Cabinet Approvals on 9th August 2024

On August 9, 2024, the Union Cabinet chaired by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India, has approved,

• Amendment in “Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana” .
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 Scheme.
• Implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) during Financial year 2024-25(FY25) to 2028-29(FY29).
• Clean Plant Programme under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) chaired by PM Modi approved 8 projects of Ministry of Railways(MoR) with total estimated cost of ~ Rs. 24,657 crore.

Cabinet Approves Modification in Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana 

The Union Cabinet has approved the modification of the Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana, extending its implementation timeline by 5 years, till 2028-29.

• The scheme is also called as PM G-VAN/PM G-One (Biofuel-Vataravana Anuchaan Fasal Residue Nivaran) Yojana.
• The revised scheme expands its scope to include advanced biofuels from various lignocellulosic feedstocks like agricultural residues, forestry waste, industrial waste, syn gas, algae, and more and supports new technologies in the biofuel sector.

Aim:

To provide income to farmers for agricultural residue, reduce environmental pollution, and create local employment.

Key Points:

i.‘Bolt on’ plants and ‘Brownfield projects’ are now eligible under the scheme to enhance viability and leverage experience.

ii.Preference will be given to projects utilizing new technologies and innovative approaches.

iii.The scheme strengthens India’s energy security, self-reliance, and the Make in India Mission, while supporting its’s 2070 net-zero emissions goal and commitment to a sustainable energy sector.

Background:

i.Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN Yojana was notified in March 2019 to provide financial assistance to 2nd Generation (2G) Bio-ethanol projects.

ii.The total financial outlay for the scheme is Rs 1969.50 crore for the period 2018-19 to 2023-24.

iii.The Centre for High Technology (CHT), a technical body under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) is its implementation Agency.

Key Points:

i.The Indian government has advanced ethanol blending in petrol through Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) under Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, increasing the blending percentage from 1.53% in 2013-14 to over 15.83% by July 2024, with a target of 20% by 2025-26.

ii.This target requires over 1100 crore litres of ethanol and 1750 crore litres of distillation capacity.

iii.The first 2G ethanol plant by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was inaugurated in Panipat, Haryana in 2022, with additional projects by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) at Bargarh Odisha, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) at Bathinda Punjab, and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) at Numaligarh, Assam.

Cabinet approves PMAY-U 2.0 Scheme

The Union Cabinet has approved Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 to provide financial assistance for affordable housing to 1 crore urban poor and middle-class families over the next 5 years i.e. FY25 to FY29, with an investment of Rs 10 lakh crore  and a government allocation of Rs 2.30 lakh crore.

• The assistance will be provided through States/Union Territories (UTs)/ Production Linked Incentive (PLI) to construct, purchase, or rent affordable homes.

Key Points:

i.Overall, this scheme targets the construction of 3 crore new houses, with 2 crore in rural areas and 1 crore in urban areas, costing Rs 3,60,000 crore.

ii.Families in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG), Middle Income Group (MIG) segments without a pucca house anywhere in India are eligible for this scheme.

• Annual Income thresholds are up to Rs 3 lakh for EWS, Rs 3-6 lakh for LIG, and Rs 6-9 lakh for MIG families.

iii.The Union Cabinet approved aid for 3 crore additional rural and urban households under PMAY-U 2.0, with Rs 10 lakh crore investment, focusing on 1 crore families’ housing needs.

iv.The Credit Risk Guarantee Fund Trust (CRGFT) corpus has been tripled to Rs 3,000 crore, supporting affordable housing loans for EWS and LIG families.

• Management of the fund will shift from the National Housing Bank (NHB) to the National Credit Guarantee Company (NCGTC).

Background:

Launched in 2015 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), PMAY-U aims to provide all-weather pucca houses in urban areas of India to eligible beneficiaries. To date, 1.18 crore houses have been sanctioned, with over 85.5 lakh already delivered to beneficiaries.

Click Here to Read about PMAY-U

Cabinet approves implementation of the PMAY-G during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29

The Union Cabinet has approved the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) during FY25 to FY29, aiming to construct 2 crore additional houses in rural areas, with a total outlay of Rs. 3,06,137 crore  including Central Share of Rs.2,05,856 crore and State Matching Share of Rs.1,00,281 crore.

Key Points:

i.There will be financial assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh per house in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh in North Eastern and Hill States of Himachal Pradesh (HP), Uttarakhand, UTs of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh.

ii.The scheme may continue beyond March 2026, following evaluation by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog.

iii.35 lakh houses from the previous phase will be completed in FY25.

iv.The construction of these houses will benefit nearly 10 crore people, ensuring safety, hygiene, and social inclusion for those living in dilapidated or kutcha houses.

Background:

i.The Ministry of Rural Development(MoRD) is implementing PMAY-G with effect from 1st April, 2016 to achieve the target of “Housing for All” in rural areas.

ii.The scheme aims to construct 2.95 crore houses with basic amenities in phases till March 2024.

Click Here to Read about PMAY-G

Cabinet approves Rs 1,766 crore CPP under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture

The Union Cabinet approved the Clean Plant Programme (CPP) proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoAFW) with an outlay of Rs 1,765.67 crore.

• It will be implemented under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) by the National Horticulture Board in association with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• It is aimed at developing virus-free planting material for fruit and vegetable crops through 9 state-of-the-art Clean Plant Centers (CPCs) across India.

Setting up of CPCs:

The 9 CPCs will be equipped with advanced diagnostic therapeutics and tissue culture labs, and maintaining virus-free planting material meant for larger propagation. These include

• Grapes (National Research Centre (NRC), Pune, Maharashtra).
• Temperate Fruits – Apple, Almond, Walnuts etc. (Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH) Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Mukteshwar, Uttarakhand).
• Citrus Fruits (Central Citrus Research Institute (CCRI), Nagpur, Maharashtra; and Central Institute for Arid Horticulture (CIAH), Bikaner, Rajasthan)
• Mango/Guava/Avocado (Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru, Karnataka)
• Mango/Guava/Litchi (Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)
• Pomegranate (NRC, Sholapur, Maharashtra)
• Tropical/Sub-Tropical Fruits in Eastern India.

Key Points:

i.A robust certification and regulatory framework will be set up under the Seeds Act 1966 for accountability in plant material production and sales.

ii.Large-scale nurseries will receive infrastructure support to efficiently multiply clean planting material.

iii.Its benefits will be access to virus-free materials to boost crop yields and incomes, and this higher-quality, disease-free fruits will strengthen India’s position in the global market.

Cabinet approves 8 New Line Projects across Indian Railways

The Union Cabinet has approved eight railway projects of Ministry of Railways with a total cost of Rs 24,657 crore under the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan. These projects will enhance connectivity and mobility, and expand the railway network by 900 km.

Key Points:

i.The 8 projects spans across 14 districts in 7 states: Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, and West Bengal (WB).

ii.With this project, 64 new stations will be constructed, to provide connectivity to 6 Aspirational Districts: East Singhbum, BhadadriKothagudem, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Rayagada.

iii.Under this project, Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)World Heritage site, will also be connected to Indian Railway Network

iv.The expansion will support transportation of various commodities and increase freight capacity by 143 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum).

v.The enhanced rail network will reduce oil imports by 32.20 crore litres, lower CO2 (Carbon dioxide) emissions by 0.87 million tonnes, and contribute to climate goals by saving the equivalent of planting 3.5 crore trees.

List of New 8 Railway Lines:

About Ministry of Railways(MoR):
Union Minister– Ashwini Vaishnaw (Constituency- Badshahpur, Orissa)
Ministers of State (MoS)– V. Somanna (Constituency- Bengaluru, Karnataka), Ravneet Singh (Constituency- Ludhiana, Punjab)