Petroleum minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan calls for resurgence in Indian Exploration and Production sector
Petroleum minister Shri
Dharmendra Pradhan calls for resurgence in Indian Exploration and Production
sector
Minister of State
(IC)for Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has underscored the
need for a resurgence in the exploration and production sector in India.
Addressing the 11th International Conference and Exposition, organized by the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists, in Jaipur today ,Shri Pradhan said India is the fastest growing major economy in the world today.
Addressing the 11th International Conference and Exposition, organized by the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists, in Jaipur today ,Shri Pradhan said India is the fastest growing major economy in the world today.
He said “IMF has assessed India’s GDP growth rate at 7.3% this year & 7.6% in 2016. Similarly, India’s energy consumption in 2014 witnessed an increase of 7.1% over that of 2013, which is the highest in the world,”.
Quoting India Energy Report, recently brought out by the International Energy Agency, Shri Pradhan said that by 2040, India’s energy demand will be close to that of the United States, even though demand per capita will still remain 40% below the world average. The IEA report also projects that India’s oil import dependence will increase above 90% by 2040.
Keeping in view these statistics, the minister asked to revisit India’s upstream hydrocarbon statistics. “For the past 3 years, our domestic crude production has remained static at around 37-38 Million Metric Tons. If we look at domestic natural gas output, we find that the production has actually declined from 111 MMSCMD in 2012-13 to 92 MMSCMD in 2014-15”, he said.
Shri Pradhan said in this context, therefore, the upstream E&P sector is a key component of National Energy Security. And within the E&P sector, the Geophysicist fraternity is the most important cog in the wheel.
Shri Pradhan suggested that E&P companies need to adopt and implement State-of-art technology in order to explore the frontier and difficult areas. They must also aggressively deploy 3D & 4D Seismic, Horizontal drilling, fracturing and IOR/EOR technologies. And they must tap the unconventional sources like Shale Oil and Gas, CBM, Gas Hydrates etc.
Shri Pradhan has exhorted the geophysicists attending the conference to accelerate exploration campaigns.
“Over the last 18 months, we have succeeded in resolving past rigidities in many NELP contracts, the testing method issue was resolved, all the Management Committee meetings were held in time and Government took a role of facilitator to resolve issues in each block”, he noted.
Shri Pradhan said that recently Government has approved Marginal Field Policy for auctioning of 69 Marginal Fields which have remained idle for decades together. The successful bidder would have right to all hydrocarbons in the field and sell gas to customers of their choice at market prices. We want to encourage even smaller private players to participate in this initiative so that the Oil & Gas ecosystem would expand, he added.
He informed that only a few days back, the ministry circulated a consultation paper inviting opinion from all the stakeholders on the new fiscal & contractual regime for award of hydrocarbon acreages. The fundamental changes proposed include principles like Uniform Licensing for both conventional and unconventional E&P, Open Acreage Licensing Policy and creation of a National Data Repository, contractual model based on Revenue Sharing, and freedom of gas Pricing & Marketing. This new policy is being formulated in tune with government’s goal of increasing the ‘Ease of doing Business’. “I would only like to say that Exploration is the first step in E&P business; if the first step is right, then the chances of getting the next steps right are higher. Exploration is also a high-stakes activity. Let us all, therefore, collaborate to find appropriate technical solutions for achieving greater success in our exploration efforts”, he concluded.
Shri Pradhan was accompanied by Petroleum Secretary Shri K.D. Tripathi, CMD ONGC Shri Dinesh K Sarraf and other functional directors on ONGC Board.
*************
Agreement between Google and
Railways for Providing Wi-Fi Facilities to Passengers
RailTel Corporation of India
Limited (RCIL), one of the Public Sector Undertakings of Railways, has entered
into an agreement with M/s. Mahataa Information India Private Limited (MIIPL) a
group company of M/s. Google Inc. for providing high speed Wi-Fi facility at
Railway stations.
Wi-Fi project shall be undertaken in two phases to cover 75 Class A1 and 325 Class A stations. 100 stations out of total of A1 and A category shall be covered in phase-I and 300 stations in phase-II. Non-Suburban stations with an annual passenger earning of more than ` 60 crores are categorised as A1 stations. Non-Suburban stations with an annual passenger earnings of ` 8 crores and upto ` 60 crores are categorised as A stations.
The project is cost neutral to Railways and all capital expenditure is to be incurred by RCIL and M/s. MIIPL, a group company of M/s. Google.
Initially in Phase-I, the work is being taken up at 100 class A-1/A stations, after completion of which, work on 300 class A-1/A stations shall be taken up in phase-II.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Wi-Fi project shall be undertaken in two phases to cover 75 Class A1 and 325 Class A stations. 100 stations out of total of A1 and A category shall be covered in phase-I and 300 stations in phase-II. Non-Suburban stations with an annual passenger earning of more than ` 60 crores are categorised as A1 stations. Non-Suburban stations with an annual passenger earnings of ` 8 crores and upto ` 60 crores are categorised as A stations.
The project is cost neutral to Railways and all capital expenditure is to be incurred by RCIL and M/s. MIIPL, a group company of M/s. Google.
Initially in Phase-I, the work is being taken up at 100 class A-1/A stations, after completion of which, work on 300 class A-1/A stations shall be taken up in phase-II.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
****
Upgrdation of Passenger
Amenities in Railways
Upgradation of
amenities/facilities at all stations is a continuous and on-going process. The
same is undertaken based on the volume of passenger traffic, relative
importance of the work/amenities and availability of funds. Presently,
development of stations is undertaken from funds allocated for passenger
amenities by the concerned zonal railways on a regular basis. In addition, out
of total of 1195 stations identified for development under the ‘Adarsh Station
Scheme’, facilities at 961 stations have already been upgraded.
Further, as a part of continual improvement in improving passenger amenities in trains, the following actions have been taken by Indian Railways:
1) Provision of cushioned seats/berths in general Second Class coaches, snack table and magazine bags in Sleeper Class coaches, automatic fire and smoke detection system (so far in 3 rakes), Braille signage in coaches to facilitate visually impaired passengers, improved design of dustbins and washing of linens in mechanized laundries.
2) Induction of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches in Mail & Express rakes and High Capacity LHB Airconditioned Chair Car coaches on select routes.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Further, as a part of continual improvement in improving passenger amenities in trains, the following actions have been taken by Indian Railways:
1) Provision of cushioned seats/berths in general Second Class coaches, snack table and magazine bags in Sleeper Class coaches, automatic fire and smoke detection system (so far in 3 rakes), Braille signage in coaches to facilitate visually impaired passengers, improved design of dustbins and washing of linens in mechanized laundries.
2) Induction of Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches in Mail & Express rakes and High Capacity LHB Airconditioned Chair Car coaches on select routes.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
****
Provision of E-Catering
Facilities in Railways
In order to widen the range of
food options available to passengers, E-catering services have been introduced,
through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in trains
without pantry car or Train Side Vending as well as on 45 designated stations
from where passengers of originating/passing trains can avail of this facility.
The details of stations selected for this purpose are as follows:- Howrah,
Sealdah, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Visakhapatnam,
Mughalsarai Junction (Jn.), Kanpur Central, Lucknow Jn., Varanasi, Jaipur,
Bilaspur, Kharagpur, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Anand Vihar Terminal, Hazarat
Nizamuddin, New Delhi, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Secunderabad,
Tirupati, Vijayawada, Chennai Central, Chennai Egmore, Ernakulam Jn.,
Kozhikkode, Madurai Jn., Thrisur, Tiruvananthapuram Central, Bangalore City,
Yasvantpur, Nagpur, Pune, Agra Cantt., Gwalior, Jhansi, Bhopal, Ahmedabad Mumbai
Central, Surat & Vadodara. IRCTC has tied up with renowned, reputed and
established brands in the field of catering services so that the passengers can
order good quality and hygienic food of their choice. Further, Janta Khana is
also being made available through E-catering services.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
****
Railway Projects During
Twelfth Five Year Plan under PPP Model
A Participative Policy for rail connectivity and capacity
augmentation was issued in December, 2012 which provides five different models
of PPP. Under the policy PPP projects initiated during the Twelfth Five
Year Plan are given below.
Projects under PPP model are
undertaken on the basis of financial viability, bankability and interest of
stakeholders.
Cost of such PPP projects is
estimated at around ₹ 14,000 crore of which projects worth of ₹ 11,000 crore
approximately do not require any financial commitment from Ministry of
Railways.
Each of the projects has
target for completion within 3-5 years of start of construction.
APPENDIX REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO
PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 764 BY SHRI PARIMAL NATHWANIANSWERED IN
RAJYA SABHA ON 04.12.2015 REGARDING RAILWAY PROJECTS DURING TWELFTH FIVE
YEAR PLAN UNDER PPP MODEL
1. Sanctioned PPP projects
under implementation ( Private line and Joint Venture):
Sl.No
|
Project name
|
Cost in Cr.
|
Km
|
Zone
|
State
|
|
1
|
Digni - Jaigarh
Port( NL)
|
771
|
35
|
KRCL
|
Maharashtra
|
|
2
|
Roha- Dighi Port
(NL)
|
724
|
34
|
CR
|
Maharashtra
|
|
3
|
Palanpur-
Samkhayali (D/L)
|
1267
|
248
|
WR
|
Gujarat
|
|
4
|
Gevra
Road-Pendra Road (NL)
|
838
|
122
|
SECR
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
5
|
Kharasia-Dharamjaigarh
- Ghargoda-Donga Mahua, (NL)
|
1647
|
104
|
SECR
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
6
|
Rowghat-Jagdalpur
(NL)
|
304
|
140
|
SECR
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
7
|
Tuna Port
|
142
|
17
|
WR
|
Gujarat
|
|
|
Total
|
5693
|
700
|
|
|
2. Sanctioned
projects under implementation (Customer Funded):
Sl.No
|
Project name
|
Cost in Cr.
|
Km
|
Zone
|
State
|
|
1
|
Hotgi- Kudgi
section (Doubling)
|
946
|
134
|
SWR
|
Karnataka
|
|
2
|
Manpur-Tilaiya-Bakhityarpur
section (Electrification)
|
140
|
135
|
ECR
|
Bihar &
Jharkhand
|
|
3
|
Lalitpur-Udaipura
(Electrification)
|
44
|
28
|
NCR
|
UP
|
|
4
|
Balgona-Katwa
Section (GC)
|
112
|
25
|
ER
|
West Bengal
|
|
5
|
Bhaktiyarpur
Flyover including 3rd Line
|
250
|
18
|
ECR
|
Bihar
|
|
6
|
Khandwa-Nimar
Kheri (GC)
|
487
|
35
|
WR
|
MP
|
|
7
|
Jagdalpur-Ambagaon
(Doubling)
|
257
|
25
|
ECoR
|
Chhattisgarh
|
|
|
Total:
|
2236
|
400
|
|
|
3.
Sanctioned projects identified for implementation through Annuity route:
Sl.No
|
Project name
|
Cost in Cr.
|
Km
|
Zone
|
State
|
|
1
|
Bhadrak-Nargundi
3rd line
|
900
|
80
|
ECoR
|
Odisha
|
|
2
|
Kazipet-Vijaywada
3rd line with electrification
|
1566
|
202
|
SCR
|
Telangana &
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
3
|
Nagpur-Wardha
3rd line
|
550
|
76
|
CR
|
Maharashtra
|
|
|
Total:
|
3016
|
358
|
|
|
4. Projects
under PPP where In Principle approval granted:
Sl.No
|
Project name
|
Cost in Cr.
|
Km
|
Zone
|
State
|
|
1
|
New Bhubaneswar
- Astrangra Port /ECoR/New line, Odisha
|
1310
|
75
|
ECoR
|
Odisha
|
|
2
|
Sayan/Kim
-Hazira Port /WR/New line, Gujarat
|
734
|
47
|
WR
|
Gujarat
|
|
3
|
Hamrapur- Rewas
port /CR/New line
|
349
|
26
|
CR
|
Maharashtra
|
|
4
|
Bhimnath-
Dholera Rail Link /WR/, (New Line)
|
252
|
27
|
WR
|
Gujarat
|
|
5
|
Chhara
Port/WR/New Line
|
351
|
20
|
WR
|
Gujarat
|
|
6
|
Nargol Port /WR/
New Line
|
82
|
11
|
WR
|
Gujarat
|
|
|
Total:
|
3078
|
206
|
|
|
This information was given by the Minister of State for
Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha
today.
****
Pantry Car and E-Catering
Facilites in Indian Railways
(a) No instructions have been
issued for discontinuation of pantry car facility in trains. However, in order
to widen the range of food options available to passengers, E-catering services
have been introduced, through Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
(IRCTC) in trains without pantry car or Train Side Vending as well as on 45
designated stations from where passengers of originating/passing trains can
avail of this facility. Efforts are being made to proliferate and popularize
this service through print and electronic media so that passengers can order
food of their choice conveniently.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
****
PPP Model in Development of
Railways
For encouraging PPP (Public
Private Partnership) on Railways, a Policy on Participative models for rail
connectivity and capacity augmentation was issued in December 2012 which
provides the following five models viz. (i) Non- Government Railway (NGR) model
(ii) Joint Venture (JV) model (iii) Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) model (iv)
Capacity augmentation with funding provided by customers model (v) Capacity
augmentation through annuity model. Till now, under different PPP models, 9
projects have been implemented, 16 projects have been taken up for
implementation and 6 projects have been given ‘in principle’ approval.
The Concession Agreements provide for Conciliation, Arbitration and Adjudication for resolving disputes between Government and partners.
Projects under PPP model are undertaken on the basis of operational requirement, financial viability, bankability and interest of stakeholders. Such projects are not undertaken based on level of development/underdevelopment of a particular region.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
The Concession Agreements provide for Conciliation, Arbitration and Adjudication for resolving disputes between Government and partners.
Projects under PPP model are undertaken on the basis of operational requirement, financial viability, bankability and interest of stakeholders. Such projects are not undertaken based on level of development/underdevelopment of a particular region.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
****
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