The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday decided to provide a discount of ₹15/kg on pulses, over the wholesale market price, to States for distribution under welfare schemes like mid-meal, Public Distribution System, and Integrated Child Development Programmes (ICDP).

States and Union Territories will be offered to lift 34.88 lakh tonnes of Tur, Chana, Masoor, Moong and Urad at the discount of ₹15/kg over the prevailing wholesale market price on a first-come-first-serve basis.

This will be a one-time dispensation for a period of 12 months or complete disposal of 34.88 lakh tonnes of pulses stock, whichever is earlier.

“The Government will spend ₹5,237 crore for implementing this scheme,” said Minister of Electronics and IT, and Law & Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad, after the Cabinet meeting.

The CCEA also approved continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) beyond the 12th Five-Year Plan period. It will help in connecting 38,412 habitations at a cost of ₹84,934 crore (Central share is ₹54,900 crore and State share is ₹30,034 crore). The fund sharing pattern will be the same.

Scholarship scheme

It has also given approval for continuation and revision of the Centrally-sponsored scheme of “Post Matric Scholarship for Other Backward Classes Students for studying in India” (PMS-OBC) for the years 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20. To ensure effective implementation and better monitoring of the schemes, the government has decided annual parental income to be increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh and 30 per cent of the funds allocated are earmarked for girl students and 5 per cent for students with disabilities.

“The estimated cost of the scheme will be ₹3,085 crore,” Prasad said adding that this is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, which was initiated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998-99. It enables around 40 lakh OBC students to pursue higher study after class X per year.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has approved certain safeguards in the Triple Talaq Bill such as adding a provision of bail for the accused before trial. Prasad told reporters that the Cabinet has approved three amendments to the ‘Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill’ which has been cleared by the Lok Sabha and pending approval of the Rajya Sabha.

While the proposed law will remain “non-bailable”, the accused can approach a magistrate even before trial to seek bail. Under a non-bailable law, bail cannot be granted by police at the police station itself.

Prasad said a provision has been added to allow the magistrate to grant bail ‘after hearing the wife’. “But the offence of instant triple talaq under the proposed law remains non-bailable,” he clarified.

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