Union Cabinet Approvals on 25th November 2024

The Union Cabinet chaired by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (PM) of India, has approved the following on 25th November 2024.

Cabinet Approved Continuation of Atal Innovation Mission:

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), a flagship initiative of the Government of India (GoI) under the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), with an enhanced scope of work.

• The extended version of AIM, known as AIM 2.0, has been approved with an allocated budget of Rs 2,750 crore for a period till 31st March 2028. 
• AIM 2.0 is a significant step towards Viksit Bharat that aims to strengthen and deepen India’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem by fostering startup growth, generating employment, and developing high-impact products and services.

Background:

i.AIM was originally initiated by GoI in 2016 to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India.

ii.Under its Atal Innovation Incubation Centres (AIC), the initiative has operationalised 69 incubators in 8 states and 3 Union territories (UTs) across India.

iii.AIM in partnership with NASSCOM launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based education module for school students in 2020, to reach 2.5 million students associated with Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs).

AIM 2.0:

i.It is designed to bolster India’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in 3 ways: by increasing input(i.e. increasing the number of innovators and entrepreneurs), by improving the success rate or “throughput” and by improving the quality of “output”, including better jobs, products, and services.

ii.It comprises 2 programs that target increasing input to the ecosystem: the Language Inclusive Program of Innovation (LIPI) aims to build an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in 22 scheduled Indian languages, to support non-English speaking innovators and also 30 Vernacular Innovation Centers (VICs) will be set up in existing incubators.

• The Frontier Program will create customised templates for the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Ladakh, the North Eastern (NE) states, aspirational districts and blocks where 15% of Indian citizens live. Under this program, 2,500 new Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) will be created for template development.

iii.It also includes 4 programs that target enhancing the throughput of the ecosystem:

• The Human Development Program: It will create a system for producing professionals (managers, teachers, trainers) to build, operate, and maintain an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in India.
• The Deeptech Reactor: It will create a research sandbox to test ways of commercialising research-based deep tech startups that require longer time and larger investments. At least 1deeptech reactor will be piloted.
• The State Innovation Mission (SIM): It will guide states/Union Territories (UTs) to build a strong innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that focuses on their areas of strength. SIM will be part of NITI Aayog’s State Support Mission (SSM).
• The International Innovation Collaborations Program: It will promote India’s innovation models globally through 4 areas of intervention: an annual Global Tinkering Olympiad, creation of 10 Bi-lateral, multilateral engagements with developed nations, as a knowledge partner will help the United Nations (UN)’s World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to showcase the models of AIM and its programs to the global south , and anchoring the Startup20 Engagement Group of the Group-20 (G20) for India.

iv.It will include 2 programs targeted at improving the quality of output:

• The Industrial Accelerator Program: It will increase industry involvement in promoting advanced startups. A minimum of 10 industry accelerators will be set up in critical sectors through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) mode.
• The Atal Sectoral Innovation Launchpads  (ASIL) Program: It will build Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)-like platforms in central ministries for integrating and procuring from startups in important industry sectors. At least 10 launchpads will be built across key ministries.

Cabinet Approved One Nation One Subscription Scheme:

The Union Cabinet has approved the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS), a new central sector scheme (CSS) for providing seamless, countrywide access to scholarly research articles and journals for higher education and central government Research & Development (R&D) laboratories. The scheme will monitored through a simple, user-friendly and entirely digital process.

• It has allocated about Rs 6,000 crore for the scheme for 3 calendar years i.e. 2025, 2026 and 2027.
• The scheme is in line with the Viksit Bharat @ 2047, National Education Policy (NEP2020), and Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

About ONOS:

i.The benefits of ONOS will provided to all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) under the management of the Central or state government and R&D institutions of the Central Government through a national subscription coordinated by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC).

• Also, the journals will accessed through a national subscription coordinated by INFLIBNET through a digital process.

ii.The scheme will offer nearly 13,000 high-impact e-journals published by 30 leading international publishers and will now be accessible to over 6,300 government HEIs and central government R&D institutions.

• The ONOS scheme is expected to help approximately 1.8 crore students, faculty, researchers and scientists of all disciplines including those residing in tier-2 and tier-3 cities will help to narrow the knowledge gap between urban and rural students.

iii.The Department of Higher Education (DoHE) under the Ministry of Education (MoE) will set up a unified portal “ONOS” which will enable the institutions to access the journals.

• The platform will become operational on 1st January 2025.

iv.The ANRF will review the usage of ONOS and publications of Indian authors of these institutions at regular intervals of time.

Key Points:

i.Under the ONOS scheme, state governments will be encouraged to carry out local campaigns to maximise the usage of this subscription facility by students, faculty, and researchers.

ii.DoHE in coordination with other ministries managing HEIs and R&D bodies will organise extensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns to inform students, faculty, and researchers about the scheme and how to access the resources.

Cabinet Approved Launch of the National Mission on Natural Farming

The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), which will be a standalone Centrally-Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW).

• The scheme has been allocated a total budget of Rs 2,481 crore, of which the central government will contribute Rs 1,584 crore and state governments will contribute Rs 897 crore, until the 15th Finance Commission (FC) period (2025-26).
• The scheme aims to promote Natural Farming (NF) practices that provide safe, nutritious food for all and at the same time will help the farmers to reduce the input cost of cultivation and dependency on externally purchased inputs.

About NMNF:

i.The scheme will be implemented across 15,000 clusters in Gram Panchayats across the country in the next two years, with the goal of reaching 1 crore farmers and introducing NF in7.5 lakh hectares (ha) area.

• Priority will be given to areas having a prevalence of practising NF farmers, State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM)/Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS)/ Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), among others.
• Also, need-based 10,000 Bio-input Resource Centres (BRCs) will be established to provide easy availability and accessibility to ready-to-use NF inputs for farmers.

ii.Under NMNF, around 2,000 NF Model Demonstration Farms will be set up at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Universities (AUs) and farmers’ fields and will receive the support of experienced and trained Farmer Master Trainers.

• The interested farmers will be trained in these Model Demonstration Farms on NF practices, and preparation of NF inputs, among others near their villages in KVKs, and AUs.

iii.As per the mission, 18.75 lakh trained and willing farmers will prepare inputs like: Jeevamrit, Beejamrit, among others by using their livestock or procure from BRCs.

iv.Under the NMNF, 3,000 Krishi Sakhis/CRPs will be deployed to raise awareness about NF practices, mobilization and handholding of interested farmers in the clusters.

Significance of NMNF:

i.NF practices will enhance soil health and resilience to climate risks such as floods, droughts, and water-logging and will also help to reduce health risks related with chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

ii.A simple certification system and dedicated branding will help farmers to market their natural farming produce.

• The real-time monitoring of the implementation of NMNF will carried out through an online portal with geo-tagging and references.

iii.The NMNF also plans to explore synergies with existing government schemes and support structures to improve local livestock populations, develop demonstration farms, and set up market linkages through local markets, Agricultural Produce & Livestock Market Committee (APMC) mandis, haats, and depots.

• Also, students will be involved in the mission through the Rural Agricultural Work Experience (RAWE) programme and dedicated undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses on natural farming.

Cabinet Cleared Bank Guarantee Waiver for Spectrum Auctioned Since 2012

The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to waive off Bank Guarantee (BG) requirement for securitization of deferred spectrum installments auctioned before 2012.

• It is estimated that this relief given by the GoI will amount to Rs 30,000 crore for various telecom companies.
• As per the cabinet decision, the waiving of BG will be considered only if the telecom companies agree to pay an additional amount of 3 months along with the annual payment.
• The terms of the waiver will be applicable for spectrum auctions of 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2021, subject to the condition that companies agreeing to the terms.

CCEA Approved PAN 2.0 Project:

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Modi has approved the Permanent Account Number 2.0 (PAN 2.0) Project of the Income Tax (IT) Department, with a budget outlay of Rs 1,435 crore.

• The project aims to make PAN as a “common business identifier” for all the digital systems of designated government agencies.

Note: At present, nearly 78 crore PANs have been issued, of which 98% belonging to individuals.

About PAN 2.0:

i.It is an e-Governance project for re-engineering the business processes of taxpayer registration services through technology driven transformation of PAN/ Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN) services for improved digital experience of the taxpayers.

ii.It is an enhanced version of the current PAN/TAN 1.0 eco-system, integrating the core and non-core PAN/TAN activities as well as PAN validation service.

iii.The Government of India (GoI) has clarified that existing PAN cards will remain valid even after the upgrade.

iv.As part of the project, new PAN cards with unique features like: Quick Response (QR code) for better security will be issued free of charge.

Key Benefits:

i.Ease of access and speedy service delivery with enhanced quality;

ii.Unified source of truth and data consistency;

iii.Environment-friendly processes and cost optimization;

iv.Security and optimization of infrastructure for greater agility.

CCEA Approved 3 multi-tracking projects across Indian Railways

The CCEA has approved 3 multi-tracking projects across Indian Railways (IR) with budget outlay of nearly Rs 7,927 crore and will be completed in 4 years.

• These proposed multi-tracking projects aims to ease operations and reduce congestion, providing required infrastructural development between Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh (UP)).

About 3 Multi-Tracking Projects:

i.These proposed projects are: 160 kilometre (km)-long Jalgaon-Manmad 4th line, Bhusawal Khandwa 3rd and 4th line (131 km), Prayagraj (Iradatganj)-Manikpur 3rd line (84 km).

ii.The 3 multi-tracking proposed projects will cover 7 districts in 3 states of the country i.e. Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttar Pradesh (UP), which will increase the current network of IR by about 639 kms.

iii.These projects will improve connectivity of two aspirational districts i.e. Khandwa and Chitrakoot (UP) serving nearly 1,319 villages and about 38 lakh population.

Key Benefits:

i.These projects will enhance connectivity along the Mumbai-Prayagraj-Varanasi route by operating additional passenger train, benefiting pilgrims travelling to Jyotirlingas in Nashik (Trimbakeshwar), Khandwa (Omkareshwar), and Varanasi (Kashi Vishwanath) and other religious places in Prayagraj, Chtirakoot, Gaya (Bihar) and Shirdi (Maharashtra).

ii.These projects will also boost tourism through enhanced access to various attractions such as: Khajuraho United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)World Heritage Site (MP), Ajanta & Ellora Caves UNESCO World Heritage Site (Maharashtra), Devgiri Fort (Maharashtra), among others.

iii.It is estimated that capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 51 Millon Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA).

iv.These projects will also help both in achieving climates goals and optimizing logistics cost of the country, will lower Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions i.e. 271 crore Kilogram (Kg) which is equivalent to plantation of 11 crore trees.

v.It is estimated that these projects will generate direct jog opportunities for about 1 lakh human days during construction period.

CCEA Approved Rs 1,750 crore Tato-I Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh

The CCEA has approved the investment proposal worth Rs 1,750 crore for construction of Tato-I Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh (AR).

• It is estimated that proposed project will be completed within a time period of 50 months.
• The proposed project with an installed capacity of 186 MW (3×62 MW) is expected to generate 802 Million Units (MU) of energy annually, enhancing the power supply position in AR and contributing stability of the national grid.

Key Points:

i.The proposed project will be implemented by a joint venture company between North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) and the Government of AR.

ii.The GoI has committed to extend Rs 77.37 crore as budgetary support for construction of roads, bridges and transmission lines, and has also set aside additional Rs 120.43 crore as central financial assistance towards equity share of the state.

iii.The state will receive 12% free power, with an additional 1% allocated to a Local Area Development Fund (LADF). The project will lead to significant infrastructure improvement and socio-economic development of the region.

iv.Under this project, around 10 km of roads and bridges will be constructed which can also be accessed by the local community.

• Also, the essential infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, vocational training institutes, marketplaces and playground will be developed with the budget of Rs 15 crore from dedicated project funds.

CCEA Approved Rs 1, 939 crore Heo Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh

The CCEA has approved the investment proposal worth Rs 1, 939 crore for the construction of Heo HEP in Shi Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh (AR).

• It is estimated that the proposed project will be completed within 50 months.
• The proposed project with an installed capacity of 240 MW (3×80 MW) is expected to generate 1,000 Million Units (MU) of energy annually, enhancing the power supply position in AR and contributing stability of the national grid.

Key Points:

i.The proposed project will be implemented by a joint venture company between NEEPCO and the Government of AR.

ii.The GoI has committed to extend Rs 127.28 crore as budgetary support for construction of roads, bridges and transmission lines, and has also set aside additional Rs 130.43 crore as central financial assistance towards equity share of the state.

iii.The state will receive 12% free power, with an additional 1% allocated to a Local Area Development Fund (LADF). The project will lead to significant infrastructure improvement and socio-economic development of the region.

iv.The project is estimated to generate indirect job opportunities for the local community through various small contracts and services during its execution and will also generate employment during Operation & Maintenance.