As India strengthens its position as a major global economy, the need for strong and modern infrastructure has become paramount. In fact, this sector is the undeniable backbone of any developing economy, making a direct contribution to the GDP. The centre has promoted infrastructure creation through a series of transformative initiatives. The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan streamlines planning and execution, while programmes such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana and Sagarmala are fundamentally reshaping road and port connectivity. The nation is also heavily investing in dedicated freight corridors, high-speed rail systems, and the development of greenfield airports, ports and metro networks. Supercharging these diverse efforts is the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), designed to ensure rapid and continuous development across the board. With so many targets on the anvil, there is also a need to meticulously monitor projects. Several mechanisms are currently in place for the same.
Monitoring mechanisms
A defining feature of the current infrastructure development phase is the extensive use of digital platforms to monitor large numbers of projects across the country. Project monitoring is crucial for infrastructure success as it provides real-time insights into progress, risks and resource needs, enabling proactive interventions that minimise overruns and maximise efficiency across multi-stakeholder projects. Even amid shortfalls, project monitoring sustains momentum by facilitating adaptive strategies and policy tweaks, ultimately bridging planning-to-execution gaps for sustained growth. Moreover, online dashboards enforce transparency, compelling ministries to address bottlenecks through data-backed reviews.
The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan integrates data from 44 central ministries and all states, with more than 1,600 geospatial data layers, enabling dynamic mapping and real-time status tracking of infrastructure projects on a geographic information system (GIS) platform. Complementary systems such as the NIP databases, the India Investment Grid, Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI), the Project Monitoring Group portal and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) Project Assessment Infrastructure Monitoring and Analytics for Nation Building (PAIMANA) dashboard provide online project tracking, analytics and periodic reviews, collectively ensuring that thousands of schemes are continuously monitored for progress, bottlenecks and timely implementation. The MoSPI also monitors projects through an upgraded online computerised monitoring system (OCMS), which tracks central infrastructure projects of Rs 1.5 billion and above, and generates regular monthly and quarterly reports on implementation status, as well as cost and time overruns across sectors and states. In parallel, the MoSPI’s Infrastructure and Project Monitoring Division (IPMD) monitors more than 1,700 high-value projects across over 20 ministries, providing a consolidated view of progress and bottlenecks that feeds into higher-level decision-making and corrective action.
Appraisal bodies such as the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee, Public Investment Board, Expenditure Finance Committee, Delegated Investment Board, and Standing Finance Committee, as well as implementing authorities like the National Highways Authority of India, Airports Authority of India and major port authorities, and regulators such as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority collectively perform several functions envisaged under the NIP task force’s proposed National Framework for Infrastructure Quality. Together, these entities support more rigorous project appraisal, ensure better coordination across sectors, and strengthen accountability for timely and cost-efficient project implementation.
Mapping progress and delays
India’s big infrastructure projects are facing significant time and cost overruns, even as new coordination platforms are being used to accelerate project execution and delivery. Projects face persistent delays due to land acquisition hurdles, including slow resettlement of affected families and local resistance, prolonged forest and environmental clearances, missing supporting infrastructure like approach roads and utilities, state agency coordination gaps, financing bottlenecks, late engineering finalisation, mid-project scope changes, poor contract oversight, tender delays and supply chain disruptions.
The MoSPI’s IPMD public dashboard (Rs 1.5 billion and above) indicates a total revised cost of monitored central projects of over Rs 30.8 trillion, with cumulative expenditure at roughly half of this, reflecting both substantial progress and large unfinished pipelines as of late 2025. As of September 2025, drawing from PAIMANA data, there are cost overruns of about Rs 5.3 trillion on large central projects, with railways, major transport corridors, refinery expansions and BharatNet among the most affected in terms of time and cost slippages.
Although the original NIP plan called for regular reviews and mid-course corrections, tracking the pipeline’s overall progress has been challenging. It is no surprise that rapid development has continued. To put numbers into perspective, support from the centre for capex of state governments and institutions increased by 31.6 per cent between 2021-22 and 2022-23. The NIP, along with several sector-specific programmes, has helped maintain the construction momentum, ensuring steady progress. However, outcomes have varied. While headline numbers reflect significant expansion, ground-level execution has been somewhat uneven. Despite plans to increase private sector capex to account for around 22 per cent of the pipeline, so far, participation remains strikingly low, at 1 per cent. This reluctance stems from delays in legal proceedings and uncertainties surrounding project risks and returns.
Similar uneven progress has been seen under the Bharatmala Pariyojana. The project has run into significant time and cost overruns. High input prices and land acquisition costs have rendered a twofold rise in capex to Rs 10.95 trillion. Phase I is now expected to be completed by 2027-28. As of September 2025, 796 projects covering 26,425 km have been awarded out of the planned 34,800 km. Of this, 21,248 km has been completed. Six multimodal logistics parks have been awarded, with three more currently under bidding. Currently, no more projects are being implemented under Phase I, and Phase II of the programme has not been approved.
With respect to the Sagarmala Pariyojana, as of March 2025, 272 projects have been completed with an investment of about Rs 1.41 trillion. Of this, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has undertaken 119 projects with partial funding support at a total cost of Rs 94.07 billion. Of these, 72 have already been completed. As per the government, the Sagarmala programme has delivered desirable outcomes, including 118 per cent growth in coastal shipping, a 700 per cent surge in inland waterway cargo movement and nine Indian ports ranking among the world’s top 100, including Vizag in top 20 container ports globally.
A recent report by a Parliamentary Standing Committee has raised concerns over the pace of implementation under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0, particularly with respect to waterbody rejuvenation and urban water management. The panel has urged the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to fast-track execution, set clear annual physical targets and strengthen monitoring to ensure the timely completion of sanctioned works. As of December 2025, only 678 out of 3,032 projects sanctioned under AMRUT 2.0 for waterbody rejuvenation have been completed, despite extensive mapping exercises undertaken across cities. Moreover, rejuvenation plans have been prepared for only about 10.5 per cent of mapped waterbodies, signalling a significant gap between planning and on-ground action. The sanctioned funding still covers only around half of the estimated requirement of Rs 3.2 trillion for urban water supply infrastructure and Rs 5.5 trillion for operations and maintenance over 2012-31.
In terms of railway station redevelopment, as of December 2025, around 1,337 stations have been identified for development under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Development works at railway stations have been taken up at a good pace. Till now, works of 155 stations have been completed. The fund allocation of Rs 121.18 billion has been made for 2025-26 under Plan Head-53, and an expenditure (up to October 2025) of Rs 72.53 billion has been incurred so far.
The road ahead
As India advances towards its vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the timely implementation of these mega infrastructure programmes will be crucial. However, persistent challenges, such as cost overruns and delays in execution (as seen in Bharatmala), must be addressed proactively. Strategic measures and stronger project execution are essential to overcome these issues. Specific hurdles, including delays in land acquisition and poor quality detailed project reports (DPRs), also need urgent attention.
The centre should now prioritise predictive analytics for early risk flagging, enforce stricter DPR standards with mandatory third-party audits, accelerate land and clearance reforms via digitised single-window systems, and incentivise private investment through risk-sharing public-private partnership models with guaranteed returns tied to milestones. Strengthening interministerial coordination through mandatory quarterly reviews, coupled with capacity building for state-level execution and real-time citizen feedback integration into dashboards, will enhance accountability and align planning with delivery.
Even with programme-specific targets lagging and timelines slipping, the era of digital project monitoring has prevented total stalling, fostered steady progress through periodic reviews and built a feedback loop for policy refinements, proving essential for long-term delivery towards Viksit Bharat. With infrastructure at the core of India’s development agenda, sustained investment and continuous policy focus, along with the rigorous monitoring of projects, will be key drivers of long-term economic growth.
