Cabinet Approvals on 19th June 2024

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the following on 19th June 2024.

i.Central Sector Scheme “National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme” (N.F.l.E.S.).

ii.Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for the implementation of Offshore Wind Energy Projects.

iii.Development of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport(VNS), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh(UP).

iv.Development of an all-weather Greenfield deep-draft Major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra.

v.Increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2024-25.

Cabinet Approved National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (N.F.l.E.S.):

The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs(MoHA) for the National Forensic Infrastructure Enhancement Scheme (NFIES), a Central Sector Scheme, with a financial outlay of Rs. 2254.43 crore for the period of 2024-25 to 2028-29.

• MoHA will provide the financial outlay of the scheme from its own budget.

Components: 

The Cabinet has approved the following components under NFIES:

i.Establishing the Campuses of the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) in India.

ii.Establishing Central Forensic Science Laboratories (CFSLs) in India

iii.Improvement of existing infrastructure of the Delhi Campus of the NFSU.

Background: 

i.The enactment of the New Criminal Laws (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023) mandates forensic investigation for offences involving punishment of 7 years or more. This leads to a significant increase in the workload of forensic science laboratories.

ii.The scheme has been approved to address the significant shortage of trained forensic manpower in Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) in India.

Benefits:

i.The additional off-campuses of the NFSU and new CFSLs will support addressing the shortage of trained forensic professionals and reduce the case load/pendency of forensic laboratories.

ii.This will also support the Government of India’s goal of achieving a high judgement rate of more than 90%.

Viability Gap Funding Scheme for Implementation of Offshore Wind Energy Projects

The Union Cabinet approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for offshore wind energy projects with a total outlay of Rs.7453 crore.

• This includes Rs.6853 crore for the installation and commissioning of 1 gigawatt (GW) of offshore wind energy projects, 500 megawatt (MW) each off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu(TN), and a grant of Rs. 600 crore for upgradation of two ports to meet logistics requirements for offshore wind energy projects.

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It will coordinate with various Ministries/Departments to ensure successful implementation of the scheme.

Key Points:

i.The VGF scheme is an important step to execute the National Offshore Wind Energy Policy, notified in 2015, to utilise the offshore wind energy capacity within the Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ) of India

ii.The VGF support from the Government will reduce the cost of power from offshore wind projects and make them viable for purchase by the Distribution Companies (DISCOMs).

iii.The projects will be implemented by private developers selected through a transparent bidding procedure. The Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (POWERGRID) will construct the power excavation infrastructure, which includes the offshore substations.

Benefits:

i.The 1 GW offshore wind projects will produce renewable electricity of about 3.72 billion units annually which will result in an annual reduction of 2.98 million ton of carbon dioxide(CO2) (equivalent emission for a period of 25 years).

ii.It will also support the development of the initial 37 GW of offshore wind energy at an investment of about Rs. 4,50,000 crore.

About the Viability Gap Funding Scheme: 

i.In 2005, The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Scheme for Financial Support to Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Infrastructure (Viability Gap Funding scheme) as a Central Sector Scheme.

ii.It is administered by the Department of Economic Affairs(DEA), Ministry of Finance(MOF).

iii.The scheme provides financial support in the form of grants to economically desirable but commercially ineffective infrastructure projects under PPPs to make them successful.

iv.The guidelines of the scheme were revamped in 2020, including higher VGF support of up to 60% of the Total Project Cost (30% by the Central and State Governments each) for the social sectors (Water Supply, Waste Water Treatment, Solid Waste Management and Health, Education) and up to 80% of the Total Project Cost (40% by the Central and State Governments each) for Pilot/Demonstration Projects in Health and Education sectors.

Development of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport(VNS), Varanasi, UP

The Union Cabinet approved the Airports Authority of India (AAI)’s proposal for the development of the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport(VNS) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP). The estimated financial outlay of the project is Rs 2869.65 crore.

• The development includes the construction of the New Terminal Building, Apron Extension, Runway Extension, Parallel Taxi Track & Allied works.

Green Airport: 

i.The Varanasi airport will be developed as a green airport to ensure environmental sustainability.

ii.This will be achieved through energy optimisation, waste recycling, carbon footprint reduction, solar energy utilisation, and incorporation of natural daylighting and other sustainable measures throughout the planning, development, and operational stages.

Details of the development: 

i.The passenger handling capacity of the airport will be enhanced to 9.9 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) from the existing 3.9 MPPA.

ii.The New Terminal Building with an area of 75,000 square meters (sqm) is designed for a capacity of 6 MPPA and for handling 5000 Peak Hour Passengers (PHP).

iii.The development also includes the expansion of the runway to the dimensions of 4075m x 45m and the construction of a new Apron to park 20 aircraft.

‘Development of an all-Weather Greenfield Deep draft Major Port at Vadhavan in Maharashtra’

The Union Cabinet approved the construction of a Major Port at Vadhavan near Dahanu in Maharashtra with a total project cost of Rs.76,220 Crore(including the land acquisition component).

• The Project will be constructed by Vadhavan Port Project Limited (VPPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed by Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) with a shareholding of 74% and 26%, respectively.
• Vadhavan Port on completion, will be one of the top ten ports of the world.

Details:

i.The Vadhavan Port will be developed as an all-weather Greenfield major port in Vadhavan, Palghar District, Maharashtra.

ii.It will include the development of Core infrastructure, Terminals and other commercial infrastructure in PPP mode.

iii. A road connectivity between the Port and National Highways(NH) will be established by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and a rail linkage to the existing rail network and the upcoming Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor to be provided by the Ministry of Railways.

iv.The Port will have nine container terminals, each 1000 meters long; four multipurpose berths(including the coastal berth); four liquid cargo berths, a Ro-Ro berth, and a Coast Guard berth.

v.The Project involves the reformation of 1,448 hectares of area in the sea and the construction of 10.14 km of offshore breakwater and container/cargo storage areas.

vi.The Project will create a total capacity of 298 million metric tons (MMT) per annum, including around 23.2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalents) of container handling capacity.

Benefits:

i.The project will help in the export-import of trade flow through IMEEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) and INSTC (International North South Transportation Corridor).

ii.The facilities provided will promote PPP and handling of mainline mega vessels on international shipping lines between the Far East, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Kharif Crops for Marketing Season 2024-25

The Union Cabinet approved the increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated (14) kharif crops for Marketing Season 2024-25.

Points to note: 

i.The increase in MSP of Karif Crops will have a financial implication of Rs 2 lakh crore for the government and entail a gain of Rs 35,000 crore to farmers over the previous year.

ii.The highest absolute increase in MSP over the previous year has been recommended for oilseeds and pulses.

• Nigerseed recorded the highest (Rs 983 per quintal) followed by sesamum (Rs.632 per quintal) and thur/arhar (Rs 550 per quintal).

iii.The expected margin to farmers over their cost of production is estimated to be the highest for bajra (77%) followed by tur (59%), maize (54%) and urad (52%). For the rest of the crops, the margin is estimated to be at 50%.

iv.As per the 3rd Advance Estimates of production for 2023-24, total foodgrain production in the country is estimated at 3288.6 Lakhs Metric Ton (LMT), and oilseeds production is expected to reach 395.9 LMT.

MSP of the 14 Kharif Crops: