The Centre calls on ministries to ensure prompt completion and better supervision of infra-projects.

Key Points: 

• Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba figured out in a strong letter dated 13 November to every Union secretaries that delays and rising prices.
• The top government official said that guidelines have been given time and again.
• Analysis of the reasons for slippage and a list of the remedial measures taken to ensure system transparency.”

The Centre, which has now called on all departments and ministries not only to pull up their socks but also to ensure a tighter monitoring framework and a process to add transparency to the system, has caught the attention of delays in the proper implementation of projects, in particular those relevant to infrastructure.

Secretary Rajiv Gauba figured out:

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba figured out in a strong letter dated 13 November to every Union secretaries that delays and rising prices “not only hinder the growth of the country but also result in limited resources having to be redeployed to these projects rather than being used productively to meet other significant development needs.”

The top government official stated:

To highlight the need for proper preparation for infrastructure projects and to define important milestones with acceptable timelines, the top government official said that guidelines have been given time and again.

These, along with other related information, should be set out in the cabinet or cabinet committee proposals when seeking approval.

Rajiv Gauba in Letter: 

The cabinet secretary stated that a separate Statement on Significant Milestones and Corresponding Target Dates also include precise physical or financial milestones and target dates to be implemented.

“Despite clear instructions, though it has been noted that appropriate attention has still not been paid towards this aspect,” Gauba said in the letter.

The senior government official also made it very clear that where costs need to be updated or there is a need to extend the implementation timeline, the proposals should include an “analysis of the reasons for slippage and a list of the remedial measures taken to ensure system transparency.”

Significantly, the letter from the cabinet secretary came at a time when the government is trying hard to bring the economy back on track due to the outbreak of its Covid-19 pandemic, which has been slow.

The Cabinet Secretary also Pointed out: 

The cabinet secretary also pointed out to the ministries earlier in July that departments were just not paying attention to deadlines when sending proposals to the cabinet, which led to difficulties in tracking infrastructure projects, leading to avoidable overruns of time and costs.