Inside PRAGATI: The Architecture Behind India’s Infrastructure Turnaround

In a landmark achievement for Indian governance, the PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) platform has completed its 50th review meeting, marking a decade of transformative, tech-enabled

leadership. Launched on March 25, 2015, this ICT-enabled multi-modal platform was conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dismantle the chronic coordination bottlenecks that historically led to massive time and cost overruns in public projects.

By bridging horizontal and vertical gaps between central ministries and state governments, PRAGATI has turned national priorities into measurable ground-level outcomes.

The Architecture of Accountability

The platform operates through a rigorous five-level escalation mechanism that ensures even the most complex issues reach the highest levels of government for resolution. While regular matters are handled at the ministerial level, projects of national importance facing critical stalls are escalated to Level 5, where the Prime Minister directly reviews them with State Chief Secretaries and Central Secretaries.

This is supported by a multi-tier follow-up mechanism overseen by the Cabinet Secretariat and the PMO, ensuring that decisions made during these meetings result in swift, time-bound implementation.

A Decade of Impact in Numbers

The financial and operational scale of PRAGATI is unprecedented, having accelerated the implementation of over 3,300 projects worth more than Rs 85 lakh crore. Within this ecosystem, 7,156 out of 7,735 raised issues have been successfully resolved, primarily tackling hurdles in land acquisition, environmental clearances, and construction approvals.

The platform’s reach extends beyond infrastructure, monitoring 61 flagship government schemes—including PM Jan Aarogya Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission—and addressing citizen grievances across 36 diverse sectors.

Sectoral Success and Major Milestones

Infrastructure ministries have seen a significant surge in efficiency under this oversight:

Railways: Oversaw 427 projects with a 370% decadal growth in capital expenditure, resolving 1,437 specific bottlenecks.

Road Transport & Highways: Managed 1,463 projects with a 21-fold increase in capex, resolving 1,968 critical issues.

Power: Successfully resolved 803 issues across 416 projects, alongside a 300% growth in financial outlays.

Specific long-stalled projects have reached the finish line through PRAGATI’s intervention. The Bogibeel Rail-cum-Road Bridge, first approved in 1997, was fast-tracked from 64% progress in 2015 to completion in 2018. Similarly, the Jammu-Srinagar Rail Link and the Navi Mumbai International Airport—both approved decades ago—are now on the cusp of final commissioning in 2025, having seen their physical progress jump significantly following prime ministerial reviews.

Global Recognition

The success of this model has garnered international acclaim, with a December 2024 report from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School hailing PRAGATI as a global benchmark.

Described as a “Single Source of Truth” for real-time monitoring, the study identified the platform as an institution of cooperative federalism and a replicable global best practice for developing economies seeking to drive economic growth through improved public trust and infrastructure delivery.