Uttarakhand govt may form bodies to clear PPP projects

Reports suggest that the Uttarakhand government would take a decision on setting up an empowered committee on infrastructure (ECI) and an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) to clear key PPP infrastructure projects. Even though the state government announced a new public-private partnership (PPP) policy last year, it has not yet set up the above bodies to clear projects. The government has also not set up a PPP cell in all line departments for obtaining various clearances and to ensure better coordination. The state government covered urban development, energy, agriculture, rural development, transport, tourism, health, education, trade and industry under this policy. In order to ensure better value for money for the government and stakeholders, all infrastructure projects will undergo rigorous PPP tests under the new policy. The policy is expected to create conducive environment for private investments besides setting up a robust dispute mechanism and regulatory framework for all projects. It is also aimed at expediting projects and give push to infrastructure facilities in the hill state last year. A notification to this effect has already been issued.