PRAGATI@50: Digital Oversight Reshaping India’s Governance Architecture

Why in News?

The Prime Minister’s flagship governance platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) recently achieved a significant milestone with the successful conduct of its 50th meeting, underlining its growing role in monitoring projects, resolving grievances, and ensuring administrative accountability.

What is the PRAGATI Platform?

PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) is a distinctive, integrated, and interactive governance platform of the Government of India.

• It is designed to monitor and review key government programmes and infrastructure projects, along with issues highlighted by State Governments.
• It also serves as a mechanism to address public grievances, enabling faster resolution through direct administrative intervention.
• The platform was designed in-house by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with technical support from the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• Through PRAGATI, the Prime Minister directly engages with Central and State officials using real-time data and on-ground visual evidence.

Technological Architecture of PRAGATI

PRAGATI uniquely integrates three modern digital technologies:

• Digital Data Management: Ensures updated and consolidated information on projects, schemes, and grievances.
• Video Conferencing: Enables direct interaction between the Prime Minister and senior officials across the country.
• Geospatial Technology: Provides location-based visual evidence, satellite imagery, and real-time progress updates from project sites.

This combination enhances e-transparency, e-accountability, and evidence-based decision-making.

Key Features and Institutional Design

• Three-Tier System:
  • Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
  • Union Government Secretaries
  • Chief Secretaries of States
• At the apex level, the Prime Minister chairs PRAGATI review meetings with Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of Central Ministries/Departments.
• During reviews, the PM has access to live dashboards, including the issue under discussion, latest progress reports, and site visuals.
• A multi-tier follow-up mechanism ensures that decisions taken during meetings are implemented within specified timelines.
• Project Monitoring: Handled by the Cabinet Secretariat.
• Schemes and Grievances: Reviewed at the Ministry level under continuous oversight of the PMO.

Role in Project Monitoring and Grievance Redressal

• Issues flagged before the Prime Minister are drawn from a comprehensive database covering public grievances, ongoing programmes, and stalled projects.
• PRAGATI integrates and strengthens existing platforms such as:
  • CPGRAMS (Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System)
  • Project Monitoring Group (PMG)
  • Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) databases
• It also considers correspondence received by the PMO from citizens, State dignitaries, and project developers.
• This integration allows for coordinated resolution, reducing bureaucratic delays and inter-departmental bottlenecks.

Expanding Scope and Governance Significance

• Initially focused on large infrastructure projects, PRAGATI has gradually expanded to include social sector schemes and public grievances.
• It has emerged as a people-centric governance instrument, improving Centre–State coordination and administrative responsiveness.
• By combining top-level political leadership with digital governance tools, PRAGATI strengthens cooperative federalism, outcome-oriented governance, and public trust.