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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Rlys to tap NREGA for unviable projects by Mahendra Kumar Singh

Rlys to tap NREGA for unviable projects by Mahendra Kumar Singh

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published Published on Oct 19, 2009   modified Modified on Oct 19, 2009

The new railway tracks announced on social demand but which are economically unviable and may get delayed due to fund crunch may be funded through NREGA.

Railways, which is facing a fund crunch and is struggling to check cost escalation, has also asked state governments to pitch in at least 50% of the project cost from their kitty by raising it through a cess or any other means.

According to railway ministry sources, around 109 projects for new tracks are in progress costing Rs 50,405 crore of which eight are national projects.

"These projects have been announced on social considerations, though only 12 are financially viable," said a senior official.

Since taking over as railways minister, Mamata Banerjee is eager to ensure these socially viable projects see the light of the day as early as possible. In her budget speech, she had pointed out that railway projects should be seen in the light of "social viability" rather than "economic viability".

What made the Planning Commission and railway ministry ask the states to share the cost and fund the projects through NREGA is the concern that the current outlay of Rs 1,500 crore for these projects is not sufficient even to meet the huge cost escalation. "An expert committee has been set up to examine the funding of these projects," said an official, adding that one way which is being explored is that some activities could be executed under NREGA.

As the projects are financially unviable and will result in operational losses, market funding has been completely ruled out, said a senior official.

While approving these projects, it was decided that for completion of new lines in the next eight years, Rs 1,500 crore should be funded by the railways budgetary support, Rs 1,000 crore through dividend waiver and Rs 4,500 crore by additional budgetary support.

Sources said that the expert committee which is actively considering the issue of funding of these projects suggested that some of the activities in implementing socially viable projects can be funded under NREGA.

Sources pointed out that though some state governments are participating in these socio-economic projects, the response is not very encouraging. Only a few states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have come forward to partly fund such projects.

To speed up the implementation of projects, an inter-ministerial group is soon going to be formed. Both the finance ministry and the Planning Commission have given their concurrence to this proposal.


The Times of India, 19 October, 2009, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rlys-to-tap-NREGA-for-unviable-projects/articleshow/5137089.cms
 

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