Concerned with slow progress of development due to delaying implementation of projects and policies, especially Paradip refinery project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed Congress for not completing the projects on time. Calling for more production of oil in the country through Paradip like chanels, he wants some cuts in oil imports by 2022.
“Delays shouldn’t occur as they affect people as far as any project is concerned. My Congress friends often say this refinery project was started by us. I don’t relish such ceremonies rather I would have been happy if the projects were completed 15 years ago, well in time,” Modi said while dedicating the Paradip refinery to the nation here.
Focusing oil consumption in the country, the Prime Minister praised all employees of Paradip for indigenous talent to successfully producing such huge tonnes of oil as an initiative of his Make in India movement.
“The oil imports should be reduced by at least 10 per cent by 2022. It will change the economy of the country and Odisha, too. Now, they will be the producers of energy. We will be able to produce more job opportunities,” he added.
Though India will celebrate 75 years of Independence in 2022, the country has spent $112.7 billion on import of 189.4 million tonnes of crude oil in 2014-15 fiscal year.
“We will produce petroleum products from khadi (gulf) and Jhadi (sugarcane and Jatropha)," he said.
The Prime Minister also claimed that the Government is trying to bring a culture for completing projects well in time. "We are trying to bring a work culture where projects are conceived in time and completed on time. The Initiatives have to be futuristic and completed before the designated time period."
"Modi said while addressing a public rally here where Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, IOC Chairman B Ashok, among others were also present. The Government, he added, was 'trying to bring in this change so that there is no serious loss to the exchequer because of delay.”
Initiatives have to be futuristic and completed before the designated time period.
“Delays shouldn't occur,” he said, adding that in the past, ideas originated 50 years back, would take 10 years to put them on paper and conceived a similar number of years to lay foundation stone and many more years before it is completed.” Describing the refinery as the ray of hope for development in Odisha, and the country as well, he said, “I have asked officials to work in this direction.”
Modi also claimed the credit for completion of project the foundation stone for which was laid in May 2000 by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee while taking shots at the UPA-led previous government at the Centre. He was of the view that it is not good that tendering, agitations and unnecessary processes delay projects and plans as this affects people.
Talking about Paradip refinery with 15 million tonnes annual capacity, he said the foundation stone was laid by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000 and completed again by the NDA government's tenure.
Citing another example of delay in implementation by previous regimes, Modi said,"around 26 lakh cooking (lPG) gas connections were given in last 60 years in Odisha whereas Dharmendra Pradhan gave 11 lakh connections in one year in the state after he took over as Petroleum Minister. This is the way work should be done."
"For the development of the country, we all - citizens, bureaucracy, industry and policy-makers, 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 said.
As fas as this refinery is concerned, Modi said that it would create lakhs of jobs for the youth and provide lPG cylinders to the crores of poor women. Further, we are also planning to set up a fertiliser factory in eastern belt of Odisha soon. Moreover, he encouraged the youth, saying that the youth to be the job-givers rather than job seekers. In addition, he said that for public and private sectors, Rspersonal' sector should also be nurtured for development. Modi also said there are plans afoot to set up an ethylene recovery unit with Rs 3,800 crore by 2020-21.