The GatiShakti – National Master Plan cleared by the Union Cabinet for multi-modal connectivity to economic zones is a giant stride towards achieving a US $5 trillion economy.
Announced during the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on the 75th Independence Day from Red Fort, PM GatiShakti (speed and power) focuses on India’s citizens, industries, manufacturers, farmers, villages among others. PM GatiShakti is supposed to break departmental silos and institutionalize holistic planning for stakeholders across major infrastructure projects.
The PM GatiShakti will ensure that India of the 21st century does not waste money or time due to lack of coordination in infrastructure projects. Under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, everything, from roads to railways, from aviation to agriculture, various ministries and departments would be linked. A technology platform has also been prepared for every megaproject so that every department has accurate information on time. PM Gati Shakti shall bring various stakeholders together and help integrate different modes of transportation. It will give new energy to the present and future generations of the country to build India of 21st century and lay the foundation of Aatmanirbharta for the next 25 years.
The master plan takes a holistic approach to sector-specific developments by integrating 16 ministries in a joint committee to implement and monitor Rs. 100 lakh crores of investment.
A closer look at the sector-wise take-outs are as follows:
- In the Telecommunication sector, a total length of 35,00,000 km of optical fiber cable
network is to be laid down by 2024-25. Connecting all 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats with
high-speed internet and 4G mobile connectivity by 2022. - New and Renewable Energy sector capacity is to be increased from 87.7 Gigawatt to
225 Gigawatt by 2024-25. 50 per cent of India’s power generation capacity is to be met
by renewable energy sources by 2024-25. - Power transmission network is to be upgraded from 4,25,500 circuit km to 4,54,200
circuit km by 2024-25. Transmission network performance parameters to match the best
global standards. - In Petroleum and Natural Gas sector, 17000 km long trunk pipeline, connecting major
demand and supply centers for industries, is to be added by 2024-25 making a total
length of 34500 km of pipeline across the country. All states to be connected with the
trunk natural gas pipeline network by 2027. - Powered by Sagarmala, shipping sector to see an increase in cargo capacity at the ports
to 1759 Million Metric Tonnes per Annum (MMTPA) by 2024-25 from 1282 MMTPA
in 2020. Cargo movement on all national waterways will be 95 Million Metric Tons
(MMT) by 2024-25 from 74 MMT in 2020. Cargo movement on Ganga to be increased
from 9 MMT to 29 MMT by 2024-25. - Powered by Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN, civil aviation sector to see an
increase in the aviation footprint globally. 220 airports, heliports and water aerodromes
to be operational by 2024-25. 109 airports including existing 51 airstrips, 18 greenfield
airports, 12 water aerodromes and 28 heliports to be developed by 2024-25. - Powered by Bharatmala, in the road transport and highways sector two lakh km route of
national highway network to be achieved by 2024-25. Along the coastal areas, 5590 km
of four & six-lane national highways to be completed by 2024-25. All state capitals in
North Eastern Region to be connected with either four-lane National Highway or two
alternate alignments of two-lane configurations each by 2024-25. - By 2024-25, Indian Railways to see a decongestion by 51 per cent due to completion of
critical projects. Cargo to be handled by Indian Railways will be 1600 million tonnes up
from 1210 million tons in 2020. Western and eastern dedicated freight corridors for
faster movement of freight trains to be completed.
One of the important features of the master plan is the establishment of Economic Zones to boost the ease of doing business in India. Some sectors where Economic Zones are proposed are as follows:
- For promotion of industry and internal trade, 11 industrial corridors comprising 32 nodes/projects to be developed in four phases by 2024-25. Greenfield smart industrial cities are to be created for reliable, sustainable, resilient and quality infrastructure for industries.
- 90 textile clusters/mega textile parks to be developed by 2024-25. 10 mega integrated textile regions/parks to have plug and play facilities, common facilities and integrated value chain to boost scale and efficiency with two parks partly dedicated to machinery manufacturing.
- 109 pharma and medical device clusters to be developed by 2024-25. 10 pharma clusters to be developed by financing common facilities worth Rs. 20 crore each. Further, three bulk drug parks and four medical device parks to be developed.
- For electronics manufacturing, 38 Electronic Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) to be developed by 2024-25. Among them, 23 new clusters to have plug & play and CFC facilities.
- By 2024-25, two defense corridors to be developed with a target investment of over Rs 10000 crore each. A turnover of Rs. 170000 crore including export of Rs. 35000 crores in aerospace and defense goods and services to be achieved by 2024-25.
- By 2024-25, 197 mega food parks and agro processing centers to be developed increasing the food processing and preservation capacity from 222 lakh MT to 847 lakh MT. Further, a value chain development of agri-food produce on cluster basis would be done.
- By 2024-25, 202 fishing clusters/fishing harbors and major fishing landing centers to be developed with an additional fish production of 70 lakh metric tonnes and doubling of fisheries exports. Integrated aqua parks as hubs of multifarious fisheries activity to be developed.
Institutional Framework:
The institutional framework for rolling out, implementing, monitoring and supporting the mechanism is designed to have a three-tier system:
- Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGOs)
- Network Planning Group (NPG)
- Technical Support Unit (TSU)
EGOs will be headed by Cabinet Secretary and will consist of Secretaries of 18 Ministries as members and Head of Logistics Division as Member Convenor. The EGOS has been mandated to review and monitor the implementation of the PM GatiShakti to ensure logistics efficiency. It is empowered to prescribe framework and norms for undertaking any subsequent amendments to the Master Plan.
Cabinet Committee Economic Affairs (CCEA) has also approved formation, composition and terms of reference for Network Planning Group (NPG) consisting of heads of Network
The planning wing of respective infrastructure ministries and will assist the EGOs.
Further, in view of the complexities involved in the overall integration of networks, enhancing optimization to avoid duplication of works for holistic development of any region as well as reducing logistics costs through micro-plan detailing, the Technical Support Unit (TSU) is approved for providing the required competencies.
The GatiShakti Master Plan is designed to enhance efficiency and have an integrated approach by use of latest satellite imagery for visual understanding, coordination among all the stakeholders; synchronization in implementation of projects; planning tools for route planning, land acquisition, permissions and congestion reduction and dashboard based periodic monitoring for progress.
The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan will propel India’s self-confidence towards the resolve of self-reliance. This National Master Plan will give impetus to India of the 21st century. Next-generation infrastructure and multimodal connectivity will get momentum from this national plan. This national plan will give impetus to the government policies related to infrastructure, from planning to execution. This GatiShakti National Plan will provide accurate information and guidance for the completion of the government’s projects within the stipulated time-frame
