Finance Minister calls for monitoring of key infrastructure projects

NEW DELHI : Monitoring of all infrastructure projects under the ₹111-trillion National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) will be allowed on a digital platform to ensure access to updated project information for investments across various sectors, the finance ministry said on Monday.

The projects will be mapped and evaluated by the departments concerned and the finance ministry to monitor the implementation and actual progress, compared to the initial estimates of the NIP for each project.

According to the digital portal, the ₹3.66 trillion Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the ₹1.08 trillion Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor, the ₹19,000-crore Pune airport development programme, and the ₹1.09 trillion North South Dedicated Freight Corridor, among others, are part of the NIP. As many as 1,342 water and sanitation projects worth ₹21.51 trillion have also been identified, including the Jal Jeevan Mission Implementation Project. Similarly, 710 social infrastructure projects worth ₹13.96 trillion will be a part of NIP, including the Mumbai City Affordable Housing Construction.

“The online dashboard is envisaged as a one-stop solution for all stakeholders looking for information on infrastructure projects in India. The dashboard is being hosted on the India Investment Grid (IIG), which is an interactive and dynamic online platform that showcases updated and real-time investment opportunities in the country," the government said.

The move expect importance as expanded spotlight on



foundation activities will help resuscitate the economy following the covid-19 emergency. 

"The advanced stage will give more prominent perceivability to ventures and furthermore accomplish the order of the NIP to advertise the undertakings in an effective way. The NIP venture database facilitated on IIG would give perceivability to NIP and help in financing from planned speculators, local and unfamiliar, and give them access to refreshed task level data," it said.

At the launch of the online dashboard for NIP, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman asked all departments and ministries concerned to update the status of projects on the NIP portal and keep it updated in real time.

In April, a task force headed by former economic affairs secretary Atanu Chakraborty had submitted the final report on the projected ₹111-trillion investments for 2020-25 to develop social and economic infrastructure to boost economic growth. The task force was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to roll out an ambitious infrastructure push of ₹100 trillion over the next five years to make India a $5-trillion economy. Out of the total expected capital expenditure of ₹111 trillion, 40% of the projects worth ₹44 trillion are under implementation, while projects worth ₹33 trillion, or 30% of the schemes, are at the conceptual stage.

Three different committees have been set up to monitor the progress of the infrastructure projects, eliminate delays, and suggest ways to increase financial resources.