Need to break infrastructure gridlock

When the world is busy grappling with the economic damage that the Covid-19 pandemic is inflicting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that this is an opportunity to build a new India which is more self-reliant, self-assured and a global force to reckon with.

The Prime Minister has outlined a 4-L strategy which involves addressing the structural bottlenecks in the areas of land, labour, liquidity and laws, all of which have a direct bearing on infrastructure creation. Here are a few thoughts on what specific steps can be taken on each of these areas.

Land rules

Land acquisition has been a major irritant for industrialisation and infrastructure projects. The land market has been most distorted because of archaic legislations.