BJP to launch 100 key infra projects

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will adopt 100 infrastructure projects of national importance (PNI) from various sectors for time-bound execution through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) in case it emerges victorious in the Lok Sabha elections.

This is a key highlight of BJP’s “Infrastructure Vision” document, prepared by party’s think tank and released by LK Advani, Prime Ministerial candidate in Banglore on Tuesday.

Blaming the Congress for the poor state of country’s infrastructure, the BJP said, “In 1980 both China and India were comparable on infrastructure data. However India had badly lagged behind China in the past three decades. It is principally on account of this infrastructure gap, that China’s economy has grown bigger, faster and on a mote sustainable basis than India’s.”

The documents have also drawn sector-wise comparison of India’s infrastructure with others countries, mainly China.

To speed up 100 PNIs, a BJP government would set up a new agency- National Infrastructure Facilitation and Monitoring Agency (NIFMA) - which would give quarterly appraisals of these projects to the nation.

Promising to create a conducive environment for managerial empowerment, it says, “The NDA would create environment for emergence of 100 Shreedharans (head of the Delhi Metro).”

The party has thrown up a novel idea of using the huge foreign exchange reserves ($ 247.3 billion) for funding infrastructure projects. Also the money, which BJP hopes to bring back from tax heavens, would also be utilized for these projects.

In power sector, the BJP has promised to introduce a system of awarding franchises to ensure universal coverage of electricity across the country within five years. It would also scrap the UPA government’s Rajiv Gandhi Vidyuttkaran Yojna for rural electrification within 100 days of coming into power. Besides, it would also set up a national mission for energy conservation.

On laying roads, the BJP has promised to complete the ambitious Pradhan Mnatri Gram Sarak Yojna before 2014.