Govt unlocks infrastructure blitz before 2024 Lok Sabha elections

PM launches projects worth Rs 2.3 trillion in a week; more lined up

The central government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is in a race against time: With the model code of conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha elections about to kick in, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been busy launching Rs 2.3 trillion worth of mega infrastructure projects over the past week. The projects span national highways, railway and allied infrastructure, power generation and transmission, airports, and upgrades of Centre-owned ports.

Many of the projects announced by the prime minister have a long gestation period, as they involve works related to national highways, hydropower, power transmission, and ports. 

On Monday, the prime minister is set to flag off highway projects worth Rs 1 trillion in a single event in Haryana. These include a 19-kilometre section of the Dwarka Expressway, one of the Centre’s flagship projects under the Bharatmala programme. This project sparked a major controversy last August, when the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) criticised the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways over cost escalations. According to the auditor, the project is being built at Rs 250 crore per km.

While projects worth Rs 38,000 crore are nearing completion, foundation stones have been laid for projects worth Rs 61,000 crore.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that Modi is slated to visit Rajasthan and Gujarat on Tuesday. "In a major boost to railway infrastructure and connectivity, the prime minister will visit the DFC’s (dedicated freight corridor's) operation control centre in Ahmedabad to lay the foundation stone and dedicate a slew of railway projects worth over Rs 85,000 crore," it stated.
 

The prime minister will also flag off 10 new Vande Bharat trains, along with other infrastructure upgrades in the railway network.

Meanwhile, the last meeting of the current Union Cabinet may take place on Wednesday, according to government officials. The MCC is expected to be enforced in the middle of this week.

The Rs 76,000 crore Vadhavan Port project is expected to be part of the Cabinet’s agenda. Officials privy to developments said that efforts are being made to expedite the Cabinet nod for the project. The port, touted to be India's future gateway to the West, has faced criticism from several activists over environmental damage and its impact on local livelihoods.

Over the past week, Modi launched and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 34,000 crore in Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), Rs 65,000 crore in Arunachal Pradesh (including the UNNATI scheme), Rs 17,500 crore in Assam, Rs 62,800 crore in Telangana, and various rail and urban transport projects worth Rs 15,000 crore from Kolkata, including the extension of the Delhi-Meerut regional rapid transit system (RRTS).

In the energy sector, the prime minister inaugurated a slew of oil and gas sector projects worth Rs 1.62 trillion on March 2. These projects span multiple states, including Bihar, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Karnataka. A key highlight was the prime minister flagging off the first tanker carrying crude oil produced in ONGC’s Krishna Godavari (KG) basin deepwater block. At its peak production, this project will add 7 per cent each to India’s oil and gas production.

On the same day, he laid the foundation stone for the expansion of IOCL’s Barauni Refinery; this is likely to cost more than Rs 11,400 crore. On Saturday, a pipeline carrying natural gas to Guwahati was inaugurated by him during his trip to Assam.

The biggest pre-poll announcement in the space came on Friday, when the prime minister announced a Rs 100 across-the-board reduction in the prices of cooking gas cylinders, on International Women's Day. 

In the power sector, Modi inaugurated 32 projects in one go last Monday. These included solar power projects across states, transmission projects, and a few thermal power projects. The Ministry of Power in its statement said these “development projects” worth Rs 56,000 crore are either being dedicated or for which the foundation stone was laid.

 Aimed at the northeastern states, the prime minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stones for multiple development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crore in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. He also dedicated the Sela Tunnel to the nation and launched the UNNATI scheme worth about Rs 10,000 crore on Saturday.

Among the big-ticket projects for which he laid the foundation stone, the most prominent was the 28 Gw Dibang hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh with an estimated cost of Rs 31,875 crore. This project has been pending since 2011 over a variety of environmental concerns and protests by the local population. The project work is yet to be awarded for Dibang.