Have 352 infrastructure projects worth Rs 16.10 lakh crore been evaluated to date?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
New Delhi, Feb 10 (NationPress) The government announced on Tuesday that a total of 352 infrastructure projects, with an estimated cumulative cost of Rs 16.10 lakh crore, have been assessed through the Network Planning Group (NPG) mechanism so far.
Among these, 201 projects have received approval, with 167 currently under implementation, as stated by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, in a written response to the Lok Sabha.
The NPG, established under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (PMGS-NMP) framework, reviews critical infrastructure projects of the Central Government to ensure integrated planning, multimodality, inter-modality, synchronization of efforts, last-mile connectivity, and comprehensive development around project sites, using data-driven decision-making at the planning phase.
The Finance Ministry’s Department of Expenditure has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for disbursement to states for infrastructure enhancement, provided as a 50-year interest-free loan.
The minister highlighted that the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) oversees the monitoring of ongoing Central Sector Projects, including those planned and assessed under the PM Gati Shakti framework, which have costs of Rs 150 crore and above.
Additionally, the Project Monitoring Group (PMG) has been established to monitor projects based on milestones, expedite issue resolution, and accelerate the execution of large-scale infrastructure projects with costs of Rs 500 crore and above.
The PMG employs a unique five-tier escalation framework that ensures issues are addressed at the right level, starting with the respective Ministry for routine matters and escalating to the PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) forum for more complex issues.
This strategy streamlines the review process, avoids duplication, and allows senior authorities to focus on significant challenges.
Furthermore, the minister noted that to eliminate bottlenecks and guarantee timely project completion, the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan has been integrated with the PMG, facilitating quicker resolutions of issues and regulatory hurdles in project implementation.