New Delhi, Sep 2 (Agency) The Union Cabinet on Monday cleared a slew projects including new railway line connecting two commercial hubs – Mumbai and Indore costing about Rs 18,036 crore, setting up another semiconductor unit with an investment of Rs 3,300 crore, Rs 13,966 crore worth various agriculture related schemes. In a media briefing after the meeting, Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Ashwni Vaishnaw said that the Cabinet took seven major decisions including one to increase farmers’ income and improve their lives and livelihoods with total outlay of Rs 13,966 Crore in the agriculture sector apart from other major decisions.
These seven agriculture related decisions are – setting up Digital Agriculture Mission with a total outlay of Rs 2,817 crores; Crop science for food and nutritional security with a total outlay of Rs 3,979 crore; Strengthening Agricultural Education, Management and Social Sciences with a total outlay of Rs 2,291 Crore; Sustainable livestock health and production with a total outlay of Rs 1,702 crore; Sustainable development of Horticulture with a total outlay of Rs 860 crore; Strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendra with an outlay of Rs 1,202 crore and Natural Resource Management with an outlay of Rs 1,115 crore. Digital Agriculture Mission will use technology for improving farmers’ lives. Crop science for food and nutritional security will prepare farmers for climate resilience and provide for food security by 2047. Strengthening Agricultural Education, Management and Social Sciences will prepare agriculture students and researchers for current and future challenges, an official statement said.
The Cabinet also approved the proposal of Kaynes Semicon to set up a semiconductor unit in Sanand, Gujarat. The proposed unit will be set up with an investment of Rs 3,300 crore. The capacity of this unit will be 60 lakh chips per day. The chips produced in this unit will cater to a wide variety of applications which include segments such as industrial, automotive, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, telecom and mobile phones among others. The new 309 kms long railway line between Mumbai and Indore will also connect the unconnected areas of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh passing through 2 Districts of Maharashtra and 4 Districts of Madhya Pradesh, the Minister said, adding the total cost of project is Rs 18,036 crore and will be completed by 2028-29. This project will also generate direct employment for about 102 lakh man-days during construction, Vaishnaw said.