URJA MITRA app
11-Apr-2017: URJA MITRA empowers citizens by real time information sharing on power supply
URJA MITRA App was launched recently by the Ministry of Power to empower citizens by real time information sharing on power supply.
The app is a first of its kind application which provides a central platform, Web-Portal as well as Mobile App, for State Power Distribution utilities to disseminate power outage information to urban/rural power consumers across India through SMS/email/push notifications.
External Assistance for State Government entities
19-Apr-2017: Cabinet approves permission to avail external assistance by State Government entities from bilateral agencies
The Union Cabinet has approved the policy guidelines to allow financially sound State Government entities to borrow directly from bilateral ODA (Official development Assistance) partners for implementation of vital infrastructure projects.
The guidelines will facilitate the State Government entities to directly borrow from the external bilateral funding agencies subject to fulfilment of certain conditions and all repayments of loans and interests to the funding agencies will be directly remitted by the concerned borrower. The concerned State Government will furnish guarantee for the Loan. The Government of India will provide counter guarantee for the loan.
Several State agencies are implementing major infrastructure projects of national importance. These projects, even if viable and sound, have huge funding requirements and borrowing by the State Governments for such projects may exhaust their respective borrowing limits. Therefore, in order to accelerate the pace of investment in major infrastructure projects in the country without compromising the need for external assistance for other sectors, this enabling provision in the existing guidelines was considered necessary to facilitate direct borrowing by the State Government entities from bilateral external agencies.
Presently, external development assistance from bilateral and multilateral sources is received by the Government of India: For projects/programmes in the Central sector. For projects executed by Central Public Sector Undertakings. On behalf of the State Governments for State sector projects/programmes to be implemented by the State Governments and/or local bodies and public sector undertakings. The existing guidelines do not allow direct borrowings by the State Government entities from external agencies.
Bharat ke Veer
8-Apr-2017: Bharat ke Veer portal to enable donors to contribute towards the family of a brave heart who sacrificed life in line of duty
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the web portal and mobile application named “Bharat ke Veer”. The portal is an IT based platform, with an objective to enable willing donors to contribute towards the family of a Braveheart who sacrificed his/her life in line of duty.
The site “Bharat ke Veer” will be available on web portal as well as mobile application. The amount so donated will be credited to the account of ‘Next of Kin’ of those Central Armed Police Force/Central Para Military Force soldiers. This domain allows anyone to financially support the brave hearts of his/her choice or towards the “Bharat Ke Veer” corpus.
This website is technically supported by National Informatics Centre (NIC) and powered by State Bank of India. To ensure maximum coverage, a cap of 15 lakh rupees is imposed and the donors would be alerted if the amount exceeds, so that they can choose to divert part of the donation to another brave heart account or to the “Bharat Ke Veer” corpus. “Bharat Ke Veer” corpus would be managed by a committee made up of eminent persons of repute and senior Government officials, who would decide to disburse the fund equitably to the braveheart’s family on need basis.