The Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers Shri DV Sadananda Gowda has informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply today that Government of India has notified fertilizer as an essential commodity under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955(ECA) and notified Fertilizer (Control) Order (FCO), 1985 & Fertilizer (Movement Control) Order, 1973 under the EC Act. He added that State Governments have been adequately empowered to ensure selling of fertilizers at notified MRP besides stopping black marketing of fertilizers. State Governments are also empowered to conduct search, make seizures and take punitive action against any person violating provisions of FCO, 1985 and Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
He further informed that Urea is being provided to farmers at a statutory notified Maximum Retail Price (MRP). The MRP of 45 kg bag of urea is Rs 242 per bag (exclusive of charges towards neem-coating and taxes as applicable) and the MRP of 50 kg bag of Urea is Rs 268 per bag (exclusive of charges towards neem coating and taxes as applicable). Accordingly, all farmers are being supplied Urea at the subsidized price.
The Minister informed the House that no reports has been received in the Department of Fertilizers from any State Government about about farmers purchasing urea at higher prices from the market.
Shri Gowda also stated that there is no shortage of urea in the country.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656182
In a big support to help fight Covid-19, National miner Coal India arm Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) has donated Rs. Five (05) crores to the state of Uttar Pradesh for procurement of 50 Ambulances. NCL CMD Shri Prabhat Kumar Sinha and Director (Personnel) Shri Bimlendu Kumar handed over a cheque of the said amount to the UP Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanathin Lucknowtoday.
“NCL's coal operations are in UP and MP States. I have assured Hon’ble CM that NCL will keep supplying plenty coal to the thermal power plants of the state. Moreover, as a responsible corporate citizen we are committed for the inclusive development of the state and as a part of our corporate Social responsibility (CSR) we have made a contribution of Rs. 05 crores to the state for purchase of ambulances during these trying times.” NCL CMD Shri Sinha said.
NCL, a Miniratna Company, is one the three subsidiaries of Coal India that produce and supply over 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal annually. The company digs out coal from a total number of 10 coal mines out of which 4 mines are located in the Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh that accounts over 20% of the company’s total coal production. 57% of the company’s coal goes out to the consumers located at Uttar Pradesh majority of them are power plants. Over 14% of the company’s coal is supplied to thermal power plants of Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL).
The company has taken up various CSR initiatives in Uttar Pradesh and has spent over Rs. 80 crores in last five years for various development projects in the state. These projects majorly include Solar power electrification of 80 Primary Health Centres, Financial aid for Solid Waste Management in 13 Panchayats of Varanasi, Construction of Eco Park near Banaras Railway Station, distribution of around 15000 furniture in 1800 government schools, smart classrooms in schools, construction of roads, developing skills of youths etc.
NCL had produced over 108 million tonnes of coal and its coal supply (despatch) remained over 107 million tonnes in the last fiscal. Both coal production and despatch of the company in the last fiscal had remained over and above the assigned targets of 106.25 million tonnes. The company has to produce 113.25 million tonnes of coal in the current fiscal, over 45% of which has already been achieved.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656396
The Government of India has amended the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 on 16.09.2020, enabling nodal Ministries/ Departments to notify higher minimum local content requirement for Class-I & Class-II local suppliers which was earlier fixed at 50% and 20% respectively.
As per the Order, entities of countries which do not allow Indian companies to participate in their Government procurement for any item, shall not be allowed to participate in Government procurement in India for all items related to that nodal Ministry/ Department, except for the list of items published by the Ministry/ Department permitting their participation.
Specifying foreign certifications/ unreasonable technical specifications/ brands/ models in the bid document is restrictive and discriminatory practice against local suppliers. Foreign certification, if required, shall be stipulated only with the approval of Secretary of the Department concerned.
All administrative Ministries/Departments whose procurement exceeds Rs. 1000 Crore per annum shall notify their procurement projections for the next 5 years on their respective website.
An upper threshold value of procurement beyond which foreign companies shall enter into a joint venture with an Indian company to participate in government tenders shall be notified.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656269
Various restrictions were imposed to ensure social-distancing during lock down under guidelines released by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), from time to time. During this period delivery of essential goods, including food, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment were encouraged through e-commerce. Since, the pandemic is still ongoing, it is too early to make an assessment of the impact of the pandemic on the e-commerce sector.
E-commerce operators are liable to be registered irrespective of the value of supply made by them. The benefit of threshold exemption is not available to e-commerce operators. On specific categories of services the GST is payable by the electronic commerce operator if such services are supplied through them. The e-commerce operators are also required to collect Tax Collection at Source (TCS) at the rate of one per cent of the net value of taxable supplies made through them, where the consideration w.r.t such supplies is to be collected by such operators. Under GST Act, every registered person shall self-assess the taxes payable and furnish a return for each tax period as specified. Therefore, e-commerce operators are liable to pay GST like any other supplier of goods or services
This information was given by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656135
As a part of implementation of the Agriculture Export Policy, a number of States have finalized their respective Action Plans identifying various infrastructure gaps affecting agricultural exports. To address these gaps, the States can avail assistance under the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES) of Department of Commerce and under various existing Schemes of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying; Ministry of Food Processing Industries etc.
The Government has introduced a comprehensive Agriculture Export Policy (AEP) to harness export potential of Indian agriculture and raise farmers’ income. Department of Commerce, has taken several steps to implement AEP at State/ District level. State specific Action Plans, State Level Monitoring Committees (SLMCs), Nodal agencies for agricultural exports and Cluster Level Committees have been formed in a number of States. Country and product-specific action plans also have been formulated to promote exports. A Farmer Connect Portal has been set up by APEDA for providing a platform for farmers, Farmer-Producer Organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives to interact with exporters. Buyer-seller Meets(BSMs) have been organized in the clusters to provide export-market linkages.
Government of India has promulgated the following three Ordinances to implement reforms in agriculture sector:
- The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 provides for the creation of an ecosystem, where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of farmers’ produce, which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels; to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce of farmers’ produce outside the physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State Agricultural Produce market legislations; to provide a facilitative framework for electronic trading and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
- The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, provides for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri business firms, processers, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
- The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 aims at increasing the competitiveness in the agriculture sector and enhancing the income of the farmer by liberalizing the regulatory system while protecting the interests of consumers. The Ordinance allows the Central Government to regulate the supply of certain food stuffs only under extraordinary circumstances (such as war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity of grave nature).
This information was given by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Sources https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1656132
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