Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan slams draft amendment on solar power
'The draft amendment mandates a three-phase connection for installing solar panels with a capacity of 3 kilowatts and requires those producing 5 kilowatts of solar power to store 30% of it in batteries. It also includes levying a surcharge of Rs 1 per unit of electricity generated, to be paid to KSEB, and implementing net metering for those producing above 3 kilowatts. None of these conditions are acceptable."
"If the amendment is enforced, all solar plants in the state will be forced to shut down,' said Satheesan.
He criticised the recommendation to use batteries from two unavailable brands in the market, calling it corruption. 'This is a pro-private, anti-people decision. Both the government and the Electricity Regulatory Commission should roll back the proposal immediately,' added Satheesan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Gujarat MPs spent just 4.2% of local area development funds: Report
SLUG: IN OVER A YEAR Gandhinagar: Over a year since the 18th Lok Sabha was constituted, Members of Parliament (MPs) from Gujarat have utilised only 4.2% of their allocated local area development funds, raising serious questions about the pace of grassroots development work in the state. According to a report by Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP)—an organisation working to promote transparency and accountability—no development work was completed in 14 out of 26 Lok Sabha constituencies of Gujarat since the new Lok Sabha came into existence in June 2024. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Under the MPLAD (Members of Parliament Local Area Development) scheme, each MP is allotted Rs 5 crore annually to support public welfare and infrastructure projects in their constituency. For Gujarat's 26 MPs, this amounts to a collective allocation of Rs 254.8 crore. However, by July 5, only Rs 10.72 crore had been spent. The Bharuch constituency recorded the highest utilisation at Rs 1.73 crore, followed by Patan with Rs 1.56 crore, and Sabarkantha with Rs 1.08 crore. In sharp contrast, zero spending was reported in key constituencies such as Ahmedabad East, Ahmedabad West, Banaskantha, Chhota Udepur, Gandhinagar, and Navsari. The MAGP report, citing data from the official MPLAD scheme portal, highlights the stark underutilisation of funds that could otherwise be used for critical projects including public health, education, sanitation, irrigation, flood control, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Pointers: Implementation in a year - Navsari constituency has the highest number of recommendations (297 works), followed by Mehsana constituency (271 works) and Kheda constituency (265 works). - Out of a total of 3,823 recommended works, only 93 works have been completed - No work was completed in 14 of the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state Box: Lack of Transparency Pankti Jog of MAGP said that the MPLAD portal only provides details of the allocated budget, expenditure incurred, and the number of works. "Analysis of how much fund was used by which MP in which specific area or sector is not available on the portal," Jog said. She added that on the earlier portal, MPs themselves could see details like the number of works they recommended which started, how many received technical approval, and how many were rejected. These details are now not available on the portal, she added.
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Raju Shetty vows to fight against Shaktipeeth highway
Kolhapur / Sindhudurg, Jul 16 (UNI) MP and president of Anti-Shaktipeeth Highway Action Committee, Raju Shetty, today termed the proposed Shaktipeeth Highway being built by the Maharashtra government as a "Swarthpeeth" (selfish pursuit), which will plunge the state into a debt trap, and vowed to continue his fight till this highway is cancelled. Talking to reporters at Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg district after visiting Sri Patradevi Goa area, he said, "Proposed Shaktipeeth Highway being built by the Maharashtra goverment, is a 'Swarthpeeth' (selfish pursuit), which will plunge the state into a debt trap, and I will fight till the last drop of my blood to get this highway cancelled." Shetty emphasised that his agitation for cancellation of proposed Shaktipeeth was not political but was for protecting the rights of the people of the land and to save the fragile environment. He said that the estimated expenditure of this proposed Shaktipeeth highway is Rs 86,000 crore but considering working style of the state government, the proposed expenditure will raise up to Rs 1.50 lakh crore, which will not be affordable for the government but mount the burden of loan on the state, he reasoned. He made an emotional appeal to the people of Sindhudurg district to extend support for cancellation of the proposed Shaktipeeth highway. Asked about statement of Konkan MLA Deepak Kesarkar who had said that the proposed Shaktipeeth highway will not pass through the Sindhudurg district, Shetty replied that the government has not changed its plan. UNI SSS SS
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Jharkhand: Maoist, COBRA jawan, unidentified person killed in gunfight
Security forces Wednesday killed a Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh during a jungle shootout in Jharkhand's Bokaro district that also left a COBRA jawan and an unidentified person dead. Police had earlier claimed that the body of the last individual, found in civilian clothing, was that of a Maoist. They later said his identity is yet to be ascertained. Jharkhand DGP Anurag Gupta said the Maoist killed during the gunfight was Kunwar Manjhi, a resident of Bokaro who carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh and was wanted in over two dozen cases. Twenty-one of these cases were registered in Bokaro and seven in Hazaribagh, show police records. He was also involved in a shootout with police on April 21. The jawan of the COBRA 209 battalion, Praneshwar Koch, was critically injured in the operation at Birhordera under Gomia police station limits and later succumbed to his injuries. A joint search operation by COBRA-209 and the district police was underway in the area to locate other suspected Maoists. The DGP said the joint combing operation began early Wednesday morning. At Around 6 am, he said, the forces came face to face with the Maoists, leading to an exchange of fire. A police statement said that top CPI (Maoist) leaders, including Sahdev Soren (a central committee member) and Birsen (a special area committee member) were suspected to be planning a major attack in the area. 'The second body, found in civilian attire, remains unidentified,' said the DGP. The DGP said that Koch, the slain COBRA jawan, was from Kokrajhar in Assam. Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma paid tribute to him on X. An AK-47 assault rifle and a magazine with ammunition were recovered from the site along with other daily-use items. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
