Gujarat government will stop selling kerosene through Public Distribution System by year-end
The Gujarat government will gradually stop selling kerosene at subsidised rates through the public distribution system (PDS) by the end of this year. In Gujarat, families with above the poverty line (APL) ration card receive kerosene from fair price shops, but now they will have to switch over to LPG or PNG for cooking. On May 10, the state government’s food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department issued a resolution accordingly. The government resolution (GR) mentioned that APL ration card holders residing in eight municipal corporations would have to get gas connection at their own expense by August 31, whereas those residing in other areas would have to get gas connection by November 30. Accordingly, as per the GR, APL ration card holders in the eight cities would not get kerosene at subsidised rates from fair price shops September 1, and those living elsewhere would not get kerosene (from fair price shops) from December 1. The GR also mentioned that the fuel controller officer in Ahmedabad and other district civil supplies officers will have to send notices to all the beneficiaries at their residential addresses by May end, informing about the decision. The officials will also have to instruct the beneficiaries that they will have to make arrangements to get gas connection on time. The resolution reads as: “As many as 1.260 million gas connections have been given to beneficiaries under the Pradhanmantri Ujjvala Yojana. Now, all the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families having ration cards shall get gas connection at subsidised rates under the state government’s LPG-LNG scheme. The use of kerosene has been decreasing in the state gradually and the government aims to make clean fuel available to citizens through LPG and PNG connections. Citizens should decrease their use of kerosene further more and all the APL ration card holders will have to voluntarily switch over to use LPG or PNG from kerosene for cooking purpose.” The Gujarat government launched the LPG and PNG connection subsidy scheme for AAY and BPL families of the state on Gujarat Foundation Day on May 1 this year. Under the scheme, the Gujarat government will pay a one-time subsidy of Rs 1,600 to each beneficiary family for deposits payable for LPG and PNG gas connections. Marty Mcsorley Authentic Jersey
India okays MoU to tackle oil spills
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) for co-operation on the response to oil and chemical pollution in the South Asian seas in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation between India and other maritime nations comprising the South Asian seas region namely Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for protection and preservation of the marine environment in the region. A high-level delegation led by DG Rajendra Singh, Director General Indian Coast Guard on official visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka has handed over the instrument of consent by the Government of India to the Dr Muhammad Khurshid, Director General, SACEP Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 12 in presence of Indian High Commission, Colombo staff and other dignitaries. Indian Coast Guard on behalf of the centre will be responsible for cooperation and respond to all incidents of oil and chemical pollution in South Asian Seas Region as and when assistance is requested by the member state during a spill. With a view to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the South Asian region, the Governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka established the SACEP in 1982 as an inter-governmental organisation, with its headquarter in Colombo. The SACEP jointly with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) developed a “Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan” in 1989 to facilitate international co-operation and mutual assistance in preparing for and responding to a major oil pollution incident in the seas around the Maritime States of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Alfred Morris Jersey
Iran to award Farzad B to domestic companies if India withdraws
The managing director of Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) said Farzad B gas field (in the Persian Gulf) development project will be awarded to Iranian contractors if India pulls back from the negotiations, ILNA reported on Saturday. Speaking about the probable effects of Trump’s decision to leave the nuclear deal on India’s collaboration in Farzad B development project, Mohammad Meshkinfam said, “I don’t think that the U.S.’s decision on leaving the nuclear deal will affect the Indian side.” “Currently, we don’t know for sure what their [the Indian side] decision will be, however we are ready to work with them,” the official added. Meshkinfam further noted that even if India decides to withdraw from the project, since Farzad B field does not need pressure boosting, the development project wouldn’t be complicated and the work could be done by capable domestic companies. Asked about the South Pars Oil Layer, the official said, “The Oil Layer development project is a little more complicated and for that our focus is more on foreign contractors.” “Of course, we are already producing oil in this field, but we need to cooperate with a foreign company to maintain and increase the production level”, he added. Xavier Grimble Authentic Jersey
Abu Dhabi oil giant ADNOC to pick up stake in Ratnagiri refinery project
UAE Minister and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Al Jaber, Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser and Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be present at the agreement signing in UAE tomorrow.NEW DELHI: After Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) will pick up stake in the planned USD 44-billion refinery-cum-petrochemical project in Maharashtra. An initial agreement for ADNOC taking stake is slated to be signed in UAE tomorrow, official sources said. Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, had last month signed an agreement to take up 50 per cent stake in the Ratnagiri refinery project. Aramco had, at the agreement signing event, stated that it will at a later date dilute some of its 50 per cent equity stake in the 60 million tonne-a-year refinery project in favour of another strategic investor. Now, the Saudi national oil company is diluting some of that stake to ADNOC, they said. UAE Minister and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Al Jaber, Aramco CEO Amin H Nasser and Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be present at the agreement signing in UAE tomorrow. As per the April agreement, Aramco is to supply half of the crude oil required for processing at the refinery that will be commissioned by 2025. State-owned refiners Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) will own the remaining 50 per cent stake. Like other major producers, Aramco and ADNOC are looking to lock in customers in the world’s third-largest oil consumer through the investment. Kuwait too is looking to invest in projects in return for getting an assured offtake of their crude oil. Last year, Saudi Arabia invested in refinery projects in Indonesia and Malaysia that came with long-term crude oil supply deals. Saudi Arabia was the biggest oil supplier to India till 2016-17, but slipped behind Iraq last fiscal. It had supplied 39.5 million tonnes of crude oil to India in 2016-17, ahead of 37.5 million tonnes by Iraq. But, in the first 11 months of 2017-18 fiscal, Saudi supplies at 33.9 million tonnes, lagged behind Iraqi exports of 42.4 million tonnes to India. UAE supplies a small quantity of oil to India. Aramco is also keen on venturing into fuel retailing in India. India has a refining capacity of 232.066 million tonnes, which exceeded the demand of 194.2 million tonnes in 2016-17 fiscal. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), this demand is expected to reach 458 million tonnes by 2040. IOC has 11 refineries with a total capacity of 81.2 MT, while BPCL has four refineries with a total capacity of 33.4 MT. HPCL has three refineries with a total capacity of 24.8 MT. Sam Bennett Authentic Jersey
$300 bn dollar energy investment coming to India in 10 yrs: Pradhan
Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said about 300 billion dollars will be invested in the energy sector in next 10 years. The petroleum minister said this at the Indian Embassy while addressing over 250 Indian professionals, business leaders and community representatives working in the United Arab Emirates. Pradhan informed the gathering that India has become the world’s third largest energy consumer in the world. “After US (United States) and China, India consumes maximum primary energy. But, India figures on the list of least per capita energy consuming countries. What does it mean? According to energy analysts, out of Rs. 100 worth energy sale in 2040, Rs. 33 will be sold in India,” Pradhan said. He added that energy is one of the three to four components of any developing country. “There are four pillars of energy: It should be affordable, accessible, green, and sustainable. Once there were concerns in India regarding energy, but now it is becoming a happening energy spot in the world,” Pradhan said. In his speech, Pradhan also praised Prime Minister Modi and said no other government has been able to do the works that have been done during the past four years. During the speech, he also criticised Prime Minister’s detractors who have questioned his international visits. Talking about the impact of such visits of Prime Minister Modi, Pradhan said India saved about Rs. 100 billion after renegotiating the long term contract of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) with Qatar. ‘This is our scope. Who would like to lose it?” he asked. He also briefed the gathering that how Modi government changed the lives of poor rural women through Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). The PMUY or the Ujjwala Scheme is a subsidy scheme launched to provide LPG gas connection to the families living below poverty line to protect women and children from the smoke emitted during the use of firewood for cooking purposes. Under the scheme, the government will provide Rs. 1,600 per gas connection in the next three years and aims to supply 50 million connections by the end of 2019. “The HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited) started selling liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in Mumbai in 1955 and by 2014 there were 130 million LPG connections in India. Within four years, our government added new 100 million LPG consumers,” Pradhan said. The event was organized by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and IBPG-Abu Dhabi. Later, Pradhan and UAE Minister of State and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber flagged off the first consignment of 2 million barrels of ADNOC crude for Mangalore Cavern on Saturday. During the day, Pradhan also held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Dr. Jaber. Minister Pradhan was accompanied by Ambassador Navdeep Suri, senior officials and CEOs for Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum. Pradhan is visiting UAE to follow up on the February 2018 UAE visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Harrison Butker Authentic Jersey