Modi tells secretaries: If projects stuck, act on your own

New Delhi: Concerned over several key infrastructure projects getting delayed at various stages despite fervent efforts by the Centre to help remove bottlenecks stalling their progress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi categorically told all top secretaries of Central ministries that instead of waiting for his personal intervention, they should try and get these projects moving on their own.

The Prime Minister’s cryptic message to bureaucrats has come in the light of the fact that a total of 217 big-ticket projects worth Rs 9 lakh crores are stuck at various stages of implementation. Significantly, all these projects are under the watch of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the largest number of projects belong to the railways, highways and power sectors.

Mr Modi, who believes in giving his personal attention to governance issues and takes a particularly keen interest in fast-tracking infrastructure projects, almost on a monthly basis, interacts with all top Central secretaries and chief secretaries of states via video conferencing, where he personally tries to resolve all bottlenecks that are holding back such projects across sectors.

According to highly-placed sources, during a recent such meeting, Mr Modi is learnt to have clearly told all the bureaucrats present that they should not all the time wait for him to look into why projects are getting delayed, and should try and fulfil their own responsibilities and work in coordination with the states and departments to resolve such issues.

The PM is also learnt to have conveyed to all officials that though quite a few projects that were delayed have been revived through such interactions, it is imperative for all Central and state departments and ministries to fulfil their responsibilities and work in tandem to fast-track the stuck projects.

The concern within the PMO is also evident from the fact that delayed projects, sluggish manufacturing activities and the poor job scenario have hampered economic growth, and with the general election just a year away, the Narendra Modi government is in full damage-control mode.