Modi to review performance of infrastructure sector next month

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review the performance of key infrastructure sectors, including coal and power, in achieving targets at a meeting early next month.

"The Prime Minister will review the performance of ministries vis-a-vis targets in the first week of September," an official close to the development said.

This follows Modi's meeting with the secretaries of nine infrastructure ministries last month to set targets for 2014-15 and identifying key projects in sectors like road, power and railways.

In the meeting, Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar had made a presentation on the performance of the various infrastructure sectors like airport, ports and inland waterways, railways, roads, telecom, power, coal and renewable energy in the last fiscal and the possible targets for the year 2014-15, the official said.

Infrastructure sector is a focus area for the Modi-led government.

The Centre is keen to speed up infrastructure development and investment to boost economic growth which remained at sub 5% level during the previous two fiscals.

Secretaries and senior officials from infrastructure ministries were present at the meeting.

During the meeting it was decided that in addition to the quantitative targets, Planning Commission should also measure efficiency parameters, the official said adding that 'there should be a 10% increase in these each year.'

Moreover it was also decided during the meeting that there should a joint mechanism at government level under the Cabinet Secretary for meeting regularly to resolve issues of various ministries and states, the official said.

"In these meetings, all issues related to a state in various sectors could be taken up comprehensively. The same approach could be adopted for infrastructure sectors," the official said.