The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved further disinvestment of state-owned Hotel Gulmarg Ashok and Hotel Patliputra Ashok by way of transfers to the respective State governments of Jammu & Kashmir and Bihar.

As per the disinvestment policy of the government, it has been decided to return the India Tourism Development Corporation hotels — which were jointly held with the State governments — to the States, which were not agreeing to the proposal of leasing or subleasing, at the officially valued price, an official release said.

In another decision, the CCEA cleared a proposal to construct new domestic terminal building at Patna airport at an estimated cost of ₹1,216 crore.

The Cabinet also approved financial assistance of ₹825 crore for relining a feeder canal each in Punjab and Rajasthan. The projects are crucial for tackling waterlogging which affects a total of 84,800 hectares in Muktsar, Faridkot and Ferozpur districts in Punjab.

It also cleared a new broad gauge line of 295 km in Chhattisgarh connecting Katghora and Dongargarh at an estimated cost of ₹5,959 crore. The new railway line will provide rail connectivity to unserved areas the State, opening them up for industrial development through movement of freight to the busy Jharsuguda-Nagpur section of Howrah Mumbai route by avoiding busy yards of Bilaspur, Champa and Durg stations, it said.

Memorandums of understanding with many countries, including Uzbekistan, South Korea, Kenya and Russia, in diverse fields also received the Cabinet approval.

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