IDEAS TO BUILD INDIA

Inland Navigation

112. Development of inland waterways can improve vastly the capacity for
the transportation of goods. A project on the river Ganga called ‘Jal Marg Vikas’
(National Waterways-I) will be developed between Allahabad and Haldia to cover
a distance of 1620 kms, which will enable commercial navigation of at least
1500 tonne vessels. The project will be completed over a period of six years at
an estimated cost of ` 4,200 crore.

New & Renewable Energy

118. New and Renewable energy deserves a very high priority. It is proposed
to take up Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu,
and Laddakh in J&K. I have set aside a sum of ` 500 crores for this. We are
launching a scheme for solar power driven agricultural pump sets and water
pumping stations for energizing one lakh pumps. I propose to allocate a sum of
` 400 crores for this purpose. An additional ` 100 crore is set aside for the
development of 1 MW Solar Parks on the banks of canals. Implementation of
the Green Energy Corridor Project will be accelerated in this financial year to
facilitate evacuation of renewable energy across the country.

Water Resources and cleaning of Ganga

Linking of Rivers
153. Rivers form the lifeline of our country. They provide water not only for
producing food for the multitudes but also drinking water. Unfortunately the28
country is not uniformly blessed with perennial rivers. Therefore, an effort to
link the rivers can give rich dividends to the country. It is time that we made a
serious effort to move in this direction. To expedite the preparation of the Detailed
Project Reports, I propose to set aside a sum of ` 100 crore.

Sacred Rivers
154. Substantial amount of money has been spent in the conservation and
improvement of the Ganga, which has a very special sacred place in the collective
consciousness of this country. However, the efforts have not yielded desired
results because of the lack of concerted effort by all the stakeholders. I propose
to set up Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called “Namami Gange” and
set aside a sum of ` 2,037 crores for this purpose.

Development of Ghats and beautification of Riverfront

155. Our Riverfronts and Ghats are not only places of rich historical heritage
but many of these are also sacred. To start this process in the country, I propose
to set aside a sum of ` 100 crore for Ghat development and beautification of
river front at Kedarnath, Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna and Delhi
in the current financial year.

NRI Ganga Fund
156. NRIs have been a very important contributor to the development process
in India, in areas such as education, health and preservation of culture. In this
context, to harness their enthusiasm to contribute towards the conservation of
the river Ganga, NRI Fund for Ganga will be set up which will finance special
projects.

Conservation of Himalayas
171. There is a great need to increase the capacity in the country for Himalayan
Studies. I propose to set up a National Centre for Himalayan Studies in
Uttarakhand with an initial outlay of ` 100 crore.

Tax holiday

Supply of power continues to be a major area of concern for the country.
Therefore, instead of annual extensions, I propose to extend the 10 year tax
holiday to the undertakings which begin generation, distribution and transmission
of power by 31.03.2017. This stability in our policy will help the investors to
plan their investments better.

Clean Energy Cess   is presently levied on coal, peat and lignite for the 
purposes of financing and promoting clean energy initiatives and funding research
in the area of clean energy. I propose to expand the scope of purposes of levying
the said cess to include financing and promoting clean environment initiatives
and funding research in the area of clean environment. To finance these additional
initiatives, I propose to increase the Clean Energy Cess from ` 50 per tonne to Rs.100 per tonne.