Dec 3, 2022 | Business
In a further step to realise the Government of India’s commitment to achieve its power requirement from renewable energy sources, Ministry of Power has issued an order for the waiver of Inter-State Transmission system (ISTS) charges on transmission of electricity generated from new hydro-power projects. The said waiver is already available to solar and wind power projects.
Government has set an ambitious plan to have 500 GW of generation capacity from non-fossil energy based sources by 2030. Hydro power projects, being clean, green and sustainable will be of paramount importance in our clean energy transition journey. They are also essential for the integration of solar and wind power, which are intermittent in nature.
In acknowledgement of the aforesaid inherent qualities of hydro-power, Government of India declared hydro power projects as the renewable source of power in March, 2019, However, waiver of inter-state transmission charges, provided to solar and wind projects had not been extended to hydro power projects.
In order to remove this discrepancy and to provide a level playing field to hydro projects, Ministry of Power in Government of India has now decided to extend the waiver of ISTS Charges on the transmission of power from new hydro power projects, for which construction work is awarded and PPA is signed on or before 30.06.2025.
ISTS charges shall be levied for transmission of power from Hydro Power Projects where construction work is awarded and PPA is signed after 30.06.2025 as per the following trajectory:
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S. No.
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Award of construction work + Signing of PPA
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ISTS charges
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1.
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01.07.25 to 30.06.26
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25% of applicable ISTS charges
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2.
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01.07.26 to 30.06.27
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50% of applicable ISTS charges
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3.
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01.07.27 to 30.06.28
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75% of applicable ISTS charges
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4.
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from 01.07.28
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100% of applicable ISTS charges
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The waiver/or concessional charges as shown in table above shall be applicable for a period of 18 years from the date of commissioning of the hydro power plants. The waiver shall be allowed for Inter-state transmission charges only and not losses. The waiver would be made applicable from prospective date.
This step is expected to provide a boost to the hydro sector, which will also help improve India’s water security and bring development benefits to hilly states namely North Eastern States, Uttrakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh etc. where most of the hydro potential is located.
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SS/IG
(Release ID: 1880517)
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Nov 30, 2022 | Business
1. The Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, permit Multi-System Operators (MSOs) to transmit their own programming service, either directly to their own subscribers or through one or more Local Cable Operators. These own programming services referred to as ‘Platform Services (PS)’, which also include most ‘local-channels’, are exclusive programming services being generated at local level offered by MSOs.
2. In accordance to the Rule 6(6) of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994; this Ministry on 30.11.2022 has issued the guidelines in respect of ‘Platform Services’ provided by MSOs in India. These Guidelines provide the definition for the ‘platform services’ and lay down the norms for the MSOs in running the platform services which inter-alia include:
- Simple online registration process for PS channels by MSOs at nominal fees of Rs 1,000 per PS channel. The online registration portal for this purpose is under preparation and shall be notified shortly.
- Only entities registered as Companies are allowed to provide local news and current affairs. MSOs not registered as “company” and desirous of providing local news and current affairs are mandatorily required to apply within 3 months with Ministry of Corporate Affairs for conversion into “company”.
- Total number of permitted PS channels per operator is to be capped at 5% of the total channel carriage capacity.
- To cater to the need of the local language and culture of the subscribers, this cap on PS channels shall be computed at the level of State/Union Territory. Also, additionally, 2 PS channels shall be permitted at the level of each District to cater to the need of local content at the District level.
- All PS channels to carry a caption as ‘Platform Services’ to distinguish them from the registered TV channels.
- The Content of the PS to be exclusive to the platform and is not to be shared directly or indirectly with any other Distribution Platform Operator. However, sharing of live feeds from the religious places like Temples, Gurudwaras etc. shall be permitted.
- All PS channels to be placed together under genre ‘Platform Services’ in the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) along with their Maximum Retail Price and option for activation / de-activation of PS as per the applicable orders / directions / regulation(s) of TRAI.
- MSOs offering PS, to retain, recording of all PS channel programs for a period of 90 days.
- Any content related complaint shall be examined by the Authorised Officer prescribed under the CTN Act, 1995, and the State/ District Monitoring Committee.
- MSOs have been granted a period of 12 months to comply with the guidelines issued on 30th November, 2022.
3. Cable Operators are granted registration for the distribution of Registered TV Channels. The above guidelines have been issued to ensure that network capacity of Cable Operators is utilised primarily for the same. Also, sufficient provisions have been made in the guidelines for MSOs to cater to the demand of local contents by their subscribers. Further, these guidelines mandate the adherence to Programme Code and Advertisement Code in respect to content on PS channels, keeping of recording for 90 days etc. and shall help in combating the menace of Piracy.
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Saurabh singh
(Release ID: 1879957)
Visitor Counter : 670
Nov 25, 2022 | Business
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Highlights
- This year Kathakar partners with Ministry of Culture under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- The event will be organised on 26th November at Amphitheatre Central Vista India Gate from 4pm to 7:30 pm as Kalanjali.
- The festival will showcase in its pristine physical form amazing stories and music by Indian and International storytellers from seven countries
- Puppets, dance, or even musical instruments are used as props to help the narrator make storytelling more impactful.
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The 15th edition of Kathakar will be inaugurated by Shri Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law and Justice and Smt Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture. This year Kathakar partners with Ministry of Culture under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and the event on 26th November will take place at Amphitheatre Central Vista India Gate from 4pm to 7:30 pm as Kalanjali. The storytelling sessions will be held at Sunder Nursery, Heritage Park in Delhi and at Central Vista, India Gate. The festival will showcase in its pristine physical form amazing stories and music by Indian and International storytellers from seven countries—United Kingdom; Australia; Mongolia; Israel; Sierra Leonne; Korea; and India.
The art of storytelling in India has many forms and utilizes many mediums. Despite differences in settings, genres, or cultures, all stories ultimately aim to convey something universal. They serve both an educational and entertainment purpose for audiences. It’s clear that different sections of India’s culture has its own distinct approach to storytelling. Puppets, dance, or even musical instruments are used as props to help the narrator make storytelling more impactful. Hence, Kathakar, the sole celebration of India’s rich oral storytelling tradition, which was started under the umbrella of Ghummakkad Narain Travelling Literature Festival was launched in 2010.
This year’s Kathakar 2022 aim is twofold: to ensure the conservation of oral storytelling tradition and increase its popularity. This year’s Kathakar will feature big names and events, including:
- For the first time, powerhouse performer, Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Bollywood actor) will be narrating stories and will be in Conversation with Mohit Chauhan, noted music composer, singer who is also the patron of the festival;
- Sufi musical night by Satpal Wadali, son of Padmashree Pyarelal Wadali;
- The festival this year will have an event titled Kissey, Kahani aur Cinema, in which Prarthana Gahilote will be in conversation with ace actor Sanjay Mishra at the Central Vista at India Gate;
- Another scheduled event is Kissey, Kahani aur Guftagu, in which Mohit Chauhan will be in conversation with stellar film maker Imtiaz Ali from Bollywood;
- Kabir Vani by Prahlad Singh Tipania
- Shadow puppet play of the Ramayana from Kerala by Ramchandra Pulavar and team.
Among International artists this year, Kathakar will feature Niall Moorjani (United Kingdom), Lilian Rodrigues Pang (Australia), Baatarjav Erdenetsogt (Mongolia), Alim Kamara (Sierra Leonne), Sarah Rundle (United Kingdom), Seung Ah Kim (South Korea) and Yossi Alfi (Israel).
Kathakar 2022—a marquee event to revive the traditional style of storytelling in a world dominated by hi-tech gizmos and gadgets—will thus feature professional and passionate storytellers from the country and abroad who will showcase their mesmerizing craft to underscore the fact that storytelling cuts across all boundaries of language and culture.
“Stories emerging from villages are very powerful as life is totally different there love folk songs and stories that are connected to our lives. Whenever I meet filmmakers, I urge them to make movies based on stories from villages,” says acclaimed filmmaker, writer and producer Imtiaz Ali, who will be part of the event Kissey, Kahani aur Guftagu on November 27 at Sunder Nursery, Nizamuddin.
Since its inception, the festival so far has been addressed by prominent personalities including former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Sadhguru Vasudev Jaggi, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Vishal Bhardwaj, Pankaj Tripathi, Shantanu Moitra, Imtiaz Ali, Margaret Alva, Sunil Shastri, Nandita Das, Sushma Seth, among others.
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NB/SK
(Release ID: 1878865)
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