BS REPORTERNew Delhi, 9 February

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Monday askedthe infrastructure min-istries to quickly resolve issueshurting projects and look atinnovative ways to createcapacity.

Modi, chairing a meetingof infrastructure ministries,also asked the NITI Aayog tofocus on quick resolution ofinter-department and Centre-state issues to speed up thepace of implementation ofinfrastructure projects.

Referring to his meetingwith top internationalinvestors during the recentBlackRock India InvestorSummit, Modi said fundswere no longer a constraintfor the infrastructure sector.He directed all departmentsconcerned to create an envi-ronment conducive forinvestment.

During the meeting, theNITI Aayog made a presenta-tion on all infrastructure sec-tors, including power, coal,renewable energy, ports and

coastal development, roads aswell as railways. Senior offi-cials from all infrastructureministries, the PrimeMinisters Office (PMO), andthe NITI Aayog attended themeeting.

The prime ministerdirected the ministries con-cerned to work in missionmode towards achieving elec-trification of the remaining20,000 unelectrified villages,in a clearly defined timeframe, the PMO said in astatement. He said innova-tive solutions should beexplored to ensure total rural

electrification.The innovative measures

included increasing access tosolar energy, power connec-tivity through the nearby rail-way infrastructure and off-grid solutions. Modi alsoreviewed the governmentsplan to add solar power gen-eration capacity. As an illus-tration, the prime ministersuggested that the Board ofControl for Cricket in Indiacould be involved in an effortto convert power consump-tion of all major cricket stadi-ums across the country fromconventional sources to solar,

the statement said.The power ministry told the

PM issues regarding coal sup-ply to power plants have beenresolved and no power planttoday faces coal shortage.

The government is moni-toring 700 infrastructure sec-tor projects. Over 80 per centof these are delayed due tocost-overruns. Most of thedelayed projects are in the rail-ways sector. The NITI Aayoghas suggested carrying outtechno-economic analysis ofall priority projects to arrive atan idea of overall time andcost-overruns.

In infra push, Modi batsfor novel solutionsTells ministries funding no longer a problem, seeks total electrification

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre) chairing a high-level meeting on infrastructure sectors,in New Delhi on Monday. PHOTO: PTI