New Delhi, December 2 (IANS). India’s Pragati platform, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, has been successful in fast-tracking stalled infrastructure projects for completion, according to a study by Oxford University. This is a lesson for global leaders on how a nation can pave the way for its progress.
The report titled “From Gridlock to Growth – How Leadership Powers Growth through India’s Pragati Ecosystem” has been prepared by Soumitra Dutta and Mukul Padanya of the Said Business School, University of Oxford.
The study said India’s experience in accelerating large infrastructure projects can be a lesson for global leaders who want to make infrastructure a game changer for economic growth.
The Oxford University report said that by the end of June 2023, India had reviewed 340 projects worth Rs 17.05 lakh crore ($205 billion) through the Pragati platform while tackling some of the most challenging infrastructure and social development projects. Also solved delays by breaking bureaucratic barriers and promoted cooperative federalism.
The 54-page report divided into 7 chapters emphasizes on how PM Modi and his team came up with a system to reform governance and administration (especially related to big projects).
The report also emphasizes the broader economic impact of the Pragati platform.
Studies by the Reserve Bank of India and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy estimate that every rupee spent on infrastructure generates GDP returns of Rs 2.5 to 3.5. This platform has reduced cost overruns by expediting projects and ensuring that economic benefits are realized quickly.
Better connectivity through roads, railways and airports has expanded access to education, employment and health care for millions of people.
The study examines in depth the development of eight out of a total of 340 Pragati infrastructure projects across the country. It includes four railway projects:-
• Bogibeel rail and road bridge over the Brahmaputra river in Assam.
• Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Bengaluru Metro Rail Project in Karnataka.
• Haridaspur-Paradip rail connection to Paradip port in Odisha.
Two road projects :-
• Dahisar-Surat section of National Highway 8 in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• Varanasi-Aurangabad section of National Highway 2 which connects UP to Bihar.
Apart from this, these eight projects include North Karanpura Thermal Power Plant in Jharkhand and Navi Mumbai Airport in Maharashtra.
These eight projects reflect the breadth and depth of the impact of progress across India’s vast territory. Projects cover a wide geographical area from Jammu and Kashmir in the north to Karnataka in the south, covering a wide range of social, cultural and environmental systems.
–IANS
ABS/ABM
