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Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan join Modi’s PM Kisan Nidhi farmers’ welfare scheme after long-standing opposition; Goa and Maharashtra pass new reservation policies for certain social groups; Madhya Pradesh announces new subsidies for farmers in the event of crop loss; Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir cancel several hydropower projects; Telangana opens the world’s largest lift irrigation project; Nagaland and Puducherry ban single-use plastics; Uttar Pradesh moves towards open access to the electric power market; and more.

Center – State relations

After stalling over implementing the PM Kisan Nidhi scheme before the elections and coming under fire from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a result during the poll campaign, Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have finally agreed to a month’s deadline to send the names of all 13.5 million beneficiary farmers to the center. Source: Economic Times In Detail: PM-KISAN Guidelines

Andhra Pradesh

Nothing critical to report this week.

Bihar

Larsen & Tourbo won a $1 billion order from SJVN Thermal Pvt Ltd to set up an ultra-supercritical power plant in Bihar. Source: Money Control In detail: Press Release

New Delhi

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) has finalized the group and virtual net metering guidelines. The commission has set the minimum project capacity at 5 kilowatts while the maximum will be 5 megawatts (MW) at a single location. Source: Mercom In detail: DERC (Group Net Metering and Virtual Net Metering for Renewable Energy) Guidelines, 2019

BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, a joint venture between the Government of NCT and Reliance Infrastructure, has signed a power supply agreement (PSA) with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for procuring 500 MW Solar Power and 50 MW wind power. Source: Sau energy In detail: Twitter Post

Gujarat

The Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved power purchase agreements for 1 GW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) projects which were tendered and auctioned by the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited. Source: Mercom

Haryana

The state government has canceled eight controversial mini hydropower projects on the Kaushalya and Ghaggar Rivers in Chandigarh’s vicinity citing several deficiencies in the execution of the project. Source: The Tribune

Through two tenders, the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited has called developers to build 73 MW of grid-connected solar PV projects in the state. The bid-submission deadline for both the tenders is July 17, 2019. Source: Mercom In detail: Tender details

The electricity department of Haryana has begun installing smart prepaid meters in four out of 22 districts as pilot projects and will later cover the entire state. Source: Times of India

Karnataka

Nothing critical to report this week.

Madhya Pradesh

The Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh will provide $71.7 in minimum compensation to the small and marginal farmers in the event of crop loss due to natural calamities. Source: Money Control

Maharashtra

Energy Efficiency Services Limited plans to install an aggregate 200 MW of grid-connected solar rooftop across 5,000 state-owned buildings in Maharashtra in the next two years at a cost of around $114.8 million. Source: Sau Energy

The legislative council passed the bill to amend the Socially Economically Backward Class Act to ensure 16 percent reservation to students of Maratha community in postgraduate medical admissions. Source: The Hindu In detail: Maharashtra Socially Economically Backward Class Ordinance

According to the Maharashtra Economic Survey report, Maharashtra’s economy is expected to grow by 7.5 percent during 2018-19, same as the previous year. The report shows that agriculture, industry and manufacturing services took a hit. Source: Economic Times In Detail: Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2018-19

Rajasthan

National Thermal Power Corporation won 160 MW of solar capacities at a levelized tariff of $0.03/unit, applicable for 25 years. Source: The Hindu Business Line

The Rajasthan government has approved the implementation of Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state. The AB-PMJAY will be integrated with Rajasthan’s existing health scheme, Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana. Source: Business Standard

Unemployed youth native to Rajasthan who have graduated or received an equivalent degree will be given unemployment allowance up to $50 by the Rajasthan government. Source: Financial Express In Detail: Press Release

Tamil Nadu

State-owned coal miner NLC India Ltd. has commissioned a 100 MW solar PV power plant in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu. The project is a part of the 709 MW of solar awarded to NLC India by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation in an auction. Source: Sau Energy

Telangana

The Telangana government opened the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, touted as the world’s largest lift irrigation project being built at about $11.4 billion. The projects aims at meeting over two-thirds of state’s agriculture, drinking, and industrial water needs. Source: Economic Times In Detail: Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project

Uttar Pradesh

Power utility Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has proposed hiking electricity tariffs by more than 25 percent for domestic consumers. Source: Business Standard

The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has issued draft open access regulations, 2019. These regulations will apply to consumers for open access connected to the intra-state transmission system and the electricity distribution companies in the state. Source: Mercom In detail: UPERC Open access regulations, 2019

UPPCL has signed a PSA for procuring 460 MW of wind power with SECI. Source: Sau Energy In detail: Twitter Announcement

In the last one year, Uttar Pradesh’s excise collection from liquor sale has gone up by 48 percent, from $1.81 billion to $2.68 billion, after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweaked the state’s excise policy. Source: Times of India

The state cabinet approved the draft Uttar Pradesh Private Universities Ordinance 2019 to bring private universities under the umbrella act that provides for incorporating development of nationalism, social and international harmony, national integration, secularism and moral values among their objectives. Source: Hindustan Times

West Bengal

Nothing critical to report this week.

Best of the Rest

Goa

The Goa government has ordered its departments, public sector undertakings, and educational institutions in the state to implement a 10 percent reservation for the economically weaker sections in jobs and education. Source: India Today

Jammu and Kashmir

The Energy and Resources Institute and U.S.-based CADMUS group has launched the Indian Solar Market Aggregation for Rooftops (I-SMART) program in Jammu & Kashmir. Source: Greater Kashmir In detail: Press Release

The Jammu and Kashmir administration terminated the contracts of the construction of 48 MW Lower Kalnai hydro-electric power project in Doda district due to poor progress of work. Source: Economic Times

Kerala

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has signed a PSA with SECI for procuring 200 MW of wind power. Source: Sau Energy In detail: Twitter Post

Providing impetus to the government’s ambitious project to establish Waste-to-Energy plants across the state, KSEB signed a PPA with Kochi-based GJ Eco Power Pvt. Ltd., the agency implementing the project at the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant. Source: The Hindu In Detail: Order Details

Nagaland

The Nagaland government announced a total ban on single-use plastics in the state. The order was issued in continuation of the state government’s earlier notification last year on the “policy for restricting use of plastics in Nagaland.” Source: The Telegraph

Puducherry

The Puducherry government announced a total ban on the manufacture, sale, and storage of single-use plastics in the Union Territory. Source: The Hindu

Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand cabinet approved an amendment in the excise policy to allow the licensed liquor shops not taken up through e-auction yet to be allotted through lottery system. Source: Daily Pioneer In Detail: Press Release