NEW DELHI: Ahead of the dates for the Assembly elections being announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a foundation-stone laying mission in the poll-bound states.
On August 16, Modi showered projects worth thousands of crores on Maharashtra where the BJP and Shiv Sena are already engaged in fierce seat sharing talks and the party sees itself in a position of strength, not just over the Congress but also with its allies. It didn’t end there. Modi returned to the state after five days to lay the foundation stone of `8,860 crore Nagpur Metro Rail System and a flyover. Nagpur also happens to be the headquarters of RSS, BJP’s ideological mentor and the political base of Nitin Gadkari, the minister heading Modi’s infrapush. Before entering the political arena, Modi was a RSS pracharak. He also opened the `5,400 crore Mouda Super Thermal Power Project Stage-1 (1000 MW) and announced Stage-2 (1330 MW) of the project.
TARGET JHARKHAND
On August 21, the Prime Minister shared the stage with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren—who was embarrassed by a heckling audience—to inaugurate the `109 crore IOC Oil Terminal at Jasidih and the `1,600 crore Ranchi-Dharamjaygarh-Sipat transmission line as well as the work on the 3x660 MW North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Project. Modi also laid the foundation stones for National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology Centre; and for New Incubation Facility at Software Technology Parks of India Centre at Ranchi. The reward was visible; Soren had to cut short his speech as BJP workers chanted ‘Modi Modi’, a familiar sight from Kaithal in Haryana.
WOOING HARYANA
On August 18, Modi laid the foundation stone for the `1,394 crore Kaithal-Narwana-Hisar-Rajasthan Border Highway at Kaithal. Ordinarily a task meant for chief ministers, the prime minister did not waste any opportunity to seize the election moment. The implication was that Modi is fast tracking projects the UPA had been sitting on. He reiterated schemes related to farmers that will help in the increment of their crops, and schemes like Krishi Sinchai and Krishi Rojgaar with the purpose of winning farmers’ hearts in the state.
SAYING YES AND GO
When Modi government assumed office, 20 key infrastructure projects worth over `1.2 lakh crore were awaiting clearances. While, the overall costs of over 400 projects held up was staggering `20 lakh crore, many of these belonged to various private players. The Modi government asked the environment ministry to fast track clearances and operate single window for files. Over 200 environmental clearances, the lack of which was the main cause of delay in most infra projects, were speeded up. Presiding over the cabinet meetings, Modi has been clearing projects. In the August 21 meeting, he approved the revision of rates of royalty and dead rent of all major minerals other than minor minerals, coal, lignite and sand. With this decision, the royalty to mineral-rich states would increase by 41 per cent from `9,406 crore (2011-12) to `13,274 crore (estimated). Interestingly, most of the beneficiary states are non-BJP ruled and where party is eyeing an improved performance. The states are Jharkhand, Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir and Maharashtra—in three of them Assembly polls are due and awaiting announcement of dates. Similarly, the cabinet also approved additional allocation for 50 lakh tonnes of rice for distribution to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. It also cleared providing mobile services at 2199 locations affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
The impact of this generosity, combined with the perception that the government means business could move voters to put their weight behind the Prime Minister more than before. With this, Modi hopes to improve on his mandate of May.
GREEN SIGNALS
Big projects granted ecological clearances
■ Adani’s Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and port project in Gujarat’s Mundra area
■ Cairn India crude oil production expansion project in Rajasthan
■ NHPC 520 MW
Hydroelectric Power Project on the Teesta River in Sikkim
■ Oil India Ltd project for laying crude oil pipeline in Assam
■ Critical coal link
Tori-Shivpur-Kathautia rail line in Jharkhand
■ Construction of fencing and patrolling road along the India-Bangladesh border in the Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram
■ Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited’s 2X500 MW Coal based thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu
■ Vivimed Labs Limited, SEZ in Andhra Pradesh
■ Four-laning project of NH-3 in Madhya Pradesh passing through Madhav
National Park
■ Laying of natural gas pipeline by GSPL India in Andhra Pradesh