PrintFriendlyBy Siddharth Singh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched his ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation). PRAGATI is a unique integrating and interactive platform. The platform is aimed at addressing the common citizen’s grievances, and simultaneously monitoring and reviewing important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.
The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology. It also 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 will now be able to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the situation on the ground level. Such an effort has never been made in India. It is also an innovative project in e-governance and good governance.
PRAGATI has been designed as an IT-based redressal and monitoring system with the three main objectives of: 1) Grievance Redressal, 2)Programme Implementation and 3) Project Monitoring. It will combine Data Management and Analysis, Geo-spatial Applications as well as Video-conferencing. The application will be accessible to the Secretaries of the Government of India and the State Chief Secretaries.
Key features of the PRAGATI application are as follows:
- It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States);
- Prime Minister will hold a monthly programme where he will interact with the Government of India Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries through Video-conferencing enabled by data and geo-informatics visuals;
- It 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;
- It will also take into consideration various correspondences to PM’s office by common people or from high dignitaries of States and/or developers of public projects;
- The issues flagged will be uploaded seven days prior to the PRAGATI day (i.e. on third Wednesday of every month).
The system has been designed in-house by the PMO team with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC). As the name suggests, it is aimed at starting a culture of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation. It is also a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.
(Siddharth Singh is Research Associate at SPMRF)