New Delhi: The prime minister, Narendra Modi, Wednesday reviewed the progress of nine vital infrastructure projects worth over Rs. 56,000 crore in the railway, road, power and oil pipeline and health sectors, spread over several states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, and Kerala. The projects reviewed include the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and construction of four new AIIMS at Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh, Kalyani in West Bengal, Nagpur in Maharashtra, and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi, who chaired his twenty-first interaction through PRAGATI – the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, here on Wednesday, reviewed the progress of the Smart Cities Mission. He appreciated the participation of cities in the challenge route. He said the challenge before everyone is now to ensure implementation and expeditious completion of the work in the 90 identified cities, with high quality.

Reviewing the progress of the Forest Rights Act, the prime minister emphasized the importance of using space technology to determine the rights of tribal communities, and settle claims expeditiously.

The prime minister said that the apprehensions with regard to GST have been proven to be unfounded, and a smooth transition has happened. He asked all chief secretaries to further boost efforts to increase registration under GST, and to achieve a quantum jump in this regard within a month.

On Government e-Marketplace (GeM), he said the portal has improved transparency, and has reduced wasteful expenditure. He asked the chief secretaries of all states to give priority to GeM in government procurements.

While  reviewing the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to patents and trademarks, he emphasized the importance of using latest technology to streamline the process, and reach global standards in this regard.

The first twenty meetings of PRAGATI have seen a cumulative review of 183 projects with a total investment of Rs. 8.79 lakh crore.