Expecting Model Code of Conduct to kick in, government departments speedrun project approvals
Election Commission announced it would hold a press conference on Saturday at 3 pm to announce dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, departments in the Central government went full throttle to approve projects and policies.
Once the Election Commission makes the dates for the elections public, the Model Code of Conduct will kick in, curtailing government departments' abilities to make major policy decisions, with some decisions requiring prior permission from the poll body.
According to a Times of India report, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other offshoots of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH) were working into the night on Friday to issue letters of award for projects, which will ensure highway developers can start work.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced a ₹1,700 crore sanction for three highway projects in Gujarat, Assam, and Karnataka. Additionally, he set out another ₹189 crore for a ropeway between Ujjain railway junction and Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh.
«Due to polls, we have to complete targets before MCC kicks in and we are taking steps to ensure that new projects don't get impacted during this period,» a source told TOI.
Cabinet Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal pushed a ₹645 crore approval for 10 new waterways projects on the Brahmaputra in Assam ahead of the poll announcement. These new projects will be implemented with 100% funding from the Centre under the Sagarmala programme.
Also getting in on the
