Narendra Modi’s Smart Cities program used just 1.8% of the funds released to it, the committee said, or just $28 million of a dedicated $1.5 billion. Other programs to build affordable housing, as well as sewage and drainage facilities, used less than 30% of the available funds, the report said. ‘Meagre funds’Misra, who leads the urban affairs standing committee, said the ministry was “trotting out the usual excuses” by blaming bureaucratic delays in accounting for spent funds. The parliamentary report warns that Modi’s “well-meaning” projects “will remain a distant dream” if they receive only “meagre” funds. “However, it is also important that the government machinery actually implements the projects in an honest manner.

Source: Mint March 20, 2018 03:00 UTC