Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM to head National Committee on Rural Infrastructure

The Prime Minister has constituted a National Committee on Rural Infrastructure (NCRI), along the lines of the pre- existing National Committee on Infrastructure (NCI), to focus on rural development projects.

The National Committee on Rural Infrastruture will " intiate 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 chairperson of the committee. The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission will be the member-convenor of the NCRI. Its members will include the Union Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water Resources, Communications and IT, Panchayati Raj, Power, Non Conventional Energy Resources and Shipping, Road Transport and 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 rep-requisite for acceleration of economic growth , generation of employment and modernization of the economy.