.
NEW DELHI: Government approved 237 power projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore under the Pragati (Proactive Governance and Timely Implementation) scheme over the past 10 years, including 43 delayed works that Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored directly, an official said.Launched in March 2015, Pragati is the govt’s flagship platform for fast-tracking projects and schemes under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister. While the Pragati ecosystem works at different levels, the official said a total of 53 projects—27 related to transmission, 14 thermal, 9 hydro and 3 coal mines—worth ₹4.1 lakh crore were identified as delayed and brought under the Prime Minister’s scrutiny.“Of these, 43 projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore were delayed due to various reasons. They are now commissioned,” the official said, adding that 108 under-construction projects worth about Rs 6 lakh crore are being monitored under different layers of the Pragati platform.Officials said power sector projects are largely delayed due to a combination of administrative, technical, regulatory and natural factors, including issues related to land acquisition, environmental and forest clearances, rehabilitation and resettlement challenges, fuel linkages, delays in equipment supply, contractual disputes, delays in obtaining right-of-way permissions, inter-agency coordination between central and state agencies, difficult terrain and limited working seasons, among others. “Monitoring under Pragati helped minimise inter-departmental delays, significantly improving the execution of power projects. Pragati established itself as a model of proactive governance, bridging the gap between policy formulation and field-level execution, and ensuring that large-scale infrastructure and public sector projects are completed in a time-bound, transparent and accountable manner,” the official said, adding that 50 review meetings already took place at the Prime Minister-level since March 2015.“Many stalled power generation and transmission projects are commissioned, resulting in enhanced power availability, improved grid reliability and better utilisation of national investment, thereby preventing cost overruns,” another official said.According to a power department official, major projects reviewed and fast-tracked under Pragati include the Gadarwara Super Thermal Power Project in Madhya Pradesh, the Lara Super Thermal Power Project (Stage-I) in Chhattisgarh, the Parbati-II hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh, the Pare and Kameng hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh, the Tehri pumped storage project in Uttarakhand, and the Khetri–Narela transmission project, among others.Among the commissioned projects, state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India tops the chart with 20, followed by NTPC with 14, and NHPC, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, THDC and Sterlite with two each. Go to Source
