Himachal to get Rs.135 crore for rural infrastructure

October 8th, 2009 SHIMLA - Hydropower major Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam that owns and operates the 1,500-MW Nathpa-Jhakri project in Himachal Pradesh has declared a dividend of Rs.320 crore for 2008-09. "We have declared a dividend of Rs.320 crore for 2008-09.

September 23rd, 2009 SHIMLA - The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will promoting dairy farming in Himachal Pradesh to improve farmers' economic conditions. "A Rs.300-crore Doodh Ganga project will be launched in Solan district on Friday.

September 22nd, 2009 SHIMLA - The central government has sanctioned projects worth Rs.243.43 crore that would help strengthen the rural road network in Himachal Pradesh, an official statement said Tuesday. "In order to strengthen the rural road network in the state, the central government has approved Rs.243.43 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana," Himachal Pradesh Public Works Minister Thakur Gulab Singh said in the statement.

September 9th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh has cleared 13 industrial proposals worth Rs.330 crore including those of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and Johnson and Johnson, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said here Wednesday.

July 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) hopes to generate Rs.1,000 crore ($207 million) of revenue in a year from its infrastructure sharing business. "The master sharing agreement (MSA) for sharing of BSNL towers is in the final stages with some telecom operators and likely to be finalised very soon," the company said in a statement Friday.

July 30th, 2009 MUMBAI - Power utility and infrastructure major Reliance Infrastructure, part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Thursday posted 25 percent increase in net profit to Rs.317 crore ($66 million) for the quarter ended June 30. The company's total income increased 7 percent to Rs.2,446.3 crore in the first quarter of the current fiscal, compared to Rs.2,290.29 crore in the same quarter a year ago.

July 25th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Himachal Pradesh government Saturday demanded a hike in the financial assistance provided to it under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). "We have urged the central government to provide us an additional grant of Rs.24 crore annually to reimburse the hike in wages under NREGS," state Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur told reporters.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Highlights of the union budget for the current fiscal presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: - Plan expenditure up 34 percent to Rs.1,025,838 crore, non plan spend up 37 percent - Total spending increased to Rs.10.2 lakh crore - Rs.420 crore for new IITs and NITs - Commonwealth Games allocated Rs.3,472 crore - National unique identification numbers to start rolling out in 12-18 months - Paramilitary forces such as CRPF to get 100,000 homes - Banking services in under-banked areas to be increased, scheme allocated Rs.100 crore - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20 billion for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Tax department to work on early introduction of Saral 2 forms - Stimulus for print media extended from June 13 to Dec 31 - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Market development assistance scheme for exporters increased by 148 percent to Rs.124 crore - Pre-shipment interest subvention set at 2 percent for textile exporters - Sufficient funds for infrastructure development - Allocation for national highways development stepped up by 23 percent - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Highlights of the union budget for the current fiscal presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20 billion for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Tax department to work on early introduction of Saral 2 forms - Stimulus for print media extended from June 13 to Dec 31 - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Market development assistance scheme for exporters increased by 148 percent to Rs.124 crore - Pre-shipment interest subvention set at 2 percent for textile exporters - Will make sufficient funds for infrastructure development - Allocation for national highways development stepped up by 23 percent - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore in 2009-10 - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In keeping with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's inclusive growth mantra, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday announced a slew of schemes for the aam aadmi (common man). The major measures announced in his union budget for 2009-10 are: - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20,000 crore for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - National Housing Bank to get Rs.2,000 crore for rural housing funds - Higher education outlay increased by Rs.2,000 crore over interim budget - Income tax exemption limit for senior citizens increased by Rs.15,000, for women and others by 10,000 each - Duties on life saving drugs reduced - Allocation for the minority affairs ministry raised to Rs.1,740 crore - Banking services in under-banked areas to be increased, scheme allocated Rs.100 crore - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Infrastructure development continues to be a priority area for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee increasing public investment in this sector. "The investment in infrastructure for the growth of economy is critical.

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Rajasthan attracted investments worth Rs.69,052 crore, the highest among northern states, during 2008-09, a business chamber report released here Wednesday said. The report, 'Investment Prospects in Indian Economy 2008-09' by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), said Haryana, which attracted investments worth Rs.52,852 crore, came second, followed by Uttarakhand with Rs.36,059 crore.

March 1st, 2009 SHIMLA - The Planning Commission has allocated Rs.27 billion for Himachal Pradesh for 2009-10, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Saturday. 'The annual plan for Himachal Pradesh has been fixed at Rs.2,700 crore (Rs.27 billion), which is Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion) more than last year,' Dhumal told reporters.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has allocated Rs.1.31 trillion (Rs.131,317 crore) for its flagship programmes in the coming fiscal. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, while presenting the interim budget for 2009-10 to parliament Monday, said Rs.301 billion (Rs.30,100 crore) would be made available to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) for the next financial year.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The corpus of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) was increased to Rs.140 billion (Rs.14,000 crore) in 2008-09 from Rs.55 billion in 2003-04, acting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Monday. Presenting the interim budget for 2009-10 in the Lok Sabha, Mukherjee said a separate window for rural roads was created under the RIDF with a corpus of Rs.40 billion for each of the last three years.