UP Cabinet okays scheme to promote multiplexes; clears names of solar power plant developers

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government today approved a proposal to promote multiplexes and also cleared the names of developers for setting up solar power plants in the state.

At a Cabinet meeting chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav here, the state government decided to to implement the Multiplex Promotion Scheme, 2015.

Under the new scheme, all multiplexes which were unable to take benefit in absence of a licence for public exhibition of movies would also be covered under certain conditions.

The state government decided to extend the duration of the scheme, which ended on March 31 this year, up to March 31, 2020.

The Cabinet also cleared 15 developers who were selected on the basis of competitive bidding to set up solar power plants in the state of a total capacity of 215 megawatts.

It also approved a proposal to exempt natural gas for NTPC's gas-based power plants at Dadri and Auraiyya from VAT and entry tax only for Incremental Generation of Electricity over and above the plant load factor.

The Cabinet further okayed the setting up in the public sector of a 660-MW thermal power plant at Malawan in Etah district at a revised cost of Rs 8,078.56 crore. Work on the project would commence in May next year and the plant would start production by 2020-2021.

In a bid to attract capital investment in sugar industry, co-generation and distillery, the Cabinet decided to amend the existing policy and extend from three years to four the timeline for starting production.

Also, in view of an unprecedented rise in the price of pulses, the government amended an earlier order regarding stock limit.

Thus, a retailer would now be allowed to stock 50 quintal pulses and whole-sellers and commission agents 1,500 quintal each and producers up to 30 days of production capacity.

To promote exports, the UP Cabinet okayed the promulgation of Export Policy, 2015.