UP promises land for second nuclear power plant in state

The Uttar Pradesh government has promised to make available land for development of second nuclear power plant in the state.
The proposal was put forward by UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in a meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to discuss the state plan size for 2013-14, sources said.
The Planning Commission took the state's proposal in a positive manner for which a case has already been made to the Prime Minister, they added.
The proposed nuclear power plant, if agreed to, is expected to be set up on the banks of Ghagra river which flows in the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh.

India has six nuclear power plants and one of them is located in Narora, Uttar Pradesh.
In the meeting, Yadav also said the state will hand over power distribution to private sector in Kanpur, Meerut, Varanasi and Ghaziabad by the end of this year.

The Planning Commission today approved plan size of Rs 69,200 crore to Uttar Pradesh for 2013-14, up 19.72 per cent from a year earlier.
Of the total plan size, Rs 30,000 crore will come through central support, as discussed in the meeting. Also, the state will use Rs 2,700 crore to distribute free laptops and tabs to students.

Free distribution of laptops to 12th pass students of UP board is a flagship scheme of Akhilesh Yadav government.
The scheme is aimed at bridging the gap between urban and rural students so that those residing in villages can make use of technology and gain high level of knowledge.