NEW DELHI : The Union Cabinet on Tuesday decided to amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act to facilitate the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force and strengthen Project Tiger by giving it statutory and administrative powers.

Announcing this, Union Minister and Cabinet spokesperson, Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, said the Bill would help clear a considerable number of cases pending in subordinate courts.

The Cabinet also decided to amend the Indian Telegraph Act to cover cellular services in addition to basic telegraph services within the scope of the Universal Service Obligation Fund for faster expansion of telecommunication services.

It cleared the development and deployment of an Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System at a cost of Rs. 1,420 crore. The system would provide an independent, indigenously developed constellation of satellites to provide satellite-based position, navigation and timing services for critical application. Action taken report

Further, it decided to place an action taken report in Parliament on the findings of the Justice Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry on the issue of disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It also cleared amendments to the National Institute of Fashion Technology Bill to give representations for members of Parliament in the institute's Board of Governors.

The Cabinet approved re-organisation of the Ministry of Ocean Development as Ministry of Earth Sciences and approved the constitution of an Earth Commission. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which also met on Tuesday, gave its nod for a Rs. 718 crore expansion and diversification project of the Hindustan Newsprint Limited.

Infusion of equity allowed

The CCEA also cleared a proposal for converting the investments of Infotech in Teletech Investments (India) Limited from non-repatriable basis to repatriable basis and to allow additional infusion of equity of up to Rs.1,500 crore in Teletech for downstream investments under the automatic route of FDI and for repaying liabilities.

Further, it approved the implementation of phase II of special package for improvement of Doordarshan and AIR services in the northeast region and island territories at a total cost of Rs. 400 crore and decided to peg the minimum support price of Rs. 1,000 per quintal for TD-5 grade of jute ex-Assam for the 2006-07 season, marking an increase of Rs. 90 per quintal over last year's price.

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