PM pushes for mobile services in Naxalism-affected areas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pushed for provision of mobile services in Naxal-affected areas and directed the Department of Posts to improve its delivery services as these are vital for the poorest sections of the society.

Chairing the meeting of PRAGATI -- the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation here, he reviewed the scheme for provision of mobile services in Left Wing Extremism affected areas.

Modi emphasised that mobile connectivity is extremely essential for the common man, particularly in backward areas, and urged all the states concerned to accelerate implementation of the scheme, a PMO statement said.

In course of his review done through video conferencing with top officials of states, he also expressed concern at the grievances relating to post offices.

Noting that postal services are vital for the poorest sections of society, he directed the Department of Posts to work towards improvement in service delivery, especially in areas such as payment of policy benefits, money orders, postal savings accounts, and delay in delivery of post, the statement said.

He also reviewed the progress of key infrastructure projects in the Railway, Road, Power, Telecommunication and Agri-Infrastructure sectors, spread over several states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The projects reviewed also included the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor and Chennai Metro Rail. "The Prime Minister urged speeding up of work for early completion of the projects," the statement said.

Modi was also given a demonstration of the progress of the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) scheme, through live video conferencing with three police stations in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

He called for enhancing both the level of sophistication and the speed of implementation of this scheme across the country.