Power tariff revision for power looms

Bhopal, May 14: The state cabinet which met in the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took several decisions on Wednesday. In order to spare the low consumption, power loom and farm consumers the burden of upward revision of power tariff by Electricity Regulatory Commission the cabinet has decided to supply power to them at subsidized rates.

For this, the State Government would provide subsidy of Rs 1187 crore. The subsidized rates would be applicable with effect from April 1, 2008. Accordingly, the domestic consumers consuming upto 30 units per month would be supplied power at Rs. 1.75 per unit instead of the revised rates. The power loom consumers with attached load upto 25 HP would be given power at Rs two per unit instead of the revised rates. These consumers would pay for only actual consumption. It was decided to form Urban Transport Authority. Under this, the responsibility of urban traffic and transportation would be handed over to Urban Administration and Development department by relieving Transport department. The GAD in this regard would issue necessary work distribution afterwards.

The cabinet has decided to withdraw the 30 percent cut in the posts sanctioned for the High Court and subordinate courts. Besides, the cabinet granted permission for converting 2319 class III and 741 class IV temporary posts created for these courts into permanent posts. It was also decided to upwardly revise tendu leaf collection rates for collection year 2008 with a view to ensuring them remunerative wages and their participation in tendu leaf collection and trade. Accordingly, the collection rate has been increased to Rs 550 per standard bag. The Chief Minister at a tendu leaf collection incentive wage distribution function at Tendukheda in Narsinghpur district on April 22 last, had announced to enhance the collection rate from Rs 500 to Rs 550 per standard bag.

The cabinet also decided to immediately lift the ban on Sal seeds collection in entire Madhya Pradesh except in protected forest areas. Following this decision, on average the Sal seeds collection is likely to be about 40 thousand quintal annually. It is estimated that it would generate 180 lakh mandays of employment annually. The cabinet also decided to do away with the condition of ten percent public cooperation (contribution) for implementation of rural piped water or spot water supply schemes. The works pertaining to water supply schemes in rural areas are carried out by Public Health Engineering Department under central government’s Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme.