Karnataka puts on hold decision to sell 3,667 acres to JSW Steel
Bengaluru, May 27: Amid opposition from within the ruling BJP and cases pending in courts, the Karnataka cabinet on Thursday put on hold its earlier decision to sell 3,667 acres of land to the JSW Steel in Ballari district.
"The previous cabinet's decision to give land to Jindal has not been confirmed in today's cabinet meeting, so the previous decision on this matter will be on hold," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting here, he said, with this decision the previous cabinet decision will not be implemented.
"Lot of cases are there, there is appeal in the Supreme Court, there is a PIL in high court based on which notices have been issued. After looking into all these things, we will take a decision in the days to come," he said.
The earlier cabinet meeting on April 26, presided over by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, had agreed to sell 3,667 acres to JSW Steel Ltd in Ballari.
The BJP while in opposition had opposed a similar move and had even staged protests against the then government's decision.
The Congress-JD(S) coalition cabinet in 2019 had decided to convert the lease of 3,667 acres to JSW Steel into sale, in accordance with the initial agreement.
However, amid a row over the decision that drew opposition from various quarters, including the BJP (then in opposition) and within, the Congress-JD(S) coalition cabinet once again discussed the issue and decided to refer it to a cabinet sub-committee.
Accusing the Congress-JD(S) coalition government of selling the land to the company at a throwaway price (Rs 1.22 -1.50 lakh per acre), the BJP, then in opposition, had held a two-day round-the-clock sit-in.
Yediyurappa, who was then a state BJP president, had even accused the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition of getting "kickbacks" for the sale of land.
After the BJP came to power, the issue was again referred to a cabinet sub-committee headed by Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar, which recommended the government to execute the sale deed.
Today's cabinet decision comes after at least four BJP legislators-Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Arvind Bellad, K Poornima and Uday Garudachar- wrote to the Chief Minister earlier this month urging him to rollback the governments decision.
They had termed the decision against the interest of the state, and contrary to the BJPs fight against corruption. In 2005, the then government had decided to give on lease-cum-sale arrangement 2,000.58 acres to JSW.
An order on this was issued by the JD(S)-BJP coalition government that came to power thereafter when Kumaraswamy was chief minister and B S Yeddyurappa was industries minister.
In 2007, another 1,666 acres were allotted.
The cabinet has also given its approval for bringing amendments to the Karnataka Electric Vehicle & Energy Storage Policy-2017.
Bommai said the amendments are being brought in to give more concessions to industries like 15 per cent capital subsidy on fixed assets in five equal annual instalments.
Maximum up to 50 acres of land has been limited for fixed assets.
On COVID, the Minister said with cases rising among children, all government hospitals should set up special wards and ICU should be set up at pediatric wards, and the CM has agreed to it.
He said another issue that was discussed was enhancing procurement of drugs for black fungus, with increase in cases.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
