A state government official said the Cabinet gave its nod to Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy-2021 which envisages clean and green energy development through expeditious use of full energy potential specially hydro and solar.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Friday gave nod for new energy and sports policy in a Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
A state government official said the Cabinet gave its nod to Swaran Jayanti Energy Policy-2021 which envisages clean and green energy development through expeditious use of full energy potential specially hydro and solar.
The policy will aim to add an additional 10,000 MW of green energy through hydro, solar and other green energy sources by 2030, expeditious development of green energy sources, a four pronged strategy by way of participation of state, joint, central and private sectors.
It also aimed at developing an adequate and efficient transmission network in the State by creating a transmission Master Plan to facilitate planning and timely execution of hydro and solar projects. It also lays stress on renewable energy sources viz solar, wind, biomass and other non-conventional energy sources.
The Cabinet also gave its approval to the Himachal Pradesh Swarnim Jayanti Sports Policy 2021 which lays emphasis on developing, maintaining and optimally utilizing high quality sports infrastructure, encourage public private participation in creating sports infrastructure, coordinate with educational institutions for promotion of sports and to encourage, train and support sportspersons for participation and excellence in national and international championships with high standards of ethics.
The policy also aims at introducing scientific research in training for long term sports development and recognize and honour talent in sports and reward young women and men who have achieved excellence in sports, he added.
He stated that it also decided to dispense with the process of 15 marks evaluation and enhancement of weightage of written test from 85 to 100 marks for direct recruitment to Class-III posts to ensure more objective selection in a transparent manner.
The Cabinet gave its ex post facto approval for 100 percent waiver/exemption of Token Tax, Special Road Tax and Passenger Tax of various categories of vehicles to provide relief to the transporters keeping in view the effect due to the Corona pandemic. It decided to waive of remaining 50 percent Token Tax on Stage Carriage, Taxi, Maxi, Auto and Contract Carriage buses, Institutional Buses and 100 percent Token Tax on Contract Carriage Buses and Special Road Tax on Stage Carriage with effect from 1st August, 2020 to 30th June, 2021. It also decided to waive off 100 percent Token Tax on Stage Carriage, Contract Carriage and Institutional Buses and Special Road Tax of Stage Carriage with effect from 1st July, 2021 to 30th November, 2021. It also decided to waive off 100 passenger tax on contract carriage and institutional buses with effect from 1st April, 2020 to 30th November, 2021.
He further stated that the Cabinet gave its approval for restructuring of the State Taxes and Excise Department. Creation and filling up of posts would be carried out by the Department in a phased manner in consultation with the Finance Department and in sync with the restructuring proposal.
The Cabinet gave its nod to provide relief to flood affected farmers of Lahaul Spiti district for current agriculture and horticulture losses caused due to extensive rains on 27 to 30 July last year. The farmers would be provided Rs 2000 per bigha for losses between 25 to 50 percent, Rs 2500 per bigha for losses between 50 to 75 percent and Rs. 3000 per bigha for losses to agricultural and horticultural crops above 75 percent. Rs 3000 per bigha would also be provided to farmers for losses to their lands caused due to landslides/flash floods/avalanches etc and Rs 1000 per bigha would be provided for desilting of agricultural and horticultural lands, he added.
IRFC becomes first CPSE to list Green Offshore Bonds at Indian stock exchanges
Speaking on the exclusive listing, Mr Amitabh Banerjee, Chairman and Managing Director, IRFC said: “IRFC’s return to the bond market and the overwhelming support from international investors underscores the confidence in IRFC as the premier quasi-sovereign issuer in the country.”
Indian Railway Finance Corporation Limited (IRFC) has become the first Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) to exclusively list its Green Offshore Bonds at Indian stock exchanges.
IRFC, the dedicated market borrowing arm of the Indian Railways, has launched its USD 500 million 144A/Reg S USD Bonds under the 7 billion Global Medium Term Note (GMTN) Programme rated at par with the sovereign, with exclusive listing at India INX and NSE-IFSC.
IRFC is the first CPSE to list its offshore bonds exclusively at Indian stock exchanges established in the GIFT City, Gandhinagar.
The bonds were issued in a single tranche of 10 year. The order book of the USD 500 million 10-year tranche was over-subscribed to the tune of 2.4 times.
In the current highly uncertain volatile conditions, the bonds have been priced very tightly over the 10-year benchmark UST on account of superior credit quality of IRFC.
Even in volatile market conditions this year, IRFC managed to price the deal at negligible new issue concession over their existing secondary.
The captioned bonds issuance received strong response from the US, Asia, Europe and EMEA.
The investors ranged from Sovereign funds, Investment Funds, Pension Funds, Insurance funds, Asset Management Companies, Banks and Hedge funds spread across the globe.
IRFC’s USD 144A/Reg S Bonds are Green Bonds issued under IRFC’s Green Framework for Green Debt Financing with exclusive listing being done at INX and NSE-IFSC.
Speaking on the exclusive listing, Mr Amitabh Banerjee, Chairman and Managing Director, IRFC said: “IRFC’s return to the bond market and the overwhelming support from international investors underscores the confidence in IRFC as the premier quasi-sovereign issuer in the country.”
Banerjee further said the listing of Green Offshore Bonds by IRFC will give impetus to other CPSEs and other SOEs across India to follow the same path and proceed with exclusive listing at Indian Stock Exchanges.
Tata steel initiates steps to combat COVID-19
Similar to the preparation done for the earlier two waves, the company is geared up to address the challenge this time around, by providing facilities in health care, safety, access control, transport and administration fronts to contain the spread of the virus. 99% of its employees are already double vaccinated through the various drives undertaken by the company.
Tata Steel Meramandali has put in place a series of measures in its plant located at Narendarpur in Dhenkanal district of Odisha, to combat the threat of the third wave of the pandemic, the company claimed in a statement.
Similar to the preparation done for the earlier two waves, the company is geared up to address the challenge this time around, by providing facilities in health care, safety, access control, transport, and administration fronts to contain the spread of the virus. 99% of its employees are already double vaccinated through the various drives undertaken by the company.
The unique POD concept, dividing employees into self-contained smaller groups which operate independently, developed by the unit during the early phase of COVID, has been put in action.
It makes it easier to keep track of positive cases, isolate them and treat them without infecting others. To stop crowding at canteens, food parcels are provided to replace in-house dining facilities, it added.
James Webb Space Telescope finally to launch on Christmas
The mission will explore the outer planets while focusing on our own solar system, as many exoplanets resemble Neptune and Uranus.
NASA’s next-generation space telescope is ready to launch after more than two decades of development.
The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch on Saturday (Dec. 25) at 7:20 a.m. EST during a 32-minute window (1220 GMT). The enormous observatory will launch from Kourou, French Guiana, atop a European launch company Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket. Beginning at 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT), NASA will broadcast live coverage of the launch on Space.com or directly on the agency’s website.
Now, providing all goes well, the James Webb Space Telescope will spend a little under two days on the launch pad. If the rocket misses its Saturday launch window, possibilities will be available every day until the end of the year.
NASA is in charge of the observatory, with cooperation from European and Canadian space agencies. The telescope will spend its first month in orbit unfurling in a laborious deployment phase and travelling out to its station, which will be 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) beyond Earth.
Scientists believe that by mid-2022, the telescope will be collecting data on the solar system, galaxy, and far beyond. The observatory will focus on gathering infrared light, which will aid scientists in studying the universe’s initial origins.
The James Webb Space Telescope was announced by NASA in 2002, and construction began two years later. Although the observatory was supposed to start in 2007, it has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.
The telescope will investigate the atmospheres of a variety of exoplanets. It will also look for atmospheres similar to Earth’s, as well as the signatures of important chemicals like methane, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and complex organic molecules, in the hopes of discovering life’s fundamental building blocks.
The mission will explore the outer planets while focusing on our own solar system, as many exoplanets resemble Neptune and Uranus.
(With European Space Agency inputs)