The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the second and third phase of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project to be implemented with financial assistance of the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

An official statement said that this will improve the safety and operational performance of 736 dams across the country, along with institutional strengthening with a system wide management approach.

“The project cost is ₹ 10,211 crore. It will be implemented over 10 years in two phases, each of six years with two overlapping years, from April 2021 to March 2031. The share of external funding is ₹7,000 crore of the total project cost, and balance ₹ 3,211 crore is to be borne by the concerned implementing agencies. Contribution of the Central government is ₹ 1,024 crore as loan liability and ₹285 crore as counterpart funding for Central Component,” the statement said.

Jute packaging

In another decision, the CCEA approved the extension of Norms for Mandatory Packaging in Jute Materials. Under these norms, 100 per cent of the food grains and 20 per cent of sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.

“The decision to pack sugar in jute bags will give an impetus to the diversification of the jute industry. Further, the decision also mandates that initially 10 per cent of the indents of jute bags for packing food grains would be placed through reverse auction on the Gem portal. This will gradually usher in a regime of price discovery. The Government has expanded the scope of mandatory packaging norms under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987,” an official statement said.

In case of any shortage or disruption in supply of jute packaging material, the Ministry of Textiles may relax these provisions, up to a maximum of 30 per cent of the production of food grains over and above the provisions. This relaxation will be implemented after consultation with the user Ministries concerned. The approval will benefit farmers and workers located in the eastern and north-eastern regions of the country particularly in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura, the statement said.

Bilateral cooperation

The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for signing Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan on bilateral cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Cambodia on cooperation in the field of Health and Medicine also got the Cabinet’s nod.

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