By
Posted on

Big News

The Odisha government approved investment proposals worth $3.5 billion to set up six mega manufacturing facilities in the state; Himachal Pradesh amends Land Lease Rules, 2013, to  simplify the process to allocate land on lease; Bihar approves the redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital into the world’s largest hospital; Union Cabinet approves the privatization of the management of six airports under a public-private partnership model; Punjab launches the `Business First Portal’, a single-window clearance resource; and more.

Center – State relations

The Union Cabinet approved the privatization of the management of six airports under a public-private partnership model. Airports selected for privatization include those in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, and Mangaluru. Source: Live Mint In detail: Press Release

The Home Ministry has released more than $15.5 million to Assam, Nagaland, Sikkim, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand under the Border Area Development Programme as part of its plan to ameliorate the problems of people living in villages along an international border. Source: NDTV

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board has issued a bid for a license to retail compressed natural gas and piped natural gas in 50 cities across the country. Source: BloombergQuint

The Asian Development Bank said it will provide $13 million loan to Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) to promote efficient energy usage in India. Source: Economic Times In detail: Press Release

Andhra Pradesh

The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of a Central Tribal University in Relli, Andhra Pradesh, and has also approved $57.8 million for the first phase expenditure towards establishment of the university. Source: Financial Express In detail: Press Release

In order to enhance the employability of engineering students in the state, the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the European Centre for Mechatronics to establish “Indo-European Skilling Centers” in the engineering colleges across the state to provide students with training in mechatronics and industrial robotics. Source: The Hans India

In response to the center’s slow progress on establishing the proposed integrated steel plant in Kadapa district, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet announced that it will form a special purpose vehicle called Rayalaseema Steel Corporation to establish the plant as a government-owned entity with private participation. Source: The Hindu

The World Bank signed an agreement with the government of India and government of Andhra Pradesh to extend $172.2 million loan as part of the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Irrigation and Agriculture Transformation Project. The project aims to benefit 200,000 families of poor and marginalized farmers, agro-entrepreneurs, women, and other vulnerable groups, as well as help transform farming in Andhra Pradesh into a financially viable activity.  Source: Economic Times In detail: Press Release

Bihar

The Bihar government has released the Bihar Rural Road Maintenance Policy-2018 which institutionalizes international standards and the norms followed by National Highway Authority of India for the maintenance of rural roads in Bihar. Source: Times of India

The Bihar cabinet approved the redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital into the world’s largest hospital with 5,462 beds at an estimated cost of $763 million. Source: Economic Times

New Delhi

Tata Power Delhi Distribution (Tata Power-DDL) has launched a ‘Pay Bill and Win’ scheme to reward consumers for timely payments of their electricity bills. Source: Daily Pioneer

Gujarat

Nothing critical to report this week.

Haryana

Nothing critical to report this week.

Karnataka

In an attempt to encourage builders and home buyers to increasingly opt for eco-friendly buildings, the Karnataka government has proposed the Karnataka Green Building Incentive Policy, which includes incentives such as reductions in property tax and stamp duty. Source: Times of India

Madhya Pradesh

Nothing critical to report this week.

Maharashtra

The Maharashtra government published the draft of its green building policy which ensures property tax rebates for buyers and developers to invest in green buildings. Source: Indian Express In detail: Green Building Policy

The Maharashtra government has imposed an electricity surcharge of $0.001 per kilowatt-hour, or unit, on industrial and commercial consumers to finance its scheme to provide 25,000 solar pumps to farmers. Source: Business Standard

The Maharashtra government has announced that the Hyperloop project between Pune and Mumbai would be turned into a public infrastructure project. Source: Swarajya

Welspun Enterprises announced it won a $201 million, 219-mile road project to upgrade and establish two-lane roads in the state from department of public works in Maharashtra. Source: Money Control

Rajasthan

Nothing critical to report this week.

Tamil Nadu

Nothing critical to report this week.

Telangana

The Telangana government has scheduled the launch of its prototyping center for electronics, electromechanical and mechanical start-ups and individuals, T-Works, for April 2019. Source: Inc 42

Intel announced it would establish its technology development center in the state capital of Hyderabad. Source: India Today

Uttar Pradesh

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh will be renamed Ayodhya. This announcement came days after Allahabad was renamed as Prayagraj by the Uttar Pradesh. Source: National Herald

West Bengal

The West Bengal government directed the State Electricity Regulatory Commission not to pass any order on any matter till mid-November amid a row between the regulator and Kolkata-based power utility CESC Ltd. Source: Live Mint

Best of the Rest

Arunachal Pradesh

The Arunachal Pradesh Government signed a petroleum mining lease (PML) deed agreement, re-granting the Ningru block to Oil India Limited for the Ningru block in the state. An earlier PML was signed in 1983 and expired in 2003, thereby necessitating the re-grant. Source: The Sentinel

The Arunachal Pradesh government has announced an increase in the dearness allowances for its employees from the existing seven percent to nine percent of the basic pay with effect from July 1, 2018. Source: The Sentinel

Assam

The Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) has issued the AERC (Deviation Settlement Mechanism and related matters) Regulations, 2018, aimed at maintaining grid discipline and security through the commercial mechanism for deviation settlement through withdrawal and injection of electricity by the users of the grid. Source: Mercom In detail: Draft AERC (Deviation Settlement Mechanism and related matters), Regulations, 2018

Goa

The Goa Energy Development Agency has prepared a user manual for an online single window clearance portal that would facilitate the seamless implementation of rooftop solar projects in the state. The portal will enable prospective consumers to submit their interest for an installation and select from a list of rooftop solar installers approved by the state nodal agency. Source: Mercom

Himachal Pradesh

To attract private investment in Himachal Pradesh and to boost industrial expansion, the state government has simplified the process to allocate land on lease and will bring an amendment to the Himachal Pradesh Lease Rules, 2013, in the coming winter session of the state assembly. Source: Times of India In detail: Himachal Pradesh Lease Rules, 2013       

Jharkhand

Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced that all households in Ranchi district have access to power supply. He also promised that by 2019 all households will have 24-hour power supply. Source: Energy Infra Post

The Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency announced that it has prepared a framework for the state rooftop policy 2018 with an objective to produce 500 megawatts (MW) of power through grid-connected rooftop solar plants by 2022. Source: Glenwood Guardian In detail: Draft State Solar Rooftop Policy

Kerala

The Kerala government’s nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and start-up activities, Kerala Startup Mission, has issued a request for proposals from alternative investment funds (AIFs) accredited by Securities and Exchange Board of India the  under its ‘Fund-of-Fund’ (FoF) scheme. Selected AIFs will receive funds from the state government to invest in the start-ups from Kerala. Source: Indian Web2 In detail: Request for Proposal

Manipur

The Manipur government signed an MOU with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) Township and Urban Assets Limited and PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd. (PwC) for the implementation of a smart city project in Imphal. IL&FS will design, develop, manage and implement the smart city project, while PwC will serve as project management consultants.  Source: Indian Express

Meghalaya

Meghalaya agriculture minister Banteidor Lyngdoh launched the draft policy titled “Mushroom Mission” with an aim to scale up mushroom production by investing $6.8 million over the next five years in 130 villages. Source: Nagaland Post

Odisha

The Odisha government approved investment proposals worth $3.5 billion to set up six mega manufacturing facilities by Nalco, Hindalco, Vedanta and Chiripal Poly Films. These large-scale manufacturing units have the potential to create 13,700 jobs in the state. Source: Financial Express

Punjab

Punjab Government signed an MOU with QuarkCity India Private Limited to create state-of-the-art industrial parks, industrial model towns, and integrated townships to be spread over 5,000 acres across the state in the second phase of its project with the company. Source: Daily Pioneer In detail: Press Release

Giving a further impetus to ease of doing business in the state, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh launched the government’s `Business First Portal’, which would serve as a single-window clearance resource and provide an independent interface to investors for their industrial grievance redressal, feedback, and suggestions. Source: Punjab News Express In detail: Press Release

With the Punjab government unable to generate enough funds to support the $1.8 billion power subsidies currently offered to various categories of consumers, the government has begun using the electricity duty and the infrastructural development fund collected by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited to make adjustments against subsidies. Source: Times of India

Tripura

NITI Aayog held a three-day brainstorming session to discuss 10 major thematic areas to facilitate the mission of the government to make Tripura a model state in the next three years. More than a hundred scholars, civil society members, policy makers, and bureaucrats attended the session to discuss roadmaps for development of education, private sector development, health and nutrition, and several other fields. Source: Times of India