PM MODI LAUNCHED GATI-SHAKTI MASTER PLAN
Prime Minister Modi launched PM GatiShakti- National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity worth Rs. 100 lakh crores at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The plan of GatiShakti was announced by PM Modi during his address on Independence Day 2021. As per PMO, PM GatiShakti will address the past issues through institutionalizing the holistic planning for stakeholders for the major infrastructure projects. Instead of planning and designing separately, the projects will be designed and executed through common vision.
PM GATI SHAKTI: KEY DETAILS
PM GatiShakti will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various ministries and state governments such as Sagarmala, Bharatmala, land ports, inland waterways, and UDAN. Economic Zones such as pharmaceutical structures, textile clusters, defence corridors, agricultural zones, and industrial corridors will also be covered under it to improve the connectivity and make the businesses in India more competitive. PM GatiShakti will also leverage technology extensively. It will include the spatial planning tools with ISRO imagery developed by Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics.
ABOUT THE SCHEME
- Aim: To ensure integrated planning and implementation of infrastructure projects in the next four years, with focus on expediting works on the ground, saving costs and creating jobs. The Gati Shakti scheme will subsume the Rs 110 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline that was launched in 2019. Besides cutting logistics costs, the scheme is also aimed at increasing cargo handling capacity and reducing the turnaround time at ports to boost trade. It also aims to have 11 industrial corridors and two new defence corridors - one in Tamil Nadu and other in Uttar Pradesh. Extending 4G connectivity to all villages is another aim. Adding 17,000 kms to the gas pipeline network is being planned. It will help in fulfilling the ambitious targets set by the government for 2024-25, including expanding the length of the national highway network to 2 lakh kms, creation of more than 200 new airports, heliports and water aerodromes.
- Integrated Approach: It intends to bring together 16 infrastructure related Ministries. This will help in removing long-standing issues such as disjointed planning, lack of standardisation, problems with clearances, and timely creation and utilisation of infrastructure capacities.
- Gati Shakti Digital Platform: It involves the creation of a common umbrella platform through which infrastructure projects can be planned and implemented in an efficacious manner by way of coordination between various ministries/departments on a real-time basis.
- Expected Outcomes: The scheme will help mapping the existing and proposed connectivity projects. Also, there will be immense clarity on how different regions and industrial hubs in the country are linked, particularly for last mile connectivity. A holistic and integrated transport connectivity strategy will greatly support Make in India and integrate different modes of transport. It will help India become the business capital of the world.
PM GATI SHAKTI: WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT?
PM GatiShakti will provide the public and business community information regarding the upcoming community projects, industrial areas, other business hubs, and the surrounding environment. This will further enable the investors to plan their businesses at suitable locations leading to enhanced synergies. PM GatiShakti will also create multiple employment opportunities and will give a boost to the economy. PM GatiShakti will improve the global competitiveness of the local products by cutting down the logistics costs and also improving the supply chains. It will also ensure proper linkages for local industries and consumers.
NEED FOR INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
There exists a wide gap between macro planning and micro implementation due to the lack of coordination and advanced information sharing as departments think and work in silos. According to a study, the logistical cost in India is about 13% of GDP, which is higher than developed countries. Due to this high logistical cost, the competitiveness of India’s exports is greatly reduced. It is globally accepted that the creation of quality infrastructure for Sustainable Development is a proven way, which gives rise to many economic activities and creates employment on a large scale. The scheme is in synergy with the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). The NMP has been announced to provide a clear framework for monetisation and give potential investors a ready list of assets to generate investment interest.
ASSOCIATED CONCERNS
- Low Credit Off-take: Although the government had taken up ‘strong’ banking sector reforms and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code had yielded about Rs. 2.4 lakh crore of recoveries on bad loans, there are concerns about declining credit offtake trends. Banks give credit off-takes to help businesses acquire financing for future projects through the promise of future income and proof of an existing market.
- Lack of Demand: In the post-Covid-19 scenario,there is a lack of private demand and investment demand.
- Structural Problems: Due to land acquisition delays and litigation issues, the rate of implementation of projects is very slow on global standards. Getting approvals is very difficult in terms of land access, environmental clearances; also impending litigation in court delays the infrastructure projects.
- Background: Infrastructure creation in India has suffered for decades from multiple issues and there has also been a lack of coordination between various departments. However, in the last seven years, the Central Government has ensured the unprecedented focus on the infrastructure through a holistic outlook. The newly launched PM GatiShakti is the result of Prime Minister Modi’s constant endeavor to build the Next Generation Infrastructure which will improve the Ease of Living as well as Ease of Doing Business.
TEST YOURSELF
Q.1 Which of the following have launched the PM GatiShakti- National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity worth Rs. 100 lakh crores?
- Nirmala Sitharaman
- PM Narendra Modi: ANSWER
- Hardeep Singh Puri
- None of the following
Q.2 Consider the given statements & state which of the following is/are correct in the reference to the above mentioned passage?
- The plan of Gati-Shakti was announced by PM Modi during his address on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October 2021.
- PM Gati-Shakti will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various ministries and state governments such as Sagarmala, Bharatmala, land ports, inland waterways, and UDAN.
- Only I follows
- Only II follows: ANSWER
- Both I & II follows
- None of the above
Q.3 The Gati Shakti scheme launched by PM Narendra Modi will subsume which of the following schemes that was launched in 2019?
- National Infrastructure Pipeline: ANSWER
- National Monetization Pipeline
- Supply Chain Resilience Initiative
- All of the above
Q.4 Which of the following Union Ministers have recently launched the National Monetization pipeline?
- Nirmala Sitaraman: ANSWER
- Narayan Tatu Rane
- Narendra Singh Tomar
- Piyush Goyal
Q.5 Where does the Government wish to spend the funds generated through this Asset monetization Project?
- Building airports across the country
- Building road network across the country
- Building Housing societies across the country
- All of the above: ANSWER