Ahead of 2019, PMO seeks project status report from ministries

(This article was originally published in The Economic Times on 04/10/2018.)

NEW DELHI: Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister’s Office has moved in to push the entire government machinery to ensure that every project launched, foundation stone laid and announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is completed and realised before the government’s tenure ends.

The PMO has shot off communications to all ministries and departments initiating a project-wise stock-taking process beginning October 1, 2018. The communication is specific to projects personally launched or announced by PM Modi since he took charge in 2014.

The ministries, through the communication sent late September, have been asked to give a full status report on the projects — flagging in green, yellow and red the level of implementation achieved and the overall performance. While red will stand for ‘poorly implemented’, yellow will indicate ‘progress noted’, and green will convey a project is ‘on time/good’.

The PMO has asked that details must be submitted for all projects, programmes, schemes inaugurated by the PM, or even works commenced or foundation stone laid by him. A proforma has been sent out asking for the latest status of these — whether they are completed, commenced or under implementation — and the progress indicated in percentage.

A monthly update on progress on each project has been sought from this month onwards, conveying the need to move full throttle on these. The status check format asks for full details from original to revised cost as well as original to revised date of completion.

The monthly update requires specifying project milestones, ‘slippages’ incurred and outstanding ‘issues with reference to ministries/departments/agencies’ with reasons for the same.

It also seeks to know whether the project has been reviewed earlier by the PMO and the action taken report on the same. Further, it seeks to track ‘progress from last month’.

The communication asks for tothe-point information in bullet points and to avoid details unless necessary. The move comes about six months ahead of the next general elections which are scheduled for April-May 2019.