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Big News

Bihar plans special session to extend caste reservation for 10 years; Delhi to hold assembly election on February 8 with results on February 11; Haryana subsidizes electricity for horticulture-based industries; Maharashtra issues new rooftop solar regulations; Kerala assembly passes a resolution against the CAA; Center cancels coal blocks in Chhattisgarh and Odisha; Some communication restored in Jammu and Kashmir; Manipur begins issuing Inner Line Permits; Nagaland to remain under AFSPA 6 months; and more.

Center – State Relations

The Department of Heavy Industry has invited expressions of interest for setting up 2,636 electric vehicle charging stations in 62 cities across 24 states and union territories under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India Scheme. Source: Live mint In Detail: Press Release

The government awarded the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation all seven oil and gas blocks offered in the fourth round of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy. Of the seven blocks, five are in Madhya Pradesh and one block each is located in Rajasthan and West Bengal. Source: Business Standard In detail: Press Release

Andhra Pradesh

Nothing critical to report this week.

Bihar

The Bihar legislative assembly will convene a special session on January 13 to ratify the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment) Bill that proposes to extend reservation for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years. Source: Times of India

New Delhi

A violent group of masked men barged into Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), injuring 30 students and teachers. Protests broke out at universities across the country as the academic world condemned the violence and stood in solidarity with JNU students. Source: Live Mint

The Delhi assembly election will be held in a single-phase on February 8, with results coming out on February 11. Source: First Post In Detail: ECI schedule of Delhi General Election, 2020.

Gujarat

The Gujarat government hiked the dearness allowance for over 900,000 state government employees by five percent. The dearness allowance will now be 17 percent, on par with central government employees. Source: NDTV

Haryana

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on January 3 announced a hike in all social security and old-age pensions. This will put an additional burden of about $9.7 million per month on the state exchequer. Source: Money Control

The Haryana cabinet approved the creation of a new Citizen Resources Information Department. This is a step towards digital implementation of government schemes and services. Source: The Hindu

Haryana government has decided to subsidize the electricity rates for horticulture-based industries and cold supply chains in the state. This subsidy will decrease the price of electricity for industrial units in this sector from $0.11 to $0.03 per unit for high tension electricity and from $0.12 to $0.06 per unit low tension electricity. Source: Economic Times

Karnataka

Nothing critical to report this week.

Madhya Pradesh

At least 1,000 teachers from government-run medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh have resigned in order to press their demands, which include a “clear-cut promotion policy.” This is expected to affect the medical services connected to the colleges. Source: India today

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued new regulations for the net metering for rooftop solar systems in the state. The regulations will apply to net metering and net billing arrangements, as well as grid-connected renewable energy generating systems tied to the consumer’s meter. Source: Sau Energy In detail: Draft MERC (Grid Interactive Rooftop Renewable Energy Generating Systems) Regulations, 2019

Rajasthan

Nothing critical to report this week.

Tamil Nadu

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its alliance partners established clear leads in the rural body elections in Tamil Nadu, held after a gap of eight years. Source: Indian Express

Telangana

Nothing critical to report this week.

Uttar Pradesh

Nothing critical to report this week.

West Bengal

Nothing critical to report this week.

Best of the Rest

Assam

Protests of the Citizenship Amendment Act continue as various organizations, civil society groups, and cultural activists persisted with their agitation across Assam. Source: India Today

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel launched a new insurance program for the state’s laborers. The new scheme will provide $695 a registered laborer who suffers a disability caused by an accident at work, and $1,390 to family members upon the death of a laborer at work. Source: Hindustan Times

Jammu and Kashmir

On January 1, the center restored internet and mobile messaging services at all government hospitals and schools. This comes nearly five months since communication services were first placed under restriction. Source: India Today

Jharkhand

The government canceled the allotment of a coal block for the power project in Jharkhand, after a decade of no significant progress towards operationalization. The coal block was allotted in 2009 to Karanpura Energy Ltd. Source: The Hindu Business Line

Kerala

In a rare show of unity, the Kerala assembly passed a resolution demanding that the center withdraw the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 immediately, making the state the first to oppose the controversial law legislatively. Source: Times of India

Manipur

Manipur has started issuing Inner Line Permit system to non-indigenous visitors entering the state. Six counters have been opened and are operational. Source: Indian Express

Nagaland

The center declared the whole of Nagaland as a “disturbed” area under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, six months additional months, saying that the use of armed forces in aid of civil power in Nagaland is necessary. Source: Live Mint

Odisha

The center has deallocated a coal block in Odisha allotted to the Power Finance Corporation for a 4,000 megawatt power project on account of nine years of delays in the development of the mine. Source: Business Standard