The Honourable Prime Minister inaugurated the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP) on October 13, 2021, aimed at providing multi-modal connectivity infrastructure to diverse economic zones. This comprehensive plan incorporates a database of trunk and utility infrastructure, ongoing and future projects from various Infrastructure and Economic Ministries/Departments of the Central Government, States, and Union Territories. Integrated with a GIS-enabled PM Gati Shakti platform, this database facilitates the unified planning, designing, and monitoring of next-generation infrastructure projects on a singular portal.
Economic zones such as textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defense corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agricultural zones, etc., are being systematically mapped for integrated infrastructure planning. This strategic planning aims to enhance the cost-competitiveness of Indian businesses, fuel economic growth, attract foreign investments, visualize connectivity, and bolster the country’s global competitiveness in export markets.
While PM Gati Shakti NMP addresses the development of integrated infrastructure, the National Logistics Policy of 2022, through its Comprehensive Logistics Action Plan (CLAP), emphasizes enhancing services’ efficiency and human resources through processes, digital systems, and regulatory frameworks. Together, the NMP and National Logistics Policy construct a framework for creating a data-driven decision support mechanism to build an efficient logistics ecosystem, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency in the country’s logistics operations.
PM Gati Shakti adopts a Whole-of-Government approach, fostering integrated planning of multi-modal infrastructure through collaborative efforts among concerned Ministries. The Logistics Division of DPIIT has organized 62 Network Planning Group (NPG) meetings to evaluate comprehensive socio-economic development concerning infrastructure projects.
Various Ministries have provided feedback; for instance, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways utilizes PM Gati Shakti for ground surveys and land records, leading to time and cost savings in project planning. Similarly, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas employs NMP’s electronic Detail Route Survey (eDRS) for faster report generation, and the Ministry of Railways expedited the Final Location Survey (FLS) in FY2021-22 compared to FY2020-21.
Moreover, States/UTs have adopted the PM Gati Shakti institutional mechanism, organizing NPG meetings at their level to assess connectivity gaps, ensuring seamless movement of people, goods, and services.
This update was provided by the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Parkash, in a written response in the Lok Sabha.