Why in News
🗞️ Why in News The Prime Minister chaired the 52nd meeting of PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) on June 24, 2026, reviewing stalled infrastructure projects worth around Rs 30,000 crore and pressing for faster, technology-driven governance.
What is PRAGATI
PRAGATI stands for Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation. It is an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based, multi-purpose and multi-modal platform launched on March 25, 2015. Its core purpose is to redress citizen grievances and, at the same time, to monitor and review important programmes and projects of the Government of India along with projects flagged by State Governments.
PRAGATI uniquely bundles three technologies into a single dashboard:
| Technology | Role on the Platform |
|---|---|
| Digital data management | Real-time data on project status, budgets and grievances |
| Video-conferencing | Direct, face-to-face review between the Centre and the States |
| Geo-spatial technology | Satellite and map-based visualisation of project sites and progress |
A three-tier review architecture
PRAGATI works through a three-tier system that links the apex of the Union executive directly to the States:
- Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at the top.
- Union Government Secretaries of the concerned ministries.
- Chief Secretaries of the States.
The Prime Minister interacts with these officials through video-conferencing, supported by data and geo-informatics visuals. The sessions are traditionally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, a day designated as PRAGATI Day. The model embodies the principle of cooperative federalism, since stuck projects often involve both Central clearances and State-level land, law-and-order or utility issues.
Highlights of the 52nd Meeting
The 52nd meeting reviewed four critical infrastructure projects across four States, with a combined cost of about Rs 30,000 crore, spanning the road, power, industrial corridor and metro rail sectors. The Prime Minister directed the concerned ministries and State governments to resolve pending issues in a mission mode and to ensure monitoring at the highest level.
Two governance themes stood out:
e-Zero FIR for cyber-financial fraud
The meeting reviewed grievances relating to cybercrime and “digital arrest” scams and pushed States to roll out the e-Zero FIR mechanism. e-Zero FIR automatically converts cyber-financial-fraud complaints above Rs 10 lakh into Zero FIRs for swift action.
A Zero FIR is a First Information Report that can be registered at any police station, regardless of territorial jurisdiction, and is later transferred to the police station that actually has jurisdiction. It ensures that victims are not turned away on the ground that the offence occurred elsewhere, which is vital for cyber fraud where the offender, victim and money trail span multiple States.
The nodal agency for cybercrime coordination is the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, which also runs the national cyber-fraud helpline (1930) and reporting portal.
Artificial Intelligence for TB elimination
The Prime Minister reviewed the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and stressed leveraging emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), to strengthen the drive to eliminate tuberculosis. AI can aid early screening through chest X-ray analysis, predictive identification of high-burden pockets and tracking of patients to prevent treatment drop-out.
Analysis and Way Forward
PRAGATI’s strength is that it collapses the distance between the highest political authority and field-level implementation, creating accountability that ordinary inter-ministerial correspondence rarely achieves. By visualising projects geo-spatially and confronting Secretaries and Chief Secretaries together on a live call, it removes the “buck-passing” between the Centre and the States that delays large projects and inflates costs.
The way forward lies in institutionalising this culture beyond the monthly meeting: integrating PRAGATI with project-monitoring portals, ensuring that e-Zero FIR is uniformly operationalised by every State police force, and embedding data-protection and due-process safeguards as AI tools enter sensitive areas such as health and policing. The model also offers a template for evidence-based, real-time governance that could be extended to district administration.
UPSC Relevance
GS Paper 2: Government policies and interventions for development; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection of citizens; transparency and accountability; e-governance applications and models; role of civil services in a democracy.
Prelims pointers: PRAGATI full form (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation) and launch year (2015); the three technologies it integrates; three-tier structure (PMO, Union Secretaries, Chief Secretaries); PRAGATI Day (fourth Wednesday); Zero FIR and e-Zero FIR (threshold Rs 10 lakh); I4C under the Ministry of Home Affairs; TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
Mains question: “Real-time, technology-enabled monitoring platforms such as PRAGATI have reshaped Centre-State coordination in project implementation. Examine their contribution to cooperative federalism and good governance, and the safeguards needed as Artificial Intelligence enters governance.” (15 marks, 250 words)
Facts Corner
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
- PRAGATI: Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation, an ICT-based platform launched March 25, 2015.
- Three technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology.
- Three-tier structure: PMO, Union Secretaries, State Chief Secretaries; meetings on the fourth Wednesday (PRAGATI Day).
- 52nd meeting: Reviewed about Rs 30,000 crore of projects across four States in road, power, industrial-corridor and metro sectors.
- Zero FIR: Can be filed at any police station irrespective of jurisdiction, then transferred to the competent one.
- e-Zero FIR: Auto-converts cyber-financial-fraud complaints above Rs 10 lakh into Zero FIRs.
- I4C: Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, nodal body under the Ministry of Home Affairs (helpline 1930).
- TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan: National drive to eliminate tuberculosis, now leveraging AI.
Sources: Press Information Bureau, Prime Minister of India, Ministry of Home Affairs
Source: 52nd PRAGATI Meeting Reviews Projects and Governance — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
