Niti Aayog Task Force on Project Management

The Niti Aayog task force on project management led by Amitabh Kant has made the following recommendations:

• The task force has pitched for a dedicated policy framework for public-private partnerships and public sector projects to improve efficiency and proposes a high-level committee to draft the policy framework, oversee its implementation as well as review and monitor existing public-sector projects.
• Guidelines under the National Project/Programme Management Policy Framework must be made part of all future contracts.
• A dedicated workforce to be developed with expertise in the smooth rollout, implementation and completion of all projects, much on the lines of the US and UK, to assist in project implementation. India will need 70 lakh skilled project managers in the next 10 years.
• Every government programme should be analysed based on the number of projects, sub-projects and prioritised according to national importance, amount of investment and impact on the economy and society at large.
• Till the constitution of a nodal body through the legislative framework would take time, the Quality Council of India could undertake remedial measures for projects and schemes in the interim.

The task force notes that structured project management practices would not only help to maximise limited resources and effectively respond to changing project requirements, it also brings in skills such as scoping, planning, scheduling, risk assessment, team building and quality control for getting complex projects completed with desired quality and budget, and on time.