Tag: crore

JK Govt To Spend Rs 560 Crore On Agriculture, Allied Sectors Under HADP

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SRINAGAR: The agriculture and allied sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are poised for significant growth and boost with launch of a slew of technological advancements and extension programs, government said on Tuedsay.
These interventions, incentivized through various schemes and projects, have already led to improvements in quality and quantity of produce in the region, a government spokesperson said.
However, the challenge remains in integrating smallholder produce with market systems that are both effective and transparent. This will ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their goods while consumers get good value for their money. To tackle this issue, Jammu and Kashmir is implementing a project under Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) that aims to strengthen the existing market infrastructure and create a robust market ecosystem that caters to the needs of all stakeholders, it said.
Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, emphasized that the proposed project will be segmented into several key areas. These included market reforms, infrastructure development, institutional and capacity building, branding, digital marketing, and market research information systems. The project aims to achieve its objectives through an investment of Rs 560 crore, which will be spread over a period of five years.
Dulloo expressed confidence that this project will bring about significant improvements in agriculture and allied sectors in Jammu & Kashmir, providing a boost to the region’s economy and benefiting farmers and consumers alike.
The project aims to improve the Terms of Trade (ToT) in favor of farmers, improve efficiency and effectiveness of the market ecosystem and minimize the value loss while maximizing societal welfare. The proposed activities or areas of intervention will strengthen the existing agricultural marketing system in Jammu & Kashmir, bringing long-term dividends across stakeholders, particularly farmer-producers.
The proposed project also envisages significant growth in agriculture and allied sectors through various activities. The market reforms included implementation of an open auction system, a single license for trading in all mandies, and institutionalization of post-harvest infrastructure with the eNAM network. Infrastructure development will involve converting mandies into value chain parks, creating new mandies and installing composting units. Besides, institutional building and capacity development will focus on the formation of Niche Product Marketing FPOs.
Branding activities will include creation of two Agriculture Branding Centers, mapping of existing branding practices, farmers/FPO brand building training and workshops, and integration of branded niche products with the tourism and hotel industry. Lastly, rural business and service hubs will be established in production areas.

The Directorate of Horticulture, Planning & Marketing will be responsible for on-ground implementation of the project and will serve as the nodal agency for providing unified licensing to potential traders.
The government of Jammu & Kashmir is set to implement this new project that aims to transform the agriculture sector through a multi-faceted approach. This approach includes market reforms, development of infrastructure, and promotion of institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs.
Market reforms will bring transparency and fairness in trading practices, genuine price for produce, increase the number of buyers, and fair competition. This will result in an increase in producers’ share in consumer rupee. Infrastructure development will create an efficient and effective market ecosystem, minimize value loss, overcome distress sale, improve logistics, adhere to quality standards, ease of doing business, target unattended geographies, waste to wealth, and minimize environmental pollution.
Private entrepreneurs will be responsible for development of infrastructure, including CA stores, grading lines, mini cold stores, reefer vans and pick-up vans. The Directorate of Horticulture, Planning & Marketing will establish composting units at potential mandies, and also create new mandies in collaboration with the respective District Administrations.
The promotion and support of institutional building and capacity development of Niche Product Marketing FPOs will be done in collaboration with allied departments and Agriculture Universities of the UT. The emphasis will be laid on branding of agriculture produce to promote marketing and competitive advantage of Niche crops. This will also result in scale economies in input and output marketing, operations, bargaining power, contract farming, better terms of trade (ToT), self-reliance, and confidence.
The project will also include the identification, capacity building, and promotion of Rural Business & Service Hubs (RBSHs) across all districts of J&K. This intervention will provide quality inputs/services, improve logistics in management operations, improve yield and quality produce, technology outreach, extension of improved varieties and machines, and market information
A dedicated Market Intelligence Cell will be established at SKUAST-K in collaboration with concerned Departments. The establishment of this Cell will result in creation of decision support system, improved marketing strategy by stakeholders, fairness in trading, more competition, and better policy outcomes. Digital marketing will play a pivotal role in doubling farmers income. It will increase the visibility online and enable potential customers to find agricultural business online. The digital marketing strategy will be more effective in case of niche products from UT of J&K to reach the potential customers across the country and globe.
In order to facilitate online marketing of niche based agri/horti/livestock/fishery/NTFPs, a dedicated web portal may be made operational for online marketing under PPP mode. The portal will be customized for J&K Niche Products for effective marketing strategy.
The proposed project will have both direct and indirect beneficiaries. Direct beneficiaries will include farmers, market functionaries, potential entrepreneurs, employable masses in infrastructure development, and employable masses in value creation. Indirect beneficiaries will include consumers/customers, importers/buyers, outsource sector/industry, and indirect employable masses.
Under the initiative, a 50% capital subsidy will be offered for the establishment of 11 Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores, each with a capacity of 5000 MT, at a unit cost of Rs. 30.00 cr. In addition, a 50% subsidy will be provided for the establishment of 12 hi-tech grading lines, 275 portable grading lines, reefer vans, pick up vans, and mini cold stores. Four mechanized windrow composting units, 16 simple composting units, and four new mandies will also be established at a cost of Rs. 49.00 cr.
The Institutional Building and Capacity Development component of the project will see 55 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) established with an investment of Rs. 11.00 cr, and 35 capacity building training programs arranged for FPOs, costing Rs. 1.05 cr. Additionally, two Agriculture and Branding Centers will be established in each division at a cost of Rs. 5.20 cr.
A 50% subsidy will be provided for establishment of 400 Rural Business and Service Hubs, with a ceiling of Rs. 15.00 lakh on each hub. Finally, the infrastructure for digital marketing and market intelligence will be established at a cost of Rs. 11.30 cr.
The off-season availability of fruits and vegetables is also expected to improve. Value creation is anticipated to increase by 25% to 75%, and there will be an increase in income, value output, employment, reduced food wastage, and an efficient decision support system. As a result, this investment is expected to be highly beneficial.
The project will result in several key outputs, including the establishment of 11 CA stores with a capacity of 55,000 MT, 12 hi-tech grading lines, 25 mini cold stores, four new mandies in Samba, Reasi, Kishtwar, and Bandipora, 400 Rural Business & Service Hubs, two Agri Branding centers, and one Market Intelligence Cell. This project is also expected to create 6,000 jobs and 629 enterprises in the next five years.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 4, 2023
I-T dept seized assets worth over Rs 4,800 crore in last 4 fiscals: Govt

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New Delhi: Assets worth more than Rs 4,800 crore were seized during searches conducted by the Income Tax department against 2,841 groups in the last four financial years, the government informed Lok Sabha on Monday.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said these searches are undertaken to find “suspected or identified large-scale tax evasion”.
He shared the figures in this regard as part of a written reply furnished in the Lok Sabha.

The data pertains to financial years 2019-20, 2020-22, 2021-22 and 2022-23 (provisional figures till January 2023) and Chaudhary said a total of 2,841 groups were searched by the I-T department leading to seizure of assets worth Rs 4,863.12 crore.
The highest seizure of assets took place during the last fiscal of 2022-23 (data till January 2023) at Rs 1,533.23 crore with searches being conducted against a total of 602 groups, the data stated.
Properties worth Rs 1,159.59 crore were seized after searches against 686 groups in 2021-22, assets worth Rs 880.83 crore were seized after action against 569 groups in 2020-21 and assets worth Rs 1,289.47 crore were seized during searches against 984 groups in 2019-20.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 3, 2023
Generous Givers: British Muslims Give Rs 10,000 Crore In Charity In A Year

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SRINAGAR: The British Muslims are Europe’s generous givers as far as charity goes. A survey report made public early this year said that British Muslims give nearly one billion pounds a year, which is more than Rs 10,000 crores.
A research report published by the London-based think tank, the Ayaan Institute, reports that UK Muslim humanitarian charities raised £708M for causes in 2020. It also estimates that this amount, combined with Muslim giving to UK charitable causes (including 2752 mosques and prayer venues), means UK Muslims generously give at least £1Bn a year to charity, projected to reach £4Bn by 2050.
Ramzan, the Muslim month of fasting, is a major contributor to charity across Europe and especially in the UK. A report said UK Muslims give on average more than £130 million to charity this month.
The donations are so hugely expected that the Charity Commission for England and Wales issued an advisory. “Ramadan is a time of huge generosity among British Muslims, and the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, as well as the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis, make it especially important that their charitable contributions support good causes through registered charities. Regulators are therefore issuing advice to remind British Muslims to make checks, ensuring their donations reach registered charities.”
Early March, William and Catherine, the prince and princess of Wales, showered praises on British Muslims for raising record funds to aid victims of the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria. The royals, with the princess wearing a headscarf, visited the Hayes Muslim Centre to thank volunteers who raised 30000 pounds within a few hours. Late last year, they raised more than 13 million pounds for flood-devastated Pakistan.
Part of the charity goes to the relief and rehabilitation of refugees across the world. A report by Brown University in the United States said that around 37 million people (3.70 crore), mostly Muslims, have become refugees or displaced since the start of the War on Terror in 2001.
This year, local issues will remain the key pressure on Muslim charities in the UK. Islamic Relief, the London-based major Muslim charity said that an estimated 16 lakh British Muslims have landed in poverty and deprivation because of the cost-of-living crisis. This makes up almost half of the British Muslim population.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

April 2, 2023
SHGs in Telangana to get Rs 2710 crore loans from Sree Nidhi

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Hyderabad: Women SHGs (self-help groups) in Telangana will be receiving Rs 2710 crore in the new financial year from Stree Nidhi Credit Cooperative Federation Limited.
The Federation approved the move in its 10th General Body Meeting held in the city on Friday.
Extension of the Mandala Samakhya’s term to three years from the existing one year and an appeal to extend Rs 5 lakh insurance coverage for SHG members in case of death was also decided during the meeting.
Lauding the services provided by the federation, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development minister E Dayakar Rao said that the Telangana Stree Nidhi was now a role model to other states.
“Impressed with the Stree Nidhi operations, the Rajasthan government was emulating the concept,” he said.
“Stree Nidhi was functioning efficiently for the last 12 years, and 5.3 lakh members from 1.59 lakh SHGs had obtained loans for different projects,” the minister added.
Employees at the event were further awarded by the minister for their input and consistency in their performances.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 1, 2023
India’s defence exports will rise up to Rs 40,000 crore by 2026: Rajnath Singh

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Pune: India would be exporting defence equipment and material worth Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore by 2026, Union minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday.
The defence minister was delivering the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw memorial lecture here on ‘The role of youth in nation building’, organized by Symbiosis International University.
“First, there should be a sense of self-confidence that we will make India `atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant). In 2014, we used to do defence exports of only Rs 900 crore, but since India has adopted Indianization (program), today we are doing the defence export of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 16,000 crore,” he said.
He was confident that by 2026, defence sector exports would rise to Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 crore, the minister added.
“There is a need to create an eco-system, and more than the eco-system, there is a need to generate self-confidence among ourselves, as with self-confidence, anything is possible,” he added.
He was proud of the defence forces which are now meeting 80 percent of their needs through indigenous procurement, Singh said.
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#Indias #defence #exports #rise #crore #Rajnath #Singh

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Andhra Pradesh: Rs 3 crore penalty on TTD for FCRA violation

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Tirupati: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on India’s richest religious trust, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy said on Monday that the RBI has imposed the penalty for not adhering to FCRA norms while depositing foreign currency dropped by devotees in ‘Hundi’ into the bank accounts.
He said the TTD’s FCRA license lapsed in 2018 and since this has not been renewed yet, the TTD board is facing problems in depositing foreign currency in its bank accounts.
Subba Reddy also revealed that the TTD has paid the RBI penalty of Rs 3 crore in two installments. The TTD has also requested RBI to renew the FCRA license.
The TTD chairman said the TTD currently has foreign currency amounting to Rs 30 crore. The foreign currency was dropped by devotees anonymously in ‘Hundi’ at Tirumala temple.
The TTD manages the affairs of Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala, considered as the world’s richest Hindu temple, and some other shrines in different parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Subba Reddy reviewed the arrangements made at Tirumala for the summer season.
The TTD also decided to issue Divya Darshan tokens from April 1 for the devotees who walk up to the hill shrine.

Every day, 10,000 tokens will be issued per day for pilgrims using Alipiri walkway. Another 5,000 tokens will be issued for those reaching the temple through the Tirumala steps route.
Subba Reddy said during summer break, recommendation letters will be reduced. The TTD also decided to tighten the rules in the matter of allotment of rooms in Tirumala.
The TTD chairman said that with the introduction of face recognition technology, accommodation will be provided to devotees in a transparent manner.
Last week, the TTD announced that it has passed a Rs 4,411 crore budget for 2023-24, a big jump of 43 per cent over the previous year.
The budget for 2023-24 is said to be the highest since the TTD’s inception in 1933.
The big increase in budget size was attributed to the phenomenal rise in Hundi collections or devotees’ offerings at the ancient temple.
For the current year, the lion’s share of revenues totalling Rs 1,591 crore are anticipated from Hundi and other capital receipts. Similarly, interest receipts are expected to generate Rs 990 crore, while Rs 500 crore is expected to be realised from laddu and other ‘prasadam’ sales.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 27, 2023
ED Attaches Rs 252 Crore Worth Commercial Property In JK Bank Fraud Case

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SRINAGAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a provisional attachment order under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to seize a multi-storeyed commercial complex, worth more than Rs 252 crore, located in Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh area in connection with its probe into an alleged bank fraud case against the Ambience Group, The Tribune reported.
Tribune reported that the ED in an official statement said that the immovable property “is named Ambience Tower and it belongs to a company called Ambience Towers Pvt Ltd”, a firm of the Ambience Group promoted by Raj Singh Gehlot.
Petinently, FIR and chargesheets filed by the Jammu and Kashmir anti-corruption bureau that found that a company named Aman Hospitality Pvt Ltd, through its promoter director Gehlot, was sanctioned term loan facility of Rs 810 crore by a consortium of banks led by J&K Bank to part finance its hotel project in Shahdara, Delhi.
“The loan amount later turned into an NPA. During investigation, it was revealed that Gehlot had diverted loan funds and layered the same through a web of bank accounts belonging to his relatives and Ambience Group companies,” the ED said, adding that it also found that the promoter of the company “diverted” materials to the other project sites of the Ambience Group.
Gehlot was arrested by the ED in September 2021 in this case. His wife Sheela Gehlot and other directors of the Ambience Group such as Amit Gehlot, Shamsher Singh and Pawan Singh were also named as accused in the chargesheets filed by the ED earlier.

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#Attaches #Crore #Worth #Commercial #Property #Bank #Fraud #Case
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 25, 2023
Centre approves Rs 318 crore for Tanakpur-Pithoragarh all-weather road

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Pithoragarh: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has allocated Rs 318 crore for the construction of the 150-km-long Tanakpur-Pithoragarh all-weather road.
NHAI Executive Engineer Sunil Kumar said the approval has been given for the construction of the road on NH-9, which will be done in four phases.
“We will first repair 49 landslide-prone spots on the strategically important road so that landslides can be prevented from happening and the road can stay open even during the monsoon,” Kumar said.
He said the proposal has been finalised on the basis of a report prepared by expert agency THDL, which has been appointed the supervisor for the project by the ministry.
The central government had in 2016 approved the Tanakpur-Pithoragarh stretch, which is part of the bigger road project traversing the ‘Char Dham’ pilgrim spots being built at the cost of Rs 12,000 crore.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
AP: Gold worth Rs 7.48 crore seized by Vijayawada Customs

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Vijayawada: The Customs Commissionerate in Vijayawada seized 12.97 kilogram of gold worth Rs 7.48 crore and nabbed four individuals during a special operation, officials said on Wednesday.
According to officials, the gold was being smuggled to Andhra Pradesh.
The operation involved interception at multiple locations across the state where the customs officials got hold of carriers of smuggled gold who were travelling in different modes of public transport.
Four individuals carrying the precious yellow metal were arrested under provisions of the Customs Act 1962 and further investigations are on.
According to a release, the customs officers seized 12.97 kg gold, estimated to be worth Rs 7.48 crore.
“The gold seized predominantly included gold whose foreign markings were deliberately defaced to try and camouflage the smuggled nature of the gold,” it added.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 23, 2023
Delhi: AAP govt allocates Rs 16,575 crore for education sector

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New Delhi: The Delhi government will provide new tablets to all teachers, principals and vice-principals, besides setting up new computers in 350 schools in the national capital in 2023-24.
The Delhi Budget presented by Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday allocated Rs 16,575 crore for the education department for the year 2023-24.
In the 2022-23 Delhi Budget, the education sector received the highest allocation of Rs 16,278 crore.
Providing 20 new computers to each of the 350 schools under the Delhi government and teaching of French, German, Japanese and Spanish languages in Schools of Specialised Excellence are the highlights of Delhi’s budget for the education sector.
The minister said more branches of the Ambedkar Schools of Specialised Education will come up in 2023. In 2021, there were 20 schools of specialised education, which will be increased to 37 in 2023.
Gahlot also announced that schools and industries will collaborate to develop professional skills for children at Schools of Applied Learning.
According to the Delhi government, around 56 students of the first batch of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Curriculum got direct admissions in the top seven universities of Delhi in courses such as BBA and B.Tech.
The first batch of Delhi’s Model Virtual School got students from 14 different states across the nation, the minister said.

He further said that in the past eight years, 1,410 teachers, principals and educators were sent to Finland, Singapore and Cambridge by the Delhi government, 1,247 principals received training in IIM Ahmedabad and 61 principals in IIM Lucknow.
State-of-the-art sports complexes have been developed in the last five years, including the International Sports Complex in Kair (Najafgarh), Mundhela Sports Complex and the Pehladpur Sports Complex, Gahlot said.
Projects in the pipeline include a wrestling hostel and relaying of synthetic tracks at the Chhatrasal Stadium, upgrading the Rajiv Gandhi stadium and construction of a squash centre at the Thyagraj stadium, the minister said.
He added that there are plans to develop a multipurpose sports complex at Samaspur Khalsa in Najafgarh for which 35 acres of land have already been allocated.
The government has disbursed an amount of Rs 110 crore to more than 9,000 players in the last eight years, the minister said.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 22, 2023