The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, released the “Report to the People” at a function in New Delhi today. Following are the highlights including the executive summary of the Report to the People 2009-10:
The Report to the People 2009-10 is in continuation of the tradition of transparency and accountability set by the UPA-I Government.
The Report begins with a foreword by the Prime Minister, which delineates the priorities and policies of the Government. As the Prime Minister mentions:
“The second UPA government is dedicated to building an economically stronger, a socially just, a culturally vibrant, a regionally balanced, a politically participative, a fully educated, a technologically modern, a creative and enterprising India. As we enter the second year of our second term we rededicate ourselves to these objectives and to the welfare of all our citizens.”
The political philosophy informing the UPA government’s functioning is reflected in Smt. Sonia Gandhi’s view:
“It is the responsibility of every government to ensure that their legislative agenda has at its core, a genuine concern for the well-being of the common man, that it is reflective of their hopes and their aspirations.”
The report is organized around 12 themes:
1. Enabling Human Development: (i) Education (ii) Health (iii) Child Rights
2. Social Inclusion: (i) Food Security (ii) Empowering Women (iii) Empowerment and Development of Weaker Section (iv) An Inclusive Agenda for the Minorities (v) Disability to Empowerment (vi) Caring for the Senior Citizens (vii) Welfare of Ex-Servicemen & Serving Defence Service Personnel (viii) Welfare of Workers (ix) Financial Inclusion
3. Rural Renewal: (i) Bharat Nirman (ii) Rural Employment (iii) Agriculture – Towards Food Security and Welfare of Farmers (iv) Panchayati Raj
4. Transforming Cities: (i) Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (ii) Mass Transport – Metro Projects and Buses (iii) Housing for the Urban Poor (iv) Public-Private Partnership Initiatives
5. Economic Resurgence: (i) Macroeconomic Overview (ii) Industrial Performance (iii) Energy (iv) Transport Infrastructure
6. Sustaining the Environment: (i) National Action Plan on Climate Change (ii) Compensatory Afforestation (iii) Green Tribunal (iv) Mission Clean Ganga
7. New Horizons: (i) Science and Technology (ii) Space Programme (iii) Information and Broadcasting (iv) Tourism (v) Culture (vi) Commonwealth Games (vii) National Youth Corps (viii) India post
8. Managing Disasters: (i) National Disaster Policy and Disaster-Specific Guidelines (ii) National Disaster Response Force (iii) Relief for Floods (iv) Cyclone Shelters
9. Addressing Special Development Needs: (i) The Northeast (ii) Jammu & Kashmir (iii) Bundelkhand
10. Security: (i) Internal Security Initiatives (ii) Managing Borders (iii) Defence
11. Governance and Civil Society: (i) Reforms (ii) Centre-State Relations
12. Building Bridges: (i) External Affairs (ii) Overseas Indians
The enclosed executive summary gives brief synopsis of Government’s initiatives and policies during 2009-2010.
REPORT TO THE PEOPLE 2010
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Education
1) The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 was enacted in August 2009. Notifications have been issued for the enforcement of the Constitution (86th Amendment) Act and the RTE Act with effect from 1st April 2010.
2) In 2009-10, till 31st December 2009, 7400 new primary schools and 11847 upper primary schools were opened, 35427 teachers appointed, 9708 additional classrooms constructed, 26.62 lakh teachers provided in-service training and 9.54 crore children provided textbooks.
3) During 2009-10, about 11 crore children were benefited by the Mid-day meal scheme.
4) The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan was launched in March 2009 with the objective of improving access to secondary education. During 2009-10, clearance was given to setting up 2478 new schools and improving 6998 existing schools.
5) A scheme for the establishment and management of girls’ hostels for students in the educationally backward blocks has also been launched. During 2009-10, approval has been given to set up 379 such hostels in 11 states.
6) It has been decided to replace the present system of awarding marks by grades in all subjects in the Class X Board examination conducted by CBSE in 2010.
7) The National Literacy Mission has been recast as Saakshar Bharat. To reduce gender disparity in literacy from 21% to 10%, six crore beneficiaries, out of the total target of seven crore, will be women. Within the overall target, 1.4 crore Scheduled Castes, 80 lakh Scheduled Tribes and 1.2 crore beneficiaries belonging to the minorities will be
8) Sixteen Central universities were established, including conversion of three State universities in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand into Central universities, under the Central Universities Act, 2009. Fourteen such universities have commenced functioning in 2009-10.
9) The UPA government has approved the setting up of six Indian Institutes of Management at Rohtak, Raipur, Ranchi, Tiruchirapalli, Kashipur and Udaipur. Two new IITs at Indore and Mandi started functioning from the academic year 2009-10. Government has also decided to set up 10 new NITs, to be located in Goa, Puducherry, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
10) The UPA government has decided to provide full interest subsidy to poor students, whose parental income is limited to Rs.4.5 lakh per annum, on education loans taken by them to pursue technical and professional courses.
Health
11) During 2009-10, more than 36000 village health & sanitation committees were set up, over 1300 facility-based Rogi Kalyan Samitis were formed, over 53000 accredited social health activists (ASHAs) were selected and trained, and more than 20000 doctors and paramedical personnel were added to the public health system. Over 4984 new health sub-centre buildings, 254 primary health centre (PHC) buildings and 102 community health centre(CHC) buildings were completed; 3246 sub-centre buildings, 732 PHC buildings, 264 CHC buildings and 28 district hospital buildings were upgraded or renovated.
12) All disease control programmes showed sustained improvement. There was reduction in mortality due to malaria, kala-azar and dengue, as well as reduction in the incidence of filarial infection. In respect of tuberculosis, a cure rate of 87% has been maintained, while the case detection rate has increased from 70% in 2007 to 72% in 2009.
13) A scheme for augmenting nursing personnel by setting up 269 new auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) and general nurse midwife (GNM) schools in backward and underserved districts of the country, at a cost of around Rs. 2000 crore, has been approved. This will create additional capacity of 16000 trained nurses annually.
14) Under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, work orders have been issued for the medical college complex for six AIIMS-like institutions, taken up under the first phase.
15) A modified scheme for mainstreaming of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy has been sanctioned and is under implementation at a total cost of Rs. 675 crore. As part of this mainstreaming activity, 2368 doctors and 2184 AYUSH paramedic staff were appointed during 2009-10.
16) The H1N1 pandemic was managed effectively. More than one crore in-bound passengers were screened at international airports, new laboratories for testing H1N1 cases were established, the drug Oseltamivir was supplied to state governments free of cost, and vaccines were imported and supplied to state governments for vaccinating health workers.
17) The Central Research Institute, Kasuali, Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor and BCG, Guindy have been enabled to resume production of vaccines.
Child Rights
18) An additional 792 projects and 291000 anganwadi centres (AWC) including mini anganwadis and 20000 anganwadis on demand have been approved to ensure that there is an operational anganwadi in every habitation of the country. This will take the total number of anganwadis to 14 lakhs. Nearly 725 lakh children below the age of 6 years and about 160 lakh pregnant and lactating women have currently been receiving benefits of supplementary nutrition. The number will increase further after the additional anganwadi centres become functional.
19) The UPA government has doubled the nutritional and feeding norms. Children in the age group 3-6 years will now be given a morning snack and a hot cooked meal.
Social Inclusion
20) The UPA government is committed to the enactment of the National Food Security Act. Consultations have been held with states and union territories and other stakeholders. A draft National Food Security bill is under preparation and it is proposed to be placed in the public domain for scrutiny and comments.
21) Political empowerment of women is a powerful and indispensable tool for eliminating gender inequality and discrimination. The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 providing for reservation for women in as nearly as one-third of the total seats of the Lok Sabha and of the State Legislative Assemblies, including the Legislative Assembly of the NCT of Delhi, for a period of 15 years, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 6th May 2008. The Rajya Sabha has passed the bill on 9th March 2010.
22) For ensuring 50% reservation for women at all levels in the three tiers of panchayats, a bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend Article 243D of the Constitution. Presently, out of around 28.18 lakh elected representatives of panchayats, only 37% are women.
23) A bill has been introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend Article 243T of the Constitution for providing 50% reservation to women in urban local bodies.
24) During 2009-10, central assistance of Rs. 1015.96 crore was released under the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste students, covering approximately 40 lakh students.
25) Under the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Tribe students, Rs. 270.86 crore was released to assist 1376745 students during 2009-10. During 2009-10, central assistance of Rs. 172.97 crore was released as post-matric scholarship to approximately 14 lakh students belonging to the Other Backward Classes. During the same period, under the pre-matric scholarship scheme, central assistance of Rs.31.73 crore was released to assist approximately 17 lakh students belonging to the Other Backward Classes. During 2010-11, an outlay of Rs.50 crore has been allocated under the scheme.
26) During 2009-10, concessional loans amounting to about Rs. 394 crore were disbursed through the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), the National Safai Karmcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) and the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) to two lakh members of the Scheduled Castes, Safai Karamcharis and Other Backward Classes.
27) The Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) was announced in 2009-10. The PMAGY, launched on a pilot basis, with an allocation of Rs.100 crore, seeks the integrated development of 1000 villages where the population of SCs is about 50%, in five States, viz. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Assam. Each village would be able to avail gap funding of Rs.10 lakh over and above the allocation under rural development and poverty alleviation schemes.
28) Following up closely on the historic enactment conferring forest rights on the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers, all measures have been taken to ensure its proper implementation. As on March 2010, more than 7.82 lakh titles have been distributed.
29) It has been ensured that 15% of targets and outlays for schemes included in the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point programme for the Welfare of Minorities and considered amenable to targeting, have been so earmarked.
30) 64 projects, at an estimated cost of over Rs. 8600 crore, have been sanctioned under the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for implementation in 17 towns with a sizable minority population. 101 projects, at an estimated cost of more than Rs. 2500 crore, have been sanctioned in 83 such towns under the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) component.
31) In 2009-10, 4457 primary and upper primary schools have been constructed, 3530 primary and upper primary schools have been opened, 20588 additional class rooms have been constructed, 27 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidhyalaya (KGBV) have been sanctioned and 7765 teachers sanctioned in blocks and districts having a substantial minority population.
32) 502 public sector bank branches were opened in 2009-10 (upto December 2009) in districts with a substantial minority population. Over Rs. 96000 crore of bank credit was provided to the minorities in 2009-10 (upto September 2009).
33) 60 ITIs, located in minority concentration districts, are to be upgraded as part of the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme.
34) During 2009-10, 17.29 lakh scholarships were given to children belonging to the minority communities for their pre-matric education. An amount of Rs. 202.94 crore was spent. 48% of the pre-matric scholarships were awarded to girls. Under the post-matric scholarship scheme, 3.88 lakh scholarships were awarded at a cost of Rs. 148.74 crore. Nearly 55% of those awarded scholarships were girls. 35982 merit-cum-means scholarships were awarded at a cost of Rs. 97.51 crore, with nearly one third being girl students. Under the Meritorious Scholarship Scheme of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation, for girl students in classes XI and XII, 15070 girls were awarded scholarships amounting to Rs. 18.08 crore.
35) A bill to amend the Waqf Act, 1995 was passed by Lok Sabha on 7th May 2010. It provides for timely completion of surveys of waqf properties, reduction of the scope of alienation of waqf properties, providing penal provisions to prevent encroachment of waqf properties, representation of women in the waqf boards, greater accountability and efficiency in the administration of the waqf properties by the waqf boards etc.
36) The district plans of 80 minority concentration districts have been approved at a total estimated cost of Rs. 2343.75 crore.
Welfare of ex-servicemen & serving defence service personnel
37) It is a constant endeavour of the UPA government to provide suitable employment for ex-servicemen as also to impart necessary training to prepare them to take on new assignments/jobs. This has enabled more than 50000 ex-servicemen to obtain employment during 2009-10.
38) The health coverage for the ex-servicemen has been widened by empanelling more civil hospitals and diagnostic centers. Disabled ex-servicemen are now entitled to get prosthetic aid from an additional 149 Central Government Health Scheme empanelled centres apart from the Artificial Limb Centre, Pune. The membership of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) has crossed 30 lakhs.
39) A committee was set up to give specific recommendations for the welfare of defence service personnel and pensioners. The recommendations were accepted by the UPA government and this is likely to benefit about 12 lakh personnel. An Armed Forces Tribunal has been established to provide an appellate forum to the aggrieved personnel.
40) To boost the morale of troops, who are posted in far flung border areas and face difficult topographic and climatic conditions, chartering of civil flights has been sanctioned for their faster movement during leave.
41) Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme was started under the aegis of the National Defence Fund. Under the scheme, scholarships are provided every year to wards of retired personnel and martyrs below officer rank of armed and para-military forces. In 2009-10, scholarships have been granted to 4525 students amounting to Rs.7.40 crore.
42) It has been decided to set up a National Social Security Fund for workers in the unorganized sector like weavers, toddy tappers, rickshaw pullers and bidi workers with an initial allocation of Rs. 1000 crore.
43) Government has also taken important steps for the benefit of workers in the organised sector. Workmen Compensation Act, 1923 has been amended to enhance the benefits to the workers. Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 has been amended to raise the limit of maximum gratuity payable from Rs.3.5 lakhs to Rs.10 lakhs. Comprehensive amendments have been made in the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 to improve the quality of delivery of health care and other benefits being provided to the insured persons in the organized sector and also to enable ESI infrastructure to be used to provide health care to workers in the unorganised sector. Plantations Labour Act, 1951 has been amended for providing safety and occupational health care to plantations workers.
Rural Renewal and Agriculture
44) 71.8 lakh houses were constructed during the first phase against a target of 60 lakhs. An ambitious target of constructing 120 lakh houses has been set for the second phase; against this, more than 31 lakh houses have already been constructed/upgraded at a cost of around Rs.11000 crore.
45) Over 35,000 habitations have been connected with all weather roads and over 1,90,000 kms existing rural roads have been upgraded/renewed since Bharat Nirman was launched. In 2009-10, 3344 habitations were connected and around 35500 kms of road length upgraded/renewed.
46) During the first phase, the emphasis was on providing safe drinking water to over 3.5 lakh habitations. With this work more or less complete, the priority has now shifted to cover water quality affected habitations. 28672 habitations affected with chemical contamination have been provided safe drinking water.
47) In 2009-10, under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY), against a target of 17500 un-electrified villages, 18374 villages have been electrified. Against a target of 47 lakh BPL household connections, 47.18 lakh BPL households have been given free electricity connections.
48) Under Bharat Nirman, villages not having access to public telephones were to be provided with village public telephones (VPTs). 569385 villages, out of a total of 593601 villages in the country, have been provided with VPTs, as on 31st March 2010. Out of 250000 targeted village panchayats, about a third have been connected through broadband.
49) Since its inception in 2006, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has provided nearly 600 crore person-days of work. During 2009-10, about 4.90 crore households have been provided employment through 40.98 lakh works with 251 crore person-days of employment being generated at a total expenditure of Rs. 33087 crore. The average wage rate per day has increased from Rs. 65 in 2006-07 to Rs. 90 in 2009-10.
50) Several amendments have been made in the schedules of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) to facilitate its implementation. These include amendments to ensure transparency regarding custody of job cards and details to be contained in them, disbursement of wages through banks and post offices, maintenance of records, pro-active disclosure of information and processes and procedures to be followed during social audits.
51) The nation faced a severe drought in 2009. The UPA government approved assistance amounting to Rs. 4806 crore from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) to help mitigate the effects of the drought. Various measures were taken to deal with the situation, including introduction of a diesel subsidy scheme for supplementary irrigation to save standing crops, additional allocation of power from the central pool, ensuring availability of inputs, and permitting use of funds under centrally sponsored schemes for creation of agriculture infrastructure to achieve higher production. The impact of drought on crop production was mitigated.
52) Fertilizer is a key input for increasing agricultural production and productivity. The demand for major fertilizers has been the highest ever during the year 2009-10. The UPA government has been able to manage the demand in spite of the fact that the domestic production of urea has been stagnant and reliance has had to be placed on imports for meeting the requirement. Nutrient based subsidy policy (NBS) for all fertilizers, other than urea, has been introduced from 1st April 2010 to correct the imbalance in nutrient application, encourage production of soil specific fertilizers containing micro-nutrients, and encourage efficient production of fertilizers.
53) Rs.266433 crore (upto January 2010) has been disbursed as credit in 2009-10. Farmers are receiving crop loans upto a principal amount of Rs. 3 lakh at 7% rate of interest. The UPA government is providing an additional 1% interest subvention as incentive to those farmers who repay short term crop loans as per schedule.
54) Funds of the order of Rs.3761.43 crore were released to States/UTs during 2009-10 under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. An amount of Rs. 800 crore was released during 2009-10. Due to interventions under the National Horticulture Mission, production of fruits, vegetables and spices has increased by 25.6%, 22% and 11.9% respectively during 2009-10 over 2005-06.
55) The Backward Regions Grant Fund programme is being implemented through panchayats in 250 identified districts. The programme aims at removing regional imbalances by bridging critical gaps in development and encouraging decentralized planning. More than Rs.3600 crore were released to the identified districts in 2009-10. A major achievement was preparation of decentralized plans by the local bodies in 246 districts.
Transforming Cities
56) As on 31st March 2010, 524 projects have been sanctioned under the Urban Infrastructure Governance (UIG) component of JNNURM at an approved cost of over Rs.58000 crore including additional central assistance (ACA) of more than Rs. 27000 crore; around Rs. 12300 crore have been released for implementation of projects and procurement of buses.
57) Implementation of the first phase of the North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme (NERUDP) with an outlay of Rs. 1371 crore commenced in 2009-10.
58) 45.83 km of metro line was added in Delhi and the National Capital Region; NOIDA was connected to the Delhi Metro network. New metro projects were taken up in Chennai for 45.046 kms at a total cost of Rs.14600 crore and in Mumbai for 11.07 kms at a cost of about Rs.2356 crore.
Economic Resurgence and Prices
59) The year, 2009-10, showed clear signs of recovery with the rate of growth being estimated at 7.2 per cent. This has occurred, despite a decline of 0.2 per cent in agricultural output on account of sub-normal monsoons. The recovery has been marked by renewed momentum in the manufacturing sector, which grew by 8.9 per cent in 2009-10, compared to 3.2 per cent in 2008-09. The recovery of the Indian economy owes largely to the stimulus measures initiated by the Government.
60) The increase in WPI inflation could be attributed to expectations of supply-side constraints of food items, especially due to the unfavorable south-west monsoon.
61) The UPA government has taken a number of short term and medium term measures to improve domestic availability of essential commodities and moderate inflation. There are enough food grains to intervene in the market to keep the prices at reasonable level. Allocation to State governments under the Open Market Sales Scheme (domestic) for release of 20.00 lakh tonnes of wheat has been made to check inflationary trends in the food economy from October 2009 to March 2010. The Central Issue Price (CIP) for rice and wheat has been maintained to protect the poor. Further, in order to check the inflationary trend in prices of rice, a quantity of 10.00 lakh tones of rice was allocated during October 2009 to March 2010 to State governments for distribution to retail consumers.
62) Other measures taken to contain prices of essential commodities include a selective ban on exports and futures trading in food grains, zero import duty on select food items, removal of restrictions on licensing, stock limits and movement of food articles under the Essential Commodities Act of 1955, permitting imports of pulses and sugar by public sector undertakings, distribution of imported pulses and edible oils through the public distribution system.
63) A Standing Core Group of Chief Ministers and some Central Ministers has been constituted on 15th March, 2010 to consider issues related to prices of essential commodities.
Reforms
64) To consolidate and carry forward the reforms in direct taxes, a draft Direct Taxes Code, along with a discussion paper, were released for public comment. It aims to improve the efficiency and equity of the tax system and promote voluntary compliance.
65) The disinvestment policy envisages development of 'People's Ownership' of public sector enterprises to share in their wealth and prosperity while Central public retaining majority ownership and control with government. In 2009-10, five public issues were completed and the funds raised by the government amounted to Rs.23552.97 crore. The disinvestment proceeds are being used for funding the capital expenditure under the social sector schemes of the government.
Industrial performance
66) The manufacturing sector has been the key driver in this revival of industrial growth. It recorded a cumulative growth of 9.9 per cent in (April-January) 2009-10 as compared to 3.4 percent in (April-January) 2008-09. The recovery in the manufacturing sector has been driven by domestic demand, backed by well-calibrated adjustments in monetary and fiscal policies, including the fiscal stimulus.
67) The aggregate turnover of 32 CPSEs, under the Department of Heavy Industries, increased by 14.02% (over the previous year) to Rs.38628 crore. Aggregate profit before tax increased by 21.62% to Rs.4247 crore. Exports of goods and services increased by 64% to Rs.13522 crore.
68) The government has accepted the recommendations of the high-level Task Force on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), including those in the area of credit, marketing, labour, rehabilitation and exit policy, infrastructure, technology, skill development, taxation and development of MSMEs in the North-East and Jammu & Kashmir.
69) During the year 2009-2010, the number of telephone connections is estimated to have gone up by over 44%, which included an increase of about 60% in rural telephone connections. Teledensity is estimated to have increased by 42%, including a 58% increase in rural teledensity. Number of wireless connections is estimated to have gone up by nearly 49%, while broadband connections are estimated to have increased from 62.2 lakh to 88 lakh over the year.
70) A complete and holistic reform in the mining sector is being attempted through a new legislation governing the development and regulation of mines and minerals. The reform process will place sustainability and local area development at the centre stage of the reform process. It will bring about transparency, ensure equity, provide a mechanism for addressing issues of delay and discretion, along with incentives to encourage induction of high technology for exploration and for scientific mining practices.
71) India emerged as the third largest steel producer in the world during the calendar year 2009; capacity for crude steel production grew from 66.36 million tonnes in 2008-09 to 72.76 million tonnes in 2009-10.
72) To develop powerlooms, handlooms and handicrafts in public private partnership mode, development of five new mega clusters was initiated during 2009-10, in Bhilwara, Mirzapur-Bhadohi, Srinagar, Virudh Nagar and Murshidabad.
73) The Foreign Trade Policy 2009-14 was announced with the objective of arresting decline in exports caused by the global financial crisis. Policy measures implemented include fiscal incentives, enhanced marked access and diversification of export markets, technological up-gradation, and procedural rationalization to reduce transaction cost and to create new employment opportunities.
74) Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) aims to leverage the infrastructure being created under the Dedicated Freight Corridor project to create a strong economic base with globally competitive environment and state-of-the-art infrastructure to activate local commerce, enhance investments and attain sustainable development in the identified area in six states. Perspective plan for overall DMIC Region has been completed and pre-feasibility studies of individual projects are under way.
75) In the Power sector, during the 2009-10, a capacity of 9585 MW has been commissioned. Under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development & Reforms Programme (APDRP), projects worth Rs. 6242.26 crore were sanctioned and Rs. 1331.46 crore disbursed to the state power utilities in the financial year 2009-10.
76) Great emphasis has been placed on enhancing energy security through rapid exploration of domestic oil and gas reserves, combined with acquisition abroad and enhancement of refining capacity. During the current year, the domestic production of natural gas has seen an 80% increase. The domestic crude oil production during 2009-10 has increased by 7% over last year. Crude oil production from Barmer in Rajasthan has commenced.
77) During 2009-10, international oil prices have been volatile and the Indian basket of crude oil has ranged between $ 47 and $ 81 per barrel. However, the UPA government has successfully insulated the consumer from the high volatility of international oil prices.
78) With the commissioning of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Units 5 & 6 during the year, the total installed capacity of nuclear power has reached 4560 MWe with 19 reactors being operational. Four more reactors are under advanced stages of construction and on completion will take the installed capacity to 7280 MWe by 2011.
Transport Infrastructure
79) The government has set a target of developing 7000 km of National Highways per year, which translates into 20 km per day. To achieve this ambitious target, there has been a major thrust towards award of projects.
80) Indira Gandhi International airport at Delhi, designed to cater to 100 million passengers per annum by 2036, is soon going to be fully operational, well in time for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The modernization of 35 non-metro airports in under way.
81) The National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) is being restructured. A decision has been taken to infuse a sum of Rs 2000 crore as equity in NACIL, out of which Rs 800 crore has already been released.
82) During the year 2009-10, 13 port sector PPP projects, with private sector investment of Rs. 2653 crore, and capacity of 65.65 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) were awarded. Substantial progress has been made in the construction of the international container trans-shipment terminal at Cochin port.
83) The second container terminal at Chennai port, with a capacity of 9.6 MTPA, has been operationalised.
84) Despite the global economic meltdown, a growth of 6.56% in freight loading has been achieved by Indian Railways in the year 2009-10. 14 new train services by the name 'Duronto', with AC and non-AC sleeper coaches, have been introduced for non-stop point to point services between selected cities throughout the country. There has been no increase in passenger fares during the year.
Sustaining the Environment
85) The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was launched by the Prime Minister on 11th January 2010. The mission has set an ambitious target of creating a capacity of 20000 MW grid solar power, 2000 MW off-grid solar applications and 20 million square metre of solar thermal collectors by the year 2022.
86) Instructions have been issued for the formation of State-level Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management & Planning Authorities for enabling release of 10% of the Rs 9900 crores available in the centralized account to state governments every year, for the next five years.
87) The National Green Tribunal Bill, 2009 has been passed. It provides for establishing a National Green Tribunal for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection, conservation of forests and other natural resources, enforcement of legal rights relating to the environment, and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.
88) It has been decided that under "Mission Clean Ganga" it would be ensured that by the year 2020 no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluents flow into the Ganga.
89) New Horizons
90) To provide internationally competitive and contemporary infrastructure for research, product development in cutting edge areas of research in life sciences and biotechnology, the following five new institutions have been made operational:
a) Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad
b) Regional Centre for Biotechnology in collaboration with UNESCO, Faridabad
c) National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kolkata
d) Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore
e) National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute and Bioprocessing Unit at Mohali, Punjab
91) In partnership with agricultural universities, the bi-weekly district-level agro-meteorological advisory services have been extended to provide information on rainfall, maximum and minimum temperature, cloud cover, humidity etc. to farmers in 500 meteorological districts.
92) CSIR, with Cadila Pharmaceuticals, has developed for the first time a novel therapy obtained from Ayurveda named as "RISORINE" for the treatment of tuberculosis.
93) The Indian space programme scaled new heights during the year with detection of traces of water, ice and hydroxyl molecules on the lunar surface through India`s unmanned mission to the Moon - Chandrayaan-1.
94) Policy guidelines were issued for Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS) operators for speeding up the process of digitalization of cable TV services.
Culture
95) Central government has recently amended the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, which prohibits construction, including public projects, within the 100 metre 'prohibited area'. A National Monuments Authority is being set up as the apex body to oversee the implementation of the Act.
96) Rs. 20 crore has been sanctioned for the upgradation of Sardar Patel's memorials at Ahmedabad and Karamsad.
97) Preparations have started to commemorate the 150th birth anniversaries of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, both nationally and internationally. A project to set up a memorial for Shaheed Bhagat Singh, at his native place at Khatkar Kalan, has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 16.80 crore.
Commonwealth Games
98) The country is hosting the prestigious XIXth Commonwealth Games in October, 2010. The Games present an excellent opportunity to herald India's emergence as a significant sporting nation and showcase its organizational capacity to host such a major international event. Preparations for the event are at an advanced stage.
Managing Disasters
99) The National Policy on Disaster Management has been approved on 22nd October 2009. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued guidelines on management of landslides and snow avalanches, management of chemical terrorism and disasters, and psycho-social support & mental health services in disasters.
100) During the year 2009-10, the National Disaster Response Force was actively engaged in rescue and relief operations in the various states affected by cyclone, cyclonic storm, floods, landslides etc. The swift and highly skilled flood rescue operations of the force saved over 21000 human lives.
101) During the Southwest monsoon and the post-monsoon seasons of 2009-10, twenty States and one Union Territory reported damage due to cyclonic storms, heavy rains, floods, landslides, cloudburst, etc., to varying degrees. The UPA government extended prompt and timely logistic support to the affected States. In 2009-10 financial assistance amounting to Rs. 3791.86 crore was provided to States from the Calamity Relief Fund for dealing with various natural calamities. Besides, financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 3261.52 crore was provided to different States from the National Calamity Contingency Fund for the management of immediate relief operations in areas affected by calamities of a severe nature during 2009-10.
Addressing Special Development Needs: The Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, and Bundelkhand
102) A regional coordination mechanism, covering all the Northeastern states, for gathering, analyzing and disseminating intelligence has been set up at Shillong and has been operationalized with effect from 23rd February 2010.
103) The UPA Government has been paying special attention to the development of national highways in the North-East region and 10 per cent of the total allocation is earmarked for that region. So far, about 596 km length has been completed during 2009-10. Development of roads & highways in Arunachal Pradesh involves about 2319 km of roads. Bids have already been received for four projects with a total length of 776 km, to be awarded shortly. The trans-Arunachal Highway forms an important part of this initiative.
104) The capital cities of the North Eastern states are getting progressively connected by rail. Guwahati and Agartala are already connected. Projects for connecting the capitals of Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have been taken up.
105) Three greenfield airports have been approved, of which one at Pakyong in Sikkim, is already under construction involving a cost of Rs 264 crore. The development of Tezu airport, at a cost of Rs. 79.00 crore, has been approved during 2009-10. The project is being implemented by the Airports Authority of India. The airport will be ready for operations by March 2012.
106) The implementation of the Prime Minister's package for lighting up all the villages on the international border in Arunachal Pradesh was started in 2009. A total of 1058 villages are to be covered under this project out of which 512 villages have already been covered by solar photovoltaic systems.
107) Under RGGVY, 16 projects have been sanctioned for Rs. 537.69 crore for electrification of 2129 villages, intensive electrification of 1756 electrified villages and 40810 connections to BPL households.
108) The Assam Gas Cracker Project is expected to generate substantial downstream investment and employment in the region. The construction activities at project site are in full swing and Rs.744 crore has been spent till 31st March 2010. The project is scheduled for completion in April 2012.
109) The Prime Minister announced the construction of 11 hydel projects in Jammu & Kashmir, under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme. Out of these, three projects namely: Uri-I (480 MW), Salal-I & II (690 MW) and Dulhasti (390 MW) have already been completed and commissioned. A furthet 4 projects namely, Sewa-II HEP (120 MW), Nimoo Bazgo HEP (45 MW), Chutak HEP (44 MW) and Uri-II (240 MW) are likely to be completed within 2010.
110) RGGVY schemes for five districts namely Baramulla, Pulwama, Rajouri, Poonch and Doda have been sanctioned by the Rural Electrification Corporation on 27th November 2009. With this, RGGVY schemes for the entire state have been sanctioned.
111) In the Kashmir valley, five pairs of short distance service Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) trains have been put in operation between Budgam and Qazigund, Qazigund and Baramula and Baramula and Budgam.
112) The UPA government has approved a Special Bundelkhand Drought Mitigation Package to the tune of Rs. 7266 crore, comprising of Rs.3506 crore for Uttar Pradesh and Rs. 3760 crore for Madhya Pradesh, to be implemented over a period of three years starting with 2009-10.
113) Security
114) A number of important decisions and measures have been taken. These measures include augmentation of the strength of Central paramilitary forces, amendment of the Central Industrial Security Force Act to enable deployment of the force in joint venture industrial undertakings, establishment of National Security Guard (NSG) hubs at Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai, tighter immigration control, effective border management through round-the-clock surveillance & patrolling along the borders, establishment of observation posts, border fencing, flood-lighting, deployment of modern and hi-tech surveillance equipment, upgrade of the intelligence set-up and strengthening of coastal security.
115) UPA government has adopted an integrated approach in dealing with left wing extremists (LWE) in the area of security, development and public perception. The State governments deal with the various issues related to LWE issues in the states. The Central government supplements their efforts in several ways. These include providing Central paramilitary forces (CPMFs) and commando battalions; modernisation and up gradation of the State police and their intelligence apparatus under the Scheme for Modernisation of State Police Forces (MPF Scheme); re-imbursement of security related expenditure under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme; filling up critical infrastructure gaps under the scheme for Special Infrastructure (SIS) in left wing extremism affected States; assistance in training of State police through Ministry of Defence, central police organisations and Bureau of Police Research and Development; sharing of intelligence etc.
116) An amount of Rs. 668.61 crore has been released during 2009-10, under the schemes of Modernisation of Police Forces (Rs. 578.61 crore), Security Related Expenditure (Rs. 60.00 crore) and Special Infrastucture Scheme (Rs. 30.00 crore) to left wing extremism affected States. A sum of Rs. 1230.00 crore has been released to all the States for modernisation of State police forces.
Managing Borders
117) During 2009-10, construction of 210 km of fencing, 310 km of border roads and 400 km of floodlighting was completed along the India-Bangladesh border. Construction of 50 border out-posts was also commenced. Formation works along a length of 35.89 km and surfacing works along a length of 11.2 km were completed on 11 roads along the India-China border. In the Gujarat sector, along the Indo-Pakistan border, construction of 15 km length of border roads was completed.
118) Construction of seven integrated check posts has been taken up at Attari (India-Pakistan) and Raxaul (India-Nepal border) while work at Jogbani (India-Nepal border), Dawki (India-Bangladesh border), Akhaura (India-Bangladesh border), Moreh (India-Myanmar border) and Petrapole (India-Bangladesh border) will be also taken up shortly.
119) The UPA government is continuing with its focus on the modernisation of its armed forces and ensuring defence preparedness of the country. The raising of two mountain divisions to safeguard the North-Eastern borders, and setting up of the second Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya, Bihar have been approved. The modernisation of Rashtriya Rifles was also approved to improve the counter insurgency grid in Jammu & Kashmir. Other areas being accorded high priority are the development of roads and infrastructure in the high altitude areas, and coastal and maritime security.
120) A decision has been taken to induct the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, with precision strike capability against land targets. Akash surface to air missile system capable of multi-target handling, is also being inducted.
Governance and Civil Society
121) In 2009-10, 39615 additional Common Service Centres were established. Services being offered through these centres include birth, death, caste, income & domicile certificates, services relating to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, utility bill collection, employment exchange services, postal services, electoral roll registration, right to information services, record of rights, integration with online portals, and management information system & awareness services for National Rural Health Mission, disaster management, AIDS control and telemedicine.
122) The UPA government has taken a major initiative to provide a unique identification to all the resident Indian population. The Unique Identification Authority of India has been constituted to implement the UID scheme. This scheme shall ensure that various development deliverables reach the poor and needy in time, shall enable better monitoring and help plug leakages. Necessary action is being taken to ensure that it is possible to begin issuing UID numbers in 2010.
123) Efforts have been made to strengthen both the `demand' and `supply' side for effective implementation of the Right to Information Act. Information Commissions have been set up both at the Centre and in the States. Government departments are being encouraged to put more information in the public domain; training programmes have been organized for CPIOs and appellate authorities and guidebooks have been prepared for use of both government officials and the public.
124) A Delivery Monitoring Unit has been set up in the Prime Minister's Office to review selected flagship programmes, initiatives and iconic projects, with a view to ensuring effective delivery, through steady monitoring by the Ministry concerned. Ministries have also been advised to place information in the public domain on their respective websites and have begun so placing the information.
125) The 'NGO Partnership System' is a web based portal to provide Voluntary Organizations (VOs)/Non Government Organizations (NGOs) with a host of facilities. As many as 27752 VOs/NGOs have already signed up with the NGO-Partnership System.
Centre-State Relations
126) The share of States in the net proceeds of Union taxes has been enhanced to 32% from the 30.5% recommended by the Twelfth Finance Commission. The estimated total transfers to States, comprising share in central taxes and grants-in-aid during 2010-15 amount to Rs. 1766677 crore as against Rs. 755751.72 crore recommended for 2005-10.
127) Central loans administered by Ministries, other than the Ministry of Finance, to States, that are outstanding as at the end of 2009-10, will be written-off.
Building Bridges
128) The UPA government, in its second term, pursues its foreign policy objectives which are closely integrated with the country's fundamental security and development priorities. India's foreign policy aims at a global order in which India's overriding goals of rapid, sustained and inclusive socio-economic development and poverty alleviation are attained rapidly without any hindrance. To this end, India's foreign policy has combined firm commitment to our core national values with dynamic adaptation to changes in the international environment. As a corollary to these objectives, India is committed to close and good neighbourly relations with all countries in its immediate and extended neighbourhood.
129) India's commitment to its immediate neighbourhood has revitalised SAARC with the implementation of a number of regional and sub-regional projects focused primarily on development. New initiatives have included the setting up of the SAARC Development Fund, establishment of the SAARC Food Bank, implementation of regional projects in telemedicine, tele-education and agriculture and conclusion of the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.
130) India continued to press for reform of the United Nations, in particular, through expansion of its Security Council to make it more democratic and representative.
131) India continued to play a lead role in the Non-Aligned Movement to maintain the movement's relevance and strengthen its voice on international issues.
132) India has remained actively engaged in the multilateral negotiations on climate change to build a rule-based, transparent and equitable climate change regime that safeguards the interests of the developing countries and supports their endeavour for poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development.
Overseas Indians
133) Prime Minister's Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians has been set up to draw upon the experience and knowledge of eminent people of Indian origin in diverse fields from across the world. The first meeting of the Council was held on 7th January 2010 at New Delhi.
134) The Global Indian Network of Knowledge (Global INK) is an electronic platform that will connect people of Indian Origin from a variety of disciplines, recognized as leaders in their respective fields, not just in their country of residence but globally as well, with knowledge users at the national and sub-national levels in India.
135) The eighth edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention was held in New Delhi on 7th to 9th January 2010. The Convention was attended by over 1500 delegates from different countries. On this occasion, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards were conferred on 14 overseas Indians. The third mini-PBD called "PBD-Europe" was held at the World Forum in The Hague on 19th September 2009.
136) The government approved the proposal for setting up the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the Indian Missions in 17 countries where emigration check is required, and the Maldives, in August 2009. The ICWF will enable extending on site welfare & emergency relief to overseas Indians in distress.
Source:http://pmindia.nic.in/pressrel.htm
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