About one thing Indians were certain when they voted for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister and that is we cannot go on living like this. The corruption and the scams of UPA II had shamed India. It meant lost years for us. Governance was in shambles. Precious revenue was being wasted in perverted welfarism, which the UPA II dispensation thought would be a game changer. But India had had enough. It was this disorderly state of affairs, an utterly broken business situation that Mr Modi inherited. Within a year, the tide is turning and nowhere is this clearer than in the vital sectors of coal, power, and oil & gas.
True, there is a sustained effort of blighting the government’s momentum through legislative impasse. The rump of an opposition that is now the Congress party and which has nothing concrete to offer is busy creating unhealthy illusions over the proposed land acquisition legislation. Let this not slow reform. The Prime Minister must use persuasive skills with the opposition while at the same time building on his developmental federalism structure. Coal and Power are two such important arenas. And we see collaborations between the states and the Centre. The Solar Power track enshrines this principle.
In this edition of InfraLive we focus on the achievements of Modi Sarkar in Coal, Power, and Oil & Gas sectors. The power sector deep in morass and debt is beginning to look up with fuel availability through auctions, process reform in coal supply agreements and investments in distribution and transmission networks by government. The government has made it very clear it will be the lead investor in distribution and transmission networks, this it considers necessary for 24×7 power, generation it would like to see the private sector play an important role, a timely and practical solution. Reform of the huge public sector CIL, which is also an extremely bloated employer, is very high on the government’s agenda.
The renewable energy effort is not just a slogan; it’s a concrete plan being rolled out systematically. On natural gas pricing, the Modi Sarkar overturned the UPA II decision of favouring the Big Corporate and took a decision that was in the interest of the common man. The price went up only marginally to $5.61 per mmbtu and this too came down by 7.6 per cent to $5.18 per mmbtu. Gas prices are revised every six months on the basis of average price of gas in the four leading markets.
Trouble is, the good work of the government and also of capable cabinet ministers are being clouded by a few controversy courting, inefficient two-bit headline-grabbing ministers. This needs to stop and those not suitable for tasks assigned must be dropped. Need we say more!
