The Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme to encourage energy saving in energy intensive sectors such as power, steel and cement has begun to attract companies to its fold, according to CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, has included cement manufacturers among top nine energy consuming sectors which require efforts to improve efficiencies and bring down power consumption.

GANDHINAGAR: A high-level committee of Government of India's (GoI's) finance ministry has cleared a proposal that would enable the Gujarat government to receive nearly 90 per cent of all funds over the new five-year plan, 2012-17, for completing the unfinished task of building canal network of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said, the proposal, made on the basis of a plea from Gujarat, would mean all desert zones of India would be treated as drought prone.

It is a good news that Punjab no longer cheers for. The state is headed for a record wheat harvest of over 120 lakh tonnes this Rabi season surpassing all previous milestones. It is almost 10 lakh tonnes higher than the previous record of 110 lakh tonnes. The high production has come from better yield per acre, an average of 7 per cent more, owing to cool weather conditions and timely winter rain that also brought down the incidence of pest attack and disease.

Funds released by the Centre not utilised properly: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has picked holes in the implementation of the Centrally-assisted solar photovoltaic project in the State during 2005-07. The project launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in January 2006 encouraged the use of solar lighting systems in rural areas to bring down the consumption of kerosene.

Committee to review demand-supply situation after three weeks to prevent abnormal rise in prices

The commerce ministry has decided to lift the ban on export of cotton and allow traders to apply afresh for registration. The ban was lifted barely hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was scheduled to chair a meeting on export of farm products, including cotton. However, the Prime Minister’s meeting was later postponed.

GUWAHATI, April 26 – The declaration of tea as the National Drink of India is long overdue as no other drink can come even closer to tea in the country, observed the chairman of the Tea Board, MGVK Bhanu. He also said that the declaration of tea as the National Drink would not only give due recognition to tea, but it would also help in increasing exports.

PANJIM: The leases of 89 operational mines, working on deemed leases would be renewed by end of May with State Government in process of imposing revised rates of Stamp Duty.

A stamp duty of Rs 1 lakh per hectare is likely to be imposed on the mines for renewal. As per the Mines and Minerals Regulation Development (MMRD) Act, which is under amendment, States have the power to increase stamp duty on mining leases if the royalty payments exceed the levels assumed at the time of the lease.

The contentious issue of India’s poverty estimates is all set to get a relook, with the government informing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that it will soon be appointing a technical group to “revisit” this matter.

The government also told the House that the expert panel will be constituted and its terms of reference finalised in the next two or three weeks. It assured the House that if necessary, it will “revisit the indicators for determining poverty”.