by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Emerging Businesses
Hyderabad, (IANS) Rays Power Infra Pvt. Ltd., one of the leading solar energy companies, on Tuesday announced the commissioning of its latest solar photovoltaic project in Telangana.
The 11.5 Megawatt project’s execution work had commenced in January this year and was commissioned in three months, the company said in a statement.
Developed for Shining Sun Powers and spread over 46 acres in Mahabubnagar district, it is one of the fastest commissioned projects in the country. Undertaken by Rays Power Infra on turnkey basis, the project was meticulously executed from land acquisition till its successful commissioning.
It is one of the few projects, which has been commissioned out of the allotted 500 MW under Telangana’s solar policy.
“The successful commissioning of this ambitious project in record time places another feather in our cap. This is an extremely important win for both our enterprise and for the augmentation of solar energy in India,” said Ketan Mehta, CEO, Rays Power Infra.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Economy, News
Chennai (IANS) Spanish wind turbine-maker Gamesa is expanding its production capacity in India by setting up a new integrated facility in Andhra Pradesh at an outlay of 100 million Euros (around Rs.800 crore), a top official of the company’s Indian subsidiary said on Tuesday.
“We see good potential for wind power in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. The new plant would cater to the needs of these markets,” Ramesh Kymal, chairman and managing director at Gamesa Renewable Private Ltd, told reporters here.
He said the plant is coming up in the IFFCO Kissan Special Economic Zone at Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. It will first manufacture blades for 2 MW wind mills and later the nacelles, generators and other component assemblies.
The plant is expected to start commercial production on August 15, this year, Kymal said.
On the choice of location Kymal said 24-hour power supply, ease of doing business, supportive bureaucracy and political leadership, and proximity to markets are the reasons for choosing Andhra Pradesh.
He said there is potential for growth for wind power in states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Kymal said that with new-generation machines, power could be generated even in areas where wind speed is relatively low.
He said the company retained its leadership position in India by installing wind turbines with a total capacity of 1,003 MW.
Cumulatively Gamesa has installed 3,000 MW of wind power in India and Sri Lanka (45 MW).
In the last fiscal the company had installed wind mills with a total capacity of 1,003 MW; and the plant load factor (PLF) of each machine is around 30 percent, Kymal said.
Speaking about re-powering or installing new machines in place of low-capacity older machines, he said policies need to be changed so that a new power purchase agreement (PPA) is signed for supply of power at the revised rate.
“In Tamil Nadu alone 3,000 MW to 5,000 MW capacity can be added by re-powering/replacing the old machines,” Kymal said.
According to Kymal, the company’s order book position for wind turbines is 750 MW and for solar power projects it is 150 MW.
Last year a total of around 3,400 MW of wind power was added and in the current fiscal the capacity addition is expected to be between 4,000-4,500 MW, said D.G. Kamath, executive vice-president (sales and marketing).
He said Gamesa will retain its 29 percent market share this year.
On the solar power projects, Kymal said the company does not have land bank but has the approvals to set up projects totalling 10,000 MW.
“We don’t want to bid in the solar power sector. The market will witness a shakeout as the tariff rates are not economical. Already we are seeing exits from the sector by some players. We will get into bidding for solar power projects at an appropriate time,” Kymal said.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Employment, Government Jobs
Hyderabad:(IANS) Lawmakers in Telangana will now get a monthly package of Rs.2.50 lakh against the existing Rs.95,000 with the state assembly on Tuesday unanimously passing a bill hiking their pay and allowances.
Members of both the houses of state legislature will get a hike of 163 percent in the package which includes both the monthly pay and the allowances.
The monthly pay has been revised from Rs.12,000 to Rs.20,000 but the constituency allowance has witnessed a huge jump — Rs.2.30 lakh from the present Rs.83,000.
The Telangana Payment of Salaries and Pensions and Removal of Disqualifications (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed effecting the hike in the salaries of legislators, legislative councillors, chief minister, ministers, chief whip, whips and presiding officers of both the houses.
The hike for the chief minister and others ranged from 60 to 72 percent.
Legislative Affairs Minister Harish Rao tabled the bill, which was passed with a brief discussion which saw members cutting across party lines hailing it and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao justifying the hike.
The chief minister’s gross salary has gone up from Rs.2.44 lakh to Rs.4.21 lakh. The pay has been increased from Rs.16,000 to Rs.51,000 while the constituency allowance has gone up steeply to Rs.2.30 lakh from Rs.83,000.
Ministers, chief whip and whips will get a monthly package of Rs.4 lakh against the existing 2.42 lakh. Assembly and council chairman will now get Rs.4.11 lakh instead of Rs.2.42 lakh.
For the state legislators, this is said to be the highest monthly package in the country, overtaking Delhi where the Aam Aadmi Party government increased the package of the lawmakers to Rs.2.10 lakh last year.
Members from both the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed the hike.
The chief minister brushed aside the criticism over the hike and advised media not to project this as a loot of public money. “By doing this you are demeaning your own legislators,” he said.
The increase in salaries will put an additional burden of Rs.42.67 crore annually on the state exchequer.
The chief minister said this is not even a perceptible percentage of the state’s budget (Rs.1.30 lakh crore).
He justified the increase in salaries and allowances saying this was done keeping in view the requirements of the legislators, and was necessary to enable the lawmakers to play an active and positive role in the process of nation building and to remain free from corruption.
He pointed out that today’s economic dynamics are different from what it was after the country’s independence. “Today there is no need for anybody to make great sacrifices. This is not an era of sacrifices. We are all involved in the process of nation building,” he said.
Rao said the lawmakers serve on many committees at the district level, have to attend meetings and they have to bear the cost of travelling within the constituency and to the state capital.
“Every legislator will have several visitors every day. He has to arrange at least 50 cups of tea every day,” said the chief minister.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | C S R, Corporate
Hyderabad:(IANS) Leading sportspersons from Telangana have come forward to help families of farmers who have committed suicide due to debt burden and crop failure.
Responding to an appeal by the state government to all sections of the society to come to the rescue of farmers’ families, tennis ace Sania Mirza, top shuttler Jwala Gutta and cricketer Pragyan Ojha on Sunday declared their support.
As Saniais in China to play in a tournament, her mother Naseema Mirza presented a cheque of Rs.3 lakh to MP K. Kavita, daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
“Agriculture and farmers are core of our country. Whatever crisis the state is facing be it farmers’s suicides or an earthquake, we have to come forward to help the people,” said Naseema.
Sania is the brand ambassador of the newly-created state.
Jwala, who presented a cheque of Rs.1 lakh, said it was the duty of every citizen whether they are celebrities or a common people to come forward to help the farmers. “We need to come forward and do whatever we can,” she said.
Ojha said since farmers are backbone of the country, he decided to join the effort without second thought. He assured all support to the effort to help the families of farmers.
Kavita, who is also heading cultural organisation Telangana Jagruthi, said the NRIs wing and others had come forward to adopt 70 families of the farmers. She said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was doing everything possible to help the farmers but it was the responsibility of every section of the society to contribute.
She said the organisation would take care of the widows and children of the farmers.
The state cabinet on Friday decided to hike compensation for farmer suicide deaths from Rs.1.5 lakh to Rs 6.lakh. Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari announced that the hiked compensation would come into effect from September 19.
The government said 430 farmers committed suicide in the last one year of which 141 have been found eligible for compensation in accordance with the government’s criteria. Opposition parties however claimed that over 1,000 farmers killed themselves in the same period.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz
Hyderabad:(IANS) The opposition parties in Telangana have come together to launch a movement against the state government’s move to introduce cheap liquor in the state.
The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the left parties on Saturday decided to launch a movement from Gajwel, the assembly constituency in Medak district represented by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Leaders of the opposition parties at an all-party meeting here alleged that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government is trying its fill coffers by selling cheap liquor without bothering about its impact on people.
They urged the government to immediately drop the proposal as it has serious social and financial consequences for the poor.
Congress’ state president Uttam Kumar Reddy said the TRS government was acting in an undemocratic way by taking unilateral decisions without consulting opposition parties.
TDP leader E. Dayakar Rao announced that the movement against cheap liquor would be launched from the chief minister’s constituency.
The opposition parties and non-governmental organisations constituted a steering committee headed by Prof P.L. Vishweshwar Rao to organise the movement.
Meanwhile, BJP’s women activists staged a sit-in at the excise department office at Nampally here on Saturday to protest cheap liquor. Tension prevailed when police tried to remove the protestors.
BJP leader K. Lakshman said the government was playing with the lives of people by introducing cheap liquor.
Opposition parties said TRS government proposed to set up one liquor shop for a population of 10,000 against the earlier policy of one shop for 15,000 population.
The government earlier this decided to introduce bottled cheap liquor as an alternative to arrack in the same price range to tackle the latter’s menace.
Officials said since arrack was a health hazard to poor people, the government decided to introduce a new excise policy, which will come into effect from October 1.
