PM Modi to Review Performance of Infra Sector Next Month: Report

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review the performance of key infrastructure sectors, including coal and power, in achieving targets at a meeting early next month, according to an official close to the development.

"The Prime Minister will review the performance of ministries vis-a-vis targets in the first week of September," the official said.

This follows Mr Modi's meeting with the secretaries of nine infrastructure ministries last month to set targets for 2014-15 and identifying key projects in sectors like road, power and railways.

In the meeting, Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar had made a presentation on the performance of the various infrastructure sectors like airport, ports and inland waterways, railways, roads, telecom, power, coal and renewable energy in the last fiscal and the possible targets for the year 2014-15, the official said.

The infrastructure sector is a focus area for the Modi government.

The Centre is keen to speed up infrastructure development and investment to boost economic growth which remained at sub 5 per cent level during the previous two fiscal years.

Secretaries and senior officials from infrastructure ministries were present at the meeting.

It was decided during the meeting that in addition to the quantitative targets, Planning Commission should also measure efficiency parameters, the official said adding that "there should be a 10 per cent increase in these each year".

Moreover, it was also decided during the meeting that there should a joint mechanism at government level under the Cabinet Secretary for meeting regularly to resolve issues of various ministries and states, the official said.

"In these meetings, all issues related to a state in various sectors could be taken up comprehensively. The same approach could be adopted for (infrastructure) sectors," the official added.