No policy change in land acquisition: Cabinet Secy

The Government has no plans to change its land acquisition policy, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan has said after it emerged that the issue has been one of the major hurdles in the pendency of infrastructure projects in the country.

In the over 3,300 projects worth INR 85 lakh crore, 7,735 issues were raised, and 7,156 of them were resolved, he said at a press conference after the 50th meeting of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI), which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PRAGATI is a review mechanism to expedite projects that have been delayed for various reasons.

Cabinet Secretary was addressing media on Friday along with top Secretaries, after the PRAGAT’s 50th meeting. Somanathan said that of the 7,156 issues resolved through PRAGATI, 35 per cent pertained to land acquisition, 20 per cent were forest, wildlife and environment issues, 18 per cent were right of use/way, and others were delayed due to law and order, construction, power utility approvals and financial issues.

Responding to questions on whether the Government has plans to review its land acquisition policy after the issue emerged as the biggest impediment in project delays, the cabinet secretary said, “There is no plan to change the land acquisition policy.” He said all projects valued above INR 500 crore are reviewed by the PRAGATI platform, and States are keen to resolve their issues through this mechanism, which was devised almost a decade ago.

“All States, irrespective of the political dispensations, want to complete their projects and all chief secretaries have been very responsive in resolving issues,” he told reporters. Somanathan said as many as 382 projects have been reviewed by the prime minister under PRAGATI, and of the 3,187 issues raised in these projects, 2,958 have been resolved.

To a volley of questions on reasons for delays in the projects, the Cabinet Secretary said that main reaons are due to delays in land acquision, environmental clearances and law and order in certain areaas. “PRAGATI is a non political platform,” he said, adding that the platforum makes officers personally responsbile due ot their assurances to Prime Minister.

Of these 382 projects reviewed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 114 have been of roads and highways, 109 pertained to the railways, 54 related to electricity, 20 each of petroleum and coal, 17 were from housing and urban development and 13 from health and family welfare, said the Cabinet Secretary.

Asked about the most vexed project that the PRAGATI mechanism faced, Somanathan said the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project, worth INR 42,760 crore, was approved in March 1994 and was finally commissioned on June 6, 2025. Transport Secretary V Umashankar said the New Delhi-Mumbai expressway was among the most vexed road projects that PRAGATI faced and was cleared after tackling a number of bottlenecks. He said in the Naxal affected areas, six projects out of eight are already finished and rest of the projects will be finished this year.

Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar said following the completion of the Jammu-Srinagar rail link, a new type of travellers have emerged on the route, those who visit to enjoy the scenic beauty

During the briefing, the Cabinet Secretary highlighted the structured Project and Issue Escalation Mechanism under PRAGATI led ecosystem, which enables systematic monitoring and resolution of issues across multiple levels and State Governments. Cabinet Secretary highlighted that initially issues are addressed at the Ministry level, while complex and critical issues are escalated through defined institutional mechanisms for higher-level review, culminating at PRAGATI meetings chaired by the Prime Minister Modi

The escalation framework ensures coordinated inter-ministerial action, timely decision-making, and focused resolution of implementation bottlenecks in projects of national importance. The Cabinet Secretary underscored that PRAGATI continues to serve as an effective platform for driving accountability and accelerating project implementation through close monitoring and review at the highest level, explained the Cabinet Secretary.