By IANS,
New Delhi : The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has outlined a 10-point agenda for infrastructure growth, with focus on the need for appointing a special envoy who would coordinate among various ministries and state governments for the speedy implementation of projects.
“In the face of moderation of growth in the global economy, if India has to sustain a high growth trajectory then quick development of the infrastructure sector is imperative,” the CII said in a statement issued here Sunday.
“This would serve the twin objectives of keeping the demand high and with larger capacity creation would ensure that some of the supply side bottlenecks are taken care of,” it added.
The special envoy, according to the CII, will coordinate across the concerned ministries and state governments for getting clearances and approvals and monitor the implementation of some key infrastructure projects.
It has also called for the setting up of a Centre for Excellence in public-private partnership (PPP) model, which will play a key role in developing capacity for faster development and implementation of PPP projects in the infrastructure space.
“The Planning Commission had drawn up a detailed plan for investment of about $500 billion in infrastructure during the 11th Five-Year Plan. (The) government should release status on project implementation and enumerate the reasons for delays in implementation, which in turn could facilitate measures, to speed up the implementation of large infrastructure projects,” the release said.
The CII has also outlined sector-specific recommendations for infrastructure development in areas like roads, ports, shipping, civil aviation, power, nuclear energy and urban development.
In the aviation sector, the CII called for speedy modernisation of key airports in the country, setting up of a civil aviation regulatory authority along the lines of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to ensure that users’ interests are met by the airport operators.
The industry body also called for corporatisation of major ports to help them operate on commercial lines through greater autonomy, flexibility in decision-making, a monitoring mechanism for the national highway development projects and streamlining power projects in India.