PM reviews projects worth over Rs 41,500 crore in 41st PRAGATI meeting
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired the 41st PRAGATI meeting and reviewed nine major infrastructure projects worth over Rs 41,500 crore in 13 states. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi also reviewed Mission Amrit Sarovar and advised all ministries and state governments to complete the work on Amrit Sarovar in a mission mode before the onset of monsoon.
PRAGATI is an ‘ICT’ based platform for ‘Pro-Active Governance’ and time-bound implementation of projects involving Central and State Governments.
The PMO said nine major infrastructure projects were reviewed in the meeting. Of these, three projects are from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, two projects from the Ministry of Railways and one each from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The total cost of these nine projects is more than Rs 41,500 crore and they are being implemented in 13 states. These states belong to Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Prime Minister advised Ministries and State Governments to use the PM Gatishakti portal for planning infrastructure projects. He also stressed on early resolution of land acquisition, utility transfer and other issues for timely completion of projects. He also stressed on ensuring proper coordination between the Central Government Ministries and the State Governments.
During this, the Prime Minister also reviewed ‘Mission Amrit Sarovar’. He also had a drone view of Amrit Sarovar sites at Kishanganj in Bihar and Botad in Gujarat.
According to the PMO, the Prime Minister advised all ministries and state governments to complete the Amrit Sarovar work in a mission mode before the onset of monsoon. The Prime Minister also stressed on monitoring at the block level to ensure timely completion of the target of 50,000 Amrit Sarovars under the scheme. ‘Mission Amrit Sarovar’ aims to rejuvenate water bodies across the country and conserve water for the future.
The PMO said that once the mission is completed, the expected increase in water holding capacity would be around 500 million cubic metres, the estimated carbon sequestration would be around 32,000 tonnes per year while the expected increase in groundwater recharge would be over 22 billion cubic metres.
The Amrit Sarovars which have been completed are developing as centers of community activity and participation, thus enhancing the spirit of public participation. According to the statement, cleanliness rally, water pledge on water conservation, activities of school children like Rangoli competition, religious festivals like Chhath Puja are being organized at Amrit Sarovar sites. A total of 328 projects with a total cost of Rs 15.82 lakh crore have been reviewed so far during the PRAGATI meetings.
