Govt to discuss infra bottlenecks,PPP with stakeholders

New Delhi :The Finance Ministry has called a meeting on Monday to discuss with stakeholders various regulatory and financing issues facing the infrastructure sector in the country.

The meeting on infrastructure development and public private partnership (PPP) revitalisation will be chaired by Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das.

Besides different stakeholders, the meeting will be attended by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Secretary, an RBI Deputy Governor, Shipping Secretary and other officials of the Finance Ministry, they added.

Industry players including L&T Finance Holdings Chairman Y M Deosthalee, GVK Group vice chairman G V Sanjay Reddy and Punj Lloyd Chairman Atul Punj will also attend the meeting.

“The meeting will discuss regulatory issue and finances, delivery and management of long-term contract, dispute resolution and capacity building,” the sources said.

With regard to PPP revitalisation, the government has already set up a committee under former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and the panel is likely to submit its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the next 15 days.

Jaitley in his last budget speech had said that PPP infrastructure development model has to be revisited and revitalised, in which the major issue involved is re-balancing of risk.

Following the announcement, a committee of 10 members under the chairmanship of Kelkar, who is also the Chairman of Institute of Public Finance & Policy at present, was set up.

The terms of reference of the committee included measures to improve capacity building in government for effective implementation of PPP projects, review of experience of PPP policy, analysis of risks involved in such projects in different sectors and existing framework of sharing of such risks between project developer and government.

PTI