PM reviews infra projects

Calls for immediate measures to ensure housing for all and scale up broadband connectivity

A few days after the Union Budget reiterated the National Democratic Alliance government’s push for the infrastructure industry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reviewed the progress of key infrastructure sectors, including power, coal, housing, ports and Digital India.

According to an official press release issued on Saturday, the prime minister was informed about the progress of electrification of all unelectrified villages. Out of the nearly 18,500 unelectrified villages, about 6,000 have already been electrified. The prime minister was also informed that the progress of this important initiative is being tracked in real time using sophisticated technology applications, including geo-tagging.

Modi met secretaries of key infrastructure ministries on Friday evening as part of a regular exercise for taking stock of the key sectors.

According to a report by India Ratings and Research, an overall negative outlook persists for India’s infrastructure sector in the new financial year beginning April, with multiple issue plaguing the growth of thermal power and toll roads sector even as ports, airports and the renewable energy sector are likely to perform well. The negative outlook on toll roads and thermal power sectors and high loan exposure to these sectors continue to weigh down the overall sector outlook, the report said.

Officials explained that off-grid solutions such as solar panels are being used to reach remote and inaccessible areas in states such as Arunachal Pradesh. The progress in the distribution of LED bulbs across the country was also reviewed.

The government has set a target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022. The total installed renewable energy capacity has already reached 39.5 GW.

On coal production, Coal India Limited has achieved a 9.2 per cent increase in production this year, as compared to an average of just three per cent growth over the last five years.

The prime minister called for immediate measures to speed up the process of providing broadband connectivity to all gram panchayats. He also enquired about the progress in providing Wi-fi connectivity at important tourist destinations across the country. He was informed that, so far, 12 such locations have been provided public Wi-fi connectivity.

The prime minister was informed of the progress in providing mobile connectivity to villages in areas affected by left-wing extremism. Some 1,371 towers have so far been installed in these areas.

The prime minister reviewed the progress in providing housing for all. He directed officials to expedite the implementation of the scheme, using a judicious mix of modern technology, local building materials and techniques.

Reviewing the ports sector, the prime minister instructed officials to work urgently on improving the average vessel turnaround time at major ports to bring it in line with international standards.

In April-September 2015, cargo traffic at all ports increased by 1.1 per cent; major ports reported an increase of 4.1 per cent; and non-major ports a decline of one per cent as compared to the corresponding period in 2014-15.

A drastic reduction in the timelines for border compliance and measures aimed at boosting coastal shipping were also discussed.