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The Prime Minister has constituted a National Committee on Rural Infrastructure (NCRI), along the lines of the existing National Committee on Infrastructure (NCI), to focus on rural development projects.
The National Committee on Rural Infrastructure will “initiate policies to ensure time-bound provision of quality infrastructure in rural areas”, including roads, power, irrigation, water supply, housing and telecommunications. The NCRI will also identify innovative financing arrangements pooling Central, State and private funds for projects in these areas.
The Prime Minister will be the chairperson of the Committee. The Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission will be the member-convenor of NCRI. Its members will include the Union Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water Resources, Communications and IT, Panchayati Raj, Power, Non-Conventional Energy Sources and Shipping, Road Transport & Highways. Planning Commission members in-charge of rural development, energy and water resources, agriculture and communications and IT will also be members of the Committee.
The NCRI may invite experts in various fields to participate in discussions and guide the Committee from time to time.
The NCI and NCRI will enable the Prime Minister to keep close track of progress on infrastructure development projects in urban and rural areas. The Prime Minister has repeatedly stressed the importance of time-bound development of infrastructure as a pre-requisite for acceleration of economic growth, generation of new employment and modernization of the economy.
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