Centre launches PMRef reform module, directs Ministries to ease living and business
Synopsis
The Centre has moved beyond policy announcements to process enforcement — making it mandatory for every Ministry to log and update reforms on the PMRef portal every Friday. With HLC and IGoM recommendations now feeding into a single live dashboard, this is the most structured attempt yet to make India's reform pipeline visible and accountable in real time.
Key Takeaways
The Centre on 28 July directed all Ministries and Departments to identify reforms for ease of living and ease of doing business .
A new 'Reform' module on the PMRef portal was operationalised on the same day as a central repository for reform tracking.
Ministries must submit weekly updates every Friday by 12 pm , starting this week — uploads are mandatory .
Reforms may draw from recommendations of the High-Level Committee (HLC) , the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) , or internal Ministry proposals.
The PMRef portal integrates with PRAGATI and tracks milestones, directives, and decisions from the PMO .
The Centre on Tuesday, 28 July directed all Ministries and Departments to identify and implement reforms aimed at improving ease of living and ease of doing business, simultaneously launching a dedicated digital module to track the progress of these initiatives across the government. The move signals a push to institutionalise the reform process rather than leave it to ad hoc departmental action.
The PMRef Reform Module
As part of the initiative, the government operationalised a new 'Reform' module on the PMRef (Prime Minister's References/Reforms) portal, which went live on Tuesday. The module will serve as a central repository where Ministries and Departments can upload details of policy reforms, administrative measures, and governance initiatives being undertaken in their respective sectors.
The PMRef portal is a secure digital governance platform used by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), central ministries, and government departments to monitor policy reforms, administrative initiatives, and key infrastructure projects. It integrates with platforms such as PRAGATI to improve coordination and accountability across government, and tracks milestones, action points, and targets arising from high-level review meetings.
What Ministries Have Been Asked to Do
Ministries have been directed to identify reforms that simplify procedures, improve public service delivery, and strengthen the overall business environment. The proposed measures may draw from recommendations of the High-Level Committee (HLC), suggestions made by the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), or reforms identified internally by individual Ministries.
Uploading details of all such initiatives on the PMRef portal and regularly updating their progress has been made mandatory. Every Ministry has been instructed to submit weekly updates every Friday by 12 pm, starting this week — a structured accountability mechanism rarely seen in previous reform drives.
Why This Matters
The initiative is designed to institutionalise the reform process through a structured framework that captures, monitors, and reviews policy and administrative changes being implemented across the government. It is also expected to improve inter-ministerial coordination and accelerate the execution of reform measures — two persistent bottlenecks in India's governance architecture.
Notably, the PMRef portal also facilitates tracking of references, directives, and decisions issued by the PMO and other senior administrative authorities, making it a live dashboard for the government's reform pipeline.
What Comes Next
With weekly Friday deadlines now in place, the first round of updates from Ministries is expected within days. The government's ability to enforce consistent reporting — and act on gaps flagged through the portal — will determine whether this exercise translates into measurable improvements in India's ease of living and business rankings.
Point of View
This could shift incentives. If the portal becomes a compliance checkbox, the ease of doing business rankings will tell the story soon enough.
NationPress
28 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the PMRef portal's new Reform module?
The Reform module is a newly operationalised section of the PMRef (Prime Minister's References/Reforms) portal, launched on 28 July, where all central Ministries and Departments are required to upload and regularly update details of their policy and administrative reforms. It functions as a live central repository for the government's ease of living and ease of doing business initiatives.
What are Ministries required to do under this directive?
Ministries and Departments have been directed to identify reforms that simplify procedures, improve public service delivery, and strengthen the business environment. They must upload details of these reforms on the PMRef portal and submit weekly progress updates every Friday by 12 pm, starting this week.
Where can reform recommendations come from?
Proposed reforms may be based on recommendations of the High-Level Committee (HLC), suggestions from the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), or measures identified independently by individual Ministries and Departments.
What is the PMRef portal and how does it work?
The PMRef portal is a secure digital governance platform used by the PMO, central ministries, and government departments to monitor policy reforms, infrastructure projects, and administrative initiatives. It integrates with platforms like PRAGATI and tracks milestones and action points from high-level review meetings, while also facilitating inter-ministerial coordination.
Why has the Centre launched this initiative now?
The initiative is aimed at institutionalising the reform process through a structured, technology-driven framework that captures, monitors, and reviews reforms across the government. It is also expected to improve coordination among Ministries and accelerate the pace of reform execution — areas that have historically seen implementation gaps.
