A case study released in December 2024 by Oxford University’s Saïd Business School has identified India’s PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) platform as a disruptive governance mechanism that has accelerated project execution and improved coordination across government systems. The study — “From Gridlock to Growth: How Leadership Enables India’s PRAGATI Ecosystem to Power Progress” — supported by the Gates Foundation, places PRAGATI at the centre of India’s evolving digital governance and infrastructure delivery landscape.
Among the examples cited is the protracted construction of the Dahisar–Surat segment of National Highway-8 (now NH-48), a 239-kilometre stretch between Surat in Gujarat and Dahisar in Maharashtra. The highway, originally slated for completion in August 2011 after work began in February 2008, aimed to widen the four-lane corridor into six lanes and add service roads for underserved communities. However, by 2014, the project had stalled with roughly eight kilometres unfinished.
One of the key bottlenecks was a 1.5-kilometre stretch near Mumbai that required passage through a section of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The National Wildlife Board had rejected a proposal to acquire and clear the land, resulting in a deadlock between state authorities and central wildlife regulators. While the issue was being tracked on the government’s Project Monitoring Group (PMG) portal, resolution remained elusive.
According to the Oxford case study, momentum shifted in 2017 when the project was brought before PRAGATI for direct review. The platform facilitated renewed dialogue between competing authorities, enabling what the study describes as state–central dispute resolution. Under the arrangement reached, the National Wildlife Board agreed to allow the Maharashtra State Wildlife Board, chaired by the Chief Minister, to take the final decision. The state board granted approval with conditions, including the installation of sound barriers and protective boundaries to safeguard leopards and other wildlife within the park.
The Oxford researchers argue that such interventions demonstrate the value of leadership-led oversight in clearing long-standing bottlenecks. By bringing multiple stakeholders onto a single review mechanism under the Prime Minister, PRAGATI has enabled stalled projects to regain momentum, while balancing environmental, administrative and developmental priorities.
