Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 37th PRAGATI meeting on August 24.

What is PRAGATI?

• PRAGATI is the acronym for the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.

• It is a three-tier system consisting of the PMO, Union government secretaries and chief secretaries of the states.

• The system has been designed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC). 

• The platform is aimed at addressing the common man’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the central as well as state governments.

Its objectives are:

• Grievance redressal

• Programme implementation

• Project monitoring.

The PRAGATI platform bundles three technologies: 

1) Digital data management

2) Video-conferencing

3) Geo-spatial technology. 

• It offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism since it brings on one stage the secretaries of government of India and the chief secretaries of the states. 

• 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 a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders. It is also an innovative project in e-governance and good governance. 

• The first meeting was held on March 25, 2015.

• In the previous 36 PRAGATI meetings, 292 projects having a total cost of Rs 13.78 lakh crore have been reviewed.

Highlights of 37th PRAGATI meeting

• PM Modi reviewed eight projects having a cumulative cost of Rs 1.26 lakh crore and spanned over 14 states as well as the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme.

• Among the eight projects, three each were from the ministry of railways and ministry of road transport & highways and two were from the ministry of power.

• The states covered under them are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttrakhand, Manipur and Delhi.

• While reviewing the ONORC scheme, the PM asked officials to explore the multiple utilities of the technological platform developed under the programme to ensure the provision of a wide array of benefits to the citizens.

• He also directed the state officials to keep monitoring the construction of oxygen plants and availability of hospital beds.

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