Talks led to easing of US curbs, clarifies Jaswant

The Government wants that the sanctions should be lifted immediately. The Minister said the United States has lifted some restrictive economic measures against India in November. These relate to programmes of three US institutions. The US administration also lifted restrictions on activities of US commercial banks and international military education and training programmes. These steps were taken in recognition of the progress in Indo-US dialogue on the nuclear issue.

On the issue of CTBT, Jaswant said the Government’s position is based on national interest. India is now engaged in discussions with key interlocutors on a range of issues, including CTBT. “We are preparedto bring these discussions to a successful conclusion,” he said.PETROLEUM: A new exploration licensing policy has been announced to encourage oil and gas exploration, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Santosh Kumar Gangwar said.

In a written answer, the Minister said the Government have allowed oil companies in the downstream sector to enter E and P Sector. Refining is also delicensed.

The Minister said the Government has also allowed parallel marketing of LPG, kerosene and diesel in addition to allowing direct imports of some of the products.

Natural gas is also an open general licence (OGL) and no licence for its imports are required, he said, adding the Government has been encouraging direct foreign investment in this sector.

The Government has adopted a multi-pronged strategy to increase ground water and has long-term plans to transfer surplus water and its equitable distribution among all the states, Minister of State for Water Resources Som Pal informed the RajyaSabha.

Replying to Raj Mohinder Singh and Kapil Sibal, the Minister said it was true that the groundwater level was going down drastically. Every effort was being made to raise the level by rain water harvesting and percolation methods.

He said to promote use of brackish and saline water, certain plants were identified which could be grown using such water or which could take away the undesirable quality of such water.

The Minister said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had taken initiative to resolve long pending disputes among the riparian states and some issues had been resolved and was in the process of solving the problems further.“Equitable distribution is the concern of the Government.” he remarked.