Governor SC Jamir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during the inauguration of the refinery at Paradip Sunday.OP Photo
Paradip: The Centre is trying to instil a new work culture so that development projects are completed on time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here Sunday, while dedicating Indian Oil Corporation Ltd’s (IOCL) Rs 34,555 crore refinery to the nation.
Delay in execution of projects for decades leads to huge cost overruns, Modi said and appealed to policymakers, bureaucrats and other stakeholders to develop a work culture that ensures timely completion of projects.
The Union government is trying to bring in this change so that the exchequer does not suffer huge loss because of delay, he said.
The Prime Minister criticised the Congress, which claimed that all projects had been started during their regime. Modi said that, as Prime Minister, he would have been happy if the projects were completed 15 years ago and had led to creation of jobs. “I am happy to inaugurate projects. However, as the Prime Minister of the country, I would have been happy if these works had been completed 15 years ago and had led to lakhs of our youth getting jobs,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Modi inaugurated the National Institute of Science Education and Research at Jatni in Khurda, where he urged scientists to work towards the development of affordable and sustainable technology for the common people.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the possibilities for innovation in areas such as coal gasification and clean energy and housing for all by 2022.
From Jatni, the Prime Minister went to Puri, where he offered prayers at the Jagannath temple. Modi spent more than 30 minutes at the temple, where he entered the sanctum sanctorum to seek the blessings of the Lord.
In Paradip, Modi also cleared the air on fuel prices. “Our country is depending on other countries for fuel, which results in price hikes. Recently, I held a meeting with the officials concerned and asked them to find ways to make India self reliant,” he said.
The government aims to reduce oil import dependence by 10 per cent by 2022 by creating a policy environment that supports raising domestic output and also by mixing biofuels such as ethanol with auto fuel, he said.
The Prime Minister said he was proud to dedicate the IOCL?refinery — a project that was started by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee — to the nation.
“I have attended a lot of government programmes. However, I have never seen such huge a crowd. It shows that every citizen of the state is aware of the importance of this refinery and how it will contribute to the development of the state,” Modi said. PNN
