a) whether the Government is preparing to increase investment in view of increasing demand of oil and gas and if so, the details thereof;
b) the ranking of India in power sector in the world; and
c) the details of the steps being taken by the Government to increase the urban gas network in the country especially in Gujarat state ?
MINISTER OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS
(SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)
a) The Government in February, 2019 approved major reforms in exploration and licensing policy to enhance exploration activities, attract domestic and foreign investment and accelerate domestic production of oil and gas from existing fields. The policy reforms inter-alia aims to boost exploration activities with greater weightage to work programme, simplified fiscal and contractual terms, bidding of exploration blocks under Category II and III sedimentary basins without any production or revenue sharing to Government, early monetization of discoveries by extending fiscal incentives, incentivizing gas production including marketing and pricing freedom, induction of latest technology and capital, more functional freedom to National Oil Companies for collaboration and private sector participation for production enhancement methods in nomination fields, streamlining approval processes and promoting ease of doing business including electronic single window mechanism.
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b) As informed by Ministry of Power, in the report of World Bank: Doing Business Report 2020, India’s ranking for “Getting Electricity” has improved to 22 from 24 in the year DBR 2019.
c) With the completion of 10th CGD Bidding Round, CGD would be available in 229 GAs comprising 407 districts spread over 27 states and Union Territories covering approximately 70 percent of India’s population and 53 percent of its geographical area. All the districts in the State of Gujarat have been covered under the CGD network.
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