Britain offers to develop Pune, Indore, Amravati as smart cities
Britain will be collaborating with the state governments and the municipal authorities to develop Pune (Maharashtra), Indore (MP) and Amravati (Andhra Pradesh) into smart cities, British High Commissioner to India Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith said here today. The High Commissioner, who met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan here, said a centre of excellence on automobile skills will be set up in Pune. Maharashtra would welcome cooperation from Britain in areas such as cleaning of rivers and water bodies, sewage treatment and management of solid waste, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said quoting Rao. Deputy High Commissioner of Britain in Mumbai Kumar Iyer was also present at the meeting. San Francisco 49ers Womens Jersey
‘If ONGC finds it viable, it can work with GSPC… Are they India and Pakistan?’
MoS, petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan talks about the challenge of delivering fuel to the grassroots level, stresses on the need to make LPG and kerosene subsidies more targeted, reflects on the BJP’s defeat in Bihar, and says Assam ‘voted for its aspirations’. Why Dharmendra Pradhan: Son of former BJP MP Debendra Pradhan, Dharmendra Pradhan was inducted into the Modi Cabinet after delivering a victory for the BJP in Bihar in the 2014 general elections. Though he couldn’t manage the same feat in the Assembly elections, Pradhan has been a consistent performer as MoS, petroleum and natural gas. Freeing up diesel prices from administrative control, reduction in LPG subsidies and the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, for providing subsidised LPG connection to the poor, are the highlights of his tenure. DHARMENDRA PRADHAN: Our ministry (petroleum), which has the primary responsibility of delivering clean domestic fuel, has done a good job in the last two years. It has penetrated to around 60% of the households. But delivering fuel to people at the grassroots level is still a challenge. To cater to that sector, we have introduced the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. SHEELA BHATT: In your government’s tenure so far, international prices of crude oil and gas have been the lowest in history. But somehow the Indian consumer hasn’t reaped the benefits of that. There is one question in the minds of people across the country: why hasn’t the consumer been given 100% benefit. That’s a model, I don’t dispute that. Let me talk about my difficulties. For the first time, the government bore the expenses of the BPL (Below Poverty Line) people, for whom paying Rs 2,500-4,000 for clean fuel was difficult. Isn’t it the responsibility of a welfare state to uphold the quality of life of poor people and protect their economic interest? The second fact is that since the sharing formula of the 14th Finance Commission, whatever money comes to our (Centre’s) account in the form of tax, 42% of that is offered to the states. As part of the cooperative federalism model, shouldn’t our states be strengthened financially? I said that we should offer 50% relief to people. But there was a danger. As you must have noticed that the (crude oil) prices have started rising. The gap should not be widened to such an extent that when there is spike, it pinches the people. Our research has revealed that many countries, both developed and developing, have adopted this model, but no one has passed on 100% (of the benefits). SHEELA BHATT: So what per cent of the benefits have been passed on to the consumers? Fifty per cent of the benefits (of reduced crude oil prices in the international market) have been passed on to the consumers. The remaining 50% has been saved and shared with the states. It has been spent on welfare activities. SHEELA BHATT: In its report tabled before the Gujarat Assembly, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) questioned the investments made by the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC). Firstly, we want to congratulate GSPC for its contribution in the exploration (of gas) globally. There is 24% gas in the world energy basket, and India’s share is 7%. (Of this 7%) Gujarat has a 25% share. This shows the competence of GSPC. So, I want to thank GSPC that it participated in bidding under the NELP (New Exploration and Licensing Policy). It participated in the third round of bidding too. (CAG questioned GSPC’s investment of R19,576 crore in the Krishna Godavari block project, among other observations.) According to the geological survey, of the five fields in high temperature-high pressure (HTHP) areas, GSPC has one field. These are very difficult fields. The nature of exploration (of oil and gas) is such that it has a 20-25% chance of success and till that time you will need to keep on spending. It is only when the production reaches the commercial phase that you start reaping the profits. So, what went wrong with GSPC, why couldn’t they convert their spending into profitability? The UPA government at one stage took the pricing mechanism, which should have been market-driven and assured by PSC (Production Sharing Contract), into its own hands. They should not have done that. Those who are questioning the viability of the project today… you did not give them (GSPC) the basic freedom and rights in PSC. After we came to power, in the new gas pricing formula that we have introduced, we have assured that we will bring in a different mechanism in deep and ultra-deep HTHP. The price mechanism that we have given now… there is a balance between cost of production and market price of GSPC. SUNIL JAIN: But even your government delayed freeing up gas prices for nearly two years? But today we have brought in good prices. There are so many stakeholders. We took one-and-a-half years, from October 2014 to March 2016, but we are bringing a futuristic model in the country and the world is appreciating the transparent model. There are bound to be some loose ends in policy-framing for such a big country. It can’t be knee-jerk. SUNIL JAIN: You managed to control diesel prices. The ‘Give It Up’ LPG subsidycampaign also benefited many. But now will you put a cap, since that could be a problem once the crude oil prices rise? You could say for instance that you won’t let LPG subsidy go above Rs 150 or Rs 200 per cylinder when the prices rise. Firstly, we won’t like to put any cap on LPG. We have set up a big model in a year; 10 million people have voluntarily given up LPG subsidy. Today, the LPG consumer base is of 16.70 crore people. Of this, 15.20 crore people are enjoying subsidy. So 1.5 crore people do not have subsidy. There should be a debate on the issue and a consensus should be formed. Some time back we collected data of LPG consumers from four to five
Kuwait to spend $115 bln on oil projects: official
OPEC member Kuwait has earmarked 34.5 billion dinars ($115 billion) to spend on oil projects over the next five years, despite the slump in oil prices, a senior executive said. “We have earmarked 34.5 billion dinars for spending on oil projects over the next five years,” Wafa al-Zaabi, head of planning at Kuwait Petroleum Corp, told an oil conference. “Over 30 billion dinars ($100 billion) will be spent on the local market and the rest abroad,” she said. Over two-thirds of the spending, or 23 billion dinars, has been allocated for exploration and production, Zaabi said. Kuwait aims to raise its production capacity, currently just over 3.0 million barrels per day, to 4.0 million bpd by 2020 and maintain it for another decade. Among main projects, it plans to build four gathering centres, carry out a key project to boost heavy oil production and raise output of free natural gas to over two billion cubic feet daily, from 150 million cubic feet currently, Zaabi said. Besides the upstream projects, Kuwait is currently implementing three downstream ventures costing over $30 billion. These include a new 615,000-bpd refinery and a clean fuel project to upgrade two of the three existing refineries, and a platform for LNG imports. Like other Gulf oil-exporting nations, Kuwait’s revenues have sharply dropped in the past 20 months due to a slump in oil prices. But the government has insisted it will continue capital investment as planned. Kuwait has amassed around $600 billion in surpluses in the 16 years to 2014 due to high oil prices. Around 95 percent of state revenues came from oil. Tramaine Brock Authentic Jersey
Our govt saved Rs. 360 billion leakages: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his government has saved over Rs.360 billion leakages in its campaign against corruption. “In our campaign to stop corruption, our government has saved over Rs. 360 billion leakages. About 16.2 million ration cards have been recovered,” said Modi at India Gate while giving accounts of his government’s performance in the past two years. “In Haryana, around six lakh fake ration cards were recovered,” he added. Modi further said: “Corruption has eaten away our country like termites. Those who looted our nation are not happy with our government.” “People ask me ‘Modiji you do such good work, then why are you criticised?’,” he said, adding what will people who get affected due to the steps taken by the government to stop corruption do except criticise. “No one can disagree that previous government was infected with corruption, but after we came to power we stressed on eradicating corruption,” he added. On cooking gas connections, Modi said: “In the next three years we will bring LPG connections to 50 million people.” Sam Mills Authentic Jersey
ONGC mulling buying majority stake in GSPC’s Krishna Godavri basin gas block
ONGC is mulling buying majority stake in GSPC’s Krishna Godavari basin gas block which will help prevent the Gujarat government firm’s Rs 195 billion loan from turning into an NPA. Since the BJP-led government took power in the Centre, Gujarat State Petroleum Corp Ltd (GSPC) is seeking to sell a majority stake in its KG-OSN-2001/3 (Deendayal) block in Bay of Bengal to Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), sources said. GSPC was to begin gas production from the block in 2013 but after sinking in $ 3.6 billion it was found that gas reserves are one-tenth of 20 trillion cubic feet claimed in 2005 and that too is technically difficult to produce. In the process it has amassed Rs 195.76 billion of debt, on which interest cost was Rs 18.041 billion in 2014-15, according to the CAG. And against this its revenue was Rs 1.525billion in 2014-15. Sources said GSPC has been doing trial production of a very small volume of gas from August 4, 2014 and has not yet reached commercial production and in absence of revenue commensurate with the debt servicing obligations it risks becoming a defaulter. To bail out of the situation, a few weeks back it offered to sell 50 per cent stake to ONGC, they said. Money from ONGC can repay a part of the debt and the remaining would become a joint liability of the two firms. Sources said GSPC also wants ONGC to use its undersea infrastructure for a fee. ONGC has gas discoveries in a neighbouring block and GSPC wants gas from those to be routed through its Deendayal block infrastructure for onward transportation to the shore. But the state-owned firm feels it was not technically feasible as its KG-D5 gas cannot be mixed with GSPC’s gas which has high levels of sulphur and carbon dioxide content. Also it is high-pressure and high-temperature gas. Besides, the GSPC facilities on Deendayal field are about 60-km away from the Cluster-II gas fields in ONGC’s KG-DWN-98/2 block and pumping gas that far is not feasible. Sources said ONGC feels it is not cost effective to install compressors on the seabed to pump gas from its fields to GSPC facilities. GSPC’s field is one of the most difficult fields in the world as cost of extracting gas would be in the vicinity of $12 per million British thermal unit, double the rate provided by the government currently, they said. The company is producing 0.6 million standard cubic metres per day (mmscmd) of gas from the field as trial production for almost two years now. As per the approved field development plan (FDP), natural gas production was to reach 3.83 mmscmd in second year and achieve peak output of 5.24 mmscmd in the third. Kavon Frazier Womens Jersey
In US, gasoline prices at 11-year low. But its days are numbered
Even with global oil prices grinding higher, American holiday travelers will see the cheapest prices at the pump in more than a decade for this holiday weekend, saving nearly 50 cents a gallon compared with last year. But the bargain-basement prices are probably fleeting. Declining oil supplies have led to a near doubling of crude prices since early February. On Thursday, the world’s benchmark prices breached $50 a barrel, and for the first time since August prices for regular gasoline have risen above $2 a gallon in all 50 states. The average gas station has raised its prices 17 cents a gallon over the last month — and 5 cents over the last week alone. The sharp decline in oil and gasoline prices since late 2014 because of a persistent global petroleum glut has been partly reversed in recent weeks as wildfires curbed production in Canada and rebel attacks throttled Nigerian oil exports. At the same time, oil companies are cutting back production in the United States and several other countries because of the recent collapse of oil prices — which still remain at levels that are roughly half what they were two years ago. And the low prices have raised demand for petroleum products in China, India and the United States. Oil and gasoline prices are not poised to return to levels of the days when crude was worth well over $100 a barrel, which became the norm in recent years. That was before the drilling frenzy in shale fields across the United States slashed imports and flooded the global market, while demand slowed in Europe and many developing markets. But the rig count in the United States is now down roughly 80 percent over the last two years, which means less exploration and production through the end of this year as output from older wells declines. Since service companies have slashed their payrolls, it will take as much as six months to rehire and organize new drilling crews to develop new wells, energy experts say. “The help the consumer has gotten in this weak economy from low oil prices is coming to an end,” said Larry Goldstein, a director of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, a research group funded by the government and oil industry. “The unanticipated supply disruptions are coming at the most inopportune time. Now U.S. production is declining and global inventories hare starting to decline along with it.” Oil executives and other experts say that still hefty global inventories will keep prices from rising to extremes anytime soon, but that oil prices are likely to rise at least another 10 percent during the next year. Further steady rises in price are expected through the end of the decade given the deep cuts in exploration investment across the global oil patch. But drivers probably should not worry about such projections too much for the rest of the summer. On Thursday, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline nationally was $2.31, 43 cents below a year ago, according to the AAA motor club. The Oil Price Information Service, which monitors fuel prices, expects that the average national price this summer will be $2.25 to $2.50 a gallon of regular, the cheapest summer driving since 2009. Refinery repairs have been particularly helpful in reducing prices in California. AAA expects 34 million people to drive at least 50 miles this holiday weekend, the most since 2005. It is part of a broader trend of more road travel as the economy improves. Experts say the Memorial Day traffic is just the beginning of a summer of traffic jams at the nation’s beaches and mountain parks. “The statistics over the last two years have been dramatic in terms of numbers of increased road trips during the critical holiday periods,” said Bill Sutherland, senior vice president for travel and publishing at AAA. “As the roads become busier, and as the hotels become used, as restaurants fill up, you will want to be sure you have effectively planned out the trip.” In the meantime, economists say that they see a benefit for lower-income people, who spend the highest proportion of their salaries on energy and generally drive older, gas-guzzling vehicles. Some of the states with the lowest gasoline prices, like Mississippi, South Carolina and Arkansas, have a large number of lower-income workers, many of whom drive long distances to work. And some sectors of the economy, including tourism, are also benefiting. “People are driving more and eating out more, and employment in restaurants is up incredibly,” said Mine K. Yucel, director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “People care about oil prices because they see the price of gasoline on every street corner. They experience the change in price every week or 10 days, and they feel they have more cash in their pockets.” If nothing else, the rising price has raised morale in the U.S. oil patch. “There is a chance the price could go down pretty quick,” said Denzil West, president of Reliance Energy, a Texas driller. “With prices being a little more stable, we’re cautiously optimistic, but a lot of companies have been wrecked and all the fallout has not been seen yet.” Gino Gradkowski Jersey
Tata Group enters e-commerce market with apparel, electronics website
India’s biggest conglomerate Tata Group launched an e-commerce venture on Friday, as it seeks to cash in on rising purchasing power in a market dominated by deep-pocketed international retailers and startups backed by global tech investors. The group said it developed its Tata Cliq website over a year-and-a-half at a cost of “several hundred million dollars” to be a marketplace for in-house and partner companies to sell apparel and electronics. The move is in line with a second phase in Indian e-commerce development, with the some of the country’s oldest and largest corporations entering an industry established in the last five years by startups Snapdeal and Flipkart Online Services Pvt Ltd . The market also welcomed global e-commerce firm Amazon.com Inc in 2013, which has invested over $2 billion for growth. Local conglomerates only lately entered the fray. Reliance Industries Ltd started an online apparel shop last month, while Aditya Birla Group and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd recently launched online retail platforms. For big business houses, e-commerce is an opportunity to capitalise on middle class growth and rapid internet adoption. By 2025, online merchandise sales will hit $220 billion in India from $11 billion last year, Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimated. But the market has fostered cut-price competition, with the top three players incurring millions of dollars in losses due to heavy discounts. Tata said its focus was profit margins and unit economics, and not just growing sales via discounts. “We don’t want to get into the discount wars, we want to serve customers with great products and build a sustainable business,” said Chief Executive Ashutosh Pandey of Tata Unistore, parent of the operator of Tata Cliq. To keep costs in check, Pandey said Tata would use its money establishing a large number of warehouses like other e-commerce players have done, and would instead build inventory networks around existing store locations owned by group partners. The group, whose businesses include steel production, tea packaging, information technology services and automobiles, has bet on new businesses in recent years with mixed success. Its retail businesses including sellers of gold ornaments, sunglasses, apparel and electronics have successfully expanded, but its mobile phone venture Tata Docomo is a marginal player. Sammie Coates Womens Jersey
Trying to take railways out of ICU: Suresh Prabhu
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today said efforts are on to take the public transporter ‘out of the ICU’ and create a situation where it can breathe well. “The railways was in deep trouble not now but in the last 20-30 years. That is what the Rakesh Mohan committee report had said. So now we are trying to create a situation where the railways will be able to breathe well,” he told PTI. Asked whether the national transporter is still in the ICU, he said, “We are trying to take it out of the ICU.” On measures to make it robust, Prabhu said, “In order to survive, the railways needs to revamp its operation. We are working on it. We are making it sure that the railways will be an engine of growth in the next few years. We are putting all our efforts into it.” To a question about the railways’ strategy since loadings are falling, the minister said a capacity to handle 1.2 billion tons of cargo will be created in the coming years. “Freight (traffic) falling is not in our hands, it depends on the growth of the core sector. When core sector grows freight will also grow. But we are ready to handle 1.2 billion tons of cargo. In the railways’ history for the first time, we have created such a handling capacity ahead of its demand. So now cargo has to come,” he said. Asked whether the railways is considering hiking passenger fare since the freight is not picking up and passengers growth rate is also not high, Prabhu said the regulatory authority will decide on it. “We are setting up a regulatory framework for fare decision. The regulator will decide what should be the fare,” he said. On certain trains being introduced recently with increased fare, he hinted at a possible separate fare structure for the new services. “We are starting four new products — Humsafar, Tejas, Antodaya and Uday. All these products will look at how to increase market share of the railways,” the minister said. While the fare of recently launched Gatimaan Express is 25 per cent higher than Shatabdi, Mahamana Express was started with 15 per cent more than the regular train fare. According to Rail Budget proposals, Humsafar would be fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals. Tejas, on the other hand, will showcase the future of train travel in India with operating speeds of 130 kmph and have on-board services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi. The railways also propose introduction of overnight Utkrisht Double-decker Air-conditioned Yatri (UDAY) Express on the busiest routes, which has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40 per cent. There is also a proposal for the introduction of Antyodaya Express, a long-distance, fully unreserved, super-fast train service, for the common man to be operated on dense routes. The railways which has a huge amount of data as it operates around 11,000 trains and carries about more than 2 crore passengers per day, is planning to moneytize its data. “It is the first time in the world we are doing it… moneytising of the data. We are taking help of experts to do it,” Prabhu said. Asked whether sharing data will be construed as compromising the privacy of railway customers, he said, “This is called operations data, not passenger data. There will be no compromise on privacy in any way.” On if IRCTC data concerning passengers details will be moneytised, he said, “It will be operations data and not passenger data. Nobody is interested in IRCTC data. We will moneytise operations data. You will come to know when we will do it. This is nothing to do with IRCTC data.” To a question about raising funds with the World Bank, Prabhu said, “That is also in an advanced stage, a separate fund of the World Bank for the railways. The World Bank is creating a separate fund with Indian Railways and details are being worked out.” Asked about the progress regarding two locomotives plants in Bihar involving FDI, he said, “We reviewed the progress of Madhepura and Marhora projects and they are on track.” He, however, noted, “It is not only FDI but investment in the railways will come. We will keep doing that. Station development contract is already in process. We have already given the contract to one and 10 more will be given soon. We are also doing it on government-to-government basis.” About reforms, he said, “All of our reforms will be bearing fruits in the next two-three years time. Some are already happening, some are in the process.” To a question comparing the railways with the road sector in terms of laying tracks, he said, “There is no comparision between road sector or that sector with this sector. “We are on the right track. The railways will be on the path of progress in the years to come,” Prabhu added. Sebastian Janikowski Womens Jersey
Discovered Small Fields Bid Round-2016 launched
In a bid to boost domestic oil and gas production, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Government of India today announced the commencement of the ‘Discovered Small Fields Bid Round-2016’ in New Delhi. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas launched the new bidding round. The technical information portal and e-bidding portal were also launched. Discovered Small Fields are oil and gas blocks which have so far remained commercially undeveloped, but are now in focus as the central government seeks to boost domestic hydrocarbon production. Under the announced ‘Discovered Small Fields Bid Round-2016’, 46 Contract Areas consisting of 67 different small fields are being offered to investors the world over, for exploration and production. Bids are being invited for developing and monetizing these contract areas having 625 Million Barrels of Oil and Oil Equivalent Gas (O+OEG) in-place volumes spread over 1500 square kilometers in Onland, Shallow water and Deepwater areas. Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), the technical arm of the Ministry, shall anchor the entire bidding process. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pradhan highlighted that India is now moving towards a new era of hydrocarbon production, driven by a forward looking Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP); and a new fiscal model based on Revenue Sharing Contract. This new phase is a move ahead from the earlier NELP; and Production Sharing Contract regime and addresses various industry concerns that led to slowdown in investment over the last few years. Single license for exploring all forms of hydrocarbons, graded system of royalty rates, pricing and marketing freedom for crude oil and natural gas, were some of the highlights of HELP mentioned by the Minister. He said that the Government is following principles of Enhancing Production, Attracting Investment, Generating Employment, Transparency, and Minimizing administrative discretion. Shri Pradhan said that a simpler and transparent administrative and fiscal system has been crated. Calling upon all industry stakeholders to participate in the bid rounds and be a part of new energy revolution in India, the Minister assured all support in endeavors. Some of the other prominent and industry friendly features of the bidding round are: · Single license to extract and exploit conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon fields · New fiscal regime based on revenue sharing model · Operational autonomy and flexibility for unit development in case of reservoirs extending beyond contract area or for joint development of common infrastructure · Exemption of Oil Cess and Custom duty · Full freedom for marketing and pricing for production from the awarded contract areas · Royalty in line with earlier New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) · Technical capability is not a pre-qualification criteria for bidding · Exploration allowed during entire contract period (20 years), which is mutually extendable for up to 10 years · No restriction on exploration activity during the contract period · Information Docket to be made available at e-bidding gateway · Physical Data Centers with Interpretation Facility would be set up in India and various others international locations where prospective bidders can access data · User-friendly e-bidding Portal and interactive video for easy navigation to be made available to bidders. · Discovered fields to be offered with no upfront signature bonus Roadshows would be held at different parts of the country and international venues to attract maximum interest of prospective bidders for the ‘Discovered Small Fields Bid Round-2016’, and to encourage industry players to participate in the bid process. Danton Heinen Authentic Jersey
Rs.5,534 cr investment in basic urban infra under Atal Mission approved in 6 States for 2016-17
Ministry of Urban Development will convene annual meetings of all States and Union Territories to discuss and review at the highest level progress of urban renaissance set in motion. A decision taken in this regard by the Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu was today conveyed to the six States that attended the meeting of the Apex Committee convened for approving annual action plans of States under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). Shri Rajiv Gauba, Secretary (UD), who is also the Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Apex Committee informed the participating States that Ministers of Urban Development and Housing of all States/UTs, Mayors and Municipal Chairpersons, Secretaries of Urban Development of States/UTs, Mission Directors and Municipal Commissioners of all 500 AMRUT cities will be attending the two day conference for taking stock of progress of urban sector reforms, implementation of new schemes etc., initiated during the last two years as a part of urban renaissance. The first such conference will be held in the next two months. Shri Gauba said that henceforth, the Ministry will approve States’ Annual Action Plans for the entire mission period based on which annual plans could be prepared and considered for approval before the commencement of a financial year to ensure timely execution. The six participating States informed the Committee that action is in progress for obtaining Credit Ratings for over 100 mission cities and the process would be completed before the end of this year. The Apex Committee chaired by Shri Rajiv Gauba approved a total investment of Rs.5,534 cr for providing household water taps, improving water supply, sewerage networks/septage management, storm water drains, urban transport and provision of open and green spaces in 111 Atal Mission cities in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand and Meghalaya. A total Central Assistance of Rs.2,453 cr will be given to these States. Under first approvals under AMRUT during the current financial year, Rs.2,126 cr will be spent on providing water supply connections to unconnected households and augmenting water supply, Rs.2,848 cr on expanding sewerage networks, Rs.140 cr on storm water drains, Rs.190 cr on urban transport and Rs.101 cr for improving open and green spaces in 111 mission cities in the six States. For 2016-17, approved investment in 34 mission cities of Madha Pradesh has been Rs.2,074 cr with Central assistance of Rs.862.80 cr, for 31 cities of Gujarat-Rs.1,401 cr with Central assistance of Rs.599.18 cr, for 29 cities of Rajasthan-Rs.1,120 cr with Central assistance of Rs.536 cr, for 9 cities of Odisha-Rs.531 cr with Central assistance of 265 cr, for 7 cities of Jharkhand-Rs.381 cr with Central assistance of Rs.164 cr and for the lone Mission city of Shillong in Meghalaya-Rs.26.67 cr with Central assistance of Rs.24 cr. These six States proposed a total investment of Rs.43,569 cr by 2019-20 under AMRUT. The proposals include : Gujarat- Rs.15,375 cr, Odisha-Rs.10,226 cr, MP-Rs.8,279 cr, Rajasthan-Rs.5,498 cr, Jharkhand-Rs.3,919 cr and Meghalaya-Rs.172 cr. With today’s approvals, the total investment approved for improvement of basic urban infrastructure under Atal Mission has gone up to Rs.26,416 cr with a total Central assistance of Rs.12,347 cr. The Apex Committee also approved release of Central assistance of Rs.520 cr for the JNNURM schemes under implementation. The Committee also approved release of Central assistance of Rs.20.19 cr to Meghalaya as second installment for procurement of 240 buses and Rs.4.00 cr to Maharashtra for Bus depot at Ghansoli and development of Intelligent Traffic Management System. Dion Phaneuf Jersey