New Delhi, Jan. 2 -- With land acquisition emerging as one of the biggest impediments in the timely execution of infrastructure projects in the country, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan said the government has no plans to change its policy for acquiring land.
In a rare press briefing flanked by a host of secretaries of various ministries, the Cabinet secretary said that in the over 3,300 projects worth Rs 85 lakh crore that were taken up during review meetings of the Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 7,735 issues were raised, and 7,156 of them were resolved.
PRAGATI is a review mechanism to expedite projects that have been delayed for various reasons. Regular issues are resolved at the ministry level, while complex and critical issues are escalated for review by it.
Somanathan said PRAGATI has a multi-tier follow-up mechanism that ensures the timely implementation of decisions. Projects are tracked and monitored by the Cabinet Secretariat, while schemes and grievances are reviewed at the ministry level, with continuous PMO oversight and finally at the level of the prime minister, he said.
Addressing a press conference here, the country's top bureaucrat said that of the 7,156 issues resolved through PRAGATI, 35 per cent pertained to land acquisition, 20 per cent were forest, wildlife and environment related issues, and 18 per cent were about right of use/way, while other projects were delayed due law and order, construction, power utility approvals and financial matters.
Responding to questions on whether the government has plans to review its land acquisition policy, which has emerged as the biggest impediment in the timely execution of projects, the cabinet secretary said, "There is no plan to change the land acquisition policy."
He said all projects valued above Rs 500 crore are reviewed by the PRAGATI platform, and states are keen to resolve their issues through this mechanism, which was devised almost a decade ago. "All states, irrespective of their political dispensations, want to complete their projects and all chief secretaries have been very responsive in resolving issues," Somanathan told reporters.
He said 61 govt schemes like 'One Nation-One Ration Card', 'PM Jan Aarogya Yojna', 'PM AWAS Yojna', 'PM SWANIDHI Yojna', 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and grievances across 36 sectors were taken up for review.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.