A total of 208 major infrastructure projects from various ministries, including roads and railways, with a total value of Rs 15.39 lakh crore, have been suggested for approval under the PM GatiShakti initiative. These projects have been recommended by the Network Planning Group (NPG) established under the PM GatiShakti initiative launched on October 13, 2021.
“So far, 208 projects worth Rs 15.39 lakh crore have been evaluated under this initiative,” Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), informed reporters. The system offers numerous benefits, such as reducing time and costs significantly for planning these infrastructure projects.
The majority of projects recommended by the group are related to roads (101), railways (73), urban development (12), and oil and gas (4). The NPG, which comprises representatives from various connectivity infrastructure ministries/departments, meets every two weeks to evaluate infrastructure projects to ensure multi-modality, coordinated efforts, and comprehensive development in and around the project site.
The PM GatiShakti initiative aims to construct an integrated infrastructure system to lower logistics expenses. All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects requiring investments exceeding Rs 500 crore are processed through the NPG. The NPG’s endorsement is necessary before a project can be cleared by the Public Investment Board (PIB) or the Department of Expenditure within the finance ministry.
The NMP (National Master Plan) incorporates over 1,600 geospatial data layers, displaying all physical and social infrastructure of an area, as well as land records, in a single location. It is designed for rapid planning and improved design to maximize the impact of investments.
The initiative has identified 156 critical infrastructure gaps in ports and for the movement of bulk commodities like coal, cement, fertilizers, and foodgrains for intervention under the PM Gati Shakti initiative. The department is collaborating with states to integrate updated land record data.
Furthermore, Nepal and Sri Lanka have shown interest in the initiative, with plans to extend it to these countries. The department aims to launch the initiative at the district level in the next 1-2 months.
