The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA) today approved the scheme for enhancement of competitiveness of the capital goods sector to boost the Indian economy.

The scheme will be implemented with an estimated outlay of around 931 crore rupees. The scheme, on its implementation, will make the Indian capital goods sector globally competitive.

The sub sectors of capital goods covered under the scheme are mainly for machine tools, textile machinery, construction and mining machinery, and process plant machinery.

It will also address the issue of technological depth creation in the capital goods sector, besides creating common industrial facility centres. The CCEA also gave its nod to the comprehensive scheme for strengthening of power transmission and distribution system in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. The scheme estimated to cost over 4754 crore rupees is to be taken up under a new central sector plan scheme of Ministry of Power.

As the intra-state transmission and distribution system in the North-Eastern states have remained very weak, the central electricity authority developed the scheme for the north east region in consultation with the power grid corporation and concerned state governments.

Under the scheme, it is proposed to take up projects for strengthening intra-state transmission and distribution systems of the two states.

The project is to be implemented within 48 months from the first fund release to power grid corporation.

Union Cabinet today also gave its approval for launch of National AYUSH Mission.

The proposed Mission will address the gaps in health services through supporting the efforts of states for providing Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) health services and education in the country, particularly in vulnerable and far-flung areas.

Under the scheme, focus will be given to specific needs of such areas and for allocation of higher resources in their Annual Plans.