Cabinet approves four-lane highway section for easy access to Rameswaram
The project will be developed in a hybrid annuity mode, in which the government provides 40% of the project cost as construction support during the construction period and the balance 60% as annuity payments over the period of operation, along with interest, to the concessionaire.
The stretch between Madurai and Paramakudi is already a four-lane highway. A detailed project report is being prepared for upgrading the section beyond Ramanathapuram till Dhanushkodi, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Rameswaram is an important Hindu pilgrimage site on an island. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a press conference that along with the Pamban rail bridge that connects the Rameswaram temple to mainland Tamil Nadu, the highway would provide improved connectivity to the religious and cultural destination.
The project will also connect key economic, social, and logistics nodes across southern Tamil Nadu and enhance multi-modal integration by connecting to the railway stations in Madurai and Rameshwaram, the international airport in Madurai, as well as two minor ports at Pamban and Rameswaram.
The four-laning will facilitate faster vehicular speed, from 48 kmph to 80 kmph, and cut travel time by 40%, from 60 minutes to 35 minutes, according to the presentation made by the Minister.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
9 minutes ago
- Hans India
Cabinet nod to upgrade TN highway
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has given its nod for the construction of a 4-lane Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram section of the national highway 87 in Tamil Nadu, worth Rs 1,853 crore. The project aims to upgrade approximately 46.7 km of NH-87 from Paramakudi to Ramanathapuram to a 4-lane configuration, which will decongest the existing corridor, improve safety, and cater to the mobility needs of rapidly growing towns. "The project will not only enhance connectivity between major religious and economic centers but also boost tourism to Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi, opening new avenues for trade and industrial development,' Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said, briefing newsmen.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt clears employment linked incentive scheme
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved the much-awaited employment-linked incentive (ELI) scheme proposed in the 2024-25 Budget, which will offer fresh recruits in private-sector jobs a month's wages, while firms hiring them will get financial incentives — steps aimed at boosting job opportunities and enhancing skills of working-age people. Govt clears employment linked incentive scheme The sops, aimed at creating 35 million new jobs in two years, will provide direct financial benefits up to ₹ 15,000 in two instalments to 19.2 million first-time employees, Union minister of information and broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a briefing. The outlay cleared by the Cabinet for the roll out stands at ₹ 99,446 crore. Firms participating in the scheme will also get a cash incentive of ₹ 3000 for each additional employee hired for two years, while for companies in the manufacturing sector, the sops will be available for an extended period of four years, according to an official statement. The jobs scheme is part of the PM's package to boost employment and skills, aimed at creating opportunities for nearly 41 million job-seekers in the long run, with a total estimated budget outlay of ₹ 2 lakh crore. 'The aim of the scheme is to create more formal employment and sustain it. It will promote formalization of the workforce, while complementing the national manufacturing mission,' the minister said. According to the government's Economic Survey 2024, India needs to create 7.85 million non-farm jobs every year until 2030 to absorb its expanding labour force, way higher than the current rate of employment. While one part of the scheme deals with one-off payments of a month's wages as direct benefit transfer to all first-time employees entering the workforce in formal sectors, up to a salary ceiling of ₹ 1 lakh, the second component is aimed at contributing a share of salaries. The scheme has been designed to calculate a baseline of employee strength and firms with less than 50 employees will need to hire two additional staffers to be eligible for the incentives. Employers with more than 50 workers will need to add five new employees to the payrolls. All employees need to be registered with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, the state-backed retirement-income manager, according to the statement. According to the details of the scheme, for new employees with a provident-fund base wage of ₹ 10,000, the incentive for hirers will be ₹ 1000 and for those who fall in the base wage slab of between ₹ 10,000 and ₹ 20,000, the incentive will be ₹ 2000. For salaries of between ₹ 20,000 and ₹ 1 lakh, the benefit will be ₹ 3,000. The scheme therefore will offer incentives tied to EPFO contributions to both employers and first-time employees in the manufacturing sector in the form of funds linked to a specified pay scale for the period during which the plan will be in force. The benefits would be applicable for jobs created between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2027. 'The target is to create jobs across the country for freshers, with a special focus on the manufacturing sector,' Vaishnaw said. In an earlier briefing, labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said the government would put in place foolproof systems and AI-driven technologies to monitor hirings and utilisation of funds provided by the government, when asked how authorities would ensure firms don't pass off existing employees as new ones to benefit from the incentives. The corporate affairs ministry had been tasked with drawing the list of firms which will participate in the employment-linked sops, while the labour ministry was involved in finalizing the proposals.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Union Cabinet okays Rs 1L-crore job-linked incentive scheme
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved an employment-linked incentive (ELI) scheme with an outlay of nearly ₹1 lakh crore to generate over 3.5 crore jobs in the next two years. "You saw in the last Budget that the Finance Minister announced a clear package for an employment-linked scheme. Since then, a lot of good work has been done, and we came up with a comprehensive plan. This is an Employment-Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, with a focus on the manufacturing sector," Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a Cabinet briefing. Under the scheme, first-time employees will get an incentive equivalent to one month's wage up to ₹15,000 in two instalments. The first instalment will be paid after six months of service, and the second after 12 months, along with completion of a financial literacy programme, the government said in a statement. 'To encourage the habit of saving, a portion of the incentive will be kept in a savings instrument of deposit account for a fixed period and can be withdrawn by the employee at a later date,' the statement said. The ELI scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 as part of a package for employment and skilling opportunities for 4.1 crore youth, has an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore. The benefits will apply to jobs created between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2027. Two-part scheme Part A targets first-time employees registered with EPFO and is expected to benefit 1.92 crore workers entering the workforce, while Part B will incentivise employers for creating additional jobs, with benefits of up to Rs 3,000 per employee per month for two years. For the manufacturing sector, the incentives will be extended for another two years. Employers hiring additional workers with salaries up to Rs 1 lakh per month will be eligible. Those with less than 50 employees will have to hire at least two more workers, while establishments with 50 or more employees will need to hire at least five more to avail the benefit. The government said Part B is expected to incentivise the creation of nearly 2.6 crore additional jobs. Payments to the first-time employees will be made through DBT using Aadhaar-based systems, while employers will receive the incentive in their PAN-linked accounts.
