If the India Shining campaign of the erstwhile NDA government fell flat, UPA regime’s Bharat Nirman does not seem to be doing much better either. Dismal progress mars the UPA government’s flagship Bharat Nirman project which the Congress intends to give prominence in its election campaign to attract the aam admi.

The package of schemes was aimed at improving rural infrastructure by improving electrification, roads, irrigation, housing, drinking water and telephone network.

Close to the end of the government’s tenure, achievements remain far short of the targets.

At a review meeting, prime minister Manmohan Singh was reported to have expressed unhappiness at the slow progress of the schemes under Bharat Nirman. The scheme was to be implemented by 2009 under the common minimum program but so far, the achievements are not even half the targets set in three key areas — electrification, roads and irrigation, according to government’s reports and replies to parliamentary questions.

Under rural electrification, only 13.8% of targeted rural households, including BPL families, were provided connections according to the government data, as on February 16 this year.

Taken alone, BPL category families that were provided connections were 19.3% of the target. It was targeted to provide electrification to 1.25 lakh villages and electrify 230 lakh BPL households.

A similar dismal show is seen in creation of irrigation potential. Against a target of creating additional irrigation capacity of 10 million hectares (MHA), only a little above 5 MHA is claimed to have been achieved.

Likewise, rural roads remain an area of concern with only 34% of the targeted 66,802 habitations connected through road network and only 1.63 lakh km of new roads and upgraded rural roads constructed till December, 2008 against a target of 3.40 lakh km road networks.

As regards, rural water supply, out of total 6.04 lakh habitations to be covered during Bharat Nirman period, so far about 4.64 lakh habitations have been covered.