Cabinet decisions: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 3) took a list of key decisions including conferring the status of classical language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages. The Cabinet also approved payment of productivity linked bonus of 78 days for Rs 2028.57 crore to over 11.72 lakh railway employees
List of key decisions taken by Modi cabinet today:
1. Cabinet approves Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase II
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for the Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase-II comprising three corridors. The total length of the approved lines will be 118.9 km with 128 stations. The project completion cost is Rs.63,246 crore and is planned to be completed by 2027. Once Phase II is fully operational, Chennai city will have a total Metro Rail network of 173 Km. The Phase II Project comprises the following three corridors:
- Corridor-(i): from Madhavaram to SIPCOT for a length of 45.8 Km with 50 stations.
- Corridor-(ii): from Lighthouse to Poonamalle Bypass for a length of 26.1 Km with 30 stations, and
- Corridor-(iii): from Madhavaram to Sholinganallur for a length of 47 Km with 48 stations.
2. Cabinet approves classical language status to five languages
The Union Cabinet also approved conferring the status of 'classical language' to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages. The classical languages serve as a custodian of Bharat’s profound and ancient cultural heritage, embodying the essence of each community’s historical and cultural milestone, the government said.
The Government of India decided to create a new category of languages as "classical languages" on October 12, 2004, declaring Tamil as a classical language and thereafter Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia languages were given classical language status.
3. Cabinet approves Productivity Linked Bonus for 78 days to Railway employees
The Union Cabinet approved payment of a productivity linked bonus of 78 days for Rs 2028.57 crore to over 11.72 lakh railway employees. The amount will be paid to various categories of Railway staff like track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsman, ministerial staff and other Group XC staff.
The payment of productivity linked bonus acts as an incentive to motivate the railway employees for working towards improvement in the performance of the Railways. Payment of PLB to eligible railway employees is made each year before the Durga Puja/ Dusshera holidays. This year also, PLB amount equivalent to 78 days' wages is being paid to about 11.72 lakh non-gazetted Railway employees.
4. Cabinet consent for India to join International Energy Efficiency Hub
The Union Cabinet approved the signing of the ‘Letter of Intent’ thus enabling India to join the International Energy Efficiency Hub (Hub), a global platform dedicated to fostering collaboration and promoting energy efficiency worldwide. The government said this move solidifies India's commitment to sustainable development and aligns with its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
By joining the Hub, India will gain access to a vast network of experts and resources, enabling it to enhance its domestic energy efficiency initiatives. As of July 2024, sixteen countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, European Commission, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United States and the United Kingdom) have joined the Hub.
5. Cabinet approves two agriculture schemes
Union Cabinet approved two umbrella schemes- Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM-RKVY) and Krishonnati Yojana (KY). PM-RKVY will promote sustainable agriculture, while KY will address food security and agricultural self-sufficiency. All components shall leverage technology to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the various components.
The PM-RKVY and KY will be implemented with the total proposed expenditure of Rs 1,01,321.61 crore. These Schemes are implemented through the state governments.
6. National Mission on Edible Oils – Oilseeds
The government approved the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oilseeds (NMEO-Oilseeds) with an outlay of Rs 10,103 crore to make India self-sufficient in cooking oils. India imports more than 50 per cent of its annual edible oil requirement. The mission will be implemented over a seven-year period, from 2024-25 to 2030-31.
The newly approved NMEO-Oilseeds will focus on enhancing the production of key primary oilseed crops such as Rapeseed-Mustard, Groundnut, Soybean, Sunflower, and Sesamum, as well as increasing collection and extraction efficiency from secondary sources like Cottonseed, Rice Bran, and Tree Borne Oils. The mission aims to increase primary oilseed production from 39 million tonnes in 2022-23 to 69.7 million tonnes by 2030-31, the government said.
