess on electricity; Providing a differential pricing for peaking power to facilitate greater investment in hydel projects which have the capability to supply peaking power in a cost effective manner; Providing an institutional mechanism for dealing with geological risks; Utilising the joint venture frame work for promoting hydel projects; Simplification of procedures relating to transfer of clearances from State Government to Central Public Sector Undertakings and State Government to private sector; Enhancing the ceiling limits for techno economic clearance by CEA in respect of projects promoted on the MOU route; Transfer of work relating to the development of small hydel; projects upto 25 MW capacity from Ministry of Power to Ministry of Non Conventional Energy Sources and providing a suitable incentive package, the Minister added.

During the Ninth Plan 66 projects have been sanctioned to produce approx. 15800 MW. Following the suggestions by the Working Group on Power for the Ninth Plan that a need based capacity addition of 57734.7 MW., including the hydro capacity addition of 17410.7 MW., the Ministry assessed the capacity of 9819.7 MW hydro capacity addition could be achieved during the Ninth Plan.

The Minister said that 54 hydro electric projects aggregating to 13353.9 MW. or tentatively programmed tobe commissioned during the Tenth Plan. The Government has approved advance action plan for 12 projects under the Central Sector. These are :

Chamera HE Project Stage-II (300 MW) Himachal Pradesh; Parbati Stage II (800 MW) Himachal Pradesh ; Kol Dam (800 MW) Himachal Pradesh ; Teesta Stage V (510 MW) Sikkim ; Loktak Downstream (90 MW) Manipur ; Tuivai (210 MW) Mizoram ; Lower Kopili (150 MW) Assam ; Kameng (600 MW) Arunachal Pradesh ; Rangangandi Stage II (160 MW) Arunachal Pradesh ; Tehri Stage II( 1000 MW) UP ; Koteshwar ( 400 MW) UP; Rampur (535 MW) Himachal Pradesh.

Shri Kumaramangalam said that to promote hydro power development, additional resources would be required in future. The sub-committee of the NDC Committee on power, headed by Shri Sharad Pawar had recommended the levying of a cess. Government has approved a proposal to establish a dedicated Power Development Fund by levying a cess @ 10 paisa per kwh on electricity generated throughout the country. Due to administrative and legal reasons it is now proposed to levy a cess @ 5 paisa per kwh on electricity generated throughout the country. The amount thus collected will be shared between the State and Central Governments. The Central Government and The State Govt. will establish and maintain a separate Electricity Development Fund for the purposes of utilising the amount for taking up survey and investigations, preparation of DPRs and pre-construction activities of hydel projects. The fund will also be used for promoting new hydel projects (including small hydel projects) and for improvements in transmission/distribution network including sub transmission and distribution.

The following Members of Parliament attended today’s meeting :-

S/Shri Moinul Hassan, Shri Shauta Kumar, Shri Larang Sai, Shri Ram Narain Meena, Shri Jalaudin Ansari, Shri Bashisht Narayau Singh, Dr. S. Venugopalachari and Smt. Usha Verma.

PENDING IRRIGATION PROJECTS Irrigation being a State subject, irrigation projects are taken up for implementation by the State Governments themselves out of their own resources as per their own priorities. The normal completion period is 10-15 years in respect of major projects and 5-10 years in respect of medium irrigation projects. This period and increase in estimated cost of a major project depends on various factors, such as, its size, availability of land, clearance from various appraising agencies, geological conditions, etc. Equally important are the funds allotted by State Governments to individual projects. There are 105 on-going major projects started upto Vth Plan and 171 on-going medium projects started upto VIth Plan

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Sompal in the Lok Sabha today, in a written reply to Shri Sandipan Thorat.

BORE WELLS IN ASSAM Government of Assam submitted a scheme to Union Government costing Rupees 96.2 crore for undertaking 54000 Shallow Tube Wells (STW) to irrigate an area of 1,62,000 Hectares (400310 Acres) and sought central assistance of Rupees 64.77 crore.

Minor Irrigation Schemes which include STW, are planned and funded by the State Governments from their own budgetary resources. However, under Centrally-Sponsored Scheme namely, Ganga Kalyan Yojana, Central Assistance for Rs. 257.01 lakh was released to the State Government of Assam for exploitation of Ground Water (Borewells and tubewells) during 1997-98.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Sompal in the Lok Sabha today in a written reply to Smt. Ranee Narah.

TUBE-WELLS IN ORISSA The Central Ground Water Board has drilled 785 boreholes in Orissa upto March 1998. The wells drilled between 80 to 260 metres depth in hard rock areas of the State have yielded water in the range of one to 15.78 litres per second and the wells drilled between 150 to 600 metres depth in alluvial areas of the State have yielded water in the range of two to 65 litres per second.

Development and use of ground water for various purposes, including that for irrigation is done by the concerned State Government. The Central Ground Water Board provides technical assistance for location and utilisation of sources of ground water as required by the State Governments. The successful exploratory wells drilled by the Board are also handed over to the States for their utilisation.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Sompal in the Lok Sabha today in written reply to Shri Jual Oram.

SOIL EROSION ON THE RIVER BRAHMAPUTRA Central Water Power Research Station, Pune has completed the model testing of erosion on the river Brahmaputra at Maijan and Nagaghuli area respectively. No reference has been made yet by the Assam Government for extension of the model for conducting studies to Rohmeria area.

The model studies of erosion of Brahmaputra river at Maijan and Nagaghuli area was started in November 1996 and completed in May 1998.

The Government of Assam has taken up anti-erosion measures for protection of Nagaghuli and Maijan area from erosion of river Brahmaputra based on the recommendations of the model studies. Flood management being a State subject, implementation of these schemes is within the perview of the Government of Assam.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Sompal in the Lok Sabha today in a written reply to Shri Paban Singh Ghatowar.

KRISHNA VALLEY PROJECTS Ten major, 9 medium and 5 ERM (Extension, Renovation and Modernisation) Irrigation Projects of Krishna Valley with a latest estimated cost of Rs. 10832.6 crore are under execution in the State of Karnataka. Of these, the details of four proejcts for which the State has sought Central Loan Assistance (CLA) under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) during 1998-99 and the funds released so far are as under :-

Name of Project	CLA Demanded	CLA Sanctioned	First Instalment Released
Upper Krishna Stage I(Phase III) (Major)	100.00	100.00	50.00
Malaprabha (Major)	25.00	20.00	--
Hirehalla (Medium)	6.00	6.00	3.00
Ghataprabha Stage III (ERM)	30.00	25.00	--
Total	161.00	151.00	53.00

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Sompal in the Lok Sabha today, in a written reply to Shri K.H. Muniyappa.

FLOOD CONTROL Government of India had constituted the Rashtriya Barh Ayog in July, 1976 under the chairmanship of Dr. Jaisukhlal Hathi, the then Governor of Punjab, to evolve a coordinated, integrated and scientific approach to the flood problem of the country and also to draw a National Plan, fixing priorities for implementation.

The Ayog presented its report to Government of India in March, 1980, wherein 207 recommendations on flood management were made covering, inter alia, the aspects of past approach and achievement, effect of developmental works and encroachment, methodology of flood damage assessment, areas needing urgent attention, land use and regulation, cost and benefit criteria and future approach. The report of the Avog had been sent to all the States/Union Territories for implementation.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture Shri Sompal in the Lok Sabha today in a written reply to Shri Jang Bahadur Singh Patel.

EFFORTS FOR IMPROVING THE OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL EFFICIENCIES OF IA AND AI The Government is considering the proposal regarding the disinvestment of Indian Airlines in a phased manner along with the restructuring/disinvestment of Air India, Hotel Corporation of India and Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. as recommended by the Disinvestment Commission. This was informed by the Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ananth Kumar while addressing the Consultative committee attached to his Ministry. The Minister said it is imperative that Indian Airlines and Air India work in effective co-ordination to achieve optimum utilisation of their resources thereby improving their operational and financial efficiencies. With a view to achieve this objective the Ministry has issued directions to the two airlines to rationalise their schedules.

Informing the members of the Consultative Committee about the important developments pertaining to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Shri Ananth Kumar said that the Task Force on Infrastructure has recommended the corporatisation of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore Airports. Indian Airlines have provided new links on Mumbai-Jaisalmer, Mumbai-Raipur, Raipur-Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad-Pune, Calcutta-Pune, Vizag-Delhi and Delhi-Jaisalmer sectors. Jet Airways have started twice-a-weekly service on sector Guwahati-Imphal. In addition, Bengal Airways propose to start a service on sector Calcutta-Shillong from the first week of January. The Ministry has also decided to introduce air links between Bangalore-Bangkok, Lucknow-Sharjah and Trivandrum-Adudhabi.

To ensure the safety of flights and improve the capability of Air Traffic Services the Minister told that the Airports Authority of India is planning to install four more Secondary Surveillance Radars at Varanasi, Nagpur, Berhampur and Mangalore. These four radars are likely to be installed by the end of 1999. These radars will also enable introduction of Minimum Safe Altitude Warning System (MSAW) which will help in reducing Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents. Thus, there will be twelve secondary radars which will cover almost all major routes in Indian air space.

The Minister told the Members that the Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited have won a contract under International bidding for deployment of 2 Bell 407 Helicopters for 18^th Antarctica expedition. This is for the first time that an Indian civil helicopter operator has bagged this contract.

Participating in the discussions, the Members of the Consultative Committee raised concern over the flight delays as a result of heavy fog. Suggestions for aggressive advertising and market promotion activities by the Indian Airlines and Air India was also stressed.

The Members who attended the meeting were Dr.Ramesh Chand Tomar, Shri Ram Pal Singh, Shri Pankaj Choudhary, Shri Harin Pathak, Shri Ram Nagina Mishra, Dr. Mahadeepak Singh Shakya, Shri T.Subbarami Reddy, Shri M.Ramachandran, Shri P.C.Thomas, Shri E.Ahmed, Shri Subrata Mukherjee, Shri Praful Patel, Shri Govindram Miri, Smt.Malti Sharma, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Shri Shatrughan Sinha, Shri Ramdas Agarwal, Shri Vayalar Ravi, Shri R.N.Arya, Smt.Jayanthi Natarajan, Shri Suresh A. Keswani, Shri Yerra Narayanaswami, Shri Mohd. Salim, Shri Bratin Sengupta and Shri Santosh Bagrodia.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY SUPPORTS MODERNISATION OF CAPITAL’S PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM The Minister for Environment and Forests, Shri Suresh Prabhu has suggested that the Union Government could provide support to the Delhi Government in acquiring at least ten thousand buses to modernise the Capital’s public transport system. The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority for the National Capital Region constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act has recommended that the Delhi Government should at least buy ten thousand buses with clean fuel such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The buses would replace the existing fleet of outmoded and grossly polluting buses.

The Environment and Forests Ministry has supported the need to refurbish the Capital’s public transport system without which it will not be possible to check the run-away growth of private vehicles. Delhi is the fourth most polluted city in the world because of high concentrations of air borne Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). Vehicular exhaust has been shown to be the major source of air pollution, contributing as much as 70 percent of the pollution load.

With nine CNG outlets already available and the expansion programme for having as many as eighty CNG outlets in different parts of the city, phased introduction of a fleet of CNG operated buses will be a significant step towards improvement of the public transport system. It will also help in the control of air pollution.