JOIN USThe Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared provisions to make operational the fund for the Clean India Mission, or “Swacch Bharat Kosh”, by enabling individuals and companies in India and abroad to make donations.
The fund, which was launched on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanthi) will be used for the purposes of the mission, which aims at reaching its Clean India objective by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. All contributions made to the fund will get 100 per cent tax exemption. The announcement to this effect was made in the Union Budget 2015-16 presented last week.
Money from the fund will be channelised to construct toilets, a senior minister said after the Cabinet meeting. In another decision, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved extension of PDS kerosene and domestic LPG subsidy scheme, 2002, for one more year.
The scheme came to an end on March 31, 2014. The approval will help reduce the under-recovery of the oil marketing Companies, an official statement said.
The government provides a subsidy of Rs 22.58 on a 14.2 kg domestic cooking gas cylinder and 82 paise per litre on PDS Kerosene under the domestic LPG subsidy scheme, 2002. Besides, the Freight Subsidy (for far-flung areas) Scheme, 2002, which was also ended on 31st March, 2014, would continue for PDS kerosene and domestic LPG consumers.
The CCEA also cleared to turn six highways to four lane under the National Highways Development Project in West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.
The Cabinet, however deferred a decision on setting up a Rs 500-crore institution “3P India” as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was not in town. The finance minister had proposed 3P India in his July 2014 budget for promoting public-private-partnership projects with a view to boosting infrastructure.