6 Railways projects, telecom spectrum auction & fishery scheme get Cabinet nod

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved six railway ministry projects with an estimated cost of approximately Rs 12,343 crore, auctions in eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of Rs 96,317.65 crore, and announced a Rs 6,000 crore scheme for the formalisation of the unorganised fisheries sector, facilitation of institutional finance to micro and small enterprises, and promotion of aquaculture insurance.

Six rail projects worth Rs 12,343 cr

The Rs 12,343 crore investment in six multi-tracking projects aims to improve efficiency and reduce congestion on crucial rail routes across Rajasthan, Assam, Telangana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Nagaland.

Spanning 18 districts and adding 1,020 kilometres to the network, these projects are expected to be completed by 2029-30. They will also generate around 3 crore man-days of employment for the people in these states.

The railway sections are Ajmer-Chanderiya and Jaipur-Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan; Luni-Samdari-Bhildi in Gujarat and Rajasthan; Agthori-Kamakhya with new rail-cum-road bridge in Assam; Lumding-Furkating in Assam and Nagaland; and Motumari-Vishnupuram and Rail-Over-Rail at Motumari in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The multi tracking project proposals will ease operations and reduce congestion, providing the much required infrastructural development on the busiest sections across the Indian Railways, the statement said.

“The projects are in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘new India’ which will make people of the region ‘atmanirbhar (self-reliant)’ by way of comprehensive development in the area which will enhance their employment/self-employment opportunities,” it added.

Telecom spectrum auctions

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur announced on Thursday that the Union Cabinet had approved auctions in eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of Rs 96,317.65 crore.

The minister also mentioned that the Cabinet had sanctioned interim allocation to telecom operators.

Additionally, the minister stated that spectrum held by certain companies undergoing insolvency processes, expiring this year, would also be included in the auction.

All available spectrum in the 800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2300, 2500, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands will be up for auction.

“Total spectrum of 10,523.8 MHz will be auctioned, with the reserve price set at Rs 96,317.65 crore,” Thakur added.

Existing telecom service providers can continue using spectrum by paying auction-determined prices during the interim period to avoid disruption in telecom services, he clarified.

The approval comes just before the expiry of Bharti Airtel’s spectrum in five circles.

Bharti Airtel’s spectrum in five circles expires on February 9, with another one in March. Vodafone Idea’s spectrum is also expiring in West Bengal and UP West, requiring permission to continue using the airwaves.

The Cabinet has also decided on reallocation as well as additional spectrum allocation for the transport system to enhance passenger safety.

The government had provisionally assigned 5 MHz spectrum in the 700 MHz band for the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).

The Cabinet has now decided that the 5 MHz spectrum reserved for NCRTC will be assigned to multiple regional and urban rail-based transit systems. Additionally, considering the additional requirement for the national rollout of Kavach, an additional 5 MHz in the 700 MHz spectrum will be reserved for Indian Railways.

The spectrum allocation for transport systems, including railways, aims to improve passenger safety and operations.

A committee will be established under the Cabinet Secretary to finalise a plan for re-farming certain spectrum bands.

Thakur noted that more than 4.2 lakh base stations have been deployed in 14 months, covering 740 districts.

He highlighted that India has witnessed the world’s fastest roll-out of 5G services, with over 13 crore subscribers using 5G services, making India the world’s second-largest 5G ecosystem.

Rs 6,000 crore fishery scheme

On Thursday, the government introduced a scheme worth Rs 6,000 crore to formalise the unorganised fisheries sector, facilitate institutional finance to micro and small enterprises, and promote aquaculture insurance.

Additionally, the government decided to extend the Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) for another three years, until 2025-26, within the already approved fund of Rs 7,522.48 crore and a budgetary support of Rs 939.48 crore.

Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY), a central sub-scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

According to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, the new sub-scheme will cater to fishermen, fish farmers, fish workers, micro and small enterprises, and fish farmers’ producer organisations, among others.

This scheme aims to formalise the fisheries sector, particularly focusing on micro and small enterprises, with an investment exceeding Rs 6,000 crore over a four-year period from fiscal year 2023-24 to 2026-27 across all states and Union Territories.

Of this amount, approximately 50 per cent, i.e., Rs 3,000 crore, will be sourced from public finance, including external financing from the World Bank and the AFD, while the remaining 50 per cent is expected from beneficiaries and the private sector, as per an official statement.

The sub-scheme is expected to generate around 1.7 lakh new jobs, with a special emphasis on employing 75,000 women. It also aims to create 5.4 lakh continued employment opportunities in the micro and small enterprises (MSME) value chain.

Furthermore, it will establish a ‘National Fisheries Digital Platform’ to provide work-based identities for 40 lakh small and micro-enterprises. The sub-scheme will support 6.4 lakh micro-enterprises and 5,500 fisheries cooperatives, facilitating access to institutional credit.

It will also address aquaculture crop losses due to disease through insurance and enhance export competitiveness through value addition, realisation, and creation.

The scheme aims to increase incomes by improving profit margins through value chain efficiencies and enhancing the quality of fish and fishery products in the domestic market.

Moreover, there will be a gradual transition from conventional subsidies to performance-based incentives in fisheries. The program will focus on enhancing value-chain efficiency and ensuring the safety and quality of fish by supporting 55,000 targeted MSMEs.

It will also promote environmental and sustainability initiatives, facilitate ease of doing business, and ensure transparency.

In a separate statement, the government highlighted the creation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF) in 2018-19, with a total fund size of Rs 7,522.48 crore, to address the infrastructure requirements of the fisheries sector.

During the earlier phase of FIDF implementation, from 2018-19 to 2022-23, a total of 121 fisheries infrastructure projects with an investment of Rs 5,588.63 crore were approved for the creation of various fisheries infrastructures.

The extension of FIDF will further intensify the development of various fisheries infrastructures, the statement added.With agency inputs.