PRAGATI: Where Modi takes stock of key government projects -Governance Now

PRAGATI: Where Modi takes stock of key government projects

This is one initiative that the prime minister personally monitors and passes instructions on speeding up major government programmes

GN Bureau | August 28, 2017

#Narendra Modi #PRAGATI #monitoring government projects #ProActive Governance and Timely Implementation

(Photo: www.narendramodi.in)

What do you do if you have to monitor government projects spread across the country? Well, there is an initiative called PRAGATI through which prime minister Narendra Modi personally gets to keep a tab on it.

PRAGATI, an acronym for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, was launched in March 2015 and till date, 20 meetings have taken place during which the progress of projects have been evaluated.

In the last PRAGATI meeting held on July 12, 2017, Modi reviewed, among others, the progress of vital and long-pending infrastructure projects in the railway, road and petroleum sectors, spread over several states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh.

He also reviewed the progress of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and urged the departments concerned to accelerate the adoption of new construction technologies at the earliest.

The other meetings too saw major projects being systematically reviewed and suitable directions being given to expedite them.

PRAGATI is an ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform that is suitable for simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the government of India as well as projects flagged by state governments.

A built-in feature of PRAGATI is that directions will remain in the system for further follow up and review till the finality of the matter.

The PRAGATI platform bundles three technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology. With this, the prime minister is able to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation. It is an innovative project in e-governance.

The key features of the PRAGATI application include issues to be flagged before the PM are picked up from the available database regarding Public Grievances, on-going programmes and pending projects.

It will also take into consideration various correspondences to PM’s office by the common people or from high dignitaries of States and/or developers of public projects;

Official figures show that the initiative had pushed 136 projects involving investment of around Rs 8 lakh crore till 2016. Every project or issue taken up at Pragati meetings comes with a deadline, which government agencies have to adhere to. Officials said that with the PM personally involved, even state governments were complying with the deadline set for projects involving them, reported Times of India.

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