Need new work culture to hasten projects: PM

Paradip (Odisha), February 7

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated to the nation a 15-million tonnes a year refinery of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) here, and expressed regrets over delay in execution of different projects.

“Projects are marred by delays due to legal and tender processes and local agitations, resulting in cost overruns to the country. Initiatives have to be futuristic and completed before the designated time limit so that the country does not sustain cost overruns due to delays,” the PM said.

He said a new work culture was being developed to materialise the projects within fixed time frame that would benefit the country.

Modi also took a dig at the Congress after inaugurating the Rs 34,555-crore refinery project, saying: “Nowadays, whenever I go to inaugurate any project, the friends in Congress party say it was started during their time.”

Describing Paradip refinery as Odisha’s “Vikas Deep”, Modi said it would fulfil the aspirations of the state’s bright youngsters and would also take gas cylinders to the homes of the poor across the country.

Modi said the Paradip refinery has set a record of sorts when it came to “Make in India” initiative — the refinery will become a source of jobs for the poor since several downstream industries would come up after its commissioning.

The PM said the Centre had distributed about Rs 1 lakh crore in recent months under the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) scheme to make the youth self-employed.

He said the government was also emphasising on solar energy so that it did not depend on other countries for its energy needs. The Indian Oil Corp's refinery was a step towards that goal, he added. — IANS