PM Narendra Modi report card: Get sneak peek in state of nation
With general elections 2019 fast approaching, PM Narendra Modi took stock of exactly how his policies are being implemented on the ground. The faster and the better the services provided, the greater is the benefit for the public and the ruling party has a greater chance of winning their hearts.
PM Modi checked out progress of key infrastructure sectors like roads, rural and urban housing, railways, airports and ports. The presentation was made by CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant.
The highlight was that the pace of road construction had picked up significantly. The average road length constructed per day in financial year 2017-18 was 26.93 km, compared to 11.67 km in FY 2013-14.
PM Modi ordered implementation to be speeded up in electronic toll collection. Under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, rural roads have now connected in 88 per cent of all eligible habitations. Over 44,000 villages have been connected with the road network between 2014 and 2018, compared to about 35,000 villages in the preceding four years, the statement said.
Indian Railways has added capacity and rolling stock significantly. Additions in "new lines, doubling and gauge conversion" between 2014 and 2018, was to the extent of 9,528 km, which is 56 per cent higher than the preceding four-year period.
UDAN scheme now has as many as 27 airports under its aegis in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Passenger traffic has grown by more than 62 per cent in the four-year period between 2014 and 2018, against 18 per cent in the preceding four years.
In the rural housing sector, over one crore houses have been constructed in the period from 2014 to 2018, as compared to about 25 lakh houses in the preceding four-year period. This has yielded a double benefit in terms of housing units available and employment created in the housing sector as well as in allied sectors.
As many as 54 lakh houses have been sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Urban), since the inception of the scheme.