In Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today highlighted the transformative impact of the PRAGATI platform in expediting major developmental projects across the Union Territory, stating that it has emerged as a powerful instrument for resolving long-pending issues and ensuring the timely execution of big-ticket initiatives. The Chief Secretary underscored the significance of PRAGATI@50, noting that the technology-driven governance mechanism has successfully unlocked several projects that had remained stalled for decades due to inter-departmental bottlenecks and procedural delays.
World-class infrastructure is being developed across Jammu and Kashmir, with mega projects being fast-tracked through coordination between the Centre and the Union Territory under the PRAGATI mechanism. The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project was initiated in 1995 and witnessed minimal progress for nearly 25 years. However, after being taken up under PRAGATI for close monitoring, the project gained substantial momentum due to enhanced inter-departmental coordination and direct intervention at the highest level by the Prime Minister himself.
All projects with an outlay of more than ₹ 500 Crore are monitored by the Prime Minister’s Group (PMG) headed by the Cabinet Secretary, while the most critical among them are directly reviewed by the Prime Minister through PRAGATI meetings. 61 projects worth Rs. 4.12 lakh crore are currently being monitored on the Project Monitoring Group portal in the region. Of these, 15 projects worth Rs. 69 thousand crore have been completed, while 46 projects worth Rs. 3.43 lakh crore are under implementation at various stages of execution.
Under PRAGATI, 15 high-priority projects worth Rs. 1.12 lakh crore in J&K are being closely monitored by the Prime Minister. 59 issues related to these projects have been discussed so far, with 57 of them- around 96 percent resolved on merit, placing J&K among the top performers nationally, supplemented by robust district-level follow-up by the administration. These issues were primarily related to land acquisition, environmental clearances, financial approvals, construction bottlenecks and ensuring timely and fair compensation to affected families.
The projects span key sectors including connectivity, energy and social infrastructure. Six high-priority projects worth Rs. 53 thousand crore have been completed or commissioned under PRAGATI monitoring. These include the Jammu- Udhampur – Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link, the challenging Banihal stretch of the NH-44 project, the Kishanganga Hydroelectric project and utility shifting issues for AIIMS Jammu.
However, nine additional projects being monitored under PRAGATI are progressing at a satisfactory pace. These include the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway Corridor, AIIMS Awantipora, Pakul Dul Hydroelectric Project, 4G mobile connectivity under USOF, and several other energy and connectivity projects across different parts of the UT.
