Bridging the Implementation Gap: An Evaluation of PRAGATI in Resolving Stalled Infrastructure Projects

Author

Dr. Gopesh Sharma

Abstract

 Large-scale government-funded projects in India rarely fail due to deficiencies in their design. Rather, they stall due to misaligned timing of approvals, land acquisition, funding and inter-agency decision-making. In March 2015, PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) was launched to address this implementation gap through a recurring video review process involving the Prime Minister, Union Secretaries, and State Chief Secretaries using data and geospatial images. In this paper, PRAGATI is assessed based upon five evaluation criteria: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Accountability, and Sustainability. The assessment draws upon official publications, an Oxford Said Business School case study of PRAGATI, monitoring data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and existing research on project implementation. Evidence suggests a high degree of relevance for PRAGATI and a moderate level of effectiveness. Officials have reported that 2,958 of approximately 3,200 flagged issues were addressed and resolved. Additionally, numerous projects which had been stalled for many years were completed following a PRAGATI review. However, claims regarding efficiency, portfolio-wide impact and long-term viability are considerably less robust. The published figures relating to PRAGATI are self-reported, inconsistently defined and do not include counterfactuals. Furthermore, system-wide indicators of delays demonstrate little clear improvement and PRAGATI reviews occur at a significantly lower frequency than monthly. This paper concludes with recommendations for establishing transparent measures, independently evaluating PRAGATI and developing institutional capacity at lower levels of the bureaucracy

Keywords

PRAGATI; implementation gap; stalled projects; e-governance; cooperative federalism; delivery unit.

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References

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