PM Modi chairs 52nd meeting of PRAGATI

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 52nd meeting of PRAGATI on June 24.

• During the meeting, the PM reviewed four critical infrastructure projects across the road, power, industrial corridor and metro rail sectors, covering four states and costing around Rs 30,000 crore. 

• These projects, important for economic growth, regional connectivity, industrial development and public welfare, were reviewed with focus on timelines, inter-agency coordination, issue resolution and timely completion.

• PM Modi asked the concerned ministries and state governments to resolve pending issues in a mission-mode manner and ensure close monitoring at the highest level.

• The PM also reviewed grievances related to cybercrime and “digital arrest”. 

• He expressed concern over the rising misuse of digital platforms to defraud citizens and stressed that such matters require coordinated, sensitive and time-bound handling by all concerned agencies. 

• PM Modi noted that citizens should not be made to run from one department or agency to another and emphasised the need for clear ownership, faster response, better coordination among law enforcement agencies, banks and digital platforms, and stronger public awareness campaigns.

• He observed that in cases involving cyber fraud, timely action is crucial to prevent financial loss and restore public confidence.

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:

i) Grievance redressal

ii) Programme implementation

iii) Project monitoring.

The PRAGATI platform bundles three technologies: 

i) Digital data management

ii) Video-conferencing

iii) 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.

• Over the years, the PRAGATI led ecosystem has helped accelerate projects worth more than Rs 85 lakh crore rupees and supported the on-ground implementation of major welfare programmes at scale.