New Delhi, September 22
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today approved an amount of Rs 298.76 crore towards the conservation and management of Dal-Nagin Lake in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, under the umbrella scheme of National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP). The entire cost of the project shall be borne by the Central Government.

The project will enhance the water quality and the lake ecology as well as result in stoppage of further shrinkage in the area of lake. This will also yield significant health benefits to the people living in the vicinity of the lake, as well as the large tourist population visiting Srinagar.

“A tidier lake will add to the aesthetics of the area and is also likely to enhance the tourism potential of the state”, an official statement said. The project is likely to be completed by March 2010.

The Ministry of Environment & Forest had identified 10 polluted urban lakes, including Dal-Nagin Lake, for the conservation and management under the NLCP. These lakes are: Dal (J&K), Sukhna (Chandigarh), Sagar (MP), Nainital (Uttaranchal), Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu), Ooty (Tamil Nadu) Udaipur (Rajasthan), Rabindra Sarovar (West Bengal), Powai (Maharashtra), and Hussain Sagar (Andhra Pradesh).

The CCEA also approved a series of amendments to the on-going Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) for small-scale industries (SSI), raising the ceiling on loans under the scheme from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1 crore. It also raised the rate of subsidy from 12 per cent to 15 per cent for SSI units in general.