Prime minister Narendra Modi has directed all ministries to prepare a three-year roadmap until March 2020. It significantly implies that he is looking beyond 2019 to implement reforms.
Modi himself may unveil the roadmap on the occasion of completion of three years in office this month, sources said.
Several ministries have already submitted their roadmap, which includes many recommendations of the group of secretaries (GoS) that the prime minister had formed to undertake mid-term review of policies and to suggest course correction, the sources said.
Disinvestment and GST reforms are said to be the key points in finance while speedy construction of road, rail and ports to boost infrastructure growth may be the main focus in the next three years.
The continued stress on indigenous defence production and more opportunities for the private sector could be the major areas included in this roadmap.
In agriculture and food, direct benefit transfer (DBT) will be expanded to cover more farmers and beneficiaries of public distribution system (PDS) by March 31, 2020, the sources said.
A draft legislation on contract farming is being prepared, which will be released as a model law to help states frame a uniform Act in the next three years.
While urea de-control is an area not yet touched by this government, there may be a time-bound programme to transfer fertiliser subsidy to the bank accounts of farmers that could find a mention in the three-year road map.
The commerce ministry’s focus remains on making efforts to have services included under WTO and expansion of “Make in India” and “Start Up India” programmes to cover new entrepreneurs.
As exports are growing now, the road map may set some target to keep the trade gap under control.
In civil aviation, regional connectivity may be widened to cover as much as 200 airports and airstrips from the current about 80 odd, with the objective of making air travel a mass mode of transport in the next three years.
The government may also announce a number of reforms in education to be completed in the next three years, the sources said.
In the power sector, the focus of the government would be take electricity to as many parts of the country as possible, and will include completion of the rural electrification programme that has gathered momentum over the last couple of years.
The government is also targeting to make all state power distribution companies profitable in the next few years allowing them to actually reduce tariff for customers. A big reform agenda is to amend the Electricity Act, 2003, allowing competition in the distribution segment, giving the power to consumers to choose their supplier. For coal, the roadmap is not only to double Coal India's production to 1 billion tonnes by 2020, but also throw open the sector to competition by allowing private sector firms in commercial coal mining.
The target for mining sector reforms is to make satellite mapping of mines mandatory and start the auction process for minor minerals. The government aims to woo $15 billion worth of investment over five years to double mining output and cut mineral imports. In the oil and gas sector, the Centre has initiated the process to award blocks under the new hydrocarbon exploration and licensing policy. The aim is to boost domestic output and cut crude oil imports by 10 per cent by 2022. Food and civil supplies minister Ram Vilas Paswan told FC that the NDA government is planning for 2024 elections rather than the 2019 polls.
