Central Vista project will bring better cohesion in administration and output, says Jitendra Singh

New Delhi: The Central Vista project will not only save money but will also bring better cohesion in administration and output, Union minister Jitendra Singh said on Thursday, noting that thousands of crore of rupees are being paid as rent by various ministries for hired premises. Inaugurating the new state-of-the-art building constructed at Technology Bhawan campus for the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in New Delhi, Singh said “de-silosation” not only of work but also workplaces is needed for better and cost-effective outcomes. Referring to the prime minister’s vision of the Central Vista project, Singh said, even after 74 years of independence, the nation does not have a central secretariat and various ministries have hired premises and thousands of crore of rupees is paid as rent for the same, according to a statement by the Ministry of Science and Technology. He said this project will not only save money, but will also bring better cohesion in administration and output. The redevelopment project of the Central Vista – the power corridor of the country – envisages a new triangular Parliament building, a common Central Secretariat, the revamping of the three-km-long Rajpath from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate and new residences for the prime minister and the vice president. Recalling that the buildings occupied by the DST were originally constructed as warehouses used for storage of foodgrains imported by USAID under “Public Law-480”, Singh said that the new building complex symbolises the march of India from the state of deficiency to self-sufficiency under the present regime, as the country has not only become ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) in foodgrain production but also has emerged as one of the leading exporting countries. “We had eminent scientists and towering personalities in the decades of 60s and 70s, but they lacked the world-class facilities being created now,” he said. He asked the planners and architects to use the open space in the complex to showcase India’s ethos and its scientific prowess. Singh also asked officials to cater to and reach out to young start-ups through state-of-the-art facilities. He informed that the new buildings will accommodate the DST, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and also five autonomous institutes under the DST located at Delhi – Science Engineering Research Board (SERB), Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), Technology Development Board (TDB), VigyanPrasar, Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) – as they were functioning from rented premises.