Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all states to align their plans with the advancement of the Union Budget so they can maximise the benefit from the move.
The Union Cabinet had in September approved the proposal to advance the date on which the Budget is presented from the end of February to a date that is yet to be determined.
The new date of the Budget will be decided after consultations with the Election Commission on the dates of the state elections to be held in the first quarter of next year.
Mr. Modi, chairing his sixteenth interaction through PRAGATI, the Centre’s multi-modal platform, also reviewed the progress of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and requested all chief secretaries to ensure that safe drinking water is made available to the residents of all 500 towns under AMRUT, according to an official statement.
The Prime Minister stressed the need to speedily dispatch the Employees’ Provident Fund dues claimed by employees working in the organised sector. He also expressed concerns at the large number of grievances of labourers and EPF beneficiaries, an official statement said, and asked officials to be “sensitive to labourers’ needs”.
“He said that in a democracy, the labourers should not have to struggle to receive their legitimate dues,” the statement said.
Mr Modi suggested introducing a system so that the process of finalisation of retirement benefits for all employees can begin a year in advance. In case of an untimely death, he said the papers should be completed within a specified time, and officers should be made accountable for the same, the statement added.
The Prime Minister was informed that 13 states have completed the process of amending the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act. Mr Modi then urged the remaining states to quickly make the required changes in the APMC Act, so that e-NAM could be enabled across the country.
“He said the farmer can benefit only if assaying and grading facilities are made available so that the farmer can market his produce in mandis across the country,” the statement said.