[India] - Polls ahead, PM says complete tasks by Jan 26

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: PM Modi on Monday sought speedy completion of most ongoing projects so that these can be ready for inauguration by January 26
The deadline coincides with the beginning of the 75th year celebrations of the Indian Republic as also the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha
polls for which the government wants to showcase its achievements.Striking a note of confidence about coming electoral challenges during a
meeting with his Council of Ministers, the PM also laid focus on "Vision 2047".He asked ministers and top bureaucrats to focus on "results
on ground" rather than just on making policies
TOI has learned that he stressed on expediting release of small loans to beneficiaries in urban areas, and distribution of land titles
Sources said the PM lamented that despite his efforts, pace of delivery of some schemes was slow
Eye on 2024 polls, PM seeks faster delivery of schemes Amid a buzz about a possible change in the council, the presence of secretaries at
Monday's meeting with PM Modi at the newly built convention centre of Pragati Maidan came as a relief for the anxious lot of ministers
However, the anxiety is likely to continue until the third week of July when the monsoon session of Parliament is to start.With an eye on
the LS polls next year, the PM stressed on speedy implementation of projects
A source quoted the PM as telling his colleagues, "Ministers and bureaucrats should hold deliberations on faster and effective delivery of
government schemes."The government's welfare schemes "must continue till the last beneficiary is able to get access to these benefits", a
source quoted the PM as saying
"Only launching the schemes and its implementation is not enough
Ministers must reach out and ensure last-mile delivery."Sources said the PM said the monsoon session will be held in the existing Parliament
building as he directed that remaining work in the new building be completed quickly
"A fruitful meeting with the Council of Ministers, where we exchanged views on diverse policy related issues," Modi tweeted.Three
presentations were made at the meeting on capital expenditure (capex), PM's recent visit to the US and Egypt and Vision-2047 for the
infrastructure sector
Sources said the finance ministry, in its presentation, gave details of how the budgetary provision is made and how it tracks capex
The Centre has allocated Rs 10 lakh crore for capex this year and so far telecom, road and railway ministries have made good
progress.Sources said in a presentation on Vision 2047, the infrastructure ministries projected the required finance for scaling up projects
In just the the road and highways sector, the government aims to ready nearly 500 projects for inauguration or for laying the foundation
stone in the next 7-8 months
"Everyone is speaking about the current time or the next year but our government must work with the vision of the next 25 years that is
2047," the source quoted the PM as saying
TOI has learned that Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Prahlad Patel also spoke during the meeting
Goyal spoke about the need for more infrastructure financing to meet future requirement and also create more capacity to implement the
projects.