61st Network Planning Group Meeting under PM GatiShakti

NEW DELHI : Marking two years of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP), the 61st Network Planning Group (NPG) meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Special Secretary (Logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Smt. Sumita Dawra on 1st December 2023 in New Delhi. The meeting reviewed the status of (i) mapping of existing and proposed economic zones at NMP platform and (ii) 100 identified critical infrastructure projects.

Participation from over 60 officials of concerned Ministries/Departments was observed, including the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Ministry of Power, Department of Telecommunications, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Textiles, National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and NITI Aayog.

Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT highlighted the notable achievement of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) such as onboarding of 39 individual line Ministries and 36 State/UT, uploading of 1463 data layers from Central Ministries and States/UTs and development of tools and use cases by the Ministries as well as States on NMP. Further, a ‘Compendium of PM GatiShakti’ showcasing 8 best use cases was launched on 13th October 2023.

The National Master Plan has facilitated the various Ministries in identification and prioritization of critical gap infrastructure projects for FY 2023-24. Also, a budget allocation of Rs. 75,000 Crores was made in the Union budget FY 2023-24 for one hundred critical transport infrastructure projects, for last and first mile connectivity for ports, coal, steel, fertilizer, and food grains sectors.

Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT emphasised that over 1300 infrastructure projects were envisaged as part of the PM GatiShakti initiative across diverse Ministries/Departments for comprehensive infrastructure planning, ensuring inclusive growth. Further, mapping of existing and proposed economic zones on NMP such as PM MITRA Parks under Ministry of Textiles, Mega Food Parks under Ministry of Food Processing Industries, SEZs, etc., are crucial.

In the course of the meeting, various Ministries/Departments shared the status of projects. The Ministry of Textiles mapped eight (8) sanctioned PM Mitra Parks on the NMP portal. Department of Pharmaceuticals reported the successful completion of 129 Pharma clusters and 23 medical device cluster projects. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has mapped all training institutes across India. The Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways presented details on commissioned and ongoing projects, with an emphasis on critical infrastructure. NICDC furnished an update on 13 identified projects; and featuring a presentation on the NMP portal’s utilization to ensure multimodality and last-mile connectivity to Dholera. Other Ministries/Departments also provided updates on their respective projects.

Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT recognized substantial progress in mapping of the projects on the portal. Further, emphasis was placed to extensively utilize the PM GatiShakti portal for identifying first and last-mile connectivity gaps to new and emerging economic nodes. The projects identified under PM GatiShakti are catalysts for economic activities, facilitating the seamless movement of goods and services and attracting and de-risking investments for enhanced productivity and demand-led approach to infrastructure development.