PM asks states to align plans with early Budget

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the Budget presentation in Parliament was being advanced by about a month to ensure speedier implementation of projects and schemes.

Chairing an interaction through an information technology-based, multi-modal platform for governance and timely implementation of schemes, Modi urged all states to align their plans with this advancement, so that they could take the maximum advantage of this move.

The Budget may be advanced to January last or the first week of February, against the current practice of the last day of February. But the exact date is yet to be announced. The idea is to pass the Finance Bill well in advance so that it could be implemented from the beginning of a financial year.

The Prime Minister reviewed the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to the ministry of labour and employment, which largely include the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Organisation and Labour Commissioners.

Expressing concern at the large number of grievances of labourers and EPF beneficiaries, he said the government must be sensitive to labourers’ needs. He said that in a democracy, labourers should not have to struggle to receive their legitimate dues. He also requested the introduction of a system so that the process of finalisation of retirement benefits for all employees can begin a year in advance. In case of an untimely death, he said the papers should be completed within a specified time, and officer concerned should be made accountable for the same.

During a review of the progress of the e-national agriculture market (e-NAM) initiative, he urged states to quickly make the required changes in the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act, so that e-NAM could be enabled across the country. Farmers can benefit only if assaying and grading facilities were made available, so that the farmer can market his produce in mandis across the country, he said.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the progress of vital infrastructure projects in the railway, road, power and natural gas sectors, spread over Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.

He laid emphasis on the importance of completing projects in time, so that cost overruns could be avoided, and the benefits of projects could reach people, as originally envisaged.

Among the projects reviewed today are: Phase-II of the Multi-Modal Transport System for Hyderabad and Secunderabad; the Angamaly-Sabarimala Railway Line; the Delhi-Meerut Expressway; the Renok-Pakyong Road project in Sikkim; and Phase-5 of a project to strengthen power infrastructure in Eastern India. Progress of the Phulpur-Haldia gas pipeline project in Uttar Pradesh was also reviewed. He also reviewed the progress of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation.

He requested all chief secretaries to ensure that safe drinking water was made available to the residents of all 500 towns under AMRUT.