Argentina presents national public works plan

This is a machine translation of the original release from the Ministry of Public Works of Argentina published in Spanish.

With the participation of the authorities and staff of the Ministry, its agencies and companies, the Minister of Public Works, Gabriel Katopodis, presented Argentina Grande, a Public Works Plan for the Development of the Nation that defines and organizes the actions and infrastructure necessary for the construction of a federal country.

In this regard, Katopodis stated: “Today we present Argentina Grande, a Public Works Plan that President Alberto Fernández set out for us and which structures our development model in Argentina. There are 120 large structural works, of the 5,000 underway, which mark a course of federal growth in our country.”

And he continued: “A plan that was designed to generate work and reach the furthest corner of Argentina with intelligent solutions to improve competitiveness and production. We have the challenge of intervening in a diverse territory and shaking it up to close the inequality gaps”.

The event was held at the Kirchner Cultural Center and was attended by the head of the Unit of Cabinet Advisors, Cecilia Cardini; the Secretary of Public Works; Carlos Rodriguez; the Secretary of Administrative Management, Guillermo Sauro; the National Director of Coordination and Programming of Public Works, Alfredo Garay; the General Administrator of Vialidad Nacional, Gustavo Arrieta; and the administrator of the Ente Nacional De Obras Hídricas De Saneamiento (ENOHSA), Enrique Cresto.

Also present were the president of Corredores Viales (CVSA), Gonzalo Atanasof; the president of the National Water Institute (INA), Juan Carlos Bertoni; the president of the Regulatory Body for Dam Safety (ORSEP), Adriano Borus; the General Manager of the Planning Agency (APLA), Sonia Kabala; the president of the Court of Appraisals of the Nation (TTN), Daniel Martín; and representatives of the National Institute for Seismic Prevention (INPRES).

The plan aims to transform the productive development matrix of the country with strategic works that promote job creation and foreign exchange generation. Likewise, it seeks to promote rational use of resources and value the capacities of the territory and the population, as well as promote regional redistribution of opportunities, which allow the reduction of existing inequities and gaps.

Today Argentina Grande has a federal scope with almost 5,000 public works and 979 projects distributed in the 23 Provinces and CABA, which have already allowed reaching 1,501 local governments of the 2,311 in total. In addition, the construction sector registered sustained growth for 20 months and has already reached 450,000 jobs.

The Plan includes 120 major works and structural projects for productive development, regional integration and growth with opportunities in Argentina. Of these works, 48 are road infrastructure, 55 are water and sanitation, and 17 rural, urban and care infrastructure.

Likewise, it is implemented based on four major management pillars:

Connectivity and road infrastructure to strengthen an integration network that reduces regional imbalances and favors the production and connection of towns, through large infrastructure works, improvements to the existing road network and the consolidation of interoceanic corridors that enhance connectivity with ports and neighboring countries. In this sense, the consolidation of the 4 federal integration and development corridors (North, Center and South Interoceanic Corridor, and North-South Corridor) stands out.

Water and sanitation works to promote human and agricultural development through comprehensive and planned management, which allows progress in the universalization of drinking water and sanitation services, as well as in an efficient administration of surpluses and shortages of water resources throughout the national territory, including 22 inter-jurisdictional basins.

Rural and urban infrastructure to consolidate strategic projects that create conditions for growth and aim to balance productive and social development between regions and cities, as well as to strengthen rural localities and provide more opportunities that improve the quality of life and settlement of its population.

The Ministry of Public Works is making progress in this regard, with the consolidation of city systems, with 167 works and projects in national universities, 100 Technical Schools of Secondary Professional Education, and interventions in Argentine Parks, Penitentiaries, Heritage and the Productive Framework.

Care infrastructure, which includes 600 Child Development Centers, 280 Health Infrastructure works, 30 Territorial Centers for Gender and Diversity, and 30 Day Homes for Youth. The objective of this axis is to strengthen and generate new care spaces at local level and with a focus on health, gender, childhood, youth and the elderly, which promote the promotion of this right, equal opportunities and guarantee basic standards of access to education, comprehensive health and recreation.

The Budget executed in 2021 ($505.633 billion) was 278% higher than that executed in 2019 ($133.031 billion). Likewise, the level of investment executed in 2021 (0.92% of GDP) represents real growth of more than 90% compared to the previous 3 years and is at levels close to the highest in the last 10 years.