Cost and time overruns continue to plague Central infrastructure projects despite digital monitoring. Examine the role of platforms like PAIMANA in improving project outcomes.

MoSPI's monthly Flash Report tracks Central Sector projects costing ₹150 crore and above. In September 2026 it covered 1,853 projects worth ₹37.56 lakh crore, of which only 47.21% of cost had been spent [1]. Digital platforms like PAIMANA have made these projects easier to see, but seeing a delay does not by itself fix it.

Role of PAIMANA in improving outcomes

• Single repository: PAIMANA (September 2025) replaced the legacy OCMS-2006. PAIMANA-CRIP (July 2026) replaced DPIIT's IPMP as the national data layer [2].
• Near-real-time data: About 80% of data now flows through APIs, cutting delays from manual entry [1].
• Integrated metrics: Physical and financial progress are read together. Upfront spending in early stages and pending bills near completion show where a project is stuck [1].
• Sectoral diagnosis: Coal's low expenditure ratio (27.50%) against Water & Sanitation's 70.81% flags slow-moving sectors [1].
• Transparency: Monthly public releases and a Performance Monitoring Dashboard (April 2026) allow time-bound reviews [2].

Why overruns persist

• Root causes are on the ground: Land acquisition, forest clearances and contractor disputes cannot be solved through a dashboard.
• No power to enforce: IPMD's mandate comes from the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, not an Act. It can publish data but cannot penalise ministries [3].
• Self-reported data: Line ministries report their own progress, and APIs pass on errors faster. MoRTH alone accounts for 53% of projects [1].
• Hidden overruns: Spending is measured against the latest revised cost, so upward cost revisions do not show up in the headline ratio [1].
• Unexplained exits: Projects fell from 1,981 (April 2026) [4] to 1,853, with no split into completed, dropped or migrated.

Way forward

• Publish original and latest cost, plus the number of delayed projects, in every release.
• Send PAIMANA red flags straight into PRAGATI reviews. Overlay delays on PM GatiShakti's GIS map to target land and clearance bottlenecks.
• Have the CAG test-check a sample of self-reported entries each year.
• Publish a reconciliation note for the IPMP-to-CRIP migration.

PAIMANA has moved project monitoring from periodic paperwork to near-real-time e-governance. This is necessary but not sufficient. Linking its data to accountability through PRAGATI, CAG audits and open reporting of overruns can turn visibility into timely delivery. That would advance SDG 9 (resilient infrastructure) and the constitutional ideal of accountable public spending.