PM launches Gati Shakti- National Master Plan for infrastructure development

What is the news?

Prime Minister has launched the Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity. The Gati Shakti scheme will subsume the Rs 110 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline that was launched in 2019.

What is PM Gati Shakti?

Gati Shakti is a digital platform. It will bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.

Aim: PM Gati Shakti aims to institutionalize holistic planning for major infrastructure projects. The projects will be designed and executed with a common vision and will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various ministries and state governments such as the Bharatmala road project, Sagarmala waterways plan, ports and the UDAN scheme.

There will be immense clarity on how different regions and industrial hubs in the country are linked, particularly for last-mile connectivity. The scheme will help India realise its dream of becoming the “business capital” of the world.

Coverage: Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive.

It will also leverage technology extensively, including spatial planning tools with ISRO’s satellite imagery. This will be used for real-time monitoring of projects.

The National Master plan would also keep entrepreneurs and investors informed about the status of infrastructure projects and help state governments give time-bound commitments to investors.

What is the need for PM Gati Shakti?

Fulfils government future targets: PM Gati Shakti would address the problem of government departments and Ministries working in silos. There is a wide gap between macro planning and micro implementation, problems of lack of coordination in infra projects and lack of advanced information. This hampers the construction and wastage of the budget.

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan will address this, as working on the basis of the master plan will lead to optimum utilization of resources. This will help in increasing the speed of infrastructure development in India.

It is globally accepted that the creation of quality infrastructure for sustainable development is a proven way, which gives rise to many economic activities and creates employment on a large scale. The master plan will help in creating such quality infrastructure.

If the multiplier effect of infrastructure investments on gross domestic product (GDP) is to be maximized within a short time frame, it is critical that specific infrastructure projects which form part of critical trade routes be prioritized. The Gati shakti plan will prioritize that.

Solve issues in logistics: According to a study, the logistical cost in India is about 13% of GDP. Such a situation does not exist in developed countries. Besides cutting logistics costs, the plan is also aimed at increasing cargo handling capacity and reducing the turnaround time at ports to boost trade.

Source: This post is based on the following articles

• “‘Gati Shakti’ will boost infra projects: PM” published in The Hindu on 14^th October 2021.
• “To rationalise logistics costs, infra master plan launched” published in Indian Express on 14^th October 2021.
• “Gati Shakti to lay foundation for economic growth: Modi” published in Livemint on 14^th October 2021.
• “Prime Minister launches PM Gati Shakti” published in PIB on 13^th October 2021.
• “PM launches Gati Shakti- National Master Plan for infrastructure development” published in PIB on 13^th October 2021.