Vice President urges private sector to play bigger role in nation building

Hyderabad: Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon the private sector to play a bigger role in important nation-building activities such as infrastructure development and improving health and education sectors.

Inaugurating the 11th Project Management National Conference, in Hyderabad today, he said that public-private partnerships would be the order of the day for big projects like SMART Cities.

Observing that Project Managers were extremely important for a nation's progress, Naidu said these were times for immense changes and the knowledge and skills of project managers would have a positive impact on the industry and the country's economy.

Describing India as a land of engineering and architectural wonders that serve as examples of great project management practices from the ancient temples of Mahabalipuram to the Ashoka Pillar, the Vice President said that modern-day India to has several remarkable achievements such as the newly-inaugurated State of Unity on the banks of Narmada and implementation of AADHAR, the world's largest biometric database.

Recalling his own experience in launching big projects earlier as the Minister for Rural Development in Vajpayee's cabinet and as Minister for Housing and Urban Development in Narendra Modi's cabinet, Naidu cited the examples of the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana, Swachh Bharat, SMART Cities, Housing and the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana.

Talking about the successful implementation of Schemes such as Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan, Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana and others, Naidu said that bold initiatives such as these need champions who would inspire the team to work towards achieving bigger goals. In the case of Jan Dhan Yojana, the Prime Minister championed this greatest financial inclusion program in the world, he observed.

The Vice President welcomed the bold decision announced by the government to cut corporate tax as it will stimulate economic growth.

"The big project management challenge is to change people's perceptions and win their support for lasting impact," he added.

Stressing that all programmes must aim at achieving inclusive growth, Naidu said that institutionalization of project management was one of the important lessons that government agencies must learn from the private sector.

Expressing his concern over delays in execution of projects on time, the Vice President said that this trend needed to change and called upon Project Managers to act as change agents to improve the execution of projects and programmes.

Referring to the recommendation of Task Force on Project and Programme Management which called for prescription of global standards and certifications for project professionals in public projects, Naidu said "We need to improve the way we plan projects, manage stakeholders, monitor progress, take corrective action swiftly and decisively and develop future-ready talent with a high technology quotient".

Tasking Project Manages to acquire the right skills and keep constantly attuned to the demands of the future, Naidu said that it was their opportunity to contribute to the industry and the country as the successful implementation of each project within time and budget, benefits hundreds, thousands and sometimes millions of people.

Referring to the policy framework initiated by the Quality Council of India, Naidu said that it would pave way for a formal approach to project and programme management once it receives a go-ahead from the government.

The Vice President also stressed the need for the conservation of water and ending single-use plastic.

The Vice President also released a Book on Project Management in Braille facilitated by Ms. Neha Agarwal who is a visually impaired Chapter.

The PMI Board of Directors, Joseph Cahill, the Chair, PMI Board of Directors, Randall T Black, the Conference Chairman,.G. Sriram, the Conference Director, Komal Mathur, the General Secretary, PMI Pearl City Chapter, Hyderabad, Bhaskar Reddy and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.