‘Do we need a 4th-party audit?’ PM raps secretaries over quality of public projects

NEW DELHI: “Do we now need to go for a fourth-party audit?” PM Modi is learned to have asked secretaries at the Centre and chief secretaries in states while expressing concerns over reports of quality issues in construction and public projects. He made the observation that though “third-party” audit of quality of works is a standard practice, this might not be working as expected.Chairing the monthly Pragati meeting on Tuesday, Modi is learned to have told the top bureaucrats that such things are “unacceptable” and the system won’t work like this. Modi reviewed six infrastructure projects across railway, road and power sectors, spanning nine states with a cumulative cost of over Rs 30,000 crore. He said infrastructure projects should be viewed and monitored as an integrated whole, rather than as isolated sections, stretches or packages.Couple speed of execution with uncompromising quality: PMIn an official statement, PMO said, “PM said that speed of execution must be accompanied by uncompromising quality. He called upon ministries, states and implementing agencies to adopt modern technologies and strengthen quality assurance and supervision at every stage.”TOI has learned that while reviewing a project related to the power sector, PM observed that just increasing power generation is not enough without putting adequate transmission capacity in place, just as “building dams without laying canals” doesn’t bring the desired outcome.During the review of cyber fraud cases, including incidents of digital arrest, the PM said prevention must be strengthened through training, awareness and education.He stressed the need for continuous and targeted public-awareness campaigns, particularly for senior citizens, youth and other vulnerable sections, to familiarise them with common fraud techniques, warning signs and safe digital practices.PM also called for regular capacity-building of personnel involved so that emerging modes of cyber fraud are identified and acted upon swiftly. Home secretary Govind Mohan gave a detailed presentation on the progress and the initiatives undertaken by 20 states to deal with such cases.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.