The review meeting will also discuss big ticket infrastructure projects being undertaken by power, roads, railways, civil aviation and shipping ministries
In the backdrop of the Government having issued an Ordinance on e-auction of coal blocks which had been cancelled by the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review the progress of key projects of Coal Ministry on November 5.
According to official sources, the meeting is likely to focus on various aspects related to the Ordinance like the setting up of a panel to decide the floor price for the e-auction process, and also to decide the way forward to compensate the owners of the cancelled blocks. The review meeting will also discuss big ticket infrastructure projects being undertaken by power, roads, railways, civil aviation and shipping ministries, they added.
In the Coal Ministry, post the issuance of the Ordinance, e-auction of the cancelled blocks is the most significant activity at the moment, and the meeting, sources added, may review the preparedness of the ministry for the forthcoming exercise. A timeline for completing the e-auction exercise is likely to be fixed in the meeting, it is being speculated within official circles.
Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar is likely to brief Modi on the progress of various projects which are under progress and fall within the jurisdiction of the aforementioned ministries, sources informed. The Planning Commission has been monitoring the progress of infrastructure projects.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is keen to see the progress of these sectors in the last a few months as the last review meeting had taken place on September 12 and the NDA Government will complete six months in office on November 26.
The Planning Commission, sources added, has held several meetings with top officials of the key infrastructure ministries over the past few days and is even said to be preparing an assessment report on these sectors.
These assessment reports are likely to be presented to the Prime Minister during the November 5 meeting. In order to push infrastructure development in the country, Modi had asked his ministers to electronically monitor the progress of projects and directed the Railways to submit a comprehensive plan for encouraging foreign direct investment in the last review meeting held on September 12.
There are instructions to review progress of eight major infrastructure sectors - Civil Aviation, Ports and Inland Waterways, Railways, Roads, Telecom, Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy on monthly basis, sources said.
Official sources however did not confirm whether the Prime Minister had specifically asked the ministries to set up deadlines for completion of certain key areas falling within their purview.
Coal Ministry sources said that the Supreme Court has already given operational coal blocks time till March 31, 2015 to wind up their operations, after which they will come under Coal India ltd’s (CIl) jurisdiction.
As far as non operational coal blocks which have been cancelled by the apex court are concerned, the e-auction exercise for them is likely to begin in three to four months time, sources added.