Last meet of Modi Cabinet before 2019 Lok Sabha polls today

The last Union Cabinet meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government is scheduled to be held on Thursday. According to reports, the meeting is likely to take place at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg at around 10:30 am. Sources privy to the development said that PM Modi may come out with some big announcements to impress voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, whose dates are expected to be announced soon by the Election Commission of India (ECI). 

Sources say the Union cabinet is likely to take the case of proposed Delhi Metro Phase-IV for approval. In December, the AAP government had granted conditional approval to Metro Phase-IV of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry had objected to the conditions imposed by the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation that it would operate on the formula of 50-50 per cent operational loss-sharing.  

"The Union Cabinet will take up the approval of Metro Phase-IV in its meeting on Thursday," government sources said.

Among the projects chosen under the phase-IV are: Rithala-Bawana-Narela (21.73 km, elevated), Janakpuri West-RK Ashram (28.92 km, 21.18-km elevated), Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54 km, elevated), Inderlok-Indraprastha (12.58 km, underground), Aero City-Tughlakabad (20.2 km, 5.58-km elevated), Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block (7.96 km, 5.89-km elevated). The project is estimated to cost around Rs 45,000 crore.

It may also take up an ordinance on the reservation mechanism for university teachers.

"The HRD Ministry had sent an ordinance on reservation mechanism for faculties in universities for Cabinet approval and the same is likely to be taken up on Thursday," the source said.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) had announced last March that an individual department should be considered as the base unit to calculate the number of teaching posts to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates, following an order by the Allahabad High Court in April 2017.

The Supreme Court had last month dismissed a review petition filed by the HRD Ministry after its special leave petition against the court order was rejected by the top court.