Region in Parliament
Withdrawal of award letter for Ludhiana-Bathinda Highway put on the hold
Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the withdrawal of the letter of award (LOA) for the Ludhiana-Bathinda Highway had been put on hold. This came as a reply from the minister to a question by Congress Lok Sabha MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The Centre was considering withdrawal of the LOA because of delay in handing over of possession of land by the state government. However, the government has handed over possession of approximately 92 per cent of the land.
4 Punjab industries flouting environment laws
Four of the five industries inspected by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) between 2020 and 2024 were found flouting the environment norms. This was stated by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Kirti Vardhan Singh, in reply to a question filed by Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh. Two units have made the amends and two are under probe.
Bhakra and Pong Rule Curves need a review
The committee constituted by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has recommended a review of the Rule Curves (how much storage a reservoir should maintain at different times of the year) in the Bhakra and Pong dams. Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, in reply to a question by the Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi said the committee was constituted for the "Joint flood management study in wake of the extensive floods in the State of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand in July-August 2023".
Unemployment rate decreases
As per the latest Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the estimated unemployment rate for persons of age 15 and above has decreased from 6 per cent during 2017-18 to 3.2 per cent in 2023-24. This was said by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment Sobha Karandlaje, in reply to a question by the Rajya Sabha AAP MP Raghav Chadha. In the Budget 2024-25, the Prime Minister’s package for five schemes intends to cover 4.1 crore youth over a period of five years.
