PM Modi to launch ‘PM GatiShakti’ infrastructure initiative today

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch ‘PM GatiShakti’ — the national master plan for multi-modal connectivity —which will institutionalise holistic planning of major infrastructure projects, hitherto planned and designed in silos, on Wednesday, 13th October,Union commerce and industry ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Infrastructure creation in India suffered for decades from multiple issues, including lack of coordination between different departments, the statement said, citing the example of current practice of road construction, which is often dug up by other agencies to lay underground cables and gas pipelines.

“In order to address this issue, save time and cost and shield the common man from inconveniences, the government has put in place a coordinated efforts of 16 ministries and departments under the PM GatiShakti,” a senior official of the ministry said requesting anonymity.

“Instead of planning and designing separately in silos, the projects will be designed and executed with a common vision,” the official added.

The initiative will have coordinated efforts in infrastructure related to airways, highways, waterways, and ports. It will also rope in users such as economic zones such as textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters and agri zones. The effort will make Indian businesses more competitive, the official said.

The high-technology online system is developed by Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BiSAG-N) and based on six pillars — comprehensiveness, prioritisation, optimisation, synchronisation, analytical and dynamic, said the ministry’s statement.

“PM GatiShakti will include all the existing and planned initiatives of various ministries and departments with one centralised portal. Thus, different agencies will be able to prioritise their projects through cross–sectoral interactions and help them in selecting the most optimum route in terms of time and cost,” it added.

The system will help in synchronising activities of each department, as well as of different layers of governance in a holistic manner by ensuring coordination of work between them. It will provide the entire data at one place with GIS-based spatial planning and analytical tools having over 200 layers, enabling better visibility to the executing agency, the statement said.

It will facilitate ministries and departments to visualise, review and monitor the progress of cross-sectoral projects, through the GIS platform, as the satellite imagery will give on-ground progress periodically and progress of the projects will be updated on a regular basis on the portal. It will help in identifying the vital interventions for enhancing and updating the master plan, the statement added.

“PM GatiShakti is the result of Prime Minister’s constant endeavour to build Next Generation Infrastructure which improves Ease of Living as well as Ease of Doing Business,” the commerce minister statement said.

The multi-modal connectivity will provide integrated and seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another. It will facilitate the last mile connectivity of infrastructure and also reduce travel time for people, it added.

PM GatiShakti will provide the public and business community information regarding the upcoming connectivity projects, business hubs, industrial areas and surrounding environment. This will enable the investors to plan their businesses at suitable locations leading to enhanced synergies. “It will create multiple employment opportunities and give a boost to the economy,” the statement said.

“It will improve the global competitiveness of local products by cutting down the logistics costs and improving the supply chains, and also ensure proper linkages for local industry and consumers,” it added.

PM will also inaugurate the New Exhibition Complex (Exhibition Halls 2 to 5) at Pragati Maidan during the event. India Trade Promotion Organisation’s (ITPO) flagship event, India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2021 will also be held from November 14-27, 2021 in these new exhibition halls. Union ministers for commerce, road transport and highways, railways, civil aviation, shipping, power, and petroleum will also be present on the occasion.