Panel wants ‘imaginative solution’ |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
The Planning Commission has called on the authorities to find “imaginative solutions” for the Northeast in the forthcoming Twelfth Plan to deal with the region which has special challenges. The commission, in its draft approach paper to the Plan, says the Northeast needs special application, as it has enormous development potential, but its growth has been slow. “The low levels of private investments in the region are because of the perception of limited opportunity and difficult logistics and access. Development of infrastructure, better connectivity, greatly improved access to trade with the rest of the country and Look East window to Bangladesh and Southeast Asia will yield rich results. These are complex and sensitive issues for which imaginative solutions must be found during the Twelfth Plan,” it says. The draft approach paper was approved last month. Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, along with senior officials, had visited Guwahati in the first week of July to include views from the region. The Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region (Finer) has already called for an exclusive five year plan for the Northeast to address the issue of regional imbalance with the rest of the country. On the potential for development of hydropower in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and other states of the region, it said: “The pace of capacity creation in this area has been slow and it is vital that special emphasis be given to expedite environmental and other clearances, so that the pace of work on these hydro-electric power projects can be stepped up. Early completion of these projects will also generate an income stream for the Northeast which will enable them to accelerate the pace of development.” Another important area is upgrading and expansion of the transmission grid in the region, so that it can both receive and transfer power to the rest of the country. “A special project on power evacuation from the Northeast will have to be undertaken. The possibility of such lines passing through Bangladesh could be considered, reflecting our mutually beneficial inter-dependence,” it said. The draft has laid stress on development of road infrastructure which is critical for the completion of several power projects because movement of heavy equipment to remote areas is not possible without good road links. The commission said the “Look East Policy” should lead logically to special efforts at developing road connectivity to Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Development of waterways transport will also generate economic activity and investments need to be promoted in this sector, it said. Tourism is another high potential area, the draft said. EOM |
NE wants imaginative solutions: PC
Northeast india refineries hit by duty restructuring
Guwahati, Sept. 1: Profitability of refineries in the Northeast, which has always been under strain, will be badly hit because of restructuring of duties by the Centre. The ministry of petroleum and natural gas had carried out duty restructuring in the wake of high crude prices and mounting under recoveries of oil marketing companies. The duty restructuring led to reduction in customs duty on crude oil from five per cent to nil, motor spirit/high speed diesel from 7.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent and excise duties on high speed diesel (HSD) from Rs 4.60 per litre to Rs 2. Sources said while these would prove helpful in cash flow management of oil marketing companies and in mitigating the subsidy burden of upstream companies, this would have a negative impact on the already strained profitability of the refineries in the region. There are four refineries in Assam — Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Digboi and Numaligarh. The adverse impact because of restructuring of duties will be to the tune of Rs 1,900 crore. The reduction of customs duty on crude oil does not bring any benefit to North East refineries as these are processing indigenous crude oils. In fact with this change, Northeast refineries are now at a disadvantageous position vis-à-vis refineries processing imported crude oil as N-E refineries are required to pay VAT at five per cent and entry tax at two per cent. Refineries processing imported crude oil do not have to pay anything as the incidence of customs duty/sales tax for them is nil now. In fact the reduction in excise duties on HSD from Rs 4.60 per litre to Rs 2 per litre has resulted in huge decline in realisation to refineries because of reduction in the region excise duty benefit. The Centre provides 50 per cent excise duty concession in view of the sub-economic size and geographically disadvantageous location. Because of decline in excise duties, these refineries stand to lose this benefit. In addition to these, enhancement in VAT rate from four to five per cent on crude oil by the state government and revision in pipeline charges by OIL for Barauni-Bongaigaon section have adversely affected the refineries of the region. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas, in its latest report, has noted with concern the financial health of oil refineries in the region because of various problems, including entry tax on crude oil being charged by the state governments, which is affecting the profitability of the refineries. In fact, the director (refineries) of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, B.N. Bankapur, has written to the ministry saying that all the three refineries of IOCL would end up in the red. “This is an undesirable situation from the point of aspirations of the employees, ancillary industries and regional development. While there have been plans to improve the profitability of the N-E refineries with setting up of facilities, the same will now be uneconomical,” he said. The IOCL has requested the ministry to request Assam to waive VAT and entry on crude oil. Till that happens, it has asked the ministry to withdraw the instructions. It has requested the finance ministry to enhance Northeast excise duty concession from 50 to 100 per cent. The general secretary of North Eastern Region Oil Worker’s Co-ordination Committee, Biren Kalita, has called for reduction in VAT and waiving of entry tax to help the refineries remain viable. The reduction in customs duty has resulted in entitlement of lower refinery transfer price to these refineries. The refinery transfer price (RTP) is the price at which oil marketing companies (OMCs) lift products from the refineries. The NEROWCC has also asked the Centre to expand the capacity of the four N-E refineries to make it economically viable. The issue figured in Parliament a few days back when minister of state for petroleum and natural gas R.P.N. Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha had said the Northeast refineries have implemented a number of projects for their modernisation, quality upgrade and efficiency. These projects will improve the efficiency and thereby the profitability of the refineries, he said. eom |
Hydel projects pose threat to Pakke tiger reserve
Centre rues lack of review at Pakke - Hydel projects pose threat to the tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
Guwahati, Aug. 28: The Centre has indicated that there has been no systematic assessment of threats to Pakke tiger reserve in Arunachal Pradesh from power projects. This has been pointed out in the management effectiveness evaluation report of Pakke tiger reserve prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority. “The threats have been identified in a systematic way, but there have been no systematic assessment,” the report said. It said power houses and hydel projects, which pose as new threats, would affect the protection efforts because of the increased biotic pressure, pollution and others. The biological corridors currently used by animals would also be affected, it said. The 861.95 square km Pakke tiger reserve lies on the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. A park official said of the four power projects coming up in the vicinity, two would require diversion of the core area of the reserve. “We have been raising these issues constantly with the authorities at the Centre as these are threats to the reserve,” the official said. The report said the state government has signed an MoU with Mountain Fall Company based in Delhi for construction of 1,200MW power project across Kameng river near Pinjuli where the Pakke tiger reserve, Eagle Nest wildlife sanctuary and Thenga reserve forest merge. “Though the Mountain Fall Company has not submitted its report, the pre-feasibility report of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (Neepco) reportedly suggests 27 hectares of the tiger reserve will be submerged in addition to the expected disturbance during construction,” it said. “We are being constantly pressurised to give clearance to the projects as MoUs have been signed with the state government,” the official said. The report said the construction of 600MW power house at Kimi in the north western part of the reserve has brought in thousands of labourers leading to several settlements in the fringes, which could be a threat in future. “A diversion tunnel at Pakke side under the dam will also affect the reserve,” it said. The tiger population of Pakke, which it shares with Nameri in Assam, is estimated to be nine. The reserve forms a part of larger landscape with adjoining Sonai Rupai sanctuary and Nameri tiger reserve and also reserve forests such as Tenga, Doimara and Pappum. The Sessa Orchid wildlife sanctuary and Eagle Nest wildlife sanctuary are also adjacent, though on the other side of the river. The area is also important in terms of watershed with several streams originating from the landscape leading to Pakke and Kameng rivers. It also forms part of the Kameng elephant reserve. The area is rich in wildlife with 40 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, 20 reptile species, 8 amphibian species and 12 species of fishes and butterflies. The report said the communities in the fringe area are exerting some pressure in the form of collection of non-timber forest products and tribal hunting to a limited extent. |
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More fringe benefits for tea workers
More fringe benefits for tea workers | ||
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI | ||
The tea industry has agreed to increase the quantum of fringe benefits to its workers. It has acceded to increase the quantity of dry tea given to daily workers, the firewood given to sub-staff and the incentives given to workers engaged in spraying operations, as demanded by the Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS). A memorandum of settlement to this effect was signed in Dibrugarh yesterday between representatives of five employers’ associations and the ACMS, which represents the workers. The meeting was attended by DoNER minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, who is also the president of Assam Cha Mazdoor Sangha. This is the first tea industry meeting that Ghatowar has attended since becoming DoNER minister. The agreement was signed after several rounds of bilateral discussions between the ACMS and the Assam valley branch of the Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations. The chairman of Indian Tea Association, C.S. Bedi, was also present at the meeting. According to the agreement, permanent workers who earlier got 600gm of dry tea per month per family, according to the 1979 fringe benefits agreement, will get 900gm per month with effect from September 1. Single workers will now get 450 gms of tea compared to the previous 300gm. The firewood entitlement, which was fixed at 228 cubic feet according to the 1979 agreement, has now been increased to 342 cubic feet. The agreement will be interim till the time LPG is made available. It was also decided that the sprayers engaged in gardens will get an additional compensation of Rs 3 per day. “The agreement will have some financial impact but we are doing this for the welfare of the workers since we care for them,” a tea industry official who attended the meeting said. The industry has been asking the Centre to share half the social cost borne by the plantation industry but nothing has materialised despite various committees’ recommendations. The social cost is now Rs 9 per kg of made tea. The social cost incurred in providing housing, health and sanitation to the workers is being borne by the industry. | ||
Threat looms large over Assam Muga GI
Assam muga hangs by 6-yr thread | ||
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI | ||
Guwahati, Aug. 24: Assam may lose the coveted Geographical Indication tag for muga if it fails to get 27,000 people involved in core production work of the silk registered under the Geographical Indications Act (1999) in another six years. Though Assam got the tag in 2007, there is still no registered users till now. “Users” primarily means the families involved in cultivation of cocoons, weaving and even the people involved in post-production work. There were 27,878 people involved in such work when the Geographical Indication tag was granted to Assam muga. Geographical Indication is a mechanism employed to identify agricultural, natural or manufactured goods which possess certain special qualities or characteristics based on the climatic or production conditions unique to a geographical location. The tag for muga is registered in the name of Patent Information Centre, Assam Science Technology and Environment Council. It is valid for 10 years, after which it needs to be renewed. There are two kinds of registration under the Geographical Indication Act — registered proprietor and registered user. While the registered proprietor of Geographical Indication is Assam Science Technology and Environment Council, there are no registered users as of now. The users have to be registered under a legal body. Authorised users have the exclusive rights to protect the goods, monopolise their markets and control the prices of the items. The user has to apply in writing in a prescribed form along with prescribed fee to the GI registry based in Chennai. “There has to be good number of users by 10 years otherwise the tag will be taken away,” a source in Assam Science Technology and Environment Council said. “We are taking steps and reaching out to people in the muga sector to get users registered. One person has already come forward and we are hopeful more will follow,” the source said. The Geographical Indication for muga includes raw silk yarns and threads for textiles, dress materials, head gear, foot wears, ties, motifs, fashion wear, quilt, furnishings and upholstery, mekhela sador and shawls. “If there are no registered users, then somebody will take away the designs and start using it,” the source said. The Patent Information Centre has been holding workshops to enlighten the people in the muga sector on the need to get themselves registered so that they can get the benefits of the tag. “We will help the users in all ways to get themselves registered,” the source said. Under the GI Act, authorised users can initiate an infringement action when an unauthorised user uses the tag. Muga, the golden-yellow silk, is obtained from semi-domesticated multivoltine silkworm, Antheraea assamensis and is found only in the Brahmaputra valley. According to historical records, people of Assam have been using muga silk since 321 BC. It possesses the highest tensile strength among all the natural textile fibres and is comfortable to wear in both summer and winter. The golden texture and shine also increases with every wash. | ||
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Ruddy shelduck breeds in Arunachal Pradesh
Experts spy ruddy ducks in Arunachal - Rare sight captured |
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI |
Guwahati, Aug. 19: It took them three years of dexterous voyeurism to catch the pair mating. It was a thrilling sight, the wildlife experts admitted, to watch ruddy shelduck, a winter visitor to Arunachal Pradesh, use the high-altitude ground to breed. Seven ducklings quacked excitedly in the Tsomgo Ama wetland of West Kameng district and the WWF-India team got their precious first ever photographic documentation of a breeding pair of ruddy shelducks, a member of the duck, goose and swan family of Anatidae. Though the presence of ruddy shelduck (tadorna ferruginea), was known, there was no information on the breeding of this species in the high-altitude wetlands of the state. “I was trying to document the presence of the breeding pair of this species for the last three years when I first started working on this landscape in early 2008. It took me almost three years to come across this sight and I was simply delighted,” Kripaljyoti Mazumdar, project officer, Western Arunachal Landscape Programme, WWF-India, told The Telegraph. The wetland, situated at a height of nearly 14,900 feet, covers .27 square km of the Thembang Bapu community conserved area wetland complex. In India, eastern Ladakh and Sikkim are the only two familiar high altitude-breeding sites of this species, besides a few sites in Nepal and Bhutan. “As many migratory birds from the nearby plains of Assam breed in these high-altitude lakes during summer, it is extremely important to know their population trend. A proper long-term monitoring and conservation initiative is needed to come up with new information and data. Regular checks on the population fluctuation along with the breeding ecology will help in understanding the distribution status of this species in the high-altitude regions of Arunachal Pradesh,” Mazumdar said. Most of these wetland areas are used as traditional grazing grounds and are under the ownership of the local indigenous community of western Arunachal Pradesh. Since the breeding period of these birds overlaps with summer grazing, it is important to educate livestock grazers on ways to help these birds during the breeding period. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, the ruddy shelduck has a very large population, and hence does not qualify for the vulnerable category. It has been classified under the “least concern” category, as it does not qualify for the “critically endangered”, “endangered”, “vulnerable” or “near threatened” categories. The WWF team came across the rare sight of the ducks breeding while working under the banner Saving Wetland Sky High in the western parts of Arunachal Pradesh, covering West Kameng and Tawang districts. “The high-altitude wetlands of western Arunachal Pradesh, like many other high-altitude wetlands of the country, are under tremendous threat. Increasing grazing pressure in the catchment areas of the wetlands, over-exploitation of forest resources, unregulated dumping of waste, unregulated tourism leading to soil and water pollution, construction and other development activities are some of the major threats,” he said. eom |
Tea exporters for more subsidy
Tea exporters for more subsidy | ||
| ROOPAK GOSWAMI | ||
Guwahati, Aug. 18: Tea exporters, who have to bear the cost of returning (repositioning) containers taken from the inland container depot at Amingaon here, are requesting the government not only to extend the repositioning subsidy scheme by another five years but also to increase the assistance. The Tea Board of India offers a subsidy of Rs 1.50 per kg of tea to the exporters to cover the expenses borne during repositioning of empty containers at the inland container depot. The tea exporters are forced to return the empty containers, as there are hardly any imports to the container depot. The Federation of Industries and Commerce of North East Region (FiNER) has requested the Centre to have the container-repositioning subsidy extended by another five years and enhanced to Rs 2 per kg in view of the massive increase in freight and other charges. The current subsidy sch-eme is valid till March 2012. “The subsidy is fully compatible with WTO norms as we are over 1,000 km from the nearest port,” FiNER plantation committee chairman Sudip De told The Telegraph. In 2002, the Tea Board had approved a repositioning subsidy of Rs 1.5 per kg of tea exported from the depot to defray the cost of returning the containers. All tea exporters registered with the Tea Board and holding valid export licences are eligible for assistance under the subsidy scheme, the claim for subsidy being restricted to teas of Indian origin only. “This figure has remained constant in spite of the massive increase in railway freight and allied costs,” De said, adding that the Agricultural Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) gave a subsidy of Rs 2 per kg for agricultural exports from the depot. The Assam government has also requested the Centre to increase the subsidy. Sources said the total annual outgo of subsidy was only Rs 4 crore — a fraction of the subsidies given by the Tea Board for its various schemes. Approximately 30 million kg of tea valued at over Rs 400 crore is exported directly from the depot every year. “As a result of this export from Amingaon depot, the Centre sanctions approximately an additional Rs 10 crore under the Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities scheme for infrastructure development in Assam,” a state government official said. De said foreign tea importers had also developed great faith in the Amingaon depot because of its efficiency and damage-free shipments. “Major Buyers like Tetley and others are now actually specifying the depot in their contracts as the port of shipment,” De said. “It is feared that if a small sum of Rs 4 crore is not sanctioned, then the depot is in danger of closing down, as 98 per cent of exports from there is of tea,” a tea industry official said. The tea export market is very competitive and exporters closely monitor the cost of shipment. The loss of subsidy will make Calcutta a much cheaper option for tea exports, thereby resulting in export teas being diverted to the metro, leading to closure of the Amingaon depot. In 2010-11, tea crop losses arising out of pest attacks had taken a toll on the depot, as only 7 million kg of tea could be exported that fiscal. In 2010-11, there was a drop of 669 containers compared to 2009-10. A total of 2,285 containers were dispatched in 2010-11, compared to 2,954 in 2009-10 — the highest since the inception of the depot. A total of 36 rakes were sent from the depot, with the highest number of containers being sent by McLeod Russell (1,572), followed by Apeejay (336) and M.K. Shah Exports (224). In 2009-10, McLeod Russell had sent 2,273 containers. Currently, nine companies are exporting teas to the UK, Europe, West Asia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Canada and the US from the depot. Among the various shipping lines involved with the region’s tea exports, the Shipping Corporation of India tops the list, having transported 1,135 kg of the beverage during the last fiscal. Statistics reveal that since 1986, when the depot became operational, 50,121 kg of tea has been exported through the facility. Industry officials said more companies should use the depot to export their teas so that the facility was put to optimal use. The Container Corporation of India Limited, which is looking after the rail-linked depot, has put in a lot of investment to improve infrastructure and services there so that more tea could be sent through the facility. | ||
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