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ADB signs $84 million water project in Bihar; Maharashtra releases draft safety and health policy for workers; UN technology innovation laboratory to be set up in Haryana; Nasscom and Telangana to set up center of excellence for data science and artificial intelligence; Uttar Pradesh launches India's first fully-digital single window clearance system; and more.

Center-State relations

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved six rail projects expected to cost $1.8 billion for new lines across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha as well as doubling and electrification of two tracks. Source: Livemint

According to a CARE Ratings report, borrowing by various state governments through state development loans has gone up 8.7 per cent this financial year (till January-end) with total volume of borrowings of over $5 billion each by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. Source: Business Standard In Detail: Debt Market Review-Jan 2018

Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra Pradesh cabinet approved an increase in dearness allowance to government staff by 2.096 percent, which will cost the exchequer an additional $129 million annually.

Source: Indian Express

The Andhra Pradesh government signed a total of 734 memoranda of understanding (MOU), of proposed investment of $67 billion, during its three-day partnership summit hosted in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry. Source: The Hindu

Bihar

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed an $84 million loan agreement to finance water supply projects in Bhagalpur and Gaya towns in Bihar. Source: Money control In Detail: Press Release

New Delhi

Nothing critical to report this week

Gujarat

Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel released the state's $28.1 billion budget for 2018-19. Source: LiveMint In Detail: Gujarat Budget 2018-19

Adani Power Limited and Essar Power Gujarat Limited have discontinued contracted power supply of 2,000 megawatt (MW) and 1,000 MW respectively to state-run Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (GUVNL). Source: Times of India

Haryana

The Haryana government has decided to revise its affordable housing policy to achieve the goal of "Housing for All" by 2022 and to ensure that old cities under the jurisdiction of urban local bodies are brought under its ambit. Source: Money Control

The Haryana state electronics development corporation signed an MOU with the United Nations information technology department to set up a technology innovation laboratory in the state to promote women entrepreneurship in the region. Source: Times of India

Karnataka

The central government has approved a $449 million project for widening a section of national highway-275, connecting Bengaluru and Mysuru in Karnataka. Source: The Economic Times

Madhya Pradesh

Nothing critical to report this week

Maharashtra

Maharashtra signed 4,106 MOUs with an investment of over $186 billion during the three-day Magnetic Maharashtra global investors summit in fields like logistics, electric vehicles, textiles, and jewelry. Source: Livemint

Maharashtra's labor department has drafted the safety and health policy for workers employed in factories, shops and establishments, construction and unorganised sector. The policy appoints one safety officer for every 250 instead of 1,000 workers and also includes training workers through Industrial Training Institutes (ITI). Source: Indian Express In Detail: Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017

Rajasthan

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje has withdrawn the Criminal Laws (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2017, which would have preventedcurrent and former public servants from being investigated for any on-duty action. Source: NDTV

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu signed an agreement with Microsoft to improve the integration of technology in the field of education in the state, including education reform, building tech capacity, and improving digital literacy. Source: Business Standard

Tamil Nadu is ranked lowest in terms of the quarterly performance of state distribution companies. Source: The Hindu In Detail: UDAY State/Discom Quarterly Performance Ranking (as of December 31, 2017)

Tamil Nadu has released its draft rules for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Source: The Hindu In Detail: Draft of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules

Korean-based Samsung is partnering with Tamil Nadu to set up 15 smart healthcare centers in the state. Source: Economic Times

Tamil Nadu government constituted a committee to identify non-essential government positions that can be outsourced or filled through contract appointments for a fixed period, and the official occupying them be deployed to other departments. Source: Times of India

Telangana

The Telangana government signed an agreement with Nasscom to establish a center of excellence in data science and artificial intelligence with an initial joint investment of $6.15 billion. Source: Business Standard

Telangana signed a technology partnership agreement with Taoyuan City in Taiwan to engage in an economic exchange of technology companies. Source: Business Standard

The Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC) signed an agreement with Malaysian-based Central Spectrum to collaborate on research in the field of life sciences, biotechnology, healthcare and medical devices. Source: The Hindu

A tender for 1 kilowatt (kW) to 1,000 kW grid-connected rooftop solar power plants has been released by Telangana Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd (TSREDCO). Source: Pv Magazine In Detail: Tender Schedule

Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh government signed 1,045 MOUs with proposed investments worth $65.8 billion at the UP Investors Summit 2018 in Lucknow. Source: Indian Express

Uttar Pradesh became the first state to launch Nivesh Mitra, a single-window system to clear projects digitally with no requirement for any manual human interface. Source: Economic Times In Detail: Nivesh Mitra- Common Application Form

The chief ministers of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh met and decided to work together on various projects ranging from law and order, illegal mining, infrastructure development, and irrigation. Source: First Post

The state government of Uttar Pradesh has signed an MOU with the National Stock Exchange (NSE) for enhancing financing opportunities for SMEs by listing on NSE's SME platform, NSE Emerge.

Source: Business Standard

West Bengal

Nothing critical to report this week

Best of the Rest

Kerala

The Kerala state cabinet approved a draft health policy, which includes making vaccinations mandatory for school admissions, autonomy for state-run medical colleges, primary health centers in the state to function until 6 pm, and setting up of special clinics for transgender persons. Source: News Minute In Detail: Kerala Health Policy 2018 (in Malayalam)

Goa

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar presented a $2.6 billion state budget for 2018-19. Source: Live Mint

Mizoram

Mizoram, in collaboration with the union ministry of agriculture and Israel government, will set up the first-of-its-kind regional center for agriculture for the northeast. Source: Business Standard