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Delhi launches solar city initiative in partnership with USAID and GIZ; Kerala announces resettlement and rehabilitation policy for land acquisition; Tamil Nadu launches new e-governance policy; Haryana makes it mandatory to install rooftop solar systems in new residential buildings; and more.

Center – State relations

The central government has chosen approximately 100 districts across the country to monitor in real-time and make progress on 48 indices, including health and nutrition and education, in order to transform these districts by 2022. The 100 districts are being divided for monitoring between different federal government agencies. Source: Zee Business

The central government has approved the $848 million Jal Vikas Marg Project (JVMP) in order to enhance navigation on the Haldia-Varanasi stretch of National Waterway-1 and includes components such as multi-, inter-modal terminals, ferry navigation, and roll on-roll off facilities. The project is spread across several states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Source: Money Control

In a response to the session of lower house of Parliament, the union power minister reported a reduction in losses of power distribution companies from $8.1 billion in the previous fiscal year to $5.8 billion in fiscal year 2017, under the center’s UDAY bailout initiative for power distribution companies. Source: Money Control In Detail: Parliament Session Question

The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has tendered 950 megawatts (MW) of solar power in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, tenders for both to be set up on a Build-Own-Operate basis. Source: PV Tech In Detail: Rfs Document

Andhra Pradesh

Nothing critical to report this week

Bihar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated and laid foundation stones for nearly 200 projects worth over $47.3 million in North Bihar as part of the “Vikas Samiksha Yatra,” a state-wide journey to assess development challenges. Among the projects inaugurated was a solar-powered mini water supply system costing the state $58,295. Source: Money Control

New Delhi

BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), one of Delhi’s power distribution companies, launched the “Solar City Initiative” in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) PACE-D program and the German development bank, GIZ. Starting with 150 residential complexes in Dwarka, the initiative will allow for a single point in the entire complex for installation of solar rooftop systems. Source: Economic Times, Asia Age

Gujarat

Nothing critical to report this week

Haryana

Under Haryana’s Enterprises Promotion Policy 2015, the state government issued a notification to provide a subsidy of 3 cents per unit on electricity bills to micro and small enterprises for a period of three years from the date the connection was set up. Source: Times of India

The Haryana New and Renewable Energy Department has made it mandatory for all new residential buildings, built on a plot size of 500 square yards and above to install solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. This is also applicable to all new private medical facilities, educational institutions, hotels, and tourism complexes. Source: Indian Express

Haryana became the first state to launch a High Risk Pregnancy (HRP) portal. The portal aims to help in early identification of high-risk cases of pregnancies at the grassroots level and ensures a timely referral to a civil hospital for further management and delivery by specialists. Source: Times of India

Karnataka

National Thermal Power Corporation’s 800 megawatt (MW) thermal power station at Kudgi in Vijayapura has commenced commercial generation and will provide 400 MW of power to Karnataka. Source: The Hindu

Tata Power Renewable Energy has commissioned a 50 MW solar plant at Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka, to be developed under India’s domestic content requirement (DCR) category. Source: Economic Times In Detail: Press Release

Karnataka is set to procure and deploy 40 electric buses, 100 four wheelers and 500 three wheelers along with setting up of charging infrastructure across the city of Bengaluru. Source: Money Control

Madhya Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh state cabinet has approved a 0.7 cents per liter increase to the levy imposed on petrol and diesel. Source: Economic Times

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra state cabinet has cleared the conversion of industrial zones into residential and commercial ones. According to the new policy, the government will retain 40 percent of the market cost of the land as a surcharge and 20 percent of the construction area will have to be reserved for the economically weaker sections. Source: The Hindu

Maharashtra will host its first global investment summit “Magnetic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018” from February 18-20 in Mumbai. Source: Financial Express

Rajasthan

Nothing critical to report this week

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Government launched an e-governance policy that will enable public, government and commercial establishments to provide all their services digitally. Source: Hindu Business Line In Detail: e-Governance Policy

The Tamil Nadu Electricity and Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has issued draft guidelines to make scheduling and forecasting of wind and solar energy mandatory to be able to connect to the grid. Source: The Hindu **In Detail: **1. Tamil Nadu electricity regulatory commission (deviation Settlement mechanism and related matters) regulations, 2017,2. Tamil Nadu Electricity regulatory commission (forecasting, scheduling and deviation settlement for Solar and wind generation) Regulations, 2017

NLC India Limited commissioned a 130 MW solar power plant in Neyveli. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Jakson Engineers Pvt Ltd. will execute these projects. Source: The Hindu

Telangana

Nothing critical to report this week

Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced its electronics manufacturing policy under which Noida, Greater Noida, and the Yamuna Expressway regions have been designated as “electronics manufacturing zone” to host industry clusters. Source: Live Mint In Detail: Electronic Manufacturing Cluster

SECI has issued a request for qualification documents for 275 MW of grid-connected solar power across six projects in Uttar Pradesh. The projects intend to make the city of Varanasi 100 percent powered by renewable energy. Source: PV Tech In Detail: Rfs document

West Bengal

Nothing critical to report this week

Best of the Rest

Jammu and Kashmir

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the construction of the bi-directional Zojila Pass tunnel (Asia’s longest) with an estimated cost of $962 million. The 8.8-mile-long tunnel intends to reduce the 3.5 hour long journey to 15 minutes. Source: News18

Kerala

The Kerala government has issued a comprehensive Rehabilitation and Resettlement policy for all land acquisitions and assures a one-time compensation of $4,712 or a constructed house in an urban area to people who lose their rural house. Source: The Hindu

Odisha

Under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned a $58.8 million loan assistance to Odisha for irrigation and rural bridge projects. A total of 17,322 lift irrigation projects including bore wells, shallow tube wells, digging wells, and micro river lifts will be included in the project. Source: Money Control