Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday held a crucial meeting with Public Works Department (PWD) officials, approving significant reforms. These changes include a fivefold increase in the financial powers of. PWD officials and comprehensive amendments to the service structure of engineers. This is the first major overhaul in the department in 30 years, aimed at improving administrative efficiency, ensuring timely project completion, and maintaining financial discipline.
Reasons for Increased Financial Powers
Delegation of Powers
Chief Minister Adityanath highlighted that construction costs have escalated by more than five times over the past three decades, while according to the cost inflation index, expenses have surged by 5. 52 times between 1995 and 2025, while he noted that previous financial limits led to delays in decision-making, making it imperative to delegate more authority. This move is expected to expedite the tendering, contracting, and project initiation processes, while also enhancing financial discipline and transparency.
Under the new system, a Chief Engineer will now have the authority to approve works up to ₹10 crore, a significant increase from the previous limit of ₹2 crore. Superintending Engineers' powers have been raised from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore, and Executive Engineers can now approve works from ₹40 lakh to ₹2 crore. Assistant Engineers' powers have also been expanded to facilitate quicker decisions on smaller tasks and tenders. For electrical and mechanical works, powers have been at least doubled, reducing the need for approvals at higher levels and granting more autonomy to officials.
Reforms in Promotion Process and Service Structure
CM Yogi also introduced changes to the promotion process. Promotions to the Chief Engineer (Level-1) post will now be based on seniority. Pay scales and pay levels from Executive Engineer to Chief Engineer (Level-1) have been determined in accordance with the Seventh Pay Commission. The selection committee's structure has been updated to ensure a transparent and fair promotion process. The Chief Minister emphasized that the PWD is a pivotal department for the state's development projects and that these amendments will strengthen the efficiency, technical quality, and service ethos of departmental engineers. Overall, these reforms are expected to help in timely project completion and reinforce administrative governance.
