Zee Media Bureau/Amartya Sinha
New Delhi: The coal scam has badly hampered the fossil fuel's production in the country and created a huge shortage of its availability at thermal power stations, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Ministerial Conclave, organised by Zee Business, Goyal stated that the state governments must cooperate with the Centre for efficient power distribution and transmission across the country.
The conclave was inaugurated by Dr Bhaskar Das, Group CEO, Zee Media Corporation Ltd.
The conclave witnessed the presence of three other ministers of the Narendra Modi led NDA-II government - Thawar Chand Gehlot, Nitin Gadkari and Kalraj Mishra along with a huge panel of guests.
The Union Power Minister said that there is a huge backlog of pending files in his ministry. He added that his ministry is working at war-footing and preparing atleast two Cabinet notes per week. He concluded by saying that his ministry is seeking environmental clearances for a large number of projects.
While addressing the conclave, Union Minister for Social Justice Thawar Chand Gehlot said that he is working towards the empowerment of SC/STs, senior citizens and transgenders in the country. He stated that he is planning to assist economically weak SC students with scholarships. He also added that he is ready to encourage CSR initiatives towards the empowerment of backward classes of the society.
On his turn, Union Surface Transport and Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari said that his ministry is serious about laying of better roads with concrete surface to reduce maintenance costs.
He said that the govt is examining the proposal to start seaplane services in the country. One such plan is being implemented in Mumbai where a floating airport will be constructed along with a 7-star hotel for catering to seaplane passengers.
The Minister also highlighted the fact that the govt is facing huge land acquisition problems while executing highway expansion projects. He further added that the govt is laying optical fibre cables and gas lines along the highways.
He also laid stress on the implementation of alternative transport fuel technologies in the country. Lastly, Gadkari concluded his remarks by saying that a Bank of Ideas and Innovations will be inaugurated on August 9, where people can submit their innovative ideas.
The event also witnessed the participation of Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra who said that the government must amend the MSME Act to redefine small and medium industries. He also stated that the Union Government is trying to bring all states onboard to implement GST (Goods and Services Tax) across the country.
Mishra concluded his statement by saying that his ministry is taking the help of social media to spread awareness about his government's schemes on the MSME sector.
