'It's not about funds, but ideas': Gadkari hits out at bureaucracy in Pune

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari called out the lack of flexibility from bureaucracy and its mindset of a complete no to out-of-the-box ideas

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, on Monday, said that there is no shortage of funds for projects; rather, there is a lack of flexibility from the bureaucracy and a “complete no to out-of-the-box ideas”.

 

Gadkari made these remarks at an event in Pune, where a former bureaucrat, Vijay Kelkar, was conferred with the Punyabhushan Award, news agency PTI reported. He said, Kelkar opted for a flexible approach and was an exception to the mindset of no out-of-the-box ideas. 

 

He also raised concerns about the slow pace of work in comparison to the availability of funds. Gadkari noted, “There is no death of funds with us. I always talk of ₹1 trillion, ₹50,000 crore, ₹2 trillion projects. Generally, journalists do not trust politicians when it comes to big-ticket announcements. I tell them to record what I say and run breaking news if the work does not get materialised.”

 

 

Praising Kelkar for his flexible approach in policy-making, Gadkari cited an example of cattle grazing. Drawing a comparison, he said, “In rural areas, when cattle go for grazing, they follow one line. They are so disciplined that they never break the order. I sometimes get the same feeling with the bureaucracy. It is a complete no to out-of-the-box ideas. But Kelkar sir accepted flexibility in policy-making.” 

 

The union minister met Kelkar when the latter was the chairman of the Finance Commission and informed him about 406 projects costing ₹3.85 trillion were stalled, adding that there was a danger of banks ending up with non-performing assets of ₹3 lakh crore. Gadkari also informed him of the reason behind the stalled projects, which was because of the bureaucrats. He added, “We solved the issue by terminating some projects and rectifying some. The projects resumed, and banks were saved from having NPAs of ₹3 trillion.”

 

Shedding light on Kelkar’s work, the minister added that Kelkar did an excellent job in every department; however, the policies he drafted as a finance secretary had a long-term impact on India’s future.

 

Recalling the efforts undertaken by Kelkar during 2009, Gadkari said, when (former President of India) Pranab Mukherjee was the Union finance minister, Kelkar was trying to create a consensus on GST while facing several challenges, but he insisted it had to be done as it was in the interest of the country.