Monday 31 October 2016

Environment Ministry Reviews Ambient Air Quality Status of Delhi, Directs Neighbouring States to Effectively Enforce Ban on Stubble Burning


Ministry of Environment and Forests31-October, 2016 17:56 IST
Environment Ministry Reviews Ambient Air Quality Status of Delhi, Directs Neighbouring States to Effectively Enforce Ban on Stubble Burning
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change reviewed the ambient air quality status of Delhi here today, in the light of the rising levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10, especially during Diwali this year.

It has been observed that open burning of solid waste in and around Delhi, vehicular emissions in Delhi, dust by the roadside and around construction sites in Delhi and stubble burning of crop residue in neighbouring States of Delhi are major contributors to pollution in Delhi. The problem has been accentuated due to relatively low wind speeds and lower temperatures, resulting in reduced dispersion of pollutants in Delhi.

Therefore, it has been decided that CPCB will, under relevant statutory provisions available, direct –

a) Municipal local bodies in and around Delhi to forthwith take all possible measures to check open burning of solid waste.

b) Municipal local bodies in and around Delhi to strictly enforce rules related to prevention of fugitive emissions from construction activities.

c) Punjab, Haryana and other NCR States to effectively enforce ban on stubble burning in agriculture fields. For this purpose, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has summoned the concerned Secretaries of NCR States on 4th November to review the situation and to further deliberate on the strategy to minimise occurrences of open burning in agriculture fields.

d) All public road owning agencies in Delhi to ensure that roadsides are watered periodically to arrest re-suspension of dust in ambient air.

e) Delhi Police to effectively ensure that movement of traffic at busy intersections in Delhi is streamlined to minimise pollution due to vehicular emissions.

***


HK
(Release ID :153143)

Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms 2016


Ministry of Commerce & Industry31-October, 2016 16:00 IST
Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms 2016
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in partnership with the World Bank Group, is pleased to release the results of the Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms 2015-16. The Assessment studies the extent to which states have implemented DIPP’s 340-point Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) for States/UTs 2015-16, covering the period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The BRAP includes recommendations for reforms on 58 regulatory processes, policies, practices or procedures spread across 10 reform areas spanning the lifecycle of a typical business.
Data for this assessment was collected from State Governments on the BRAP portal. The portal, among the first of its kind globally, allowed State Governments to submit evidence of implemented reforms. At least 32 State and UT Governments submitted evidence of implementation of 7,124 reforms. These submissions were reviewed by the World Bank team and validated by DIPP’s team to study whether they met the objectives of the BRAP. The portal allowed for collaborative dialogue between DIPP and the State Governments in finalizing the evidence submitted. A total of 6,069 reforms were approved as implemented or not applicable on the portal.
The results of the assessment demonstrate that States have increasingly risen to addressing the challenge of making it easier to do business. The national implementation average stands at 48.93%, significantly higher than last year’s national average of 32%. This demonstrates the great progress made by States this year.
The final rank of the States as of June 30, 2016 is shown in the table below.
2016 Rank
State
Score (%)
2015 Rank
1.
98.78
2
1.
98.78
13
3.
98.21
1
4.
97.32
4
5.
97.01
5
6
96.95
14
7.
96.57
3
8.
96.43
6
9.
96.13
23
10.
92.86
8
11.
92.73
7
12.
91.07
16
13.
88.39
9
14.
84.52
10
15.
84.23
11
16.
75.82
21
17.
65.48
17
18.
62.80
12
19.
47.62
15
20.
26.97
18
21.
18.15
19
22.
16.67
26
23.
14.58
-
24.
14.29
22
25.
1.79
-
26.
1.49
20
26.
1.49
31
28.
1.19
-
29.
0.89
28
30.
0.60
27
31.
0.30
32
31.
0.30
29
31.
0.30
24
31.
0.30
30
31.
0.30
25
31.
0.30
-
Based on implementation of reforms, States have been divided into four categories, as below
Category
States
Leaders
(90-100%)
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab
Aspiring Leaders
(70-90%)
Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar

Acceleration Required
(40-70%)
Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi
Jump Start Needed
(0-40%)
Kerala, Goa, Tripura, Daman & Diu, Assam, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Puducherry, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.
The highlight of the implemented reforms during this period is as follows:
•      Single Window Systems: Various States have created a dedicated body/bureau as a one-stop system for State level regulatory and fiscal incentive approvals. The online single window system has a provision for filing applications, payment, status tracking, online scrutiny and approval of applications. The officials of the Body/Bureau have also been given powers to grant approvals.
o     States include: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand
•      Tax reforms: States have made good progress in tax reforms. These include mandating e-registration for Value Added Tax (VAT), Central Sales Tax (CST), Professional Tax, Entry tax, etc, allowing online payment and return filing; providing e-filing support through service centers and helpline and risk-based tax compliance inspections.
o   States include: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
•      Construction permits: Many States have allowed applicants to apply online and upload building plans for automated construction permit approval. In addition, several states have developed AutoCAD-based systems that automatically scan building plans and monitor compliance with the building bye-laws and building codes in force.
       o   States include: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttrakhand
•      Environment and labour reforms: States have also implemented advanced automated solutions to deal with environmental and pollution related applications and approvals. These solutions provides hassle free, 24 X 7 e-access to businesses to apply online, track applications, file returns and statements and get online permissions under various Acts and regulations.
       o   States include: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
•      Inspection Reforms: A number of inspection reforms with regard to labour, tax and environment related compliances have been introduced across the States to help businesses comply with inspection requirements in a user-friendly manner. To bring in transparency, the states have also published comprehensive procedures and checklist for various inspections and have implemented online systems for allocation of inspectors to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the procedure.
       o   States include: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana,  Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
•      Commercial disputes and paper-less courts: There has been significant progress this year in the area of judicial reforms compared to last year, particularly due to the passage of the Commercial Courts, Commercial Divisions and Commercial Appellate Divisions Act. To address the concern of time and costs associated with various legal processes, District Courts in various states have also made the provision of making online payments, e-filing and e-summons. Few States have also filled up vacancies in District Courts/commercial courts to ensure availability of adequate capacity for dealing with various cases.
       o   States include: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana
However, the present evaluation also highlights the need to properly communicate, monitor and evaluate these reforms to ensure that their impact is being felt on the ground.
A detailed report will be published in November. All data is publicly available at http://eodb.dipp.gov.in.
****
MJPS

(Release ID :153134)

Index of Eight Core Industries (Base: 2004-05=100) September, 2016


Ministry of Commerce & Industry31-October, 2016 17:03 IST
Index of Eight Core Industries (Base: 2004-05=100) September, 2016
1.         The summary of the Index of Eight Core Industries (base: 2004-05) is given at the Annexure.
2.         The Eight Core Industries comprise nearly 38 % of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).  The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stands at 176.1 in September, 2016, which was 5.0 % higher compared to the index of September, 2015. Its cumulative growth during April to September, 2016-17 was 4.6 %.
Coal
3.         Coal production (weight: 4.38 %) declined by 5.8 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 increased by 1.2 % over corresponding period of previous year.
Crude Oil
4.         Crude Oil production (weight: 5.22 %) declined by 4.1 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 declined by 3.3 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Natural Gas
5.         The Natural Gas production (weight: 1.71 %) declined by 5.5 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 declined by 4.4 % over the corresponding period of previous year.

 Refinery Products (93% of Crude Throughput)
6.         Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 5.94%) increased by 9.3 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 increased by 7.9 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Fertilizers
7.         Fertilizer production (weight: 1.25%) increased by 2.0 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 increased by 5.6 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Steel (Alloy + Non-Alloy)
8.         Steel production (weight: 6.68%) increased by 16.3 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 increased by 7.2 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Cement
9.         Cement production (weight: 2.41%) increased by 5.5 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 increased by 4.5 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Electricity
10.       Electricity generation (weight: 10.32%) increased by 2.2 % in September, 2016 over September, 2015. Its cumulative index during April to September, 2016-17 increased by 5.1 % over the corresponding period of previous year.
Note 1: Data are provisional. Revision has been made based on revised data received for corresponding month of previous year in respect of Coal, Crude Oil, Fertilizer, Steel, Cement and Electricity. Accordingly, indices for the month of September, 2015 have been revised.
Note 2: Release of the index for October, 2016 will be on Wednesday, 30th November, 2016.

Annexure
Performance of Eight Core Industries

Yearly Index & Growth Rate

Base Year: 2004-05=100


INDEX
Sector
Weight
 2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
Apr-Sep 2015-16
Apr-Sep 2016-17
Coal
4.379
141.5
148.1
150.0
162.2
169.6
146.0
147.8
Crude Oil
5.216
112.1
111.4
111.2
110.2
108.7
109.9
106.3
Natural Gas
1.708
149.7
128.1
111.5
106.0
101.5
103.6
99.0
Refinery Products
5.939
133.7
172.5
175.0
175.6
182.3
177.2
191.2
Fertilizers
1.254
103.8
100.2
101.8
101.7
114.0
108.9
115.0
Steel
6.684
174.0
181.1
201.9
211.4
209.1
210.4
225.5
Cement
2.406
175.2
188.7
194.5
205.3
215.0
209.2
218.7
Electricity
10.316
149.3
155.3
164.6
178.5
188.2
189.3
198.9
Overall Index
37.903
145.3
154.7
161.2
168.5
173.2
169.9
177.7




GROWTH RATES (in %)
Sector
Weight
 2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
Apr-Sep 2015-16
Apr-Sep 2016-17
Coal
4.379
1.3
4.6
1.3
8.1
4.6
4.0
1.2
Crude Oil
5.216
1.0
-0.6
-0.2
-0.9
-1.4
0.4
-3.3
Natural Gas
1.708
-8.9
-14.5
-13.0
-4.9
-4.2
-2.1
-4.4
Refinery Products
5.939
3.1
29.0
1.5
0.3
3.8
3.6
7.9
Fertilizers
1.254
0.4
-3.4
1.5
-0.1
12.0
9.5
5.6
Steel
6.684
10.3
4.1
11.5
4.7
-1.1
0.1
7.2
Cement
2.406
6.7
7.7
3.1
5.6
4.7
1.5
4.5
Electricity
10.316
8.1
4.0
6.0
8.4
5.4
4.5
5.1
Overall Index
37.903
5.0
6.5
4.2
4.5
2.8
2.6
4.6
#Refinery Products’ yearly growth rate of 2012-13 is not comparable with other years on account of inclusion of RIL (SEZ) production data since April, 2012.

Performance of Eight Core Industries

Monthly Index & Growth Rate

Base Year: 2004-05=100
Index
Sector
Coal
Crude Oil
Natural Gas
Refinery Products
Fertilizers
Steel
Cement
Electricity
Overall Index
Weight
4.379
5.216
1.708
5.939
1.254
6.684
2.406
10.316
37.903
Sep-15
143.5
107.4
103.9
170.3
119.6
200.6
195.6
195.6
167.7
Oct-15
168.4
111.3
105.6
172.5
122.1
209.4
207.4
201.1
175.4
Nov-15
180.3
107.3
102.6
185.9
118.4
194.6
185.9
174.2
166.8
Dec-15
197.4
108.7
103.4
190.2
122.6
203.6
217.9
182.4
175.7
Jan-16
200.4
107.3
92.5
194.7
118.5
216.7
236.1
187.3
180.7
Feb-16
191.5
102.3
96.9
179.4
113.4
202.6
232.5
181.2
172.2
Mar-16
221.1
108.1
96.0
201.9
119.1
219.7
244.6
196.3
188.0
Apr-16
154.9
104.4
94.0
190.3
94.2
212.3
225.2
203.1
176.4
May-16
164.8
108.7
100.3
188.3
116.9
237.6
227.0
203.9
183.7
Jun-16
164.6
104.8
98.2
190.4
115.6
225.0
237.7
198.6
180.4
Jul-16
140.9
108.7
102.2
200.3
114.1
207.6
212.8
193.2
173.7
Aug-16
126.4
108.3
101.0
191.5
127.1
237.3
203.3
194.6
176.0
Sep-16
135.2
103.0
98.2
186.1
122.0
233.4
206.4
199.8
176.1



Growth Rates (in %)
Sector
Coal
Crude Oil
Natural Gas
Refinery Products
Fertilizers
Steel
Cement
Electricity
Overall Index
Weight
4.379
5.216
1.708
5.939
1.254
6.684
2.406
10.316
37.903
Sep-15
2.1
-0.1
0.9
0.5
18.3
-0.9
-1.6
11.4
3.7
Oct-15
6.3
-2.1
-1.8
-4.4
16.2
-1.2
11.7
8.8
3.2
Nov-15
3.5
-3.3
-3.9
2.5
13.5
-8.4
-1.8
0.0
-1.3
Dec-15
6.1
-4.1
-6.1
2.1
13.1
-4.4
3.2
2.7
0.9
Jan-16
9.1
-4.6
-15.3
4.8
6.2
-2.8
9.0
6.0
2.9
Feb-16
3.9
0.8
1.2
8.1
16.3
-0.5
13.5
9.2
5.7
Mar-16
1.7
-5.1
-10.5
10.8
22.9
3.4
11.9
11.3
6.4
Apr-16
-0.9
-2.3
-6.8
17.9
7.8
6.1
4.4
14.7
8.5
May-16
5.5
-3.3
-6.9
1.2
14.8
3.2
2.4
4.6
2.8
Jun-16
12.0
-4.3
-4.5
3.5
9.8
2.4
10.3
8.1
5.2
Jul-16
5.1
-1.8
3.3
13.7
-4.3
-0.5
1.4
1.6
3.0
Aug-16
-9.2
-3.9
-5.7
3.5
5.7
17.0
3.1
0.1
3.2
Sep-16
-5.8
-4.1
-5.5
9.3
2.0
16.3
5.5
2.2
5.0




****
MJPS

(Release ID :153137)