The Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Law of the Republic of Singapore, Mr. K. Shanmugam, called on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today. He conveyed the message of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, that the relations between the two countries, which are based on mutual trust, should be made even stronger through a series of concrete steps.
During the meeting, it was planned that an year-long series of events be held to mark the completion of fifty years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and India. Both Prime Ministers are keen that the occasion should be celebrated in a way that further expands the canvas of the relationship.
Mutual cooperation in the fields of skill development, development of smart cities, water management, shipping, port management and coastal development was discussed in depth.
Shri Narendra Modi said that his Government plans a major thrust in low-cost and affordable housing, and sought Singapore's assistance in construction technology for this purpose.
Observing that Singapore is one of the top tourist destinations worldwide, the Prime Minister suggested that Indian states should hold one-month long special campaigns in Singapore to highlight their tourism potential, during celebrations of the fifty years of relationship.
The meeting was attended by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Minister for External Affairs, Mr. Lim Thuan Kuan, High Commissioner of Singapore to India, and senior officials from both sides.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi earlier today chaired the meeting of the 45th edition of PRAGATI, the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments.
In the meeting, eight significant projects were reviewed, which included six Metro Projects of Urban Transport and one project each relating to Road connectivity and Thermal power. The combined cost of these projects, spread across different States/UTs, is more than Rs. 1 lakh crore.
Prime Minister stressed that all government officials, both at the Central and State levels, must recognize that project delays not only escalate costs but also hinder the public from receiving the intended benefits.
During the interaction, Prime Minister also reviewed Public Grievances related to the Banking & Insurance Sector. While Prime Minister noted the reduction in the time taken for disposal, he also emphasized on the quality of disposal of the grievances.
Considering more and more cities are coming up with Metro Projects as one of the preferred public transport systems, Prime Minister advised conducting workshops for experience sharing for cities where projects are under implementation or in the pipeline, to capture the best practices and learnings from experiences.
During the review, Prime Minister stressed on the importance of timely Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Project Affected Families during implementation of projects. He further asked to ensure ease of living for such families by providing quality amenities at the new place.
PM also reviewed PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. He directed to enhance the capacity of installations of Rooftops in the States/UTs by developing a quality vendor ecosystem. He further directed to reduce the time required in the process, starting from demand generation to operationalization of rooftop solar. He further directed states to adopt a saturation approach for villages, towns and cities in a phased manner.
Up to the 45th edition of PRAGATI meetings, 363 projects having a total cost of around Rs. 19.12 lakh crore have been reviewed.