PM launches pro-active governance platform `PRAGATI'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched an ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform for `Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation' (PRAGATI) - a unique integrating and interactive platform.

PRAGATI aims at addressing common man's grievances while simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the government as well as projects flagged by state governments.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said it is imperative that governance in India becomes more efficient and responsive and that the PRAGATI platform is a step in that direction.

During the first PRAGATI interaction today, which lasted two hours, the prime minister discussed issues relating to unseasonal rain and relief to farmers, public grievances, project implementation, Swachh Bharat and 'ease of doing business.' The interaction lasted for two hours.

Some of the issues discussed included:
Public grievances of more than 20 people relating to payment of Employees Provident Fund of private sector and Income Tax refunds. It was noted that all the grievances had been redressed.

Also, it was pointed out that the intervention through PRAGATI will lead to system improvement so that such grievances do not arise.

State governments of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra flagged questions regarding national highways and clearance for Navi Mumbai airport, respectively.

Six central government projects involving more than a dozen central ministries and 13 states were also taken up for discussion. It was noted that various actions and permissions relating to projects were pending for several years. However, PRAGATI helped make definite progress on several issues. In fact, some of the issues were almost finally resolved.

PM directed all concerned officials to work in a coordinated manner for redressal of grievances and compliance on the projects and programmes. 

PRAGSTI has a built-in feature to assimilate these directions in the system for further follow-up and review till the finality of the matter.

The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology.

It also offers a 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, making it easy for the prime minister to discuss issues with the concerned central and state officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation.

Such an effort has never been made in India. It is also an innovative project in e-governance and good governance.

Key features of the PRAGATI application are:

• Offers a three-tier system consisting of the PMO, union government secretaries, and chief secretaries of the states;
• Prime Minister will hold a monthly programme where he will interact with the central government secretaries, and state chief secretaries through video-conferencing enabled by data and geo-informatics visuals;
• The first such programme was launched on 25 March 2015 (Wednesday) at 3.30 PM;
• This will be held once in every month on fourth Wednesday at 3.30 PM - to be known as PRAGATI Day.
• Issues to be flagged before the PM are picked up from the available database regarding public grievances, on-going programmes and pending projects;
• The system will ride on, strengthen and re-engineer the data bases of the CPGRAMS for grievances, project monitoring group (PMG) and the ministry of statistics and programme implementation. PRAGATI provides an interface and platform for all these three aspects.
• 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;
• The issues flagged are uploaded seven days prior to the PRAGATI day (ie, on third Wednesday of every month).
• These issues can be viewed by the union government secretaries and chief secretaries after entering into the application;
• User ID and password for each of the union government secretaries and chief secretaries have been created and made available;
• Union government secretaries and state chief secretaries will be able to see the issues pertaining to their department /state;
• Union government secretaries and state chief secretaries have to put their comments and updates about the flagged issues within three days (ie, by next Monday);
• One day - Tuesday is available to the PMO team to review the data entered by the union government secretaries and chief secretaries;
• The system is designed is such a way that when PM reviews the issue he would have on his screen the issues as well as the latest updates and visuals.

The system has been designed in-house by the PMO team with the help from the National Informatics Center (NIC).