Sharply criticising project delays of the past that caused huge cost overruns, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said a new work culture of conceiving and completing projects before time was needed to boost economic growth.
Rejecting opposition Congress’ charge that projects he was inaugurating were started during their time, he said as prime minister he would have been happy if the projects were completed 15 years ago and had led to creation of jobs.
“It is very natural that I am happy to inaugurate projects. But as prime minister of a country, I don’t feel happy at all. I would have been happy if these works would have been completed 15 years back, and lakhs of people here had got jobs,” he said.
Dedicating to the nation Indian Oil Corp’s Rs 34,555-crore refinery here, Modi said the government was targeting reduction in oil import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022 by creating a policy environment that supported raising domestic output as well as by mixing bio-fuels like ethanol in auto fuels. “We want to minimise our imports of crude oil. By 2022, we should aim at 10 per cent cut in imports as we will be celebrating the 75th year of the country’s independence. In a meeting with the oil ministry officials, I have impressed upon them on the need to cut oil imports,” Modi said in Paradip.
He added that projects in the country faced obstructions in the form of court proceedings, tender process and sometimes agitations, making these costly.
“For the development of the country, we all citizens, bureaucracy, industry and policymakers have to give birth to such a culture where projects start on time, progress within the scheduled time, and finish within the pre-decided time so that country gets the benefit, the benefit comes before scheduled time,” he added.
