Proactive and effective monitoring for early project delivery drives growth

The infrastructure sector is one of the key drivers of the Indian economy. It is responsible for propelling India’s overall development, and has been a cornerstone for the country’s rapid growth of projects, particularly in the last few decades. It enjoys priority focus from the government, which is evident from the budgetary allocation of ₹11.1 trillion this year, and in the policies that would ensure time-bound creation of world-class infrastructure in the country.

 

Having been associated with project implementation for over 30 years across various roles, in Kerala and in the Government of India, and having handled several infrastructure projects, I have encountered various bottlenecks in project delivery across different sectors. Some of the key challenges include uncertainties in land acquisition and regulatory approvals, lack of comprehensive upfront planning and risk management, and most importantly, low maturity of project management processes to adequately plan for such factors.

 

Large infrastructure projects are complex and have multi-states, multi-sectoral and multi-agencies involvement, and require multiple clearance from various central and state agencies, leading to time delays and cost overruns due to poor coordination.

 

In March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled multi-modal platform called PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation), with a clear vision of removing delays that were affecting projects of national importance. The Prime Minister conceptualised PRAGATI as a comprehensive solution to improve Centre-Centre and Centre-State coordination. At the launch, he stated that governance in India must become more efficient and responsive, and the new platform was a step in that direction. PRAGATI was developed as a technology-based system capable of monitoring infrastructure projects, reviewing government schemes, and addressing citizen grievances in one digital space.

 

Since its inception, 50 review meetings have been conducted under the Prime Minister’s chairmanship. These meetings are attended by chief secretaries of states and secretaries of Union departments to address issues and bottlenecks in specific projects and schemes. Post-meeting follow-up is ensured by the cabinet secretariat so that decisions taken in the PRAGATI meetings convert into timely implementation on the ground. The government has also set up a Project Monitoring Group, an institutional mechanism for resolving regulatory bottlenecks and fast-tracking the setting up and commissioning of large-scale infrastructure projects.

 

In over a decade of its launch, more than 3,300 projects, with an estimated cost of Rs 85 trillion, have been monitored and expedited for successful execution. In all, 61 major government schemes, such as One Nation One Ration Card, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, and Swachh Bharat Mission, have been reviewed on the platform. Among the projects that the Prime Minister has personally reviewed under PRAGATI, 3,187 issues were raised and 2,958 were resolved, which translates to one issue cleared every working day. These numbers illustrate how the platform has accelerated implementation and strengthened accountability in government functioning.

 

Among the notable achievements that reflect how PRAGATI is helping ensure timely delivery of social sector programmes is Mission Amrit Sarovar. The mission was launched in 2022 to construct and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district across the country. The mission’s progress was regularly reviewed at the national level through PRAGATI, bringing senior officials from central ministries, state governments and district administrations onto a single digital platform. Under the scheme, the target was to construct 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by August 15, 2023. However, more than 68,800 Amrit Sarovars have been completed. The mission has contributed significantly to addressing water scarcity and groundwater availability in many regions. Railway projects, the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project, and the Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road Bridge also provide strong case studies of PRAGATI’s impact on successful execution.

 

The vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi behind PRAGATI is to create governance that works with the speed of citizens’ expectations and aspirations. The platform is integrated with systems like PM GatiShakti and PARIVESH ((Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single-window Hub), which allow easy monitoring through a single source of truth. When delays are prevented, expenditure is reduced, and projects become easier to track and supervise. When decisions are timely and accountability is fixed, the speed of government functioning increases and its impact becomes visible directly in citizens’ lives.

 

As Bharat moves forward with large infrastructure ambitions, PRAGATI has become a central institution of project governance and timely implementation. It has shown that technology-enabled reviews are not only about monitoring screens but about real changes on the ground. PRAGATI, therefore, stands as a model where constitutional offices remain completely dedicated to public service and development, and help to “Reform to Simplify, Perform to Deliver, Transform to Impact” the public projects and citizen-centric programmes for citizens’ welfare.

 

The author is former secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and currently serving as member, Public Enterprises Selection Board. Views expressed are personal