GATI SHAKTI: SHAPING INDIA

In October 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ambitious Gati Shakti plan - National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, a key step to boost the country's infrastructure as well as the Indian economy. Gati shakti is a master plan encompassing a Rs.100 Lakh crore project for developing 'holistic infrastructure' or establishing the multi modal connectivity through a digital platform.

Gati Shakti which means the power of speed, is a digital platform that ensures “integrated planning, and well coordinated execution”. This platform will also provide high-resolution satellite images, utilities, infrastructure, administrative boundaries, land and especially logistics.

Gati Shakti Scheme

Gati Shakti is a national master plan aimed at coordinated planning and execution of infrastructure projects in India to minimize logistics costs.

Gati Shakti is a digital platform that will bring 16 ministries (monitored by super ministers) and departments of the Government of India together and that includes the Railways and the roadways, ports, national highways, mega gas pipeline project for PNG, CNG, LNG etc( city gas distribution), OFC network, power cable, water and sewerage pipeline, transport etc

The idea is to have a coordinated execution of infrastructure connectivity projects across the country.

The master plan will also cover economic zones such as pharmaceutical clusters, textile clusters, defence corridors, industrial corridors, electronic parks, and agro zones.

Gati shakti will keep full monitoring on the infrastructure development without harming the nature also by adopting the sustainability. All the technological advancement will be taken place to execute.

The existing infrastructure schemes under various ministries will be incorporated into this plan, including Bharatmala, Sagarmala,  UDAN scheme, inland waterways, etc.

It will also grasp the technology extensively including spatial planning tools with ISRO imagery developed by Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space applications and Geo Information (BISAG-N)

The master plan will usher in the seamless movement of goods and people all across India.

PM Gati Shakti will provide the public & business community information regarding the upcoming connectivity projects, other business hubs, industrial areas and surrounding environment.

Gati Shakti raises the possibility of future economic zones as well.

The program has been launched as an umbrella integrator of Rs 111-lakh crore worth of projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for 2020-25.

Gati Shakti Significance

The main aim of the program is to enhance coordination among the various ministries and departments. India has been suffering from poor infrastructure for decades. The infrastructure creation domain had several inherent weaknesses.

There was a lack of proper coordination between different departments, for example, once a road was constructed, other agencies dig the well constructed road again for activities like laying of underground OFC cables, PNG gas pipelines, etc.

This will ensure last-mile connectivity by working with all stakeholders.

Individual departments & ministries often worked in silos leading to poor planning and execution, which ultimately led to delays in the projects. This is where the Gati Shakti program hopes to bring a positive change.

The digital plan will provide the entire data at one place with GIS-based spatial planning and analytical tools enabling better visibility to the executing agency.

Gati Shakti will help departments or ministries plan cross-sectoral projects better, monitor the implementation, review the progress and make course corrections if necessary since all the information will now be available on the portal through satellite imagery.

It is important to reduce logistics costs in India which is currently about 13.8% of GDP  causing decreased competitiveness of Indian exports in the global markets. By planning to close the gap between macro planning and micro implementation, Gati Shakti seeks to reduce the huge logistics costs.

Why is infrastructure important?

Infrastructure spending has a tremendous effect on the Indian economy.

Apart from the direct benefits such as employment generation, demand for raw materials for construction, etc.

The second-order effects are those that are brought on by improved connectivity

People and goods would move faster between destinations reducing logistics costs.

For balanced regional development, it is important that multiple urban clusters sprout up across the country and are not concentrated in certain areas only. This is possible by a coordinated approach in infrastructure development, for instance, roads would feed into railway lines which in turn would feed into ports, efficiently moving goods from the hinterlands to the ports.

Expected outcomes of Gati-Shakti

Gati Shakti envisages shaping India into the business capital of the world.

It will help map the existing and proposed connectivity projects.

A comprehensive and integrated transport connectivity strategy will considerably support 'Make in India'.

It should help achieve the various objectives of the government of India such as expanding the length of the national highway network to 2 lakh km, the creation of heliports and water aerodromes, and the development of over 200 new airports.

Boosting trade by enhancing the cargo handling capacity and decreasing the turnaround time at Indian ports.

Establishing 11 industrial corridors and two defence corridors.

It seeks to extend 4G connectivity to all the villages of the country.

Another aim is the expansion of the gas pipeline network(CNG/PNG/LNG) across India under the smart city development program ,GOI controlled and monitored by  PNGRB.

Apollo has already initiated some GOI agencies to built the gas pipeline infrastructure in a sustainable manner without disrupting constructed infrastructure through HDD method. We have developed 5 ton to 160 tons HDD machines at Mehsana plant which would be very helpful to develop the gas pipeline infrastructure (CGD projects) in a speedy manner.

There are some structural problems in land acquisition and litigation issues and getting environmental clearances because of which the rate of project implementation is very low by global standards.

Although Gati Shakti is a step in the right direction, it needs to be coupled with a stable and easy regulatory and institutional framework.

- Safar Mohammad Khan

General Manager-Hdd, Apollo Techno Industries

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