The infrastructure sector is one of the key drivers in Indian economy. Good-quality infrastructure leads to sustained demand for better Services.
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The infrastructure sector is one of the key drivers in Indian economy. Good-quality infrastructure leads to sustained demand for better Services. The sector is responsible for propelling India’s overall development and has been a cornerstone for India’s rapid growth of projects, particularly in the last few decades. It enjoys priority focus from Government which is evident from the budgetary allocation of INR 11.1 lakh crore this year and in initiating policies that would ensure time-bound creation of world class infrastructure in the country. With favourable policy initiatives like “Make in India”, Atmanirbhar Bharat, PM Gatishakti, flexible FDI norms and technological advancement, this sector is expected to grow at an even faster rate.
As I have been associated with project implementation for over thirty years across various roles in Kerala and Government of India and have handled several infrastructure projects, I encountered with various bottlenecks in project delivery across different sectors. Some of the key challenges faced during project delivery include uncertainties in the 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.
Other issues which hamper timely completion of projects include, but are not limited to, non-availability of raw materials, unavailability of skilled workers (masons, carpenters, etc.), lack of water and power supply, an incomplete supply of drawings and frequent changes in design. Due to the local issues and lack of proper project planning and controls, the effective project delivery schedule gets delayed creating an overall impact on the economy.
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. hence time delays and cost overruns have been common occurrences.
While there had been different project implementation and monitoring mechanisms adopted by various Ministries and Departments, they seem to be working in silos and there was no effective coordination between them and the State Governments.
In March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched an ICT enabled multi-modal platform Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation, PRAGATI, with a clear vision of removing delays that were affecting projects of national importance and to address grievances of the common man while simultaneously monitoring programmes taken up by the Government of India and projects flagged by State governments. The Prime Minister conceptualized 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 assessing citizen grievances in one digital space.
Since its inception, PRAGATI mechanism has deployed a digital platform for project monitoring and grievance redressal through active collaboration of Central ministries and State governments. 50 review meetings have been conducted so far under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. These meetings are attended by Chief Secretaries of States and Secretaries of Union departments to address issues and bottlenecks in specific projects and schemes. The platform also functions as an escalation forum where regular problems are handled at the ministry level while complex matters are placed before the Prime Minister for final resolution. Government has also set up a Project Monitoring System to regularly monitor implementation of projects costing more than INR 500 Crore and a Project Monitoring Group in Prime Minister’s Office to review and identify projects which need to be taken up under PRAGATI. I was associated with both. Post-meeting follow-up is ensured by the Cabinet Secretariat so that decisions taken in PRAGATI meetings convert into timely implementation on the ground.
In over a Decade of its launch, more than 3300 projects with estimated cost of INR 85 lakh crore have been monitored and expedited for successful execution. 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. Grievances across 36 sectors including banking & insurance, Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and COVID-related matters have also been assessed through this system. Out of about 7700 issues raised on PRAGATI and PMG portal, more than 7100 issues have already been resolved reflecting a rate of more than 92 percent. Among PRAGATI projects reviewed personally by the Prime Minister, 3187 issues were raised and 2958 have been resolved which literally means clearing one issue every working day. These numbers illustrate how the platform has accelerated implementation and strengthened accountability in government functioning.
Some of the notable achievements of PRAGATI’s role in timely delivery of social sector programmes include Mission Amrit Sarovar. The Mission was launched in 2022 to construct and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district across the country. Every Amrit Sarovar is designed with a minimum pondage area of one acre and water holding capacity of about 10,000 cubic meters. Progress of the Mission 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. This joint monitoring enabled faster decision-making and effective resolution of hurdles related to land availability and release of funds. Under the scheme the target was to construct 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by 15th August 2023. However, with the PRAGATI intervention the work gained new momentum, and more than 68,800 Amrit Sarovars have been completed so far across the country. The Mission has contributed significantly to addressing water scarcity and enhancing both surface and groundwater availability in many regions.
Railway projects provide another strong case study of PRAGATI’s impact on infrastructure. The Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link project was approved on 31st March 1994. By June 2015 its physical progress was only 40 percent. Through PRAGATI reviews on 24th June 2015, 06th November 2019 and 30th December 2020 the progress improved from 40 to 60 and then 76 percent. The line was finally commissioned on 06th June 2025 covering a length of 272 kilometers with 38 tunnels totaling about 119 kilometers and 943 bridges including the world’s highest railway arch bridge standing 359 meter above the river. Similar impact was seen in Bogibeel Rail cum Road Bridge over the Brahmaputra which was approved in March 1997 and 64 percent completed on 27th May 2015 and commissioned on 25th December 2018 after PRAGATI oversight. These examples reflect how technology enabled coordination can fast track rail infrastructure and provide modern services to citizens much earlier.
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 which allow easy monitoring through a single source of truth. Advantages such as cost-cutting, easy digital monitoring and quick conflict resolution have emerged as natural outcomes of this approach. When delays are prevented, expenditure is reduced and projects become easier to track and supervise. This illustrates that when decisions are timely and accountability is fixed the speed of government functioning increases and its impact becomes visible directly in citizens’ lives. PRAGATI embodies this vision by breaking inter-departmental barriers and strengthening Team India spirit across ministries and states.
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. The 50 meetings conducted so far reflect continuity of this approach and commitment at the highest level. Mission Amrit Sarovar, major railway bridges, ultra mega power projects and infrastructure programmes demonstrate that proactive oversight can multiply outcomes. PRAGATI therefore stands as a model where constitutional offices remain completely dedicated to public service and development with easy monitoring, effective coordination transparency and accountability. The transformation from Prime Minister’s Office to public offices across the country finds its true meaning when achievements like PRAGATI help to “Reform to Simplify, Perform to Deliver, Transform to Impact” the public projects and citizen-centric programmes, showing clear devotion to the welfare of every citizen.
Alkesh Kumar Sharma
(The Author is member PESB and former Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Views expressed are personal)