Cabinet approves Rs 12,000 crore green energy corridor

Representative image (Source: Reuters)

The second phase of the Green Energy Corridor of the Intra-State Transmission system has been approved at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore by the Union Cabinet.

The scheme will see 10,750 kilometer-long circuit transmission lines being constructed across the country and help in the evacuation of 20 GW of power. Seven states including Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are expected to benefit from the scheme, which is set to run for five years till 2025-26.

"The Rs 10,142 crore phase I has seen 80 percent of work being completed," Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur said.

The scheme is a crucial component of India's plans to generate 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. German state-owned investment and development bank group KfW will provide the loans for the scheme. It is the world's largest national development bank.

Bridge connecting Nepal

The Cabinet has also approved the construction of a bridge over the Mahakali river on the Nepal border. To be built in the high altitude Dharchula region of Uttarakhand, the bridge is expected to benefit people living on both sides of the river which acts as the international border.

Currently, there is an old bridge connecting Dharchula town in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand with the eponymous city in Nepal, on the other side.