Centre gets cracking on reforms ahead of polls

NEW DELHI: The Centre is set to swing into action on pushing through reforms, implementing schemes and completing several ongoing projects in the year leading up to general elections.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Reforms and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs will tomorrow finalise a timetable of activities or a priority agenda that will have to be completed by the Centre this fiscal.
The Prime Minister’s Office and Committee of Secretaries are to monitor progress on each of these items through the year leading up to the general elections. The government has listed about 160 items—policy initiatives, projects and schemes—to be completed this year, for the consideration of the two sub-committees of Cabinet. The CCER will clear 115 items related to policy issues while CCEA will consider 47 items related to schemes and projects.
At a press meet here today, Planning Commission deputy chairman KC Pant said he hoped such exercise would be annual feature in the country’s economic management. “Never before has a comprehensive policy agenda covering practically all ministries been articulated in this form,� he said.
The need to set a priority agenda was articulated by Prime Minister AB Vajpayee at the National Development Council meeting late last year. Since then the Planning Commission has been working in consultation with all the central ministries to identify policy initiatives that need to be taken during the year, and schemes and projects to be completed.
While the exact items on the priority agenda to be approved by the CCEA and CCER could not be ascertained, it is learnt that Cabinet committees will call for action on introduction of a new bill on labour.
Both welfare and rationalisation of contract labour laws are expected.
For the petroleum sector, it could seek early action on establishment of the regulatory authority for downstream and natural gas sectors, creation of strategic oil storage, phasing out of LPG and kerosene subsidy and finalisation of natural gas and LNG pricing for fertiliser and petrochem feedstock.
For the civil aviation sector, it would be action on a comprehensive civil aviation policy, restructuring of the metro airports and passage of amendments of the Airport Authority of India Act, ’94.
In the power sector, the cabinet committees may seek early settlement of outstanding dues to the central PSUs, setting up of electricity regulatory commissions all states, and that all rules, regulations and orders foreseen under Electricity Act are to be formulated. Also, formulation of national power policy and tariff policy may come up.
In the road sector, the implementation of the golden quadrilateral and east-west north-south corridors are set to figure in the priority agenda.
Other items could figure in the priority agenda includes setting up of the Competition Commission of India, National Company Law Tribunal, Asset Management Company for residual holding in PSUs, Disinvestment Fund, Repeal of Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, review of drug control order, passage of the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer) and Financial Institution Law (Amendment Bill) ’00, a policy on disinvestment of loss-making PSUs, action on recommendations of NK Singh’s FDI committee.
The government would also consider measures to promote crop diversification by fixing minimum support price, remove restrictions on fair price shops, and formulate a policy on leasing of land.