Centre changed policy to ensure Bihar's power plant project goes to a particular firm: Pawan Khera
Patna (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Centre of changing its SHAKTI policy to ensure that a power plant project in Bihar's Bhagalpur district goes to a particular private firm close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The solar power project was converted into a thermal project, and the group has been given 1,050 acres of land at the rate of Re one per acre, chairman of the party's Media & Publicity wing, Pawan Khera, claimed in a press conference here.
"Senior BJP leader RK Singh, who served as a minister in the Modi government for 10 years, is saying the project is a scam worth Rs 62,000 crore. According to him, the firm will earn Rs 25,000 crore every year from this project," Khera said.
"Changes were made to the SHAKTI policy to ensure that the power project plant in Bhagalpur's Pirpainti goes to a particular firm. These changes were made directly at the level of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi," Khera alleged.
The SHAKTI (Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India) policy of 2017, formulated to transparently allocate coal to the power sector, was revised earlier this year to provide "greater flexibility, wider eligibility and better accessibility to coal", according to PIB release of July 28.
"We are also asking from the Central government: why did the Ministry of Energy of the Government of India revise the Bihar government's feasibility report to convert a solar project into a thermal project just to favour a particular group close to the PM," Khera said.
Won't this change have a negative impact on Bihar's Renewable Purchase Obligation, he asked.
The Congress leader also wondered why, despite the absence of coal linkage, was a thermal power plant under Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) given under the provisions of SHAKTI policy.
He asked if issuing a tender without finalising details is not violation of rules.
Besides, Khera said, when this project was to be given to a private firm, why a budget of Rs 21,000 crore was allocated for it in the central budget.
He alleged that the tender for the thermal project was issued without approval of the use Ganga river water, and the Bihar government spent Rs 58 crore on this project before it was floated.
Besides, no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and cost-benefit analysis were conducted for this project, he claimed.
Despite opposition of the several engineers and experts for the Pirpainti project, it was handed over to the favoured group, the Congress leader said.
The group has been given 1,050 acres of land at the rate of one rupee per acre, he said.
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Minister Patil inaugurates Amazon’s Corporate Office in Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil on Monday inaugurated Amazon’s newly constructed, fully equipped 11 lakh sq ft corporate office near Yelahanka here.
Built on a five-acre site approximately 15 kilometres from Kempegowda International Airport, Amazon said this is its second largest office in Asia.
The 12-storey campus will support over 7,000 employees across ecommerce, operations, payments, technology, and seller services in India, Amazon said in a statement.
Patil said this is Amazon’s 10th corporate office in the state. The company, which has shared a two-decade association with Karnataka, plans to invest USD 35 billion in India over the next four years.
"This investment is expected to support 15 million small businesses and generate lakhs of employment opportunities. Karnataka will receive a significant share of this investment," the minister said after inaugurating the new office.
The minister pointed out that Karnataka has an annual per capita income of over Rs 3.80 lakh, ranking highest in the country.
According to him, the state also stands second in annual GST contributions to the national exchequer, contributing Rs 1.6 lakh crore. Bengaluru has climbed to the 21st position globally in the Global Innovation Index and is the only Indian city to feature among the top 30 in the Tech-Cities Index.
Last year, the city recorded 14.6 million square feet of industrial leasing, the highest in the country, he said.
Of the 900 Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India, nearly 35 per cent are located in Karnataka, he added.
In a statement issued by the minister's office, Patil said the state also leads in infrastructure required for e-commerce operations, with warehousing capacity of 42.48 lakh tonne and 233 cold storage units. Correspondingly, e-commerce transactions in the state are growing at 11 per cent annually.
To further promote industrial growth, projects such as dedicated freight rail corridors, multimodal logistics parks, dry ports and truck terminals have been planned. Patil urged Amazon and other global companies to leverage Karnataka’s industry-friendly ecosystem by enhancing their investments in the state, manufacturing here and exporting to global markets.
According to Samir Kumar, Country Manager, Amazon India, "India continues to be a long-term priority for Amazon, and Bengaluru has played a central role in our journey here. Over the years, the city has been home to some of our earliest technology and business teams, and today it remains a key hub for innovation and talent."
