PM to hold meeting on expediting UPA's schemes
Concerned over tardy progress of government projects, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet top officials tomorrow to finalise a strategy for expediting implementation of the UPA regime's flagship schemes.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Concerned over tardy progress of government projects, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet top officials tomorrow to finalise a strategy for expediting implementation of the UPA regime's flagship schemes within the next six months.
The meeting, to be attended by deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia among others, will deliberate at length on the issues pertaining to six sectors. These include agriculture, social sectors (health, PDS and education), infrastructure, governance and minorities issues.
The meeting is likely to focus on removing impediments which are hampering implementation of the announced projects and policies which have been on the drawing board for long, official sources said.
The economic agenda to be pursued in the next six months could include finalisation of the Mineral Policy, taking a view on foreign direct investment in retail, formulation of policy for allocating additional spectrum to telecom operators and revamping of Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme to improve efficiency of electricity utilities.
The social sector agenda of Singh includes pushing the Aam Admi Bima Yojana and Old Age Pension for the labour class, besides revamping Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and strengthening the public distribution system (PDS).
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In another crucial area of agriculture, the Prime Minister is expected to push for credit guarantee scheme, agriculture debt redemption fund, crop insurance and conversion of Kisan Credit cards to Smart Cards. The meeting will also discuss follow up action on the Radhakrishna Committee report on rural indebtedness. The Prime Minister will also review the follow up action on implementation of the Sachar Committee report which dealt with the social and economic development issues concerning the Muslim community.
His agenda also includes review of the action taken on the 15-Point Programme for welfare of the minorities which was earlier approved by the Cabinet.
The high-level meeting will also take stock of the governance issues to improve delivery systems and taking the benefits of the government schemes to the poor and the needy.
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The efforts at the highest level will include further reduction of 'Inspector Raj' in light of the recommendations of the Hoda Committee report and creation of a business friendly environment in the government.In addition to reforms in power, mining and telecom sectors, the Prime Minister will pursue steps for establishment of a Food Safety Authority and monitor progress in the fields of pharma, food processing and tourism.
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Singh will also scrutinise the progress of flagship programmes of the Railways relating to development of freight corridors, running of container trains and improvement of railways stations.The list of economic agenda to be pursued and monitored in the next six months include formulation of development packages for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and revamping of food, fertiliser and petroleum subsidies.
In the education sector, the Prime Minister will monitor progress on setting up of 30 universities, new IITs and IIMs and construction of 370 colleges and 6,000 block level schools, besides implementation of the student loan programme.
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