Cabinet Approvals on August 16, 2023

On August 16, 2023, the Union Cabinet Chaired by the Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals:

i.7 Railway Projects worth Rs 32,500 Crore.

ii.‘Vishwakarma Yojana’ to benefit individuals skilled in Traditional Craftsmanship.

iii.Digital India project’s extension with outlay of Rs 14,903 cr.

iv.Rs 20,000-crore project for FSVs.

v.PM-eBus Sewa” for augmenting city bus operations.

vi.MRA of Authorised Economic Operators between India and Australia.

vii.MoU on Cooperation in Sports between India and Australia.

viii.MoU between India and Suriname in the field of Medical Products Regulation.

Cabinet Approves 7 Railway Projects worth Rs 32,500 Crore

The Cabinet committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approves seven multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways with an outlay of Rs 32,500 crore. These projects are fully funded by the Central Government.

• These will add 2,339 kilometres to the existing network of Indian Railways.
• These seven multi-tracking projects aimed at easing operations and reducing congestion by covering cover 35 districts across 9 states of Andhra Pradesh (AP), Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and West Bengal (WB).

Key Points:

i.These will help increase the existing line capacity, smoothen train operations, reduce congestion and facilitate ease of travelling and transportation

ii.The projects have been identified through PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multi-model connectivitys.

iii.Apart from the infrastructure enhancements, these projects are anticipated to augment freight capacity significantly, accommodating approximately 200 million tonnes of additional freight traffic annually.

iv.The projects will provide employment of 7.06 crore person-days to the people of the selected states.

About Projects:

Four projects have been approved for doubling of current tracks, one project has been approved for adding a third line, one project for quadruple the existing network & one multi tracking project.

1) Gorakhpur Cantt to Valmiki Nagar — doubling of existing line.

• The total length of the project is 96 Km at a cost of Rs 1,269.8 crore.

2) Son Nagar-Andal multi tracking project.

• Total length is 374.5 Km at a total cost of Rs 13,606 crore. This project will cover parts of Bihar, Aurangabad & Jharkhand.

3) Nergundi-Barang and Khurda Road-Vizianagaram — third line to be added.

• The length of the project is 385 Km which will be covered with a total cost of Re 5,618 crore.

4) Mudkhed-Medchal and Mahbubnagar-Dhone — doubling of the existing line.

• It will be carried out across 418 Km, at a cost of Rs 5,655.4 crore, this project will cover parts of Maharashtra, Telangana & AP.

5) Guntur-Bibinagar — doubling of the existing line.

• It will be carried out across 239 Kms at a cost of Rs 3238 crore.

6) Chopan-Chunar — doubling of existing line.

• It will be carried out across 102 Km at a cost of Rs 1,553 crore.

7) Samakhiali-Gandhidham — quadrupling of the line.

• It will be carried out on a total length of 53 Km at a cost of Rs 1,571 crore.

Cabinet approves ‘Vishwakarma Yojana’ to benefit individuals skilled in Traditional Craftsmanship

The Union Cabinet has approved the ‘Vishwakarma Yojana’ to benefit individuals skilled in traditional craftsmanship/artisan works. These include Weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, barbers, and such families.

• Around Rs 13,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore will be allocated for the scheme.
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Govt approves Digital India Programme‘s extension with outlay of Rs 14,903 cr

The Union Cabinet also approved extension of Digital India programme with an outlay of Rs 14,903 crore. The Digital India programme was launched on 1st July 2015 to enable digital delivery of services to citizens.

• Under the extended project 6.25 lakh IT (Information Technology) professionals will be re-skilled and up-skilled, and 2.65 lakh persons will be trained in information security under the Information Security & Education Awareness Phase (ISEA) Program.

Key Points:

i.540 additional services (Currently 1,700 services) will be available under the Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) app/ platform.

ii.9 more supercomputers will be added under National Super Computer Mission (NSCM).

• This is in addition to 18 supercomputers already deployed;

iii.Bhashini, the AI (Artificial Intelligence)-enabled multi-language translation tool (currently available in 10 languages) will be rolled out in all 22 languages in the 8th  schedule to the Constitution.

iv.There will be modernization of the National Knowledge Network (NKN) which connects 1,787 educational institutions;

v.3 Centres of Excellence(CoE) in Artificial Intelligence(AI) on health, agriculture and sustainable cities will be set up;

vi.There will be new initiatives in the area of cyber security including development of tools and integration of more than 200 sites with National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC).

Central Govt. approves Rs 20,000-crore project for FSVs

The Central Government has approved Rs 20,000 crore project for the construction of five Fleet Support Vessels (FSVs) for Indian Navy (IN). These will be manufactured by the Visakhapatnam (AP)-based Hindustan Shipyards Limited (HSL).

• This decision has been taken to bolster India’s naval capabilities.
• Each of these ships will weigh approximately 45,000 tonnes, and are expected to be ready by the next decade.

Need behind FSVs:

The ships are needed to support warships on long range patrol and can carry a variety of equipment, such as fuel, ammunition and food supplies. They will be able to support ships of all classes, including the two Indian aircraft carriers.

Cabinet approves “PM-eBus Sewa” for augmenting city bus operations

The Union Cabinet approved the bus scheme ‘PM-eBus Sewa’ for augmenting city bus operation by 10,000 e-buses (electric buses) on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.

• The Scheme will support bus operations for 10 years till 2037, and also generate 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs.
• Under this scheme priority will be given to cities having no organized bus service, and will cover cities having a population of 3 lakh and above.

Outlay:

Its estimated cost is Rs 57,613 crore, out of which support of Rs 20,000 crore will be provided by the Central government, and the rest will be borne by the State Governments.

Scheme Coverage:

The scheme will cover cities of Three lakh and above population as per census 2011 including all the Capital cities of Union Territories (UTs), North Eastern Region (NER) and Hill States.

Key Points:

i.There will be two segments of the scheme.

• Under Segment A, 10,000 e-buses will be deployed on PPP model in 169 cities.
• Under Segment B, Infrastructure will be upgraded in 181 cities under the Green Urban Mobility Initiatives(GUMI).

ii.States/Cities will be responsible for running the bus services and making payments to the bus operators.  The Central Government will support these bus operations by providing subsidy to the extent specified in the proposed scheme.

iii.The program boosts e-mobility and backs private power setups.

iv.Urban areas get aid for charging stations through GUMI.

v.It speeds up electric bus use, innovation, and supply chains, while also cutting pollution and promoting public transit.

Cabinet approves Mutual Recognition Arrangement of Authorized Economic Operators between India and Australia

The Union Cabinet has approved the signing and ratification of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) between the Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs (CBIC), Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, and the Department of Home Affairs, Australian Border Force, Australian Government.

• The deal is part of a global effort by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) through its SAFE Framework of Standards to secure and improve global trade, and strengthen end-to-end security of supply chains.
• This MRA will benefit Indian exporters to Australia and enhance the trade relationship between the two nations.

Key Points:

i.As per the agreement, Mutual Recognition of the Australian Trusted Trader Program in Australia and the Authorized Economic Operator Program in India will come into force from the date of signing by the authorized representatives of both the countries.

ii.The agreement intends to offer mutual advantages to authorized and reliable exporters from both sides in the clearance of goods by the Customs authorities of the importing country.

Cabinet approves MoU on Cooperation in Sports between India and Australia

The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Sports between the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MoYAS), India; and the Department of Health and Aged Care of the Government of Australia.

What will be done under the MoU?

There will Bilateral exchange programs in the field of sports between both nations, sharing of knowledge and expertise in the area of sport sciences, technologies and infrastructure; athlete and coach training and development; sports governance and integrity; grassroots participation in sport; major sporting events; diversity and inclusion in sport.

• All athletes, regardless of their caste, creed, region, religion and gender, will equally receive the advantages resulting from the bilateral cooperation in the field of sports with Australia.

Cabinet approves signing of MoU between India and Suriname in the field of Medical Products Regulation

The Union Cabinet has also given its approval for the MoU between Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), Government of India and Ministry of Health, Government of the Republic of Suriname on Cooperation in the field of health and medicine or medical product regulation.

• It will strengthen bilateral ties between India and Suriname by facilitating a constructive dialogue on the laws and regulations pertinent to medical products, among other matters.

Note:

This MoU was signed on June 4, 2023 during the visit of the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, to Suriname.

Areas of Cooperation:

The main areas of cooperation between the CDSCO and Ministry of Health, Suriname are as follows:

1. Promoting   an   understanding   between   the   Parties   of   each   other’s regulatory framework, requirements and processes
2. Exchange of information and cooperation on Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Clinical Practices (GCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GPvP).
3. Recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia
4. Exchange of safety information, including Pharmacovigilance, and adverse events. This includes safety concerns relating to medicines and medical devices.
5. Participation in scientific and practical conferences, symposiums, seminars and forum organized by the Parties.
6. Capacity building in mutually agreed areas
7. Coordination at the international fora

Key Points:

i.The MoU aids medical product exports, boosting foreign exchange and supporting self-reliance.

ii.It enhances comprehension of pharmaceutical regulations, covering materials, devices, and cosmetics.

Recent Related News:

i.On the lines of the Central Government’s plan to expand the foodgrain storage capacities in India, the Union Cabinet has approved the constitution and empowerment of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) for the facilitation of the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the Cooperative Sector.

ii.The Cabinet has approved the establishment of a Regional Office of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in New Delhi, Delhi. This office would focus on UPU’s development cooperation and technical assistance activities in collaboration with UPU.

About Suriname:
Capital– Paramaribo
Currency– Suriname Dollar
President– Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokh