Reforms by boiler division for EoDB

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has permitted self-certification and third-party inspection and certification of boilers with State Governments. Specimen notification under section-34(3) of the Boilers Act 1923 have been forwarded to them to ensure safety of boilers and improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB). This will benefit a broad spectrum of industries both in the large- and small-scale sector like power plants, chemical plans, refineries, paper plants, steel mills, sugar mills and other process industries.

Rules and regulations are already in place for third party inspection. This has resulted in a simplified and more accessible, user - friendly framework for the administration of the Boilers Act and has also protected manufacturers/users' interests without sacrificing the safety of boilers.

DPIIT has also taken a number of measures to simplify the procedure of inspection of boilers like eleven third party inspecting authorities have been recognized by the Central Boilers Board (CBB) to work in the country employing competent persons to carry out inspection of boilers and boiler components during manufacture and use, in addition to Chief Inspector/ Director of Boilers.

Independent Competent Persons have also been authorized to work in individual capacity under section-8 of the Boilers Act, for in-service inspection of boilers.

Simplified registration of boilers including facility for on-line registration and prescribed time limits for all approvals/clearances under the Boilers Act/IBR has also been implemented.

Self-certification of Boilers has been implemented in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Goa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

National and Regional Level Boiler Workshops are continuously being conducted by DPIIT through the National Productivity Council (NPC) to apprise the owners of boilers and of the steps that may be taken to optimize the efficiency of boilers and to popularize the measures for energy conservation.

In the current year nine workshops have been organized and another four workshops will be organized in future. A 5th Examination was conducted through NPC in December, 2018 for recognition of Competent Persons (CPs) for undertaking inspection of boilers. Passing certificates were issued to 61 candidates. 172 CPs have so far qualified for Inspection and Certification of Boilers, on the basis of the 5th examination. A 6th Examination is proposed to be conducted in February.

DPIIT is the Department responsible for administration of the Boilers Act 1923. Boiler division is headed by the Technical Advisor (Boiler) and its functions are to advice the Central Government in all matters relating to administration of the Boilers Act, 1923 and the Indian Boiler regulations that have been framed under the Act. It deals with matters on which direction is to be given to State Governments by the Central Government for carrying out execution of the provisions of the Boilers Act, 1923. Apart from that it also deals with work relating to framing or amendment of regulations for laying down the standards for materials, design and construction of boilers and also for regulating the inspection and examination of boilers. It also evaluates quality management systems and production facilities of various firms in India and foreign countries as Competent Authorities (CAs). Steel makers, foundries, forges, tube and pipe makers and material testing laboratories make use of the CAs in order to cut down inspection delays and increased availability of boiler components without sacrificing safety and quality of boilers and its components.

The Boilers Act was enacted in 1923 to provide for safety of life and property from the danger of explosion of boilers and for achieving uniformity in registration and inspection during operation and maintenance of boilers throughout the country. Up to the year 2007 there had been no major amendments to the Act. The Indian Boilers (Amendment) Act, 2007 introduced improvements in the provisions of the law to enhance safety norms to keep pace with developments and changes in the technology of fabrication, testing, inspection and operation of boilers and also ensure uniformity in standards of inspection, expediting inspection and reducing bureaucratic delays by decentralization of inspection of boilers during their manufacture, erection and use by allowing inspection and certification by the independent inspecting authorities.

Secretary DPIIT is the Ex-Officio Chairman and Technical Advisor (Boilers) is the Ex-Officio Member Secretary of the Board.
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Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurates 2nd Edition of "Eat Right Mela"

“The right kind of diet will help to reduce the disease burden in the country”. This was stated by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare while inaugurating the second edition of the ‘Eat Right Mela’ at Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, here today. He stressed upon the importance of having a Jan Andolan, a peoples’ movement, encouraging people to have healthier diets which will help in reduction of the disease burden in the country.

Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that the Eat Right Mela of FSSAI is a commendable effort and outreach activity for citizens to nudge them towards eating right. “Let the ‘Eat Right Melas’ be part of public gatherings like local melas, community programs etc., so that the citizens would learn about health and nutrition benefits of different types of food, dietary advice by experts, engage in dialogues and conversations with food visionaries and experts, relish the delicious street food, live demonstration of food recipes and have fun and entertainment.

Dr Harsh Vardhan also highlighted that “India, on one side, is suffering from under-nourishment resulting in infirmities such as wasting and stunting and on the other side, there is another critical area of concern to be addressed i.e. obesity, which is apparently the result of excessive consumption of junk food, wrong choices of food, overeating and lack of exercise. At the same time, the rise of diet related diseases suggests that people are eating less healthy food than they were eating a decade ago. In this context, the movement of ‘Eat Right India’ started by FSSAI is a timely initiative”.

The Union Minister launched ‘The PURPLE Book’ a handbook on diets for diseases. The book provides general guidelines for hospitals on suitable diets for common medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, gut disorders and so on in a simple format and has been developed and vetted by experts in the field of food and nutrition. This book is available for free download on www.fssai.gov.in.

At the event Dr Harsh Vardhan also launched NetSCoFAN (Network for Scientific Co-operation for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition), a network of research & academic institutions working in the area of food & nutrition along with the NetSCoFAN directory, covering detailed information of various heads/Directors and lead scientists of lead and associated partnering institutions. The NetSCoFAN would comprise of eight groups of institutions working in different areas viz. biological, chemical, nutrition & labelling, food of animal origin, food of plant origin, water & beverages, food testing, and safer & sustainable packaging. FSSAI has identified eight Nodal Institutions who would develop a ‘Ready Reckoner’ that will have inventory of all research work, experts and institutions and would carry out and facilitate research, survey and related activities. It would identify research gaps in respective areas and collect, collate and develop database on food safety issues for risk assessment activities. “The need for identify research gaps in respective areas and collect, collate and develop database on food safety issues for risk assessment activities, will be addressed by NetSCoFAN (Network for Scientific Co-operation for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition)”, Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

Dr Harsh Vardhan emphasised the importance of ‘Save Food Share Food’. "Let's develop the habit of not wasting food, and sharing food with those who are needy", he said. At the event, M/s Elan Professional Private Limited (ElanPro) through their CSR program declared to support Indian Food Sharing Alliance (IFSA) members to ensure the food collected is held at optimum temperature, which will help to reduce travel and distribution time under the ‘Save Food Share Food’ initiative of FSSAI. Presently, 84 food recovery agencies are associated with IFSA network under FSSAI.

Dr Harsh Vardhan also handed over 3 mobile food testing vans (CNG enabled) to Shri D N Singh, the Commissioner of Food Safety, Government of NCT, Delhi during the inaugural ceremony.

Smt Rita Teaotia, Chairperson FSSAI; Ms. Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Health & Family Welfare; Dr Shekhar C. Mande, Director General, CSIR; Sh Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI along with officials of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, FSSAI, corporate partners, representatives from the food industry and NGOs were also present during the inauguration ceremony.
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Hyatt plans to open 11 new hotels in India by 2020 end

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, a global hospitality firm, looking to open 11 new hotels across India by the end of 2020 as part of its expansion plans in country, a senior company official has said.

The Chicago-headquartered firm currently has 32 hotels across 20 destinations under its eight brands in India - Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Alila and Andaz.

"We plan to open 11 new hotels across the country by end of 2020 as India is a very important growth market for us," Hyatt, Vice President- India operations, Mr Sunjae Sharma said. He added that Hyatt is one of the first international hotel management brands in India which entered the market over 35 years ago with the first hotel under the Hyatt Regency brand in Delhi in 1982.

"The new hotels will be under our three brands -- Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place and Hyatt Regency," Sharma said.

He further added, hotel which is sited in Gurugram will be under the Grand Hyatt brand and hotels in Vadodara, Jaipur and Bengaluru will come under Hyatt Place brand.

"The hotels at Thrissur, Kochi, Jaipur, Dehradun, Trivandrum and Udaipur will be under the Hyatt Regency brand," Sharma informed.

When asked if the company is also looking at acquisition for future growth, he replied if there is a merit in it then only the company is open to it.

On the business model, it follows in India and about plans in future, Sharma said, "We are mainly into management contract model, but we are also looking at franchise model with select partners in India. We follow the asset light model". He also stated that the company is looking for its expansion in tier II and tie III cities with suitable brands.

"India is a very important market for us. It is one of the top three global growth markets for the company after the US and China and there is a huge scope of growth here as the demand still exceeds the supply," Sharma said.

Company told, the goal of Hyatt India by 2020 is to reduce the water consumption per guest per night by 25 per cent to a 2006 baseline, and by 30 per cent in water-stressed areas.

Hyatt, which was founded in 1957 by Jay Pritzker, is currently present across 60 countries globally, with 18 brands and 875 hotels.
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Shri Dharmendra Pradhan unveils India's First CNG Bus which can run 1000 Kms in one fill

In a major step towards making India a gas-based economy and making CNG as the eco-friendly option for long distance transport in the country, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, today unveiled India's first long distance CNG bus fitted with composite CNG cylinders, which can travel around 1000 kms in a single fill. The project has been executed by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) and has been achieved through pioneering design of Type IV Composite Cylinders in buses, replacing traditional very heavy Type-I Carbon Steel cylinders.

Lauding the initiative, Shri Pradhan described it as a milestone in ease of living for the people of country. He said that these CNG buses are being run on pilot basis, but soon they will be scaled on commercial basis. “Delhi has witnessed revolution in shift towards cleaner, gas-based fuels. Over 500 CNG stations are operating in Delhi NCR today and about 12 lakh piped natural gas connections have been provided. Over 1,000 PNG connections are being provided daily in the NCR. Long haul CNG buses originating from Delhi to other locations will further drive this shift towards cleaner gas-based fuels. This will improve overall ease of living of people by mitigating the problem of air pollution, ensuring a cleaner environment and reducing waiting time at CNG stations.”, Shri Pradhan said.

He said that the Government wants to have Green corridor around the national capital, with the buses from here to Chandigarh, Dehradun, Agra and Jaipur running on CNG. Congratulating the agencies involved in the long distance CNG bus fitted with composite CNG cylinders, he said that cost of such cylinders should be brought down, and economies of scale used to make them more popular and acceptable.

Shri Pradhan said that India is not a pollutant nation when compared with many others, but being a responsible nation, the Prime Minister has promised to bring down the country’s carbon footprint. The Minister said that the Government is committed to promote the gas-based economy, and in this regard $100 billion investment is being made in the energy infrastructure. He further said that the Government wants to begin door-to-door delivery of Petrol, CNG and LNG, as is being done for Diesel by Mobile dispenser. The Minister added that LNG will also be added as the transportation fuel. Shri Pradhan said that a pilot project of Hydrogen-blended CNG fuel is already running in the city, and it will soon be scaled up. He said that the Government is promoting the Waste-to-wealth efforts, and all sources of energy will be used to bring down India’s oil import dependency and make environment better.

The introduction of long range CNG buses fitted with light weight composite cylinders has the capacity to revolutionize the fight against air pollution across the nation. Even after shifting of the entire public transport fleet in the national capital to CNG as per mandate of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, inter-state buses coming from other cities to Delhi continued to run on diesel. Delhi Transport Corporation had stopped all its inter-state routes in 2001 due to unavailability of CNG in the neighboring states. CNG buses are on Indian Roads for more than two decades now but due to on-board storage issues these buses are having a range of 200-250 KM per fill only, thus the application of CNG buses in short distance or Intra City Transport only.

Mahindra & Mahindra, & Agility Fuel Solutions of USA have partnered with IGL for this project, involving introducing the new concept of light weight Type IV composite cylinders in buses. These cylinders are 70 per cent lighter than the Type - I (all steel) cylinders which are being used in India currently. The main advantage of these Cylinders is that due to its lighter weight, the number of cylinders can be increased in the vehicle thus creating more storage capacity on-board. The buses which used to carry only 80-100 Kg of CNG with steel cylinders can carry 225-275 Kg of CNG with new composite cylinders. More storage of CNG means more KM range of buses. Buses fitted with Type IV Composite Cylinders have a running range of approx. 800- 1000 KM per fill of CNG.

IGL has procured 5 number of Mahindra's Type IV buses. The Buses would be given to Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) on lease basis after the launch. These will ply on Inter-city routes from Delhi to Dehradun and will be the first CNG Buses in Uttarakhand. Now with this launch, DTC and other State Transport Corporations can again start their long-haul operations through CNG Buses. In addition, with more capacity of CNG in one vehicle, it is likely that there shall be reduction in queues at the CNG Stations as these buses will not have to come frequently for fuelling.

Apart from purchasing new OEM manufactured Type IV buses, Fleet owners and State Transport Corporations also have the option of retrofitting their existing CNG buses having Type I (Steel Cylinders) with lightweight Type IV Cylinders. Retrofitting with Type IV CNG cylinders is also possible in buses running on other fuels.

This initiative of IGL has the potential of paving way for reduction of buses using diesel as a fuel for Inter City Transport thereby contributing in a major way towards reduction of pollution. This is also a big step towards achieving the vision of making India a gas-based economy and creating green highways.
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Good Governance Index has been scientifically designed on various parameters of governance: Dr Jitendra Singh

The MoS (PP) Dr Jitendra Singh launched the ‘Good Governance Index’ at an event organized by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, on the occasion of Good Governance Day, here today. The Good Governance Day is observed on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. On the occasion, the Minister also launched the 15th edition of Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP). He released the Handbook for the Retiring Central Government Employees and the Smart Card facility for Department Canteen of DoPT. The MoS (PP) also released a booklet on major initiatives/achievements of DoPT and Strategic Initiatives of Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW).

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Good Governance Index has been scientifically designed on various parameters of governance. He said that it has been designed keeping in mind the citizen-centricity, which is the prime mantra of Government led by PM Shri Narendra Modi. He added that GGI would also seek to determine the status of governance as it exists today, and it will provide reference threshold for future also. Dr Jitendra Singh said that documentation of good governance index is our effort in the direction to carry forward Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision for good governance.

The Minister said that good governance initiatives by the Government draw inspiration from former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji. He added that good governance initiatives are being replicated not only by the states in India, but also by the other countries. He added that many regional conferences have been organized by the DARPG in different parts across India to replicate good governance practices. The Minister said that Smart Card launched for DoPT canteen today is also a step towards cashless transactions and digitisation.

Addressing on the occasion, Secretary, DoPT & DARPG, Dr C. Chandramouli said that these measures reflect that the Ministry is equipping the employees to understand how to use digital platforms in functioning. He added that Government is also committed to the welfare of its ex-employees and it is taken care by the Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare.

The Additional Secretary, DARPG, Shri V. Srinivas said that the GGI has been developed for the first time by the Government. He said that CSMOP launched today reflects the Ministry’s commitment towards digitization and to shift towards Digital Secretariat. He also mentioned about good governance initiatives for replication such as Shillong Declaration, Jammu Ghoshna, Sahyog Sankalp and Nagpur Resolution, among others.

The EO & AS (DoPT) Shri P. K. Tripathi, Secretary (Legislative Department) Shri G. Narayana Raju, Secretary (Post), Shri Pradipta Kumar Bisoi, AS (DoNER) Shri Indewar Pandey and senior officers were also present on the occasion.

The Good Governance Index is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs. The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result oriented approaches and administration. Various principles have been kept in mind while selecting the indicators, i.e. it should be easy to understand & calculate, citizen-centric & result driven, leading to improved results and applicable to all states and UTs, among others. Various consultation meetings were held with the stakeholders, including consultations with sector experts, ministries, states & UTs.

The GGI takes into consideration ten sectors: 1). Agriculture and Allied Sectors, 2). Commerce & Industries, 3). Human Resource Development, 4). Public Health, 5). Public Infrastructure & Utilities, 6). Economic Governance, 7). Social Welfare & Development, 8). Judicial & Public Security, 9). Environment and 10). Citizen-Centric Governance. These ten Governance Sectors are measured on total 50 indicators. Difference indicators are given different weightage under one Governance Sector to calculate the value. E.g. Under Agriculture & Allied Sector, there are 6 indicators with different weightage, namely: Growth rate of agriculture and allied sector (0.4), growth rate of food grains production (0.1), growth rate of horticulture produce (0.1), growth rate of milk production (0.1), growth rate of meat production (0.1) and crop insurance (0.2). The states and UTs are divided into three groups: a). Big States, b). North-East & Hill States and c). UTs. The states and UTs are ranked on all indicators separately, at the same time composite ranking is also calculated for these states and UTs under their respective groups based upon these indicators.

Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP): The 1st CSMOP was published in 1955 and has been updated from time to time. The last edition (14th edition) was published in 2015. To meet the requirements of digital environment, DARPG has brought out 15th edition of CSMOP which integrates conventional office practices with e-office. Presently, more than 90 per cent ministries have adopted e-office and 14,56,739 files are running in about 84 Ministries/Departments through e-office. In total. 57 ministries/departments have achieved desired target of 80 per cent and above in e-office. The draft CSMOP was circulated to all ministries/departments and their views were incorporated in it. The main features of the CSMOP, which enables the march towards the digital Secretariat, are as follows: A new chapter on e-Office digitization framework that provides guidelines for scanning, entry and storage of data, provision of Virtual Private Network for officers of the rank of DS and above following scrutiny safeguards, provision for DSC to dealing officers and above rank officers, knowledge management provides the details regarding maintenance of Standing Guard Files, Standing Note, Induction Material etc, which helps in smooth disposal of work and decision making chapter provides list of various website and their links. The definitions have been categorised as Glossary and given at the end of CSMOP and the paragraphs are numbered chapter wise.

The Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare has brought out a Handbook for Retiring Central Government Employee, including All India Service Officers, to make them, as well as their families, aware of their entitlements and various procedural formalities with respect to their retirement benefits. The Department has brought out a compendium on pension related orders issued during 2018-19 which contains important orders which inter-alia include:- Amendment of Rule 38 of CCS (Pension) Rule to grant Invalid Pension to even those Government Employees who retire on medical ground with a qualifying service of less than 10 years, Revision of pension of pre-2006 pensioners who retired in 5th CPC scale of Rs 6500-10500 (US$ 93 to 150), w.r.t. higher grade pay of Rs 4600 (US$ 65.81)/- (instead of Rs 4200 [US$ 60]/-) as applicable to serving employees, Grant of two family pensions to reemployed pensioners for two different spells of service – one under CCS (Pension) Rules and the other under EOP Rules.

Based on the Root Cause Analysis of grievances and as a step towards Good Governance, DoP&PW has planned certain initiatives to be acted upon during 2019-24. These initiatives include Review & Rationalization of Pension Rules, 1972, promotion of Digital Life Certificate, e-PPO and its integration with Digi Locker, Real-Time Monitoring of Family Pension of CAPF Martyrs. The Department has accordingly also brought out a brief booklet on these initiatives.
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Prime Minister Launches Atal Bhujal Yojana

On the Birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) and named the Strategic Tunnel under Rohtang Pass after Vajpayee, in an event held in New Delhi today.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister said that today the name of a big project which is very important for the country, Rohtang Tunnel, connecting Manali, Himachal Pradesh with Leh, Ladakh and Jammu Kashmir, will now be known as Atal Tunnel. He also said that this strategic tunnel will change the fortunes of this region. It will help in promoting tourism in the region.

On Atal Jal Yojana, PM highlighted that the subject of water was very important to Atal ji and very close to his heart. Our Government is striving to implement his vision. Atal Jal Yojana or the guidelines related to the Jal Jeevan Mission, are big steps in proving the resolve to deliver water to every household in the country by 2024, the PM added. He said that this water crisis is worrying for us as a family, as a citizen and as a country also it affects development. New India has to prepare us to deal with every situation of water crisis. For this, we are working together on five levels.

Prime Minister emphasized that Jal Shakti Ministry freed the water out of Compartmentalized Approach and laid stress on a Comprehensive and Holistic Approach. In this monsoon, we have seen how extensive efforts have been made for water conservation on behalf of the society, from the Jal Shakti Ministry. He said that on one hand, Jal Jeevan Mission, will work towards delivering piped water supply to every house, and on the other hand Atal Jal Yojana, will pay special attention to those areas where groundwater is very low.

To incentivise gram panchayats to perform better in water management, Prime Minister said that a provision has been made in the Atal Jal Yojana, in which better performing gram panchayats, will be given more allocation. He said that in 70 years, only 3 crore out of 18 crore rural households have access to piped water supply. Now our Government has set the target to deliver clean drinking water to 15 crore homes in the next five years through pipes.

Prime Minister emphasized that water-related schemes should be made according to the situation at every village level. This has been taken care while making the guidelines of the Jal Jeevan Mission, he added. He also said that both Union and State Governments will spend Rs 3.5 lakh crore (US$ 50.81 billion) on water related schemes in the next 5 yrs. He requested the people of every village to make a water action plan and create a water fund. Farmers should make a water budget where groundwater is very low.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh said that our economy is dependent on water conservation and we have to be carefully using water resources. We need to take concerted efforts to increase the ground water level. Shri Singh complemented the Prime Minister for naming the Rohtang tunnel after the former PM Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee as ‘Atal tunnel’.

The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat while addressing the gathering said that under Atal Bhujal Yojana, government is committed to provide safe drinking water to every household in the country. He further said that largely we are dependent on ground water and it is fulfilling 85 per cent of drinking water requirements in the country. There is every need to take steps to increase the ground water level, he added.

The Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL)

ATAL JAL has been designed with the principal objective of strengthening the institutional framework for participatory groundwater management and bringing about behavioral changes at the community level for sustainable groundwater resource management in seven States, viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Implementation of the scheme is expected to benefit nearly 8350 Gram Panchayats in 78 districts in these States. ATAL JAL will promote panchayat led ground water management and behavioural change with primary focus on demand side management

Out of the total outlay of Rs 6000 crore (US$ 870.95 million) to be implemented over a period of 5 years (2020-21 to 2024-25), 50 per cent shall be in the form of World Bank loan, and be repaid by the Central Government. The remaining 50 per cent shall be through Central Assistance from regular budgetary support. The entire World Bank's loan component and Central Assistance shall be passed on to the States as Grants.

Tunnel under Rohtang Pass

The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The 8.8-kilometre long tunnel is the world's longest tunnel above an altitude of 3,000 metres. It will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres and save crores of rupees in transport costs. It is a 10.5-metre wide single tube bi-lane tunnel with a fireproof emergency tunnel built into the main tunnel itself. The breakthrough from both ends was achieved on October 15, 2017. The tunnel is now nearing completion and is a step in the direction of providing all weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh which otherwise remained cut off from the rest of the country for about six months during winters.

Following are the Operational Guidelines:

The Union Cabinet on 13.08.2019 approved Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household by 2024. As per the information available, out of 17.87 Crore rural households in the country, about 14.6 Crore which accounts for 81.67 per cent are yet to have household water tap connections. The total project cost is estimated to be about Rs 3.60 lakh crore (US$ 52.26 billion). Central share will be Rs 2.08 lakh crore (US$ 40.64 billion). The fund sharing pattern to be 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States; 50:50 for other States and 100 per cent for UTs. Broad contours of the JJM was circulated to all the States/UTs giving details of the Mission and expected actions from States/ UTs. A National Level State Ministers’ conference chaired by the Minister of Jal Shakti was held on 26/8/2019, wherein modalities of implementation of JJM were discussed at length. As decided by the Government, five regional workshops were organized one each in north, east, west, south and north-eastern regions of the country, wherein all stakeholders in water supply like, State Governments, voluntary organizations, development partners, professionals in water sector, etc. participated. Further, the Department has carried out review of questions raised by Hon’ble MPs in Parliament, for developing a broad understanding of issues in drinking water supply sector as are being faced in different parts of the country with the purpose that, while formulating guidelines, strategy and implementation aspects to the issues at hand get addressed to the extent possible. Similarly, Standing Committee reports and Audit reports were examined in detail to get an overview of the shortcomings in the implementation of NRDWP so as to address the observations in the guidelines. Consultations were also held on implementation aspects of the Mission with other Ministries of Government of India. Considering above aspects, Operational Guidelines of Jal Jeevan Mission has been finalized. The Operational Guidelines was also put up on the portal of Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation for feedback/ comments from

The salient features of the guidelines are as follows:

Time bound completion of schemes taken up under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) has been proposed by providing FHTC to every rural household. No extension of time or cost escalation will be allowed except for the cost towards retrofitting the same to provide FHTCs.
Priority to cover water quality affected habitations under JJM will be given.
For the implementation of JJM, following institutional arrangement has been proposed:
National Jal Jeevan Mission at the Central level;
State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) at State level;
District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) at district level; and
Gram Panchayat and/or its sub-committees i.e. Village Water Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Paani Samiti at village Level
Extra budgetary resources will be made available for JJM and is proposed to be allocated along with Gross Budgetary Support among States/ UTs as per the allocation criteria.
Good performance of the States/ UTs will be incentivized out of the fund not utilized by other States at the fag end of the financial year.
The fund released by Central Government to the State Governments is to be deposited in one Single Nodal Account (SNA) that will be maintained by SWSM along with State matching share to be transferred within 15 days of Central release. Public Finance Management System (PFMS) should be used for tracking the funds.
The physical and financial progress of the mission is proposed to be monitored through IMIS and fund utilization through PFMS.
No expenditure towards centage charges, O&M cost of the schemes like electricity charges, salary of regular staff and purchase of land, etc. will be allowed out of Central share.
Imbibing the spirit of 73rd Amendment of Constitution of India, Gram Panchayats or its sub-committees will play a crucial role in planning, designing, execution, operations and maintenance of the in-village infrastructure.
To bring in sense of ownership and pride among rural communities, 5 per cent capital cost contribution towards in-village water supply infrastructure in hilly, forested, and more than 50 per cent SC/ ST dominant population villages, and 10 per cent in the remaining villages is proposed.
Communities to be rewarded by providing 10 per cent of the in-village infrastructure cost of the scheme which will be maintained by them as a revolving fund to meet any unforeseen expenditure due to break down, etc.
To handhold and facilitate the implementation of in-village infrastructure and community participation process, Gram Panchayat and/ or its sub-committee, Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs), viz. Self-Help Groups (SHGs)/ CBOs/ NGOs/ VOs, etc. is proposed to be identified and empanelled by state government and engaged by SWSM/ DWSM as per the requirement.
In order to ensure faster implementation with ‘speed and scale’ in a time-bound manner for providing FHTC in every rural household by 2024, it is proposed to forge partnership with all stakeholders in water sector namely; voluntary organizations, sector partners, professionals in water sector, foundations and CSR arms of various corporates.
JJM aims at providing potable water in adequate quantity i.e. 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd) of prescribed quality i.e. BIS Standard of IS: 10500 on regular basis. Assured availability of safe drinking water in the household premises will improve the health and thereby socio-economic condition of the rural population and will also bring down the drudgery of rural women, especially girls.
Every village is to prepare a village action plan (VAP) which will be essentially having three components namely; i.) water source & its maintenance ii.) water supply and iii.) grey water management. Village action plan will be aggregated at district level to formulate the District action plan which will be aggregated at State level to formulate the State action plan. State action plan will give a holistic view especially covering projects like regional grids, bulk water supply and distribution projects to address the needs of water stressed areas and will also have a plan for ensuring drinking water security in the State.
SWSM will decide rate contracts and empanel reputed construction agencies/ vendors through centralized tendering and also to prepare design templates for expeditious implementation.
Mandatory source sustainability measures like rain water harvesting, groundwater recharge and other water conservation measures as along with grey water management (including reuse) are proposed to be undertaken in convergence with MGNREGS and grants under Finance Commission, State Finance Commission, District Mineral Development Fund (DMF), etc. It has been proposed to assess and pool the fund available for drinking water supply from various sources be it, Government such as MPLADS, MLALADS, DMDF or donations whether at State level or village level be strictly utilized as per the approved plans. This helps in preventing creation of parallel water supply infrastructure deviating from the approved plan.
The guidelines also propose that States will have a definite O&M policy especially, to meet with the O&M requirements like monthly energy cost of the PWS scheme, by ensuring cost recovery from user groups and thereby avoiding any unwanted burden on public exchequer.
JJM envisages a structural change in the provision of drinking water supply services. The service provision should change to ‘utility-based approach’ centered on ‘service delivery’. Such a reform is proposed in the guidelines so as to enable the institutions to function as utilities focusing on services and recover water tariff/ user fee.
Measuring water to ascertain the availability and the quality using sensors based IoT technologies is also proposed in the guidelines.
Third party inspection is proposed to be undertaken before making any payment to instill accountability.
Functionality assessment of the schemes implemented under JJM will be done by Department/ NJJM.
The guidelines also list support activities like HRD, IEC, Skill Development, etc. to be taken up under JJM.
Similarly, Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance is proposed to be an important component under JJM wherein setting up and maintenance of water quality testing labs by the PHE Department and surveillance activities by community will be taken up so as to ensure that the water supplied is of prescribed quality and thereby definition of functionality under JJM is adhered to.
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12.44 lakh new jobs created in October: ESIC payroll data

In the month of October, around 12.44 lakh jobs were created as compared with 12.23 lakh in the previous month, according to the payroll data of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).

In the financial year 2018-19, the gross enrolments of new subscribers with ESIC were 1.49 crore, as stated by National Statistical Office (NSO) in a report.

The NSO report also showed that during the September 2017-October 2019 period, there were around 3.22 crore new subscribers that joined the ESIC scheme.

The report is based on the payroll data of new subscribers of various social security schemes that ESIC, retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) run.

The report has been releasing the data about the payroll or new subscribers since April 2018, covering a period starting from September 2017.

As per the report, during the September 2017-March 2018 period the gross new enrolments with ESIC stood at 83.35 lakh.

Thus, a net of 7.39 lakh new enrolments with the EPFO were recorded in October, compared with 9.48 lakh in September this year.

As much as 61.12 lakh new subscribers joined the social security schemes, run by EPFO, on the net basis. Similarly, the net new enrolments were 15.52 lakh during September 2017-March 2018.

According to the latest data, during September 2017-October 2019, around 2.93 crore new subscribers joined the Employees’ Provident Fund scheme.

The report added that since the number of subscribers belong from various sources, there are elements of overlap and the estimates are not additive.

The NSO said the report provides different views on the levels of employment in the formal sector and does not measure employment at a holistic level.
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L&T Technology Services bags multi-million-dollar project in Europe

L&T Technology Services said on Monday that it bagged a multi-million-dollar engineering, procurement and construction management project in Europe.

"L&T Technology Services Ltd (LTTS) won a multi-million dollar project from one of the world's top plastics, chemicals and refining manufacturers, to deliver the entire spectrum of engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for the expansion of an existing site in Europe," the company said in a filing to BSE.

The expansion project will be implemented in a period of over 30 months at the customer's brownfield plant in Germany.

LTTS, being the strategic engineering partner, will execute the entire project through an EPCM model, from procurement and supply chain management support to safety aspects and efficient design.

"LTTS has already carried out successful brownfield projects in the USA and we are privileged to extend our engagement with an important customer to the European markets," Mr Amit Chadha, President, Sales and Business Development and board member at L&T Technology Services said.

The shares of L&T Technology Services were trading at Rs 1,474.60 (US$ 21.10) a piece on BSE in morning trade.
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First tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed under Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund (FIDF)

The first tripartite Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the department of Fisheries Government of India, NARBARD and the Government of Tamil Nadu for the implementation of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Fund (FIDF). Speaking on the occasion Shri Giriraj Singh, Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said that a dedicated fund has been created namely the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund with a total of Rs 7,522.48 crore (US$ 1.08 billion) to address the infrastructure requirement for fisheries sector. He urged the coastal states to pay attention to deep sea fishing, post harvesting, cage culture and export promotion. FIDF provides concessional finance to the eligible entities, cooperatives, individuals and entrepreneurs for development of identified fisheries infrastructure. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NARBARD), National Cooperatives Development Corporation (NCDC) and all scheduled banks are Nodal Loaning entities (NLEs) to provide concessional finance under the (FIDF).

The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the FIDF provides interest subvention up to 3 per cent per annum for providing the concessional finance by the NLEs at the interest rate not lower than 5 per cent per annum.

The Government of Tamil Nadu has signed the first Tripartite MoA for availing the initial concessional finance of Rs 420 crore (US$ 60.09 million) from NARBARD for development of three fishing harbours in the State namely, (i) Tharangampadi in Nagapattinam Ditrict, (ii) Thiruvottriyur Kuppam in Tiruvallur District and (iii) Mudhunagar in Cuddalore District. These will create safe landing and berthing facilities for many fishing vessels plying in the area, augment fish production in the regions, facilitate hygienic post-harvest handling of fish, stimulate growth of fisheries related economic activites and employment opportunities.

NABARD as one of the Nodal Loaning Entities (NLEs) provides concessional finance for development of fisheries infrastructure facilities through State Governments/State Entities under the FIDF, after execution of the Tripartite MoA. Proposals to the tune of Rs 1,715.04 crore (US$ 245 million) received from various State Governments and other Eligible Entities (EEs) have been recommended as date by the Central Approval and Monitoring Committee constituted in the Department for consideration under FIDF. The project proposals of Government of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for development of fishing harbours in their respective States form the major part of these recommended projects.

Smt Rajni Sekhri Sibal, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Government of India, Dr Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, Chairman, NABARD, Dr J Balaji, Joint Secretary (Fisheries), Shri Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary (Fisheries), Principal Secretaries and Secretaries in charge of fisheries of various States and other senior officials in the Department of Fisheries were also present during the function.
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MoRTH Amends MV Rules Mandating Adherence to AIS-155 to Enhance Vehicular Security

The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has notified GSR935 (E) dated 18th December,2019 regarding to Automotive Industry Standards (AIS)-155 in respect of Microdot identifiers if affixed on the motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies, sub-assemblies through amendment in Rule 92 of the Central Motor vehicles (Fourteenth Amendment) Rules 1989. Microdots will enhance the security of vehicles.

As per a new notification, "The Manufacturers who are affixing microdot identifiers in the motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies, sub-assemblies shall conform to Automotive Industry Standards (AIS)-155 as amended from time to time."

The Central Motor vehicles (Fourteenth Amendment) Rules, 2019 comes into force on the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

The draft rules to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 were published, vide notification of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary dated the 24th day of July,2019, inviting objections and suggestions from all persons likely to be affected thereby. The objections and suggestions received in respect of the said draft rules have been duly considered by the Central Government; before notifying the amendments.
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