Over 2,000 projects, involving Rs 10 lakh crore investment, which were stuck for years and some of them in key sectors, have been given environmental clearance in the last two years, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday. Javadekar said in line with the government’s policy of ease of doing business the average waiting period for the approval of projects has been brought down to 190 from 600 days during the UPA regime and the aim now is to slash it further to 100 days.
Some of the projects cleared by the Ministry in the last two years were in important sectors such as road, railway network, pipeline, irrigation canal, which remained stuck for approval for years. The Narendra Modi government completes two years in office on May 26.
Calling it a kind of “revolution”, Javadekar said the projects given the go ahead by his ministry will generate millions of jobs and spur India's economic growth to a great extent. “We have cleared over 2,000 projects. This has unlocked Rs 10 lakh crore investment and it has the potential of creating direct employment of millions of jobs. This is not a small thing. The projects were unnecessarily languishing,” he said.