Upgradation of national highways get Cabinet nod

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved rehabilitation and upgradation of over 780 kms of the national highways at a cost of Rs 7662.47 crores.

The highways are spread over in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The project is partly funded by the World Bank.

“This project will set new standards for green highway projects in the form of green cover, utilisation of reusable material in laying roads,” said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, while briefing reporters about the Cabinet decision.

Javadekar also said that the Cabinet has decided to hike the dearness allowance from the existing 17 per cent to 21 per cent which will benefit 1.13 crore existing and former employees at a cost of Rs 14,595 crores. The measure will benefit 48 lakh employees and 1.65 lakh pensioners, said Javadekar.

The CCEA also has given approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for copra for 2020 season. The MSP for Fair Average Quality (FAQ) of milling copra has been increased to Rs 9,960 per quintal for 2020 season from Rs 9,521 per quintal in 2019.