NEW DELHI, October 29 (Aalimi Nation) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reviewed infrastructure projects worth more than ₹16,000 crore at the 54th meeting of the PRAGATI platform, asking Union ministries and state governments to clear bottlenecks in mission mode and to focus on outcomes rather than outlays.
The meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister at Seva Teerth in New Delhi, examined projects in the railways sector, PM Ekta Malls and Bulk Drug Parks, spread across 31 States and Union Territories. PRAGATI is the government's platform for proactive governance and timely implementation, through which the Prime Minister periodically reviews stalled and ongoing projects with the Centre and the states.
According to the official account of the meeting, the discussion centred on timeliness, coordination between agencies and the quick resolution of issues that hold up work on the ground.
Modi asked ministries and state governments to strengthen coordination between the Centre and the states and among government agencies, and to resolve problems in mission mode. He called for senior-level monitoring, a proactive work culture, anticipation of implementation challenges, timely decisions and clear accountability for completing projects on schedule.
Chief Secretaries were asked to review schemes with District Magistrates every month so that benefits reach eligible beneficiaries on time. The Prime Minister said governance should prioritise outcomes over outlays, so that public spending leads to visible improvements in people's lives.
On PM Ekta Malls, Modi said the facilities should provide markets for local products and help artisans expand their enterprises. He also called for linking the malls with tourism and local businesses to create jobs in rural areas, and asked Chief Secretaries to review progress regularly and ensure that the malls are completed on time.
The review of Bulk Drug Parks covered the parks planned in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The Prime Minister stressed the need to raise domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and other essential inputs to reduce import dependence and strengthen self-reliance in the pharmaceutical sector.
The meeting also took up the Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks programmes. Officials highlighted convergence of schemes, regular monitoring and local accountability as the factors that have driven results, and said sustained governance efforts have helped nearly 25 crore people move out of multidimensional poverty.
In the railways segment, the redevelopment of Ahmedabad railway station was reviewed. Modi called for faster redevelopment of major railway stations across the country, saying the redeveloped stations should work as multimodal transport hubs with seamless connectivity to metro services and other modes of transport, so that passengers find travel easier.
PRAGATI reviews are intended to speed up projects that depend on several departments or on both the Centre and the states, where delays in land, clearances or coordination can push back completion dates and raise costs.
The official account did not give project-wise completion dates or cost figures for individual items, and it did not list which specific projects were found to be delayed. Further details are expected to be shared by the ministries concerned as they act on the Prime Minister's directions.
