State governments allured by PMG charm
Many state governments are planning to have their own Project Monitoring Group (PMG) to take care of delayed projects and see that they are speeded-up. The Project Monitoring Group (PMG) formed earlier in the year by the Prime Minister to speed-up implementation of delayed major infrastructure projects, was the motivation for state governments.
State governments seek PMG assistance:
The governments of Bihar and Rajastan have sought the assistance of the PMG to enable in forming their own monitoring groups to speed-up infra projects with a cost below Rs.1,000 crore. Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat governments have also evinced interest in seeking assistance from the PMG.
PM shortlists major projects:
Incidentally, the PMG which is formed by the Cabinet Secretariat provides a common ground, bringing together all the departments and ministries concerned with the clearance of infra projects. About 215 major projects, were short-listed by the Prime Minister, with an estimated bank funding of about Rs.7 lakh crore. Many of these projects are worth above Rs.1,000 crore.
Assistance to state governments not arduous:
Commenting on this state of affairs, the head of PMG stated that the move by various state governments to seek its assistance with regards to smaller regional projects was encouraging. These states would be provided technical assistance by the PMG for setting up a mechanism aimed at getting stalled projects cleared. Expressing confidence, he opined that providing PMG’s assistance to various states would not be an arduous task. This was because the ground work in this regard has already been done for larger projects, which only needed to be replicated for smaller regional projects.
Bihar and Rajastan govts seeks PMG assistance:
The Bihar government has already sought the assistance of the State PMG with regards to the implementation of projects worth more than Rs.150 crore. The Chief Secretarty of the Rajastan government stated that it has already formed a Central Sector Projects Coordination Committee. This committee will look into sorting out impediments coming in the way of implementing projects in the Central sector, which will later be extended to projects in the private sector as well.
Web-based info system created to register delayed projects:
To enable governments as well as private investors to register their projects, the PMG has created a web-based information system. Moreover, it can also be brought to the notice of the PMG as to which department or ministry they are having issues with. The Nodal ministry verifies the information related to the project, before it is forwarded to the PMG for initiating further action.
CCI on stand-by:
The PMG then holds meetings with the departments and ministries with which the particular project is facing issues, so as to arrive at a suitable resolution. Those projects which are facing impediments which cannot be resolved through such meetings are referred to the Cabinet Committee on Investments (CCI). On the whole, it is heartening to note that as many as 99 infra projects have thus been cleared through the efforts of the PMG and CCI together.
