(ET) The government is considering stricter conditions while extending loans from Power Finance Corp and Rural Electrification Corp to state power distribution companies to help them clear their dues to power generation plants, a senior official said. “The special loans by PFC and REC will have stricter performance norms like reducing commercial losses, bringing financial discipline, and implementing prepaid metering, besides state government guarantees, timely release of subsidies and timeframe for payment of government department dues,” the official said. However, distribution utilities of many states are not keen on borrowing money to pay their power bills, officials said.
Author: Amit Bhanot
(AU) उत्तर भारत में पहाड़ों से लेकर मैदानों तक हाड़ कंपाती ठंड का कहर जारी है। लद्दाख का द्रास बृहस्पतिवार को दक्षिणी ध्रुव के अंटार्कटिका से भी ज्यादा ठंडा रहा वहीं राजधानी दिल्ली की रात लंदन से अधिक सर्द थी। शुक्रवार की सुबह दिल्ली की न्यूनतम तापमान 4.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस दर्ज किया गया। दिल्ली की सर्दी 118 साल में दूसरे सबसे ठंडे दिसंबर का रिकॉर्ड तोड़ने की कगार पर है। 1901 के बाद 1997 में सबसे सर्द दिसंबर था जब इस महीने का औसत अधिकतम तापमान (एमएमटी)17.3 डिग्री रहा था। द्रास में न्यूनतम तापमान -30.2 डिग्री दर्ज किया जबकि अंटार्कटिका का न्यूनतम…
(BS) Thousands of police and paramilitary are on the streets in Uttar Pradesh to ensure peace for Friday prayers, seeking to prevent violence that killed at least 19 people in two weeks of protests against the new citizenship law. Internet has been suspended in 14 cities, including Bulandshar, Mathura, Ghaziabad and Agra, for the day to prevent rumours during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). India has been rocked by demonstrations since December 12, after the government enacted CAA that provides non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who moved here before 2015 a…
(ET) The government may come up with the highest-ever divestment target of Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the Budget come February. Sources told ET Now that the government may draw up a list of PSUs where stakes will be reduced below 51 per cent next year. The closure of NEEPCP and THDC sale to NTPC is likely before FY20-end. Another tranche of PSU ETF is likely before the end of this financial year. DIPAM is pushing for corporatisation of LIC and The Airports Authority of India (AAI) to help list the companies. It is eyeing about Rs 90,000 crore from the completion of BPCL and…
(PTI) Feedback Energy Distribution Company (Fedco) on Thursday said that it has partnered with Power Sector Skill Council (PSSC) for skill development across the country in a bid to meet the current and future skills needs of the power industry. Fedco also announced the launch of Fedco Power Centre of Excellence to offer technical and soft skills training programme for power sector workforce. “Fedco’s contribution to the skill development program on an all India basis has been further boosted by the signing of this agreement,” Fedco Managing Director Devtosh Chaturvedi said. Through this partnership, power sector professionals and interested students are expected to be trained on…
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a transformational organisational restructuring of the Indian Railways. This historic reform will go a long way in achieving Government’s vision of making Indian Railways the growth engine of India’s vikas yatra. The reforms include: Unification of the existing eight Group A services of the Railways into a Central Service called Indian Railway Management Service (/RMS) Re-organisation of Railway Board on functional lines headed by CRB with four Members and some Independent Members The existing service of Indian Railway Medical Service (IRMS) to be consequently renamed as Indian Railway Health…
(PTI) Delhi shivered with minimum temperature plummeting to 5.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, second lowest in December this year, which was two notches below the average. The minimum temperature on December 19 fell to 5.2 degrees Celsius. Moderate fog wrapped the city dropping visibility and delaying train traffic.Sixteen north-bound trains were delayed by 1-6 hours with Chennai Nizamuddin Duronto running over six hours late, said a Northern Railway officer.At 364, air quality index of the city was in ‘very poor’ category. The visibility at Safadarjung and Palam was 500 metre and 300 metre at 5.30 AM. It improved and became 600…
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval on an Agreement on Security Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that was signed on 29th October, 2019 during the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia. The Agreement aims to improve the effectiveness of both countries in the prevention and suppression of crimes including crime relating to terrorism and its financing and organized crime and to establish a framework for enhancing cooperation between the officials of intelligence and law-enforcement agencies of the…
(ET) In the run up to the budget, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal will meet trade ministers of four states on Thursday to prepare a road map to make every district in the country a hub of exports. The meeting follows Goyal’s consultation with industry captains, including Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday and Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran on Tuesday on their respective groups’ investment plans and the issues they face. Industry ministers of Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana will put a framework in place to promote industry and exports through their districts, sources said. While…
(PTI) The Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Mineral Development Corporation for supply of iron ore to the proposed integrated steel plant in Kadapa district. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to lay the foundation-stone for the steel plant, at Sunnapurallapalli and Peddanandluru villages of Jammalamadugu mandal on December 23. An extent of 3,295 acres of land has to be acquired in Jammalamadugu area of Kadapa district for the proposed plant. According to the Chief Minister, the proposed plant would be completed within three years and provide employment to about 20,000 persons. NMDC…