Gati Shakti Master Plan: All you need to know about it

In another push for the infrastructure sector in India, the Narendra Modi-led government has come out with Rs 100 lakh crore Gati Shakti master plan. The plan was first announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15. After the announcement of national infrastructure pipeline, and the national monetisation pipeline, this is the third big step and a long impending reform in the direction of infrastructure development in India.

Gati Shakti is different from the already announced national infrastructure pipeline and national monetisation pipeline; Gati Shakti master plan is more about bringing the coordination for the planning of all infrastructure connectivity projects that have been announced under the national infrastructure pipeline. Simply put, the Gati Shakti master plan will bring maximum planning and coordination and minimise delays between the government stakeholders, in this case, various ministries. The master plan would be focusing more on ending inter-ministerial silos.

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Currently, under the Gati Shakti master plan, the government has managed to bring 16 crucial ministries on one platform. The ministries to be brought under the ambit of the platform include railways, roads and highways, petroleum & gas, telecom, power, shipping, and aviation, among others.

This announcement by PM Modi was lauded by the industry body like Confederation of Indian Industries, which said, “The launch of PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan will be a game-changer for the industry and would harness the potential of industry in line with the PM’s vision of scale and speed. The plan is laser-like in its makeover of India’s infrastructure and is expected to impart significant impetus to national development”.

According to many experts, the GIS-based ERP system for mapping the entire country is the essence of the Gati Shakti master plan. This feature under this master plan can change the way planning and administration is done by the ministries.

PM Gati Shakti master plan is targeted to cut logistics costs, and according to the government, this scheme will cut the cost of logistics to GDP to 8 per cent, which was at 14 per cent when the Modi government came to the power. In addition to cutting down on logistics costs, under this master plan, the Indian Railways will establish around 500 multi-modal cargo terminals in four to five years. The portal will also allow various government departments to track, in real-time and at one centralised place. Through this portal, one can track the progress of various projects, especially those with multi-sectoral and multi-regional impact.  

Under the master plan unveiled by Modi, the state governments are also being encouraged to join the platform so that information and data on all infrastructure and connectivity projects can be shared to enhance synergy. A network planning group with representatives from all stakeholder ministries will be set up to meet regularly to ensure coordination. However, changes to the national master plan can also be done by an empowered group of secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

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Under this Rs 100 crore Gati Shakti master plan, the government is aiming to develop 11 industrial corridors and two new defence corridors in Tamil Nadu and UP. In addition to these, all villages in India with 4G network coverage, expansion of the national highways network to 2 lakh kilometre etc. Also, the creation of 220 new airports, helicopters and water aerodromes, 17000 km of new gas pipeline network are some of the targets that the government wants to achieve.  

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