New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today approved PM GatiShakti National Master Plan including institutional framework for rolling out, implementation, monitoring and support mechanism for providing multi-modal connectivity.
The PM GatiShakti NMP is intended to break departmental silos and bring in more holistic and integrated planning and execution of projects with a view to address the issues of multi modal connectivity and last mile connectivity. This is expected to help in bringing down the logistics cost, and translate into enormous economic gains to consumers, farmers, youth as well as those engaged in businesses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched PM GatiShakti NMP for multi-modal connectivity on October 13, 2021. Implementation framework includes Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGOS), Network Planning Group (NPG) and Technical Support Unit (TSU) with required technical competencies.
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 implementation of the PM GatiShakti NMP to ensure logistics efficiency. It is empowered to prescribe framework and norms for undertaking any subsequent amendments to the NMP. EGOS shall also set out the procedure and definitive framework for synchronization of various activities, and ensure that various initiatives of infrastructure development are part of the common integrated digital platform. EGOS will also look at the interventions required to meet the demand side, in efficiently transporting bulk goods on the requirement of various Ministries like Steel, Coal, Fertilizer, etc.
CCEA has also approved formation, composition and terms of reference for Network Planning Group (NPG) consisting of heads of Network Planning wing of respective infrastructure ministries and it will assist the EGOS.
Further, in view of the complexities involved in 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 structure of TSU has also been approved. TSU shall have domain experts from various infrastructure sectors as Aviation, Maritime, Public Transport, Rail, Roads & Highways, Ports, etc. and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) as Urban & Transport Planning, Structures (Roads, Bridges & Buildings), Power, Pipeline, GIS, ICT, Finance/Market PPP, logistics, Data Analytics, etc.
With this approval, the roll out of PM GatiShakti will get further momentum which will result in holistic and integrated planning framework for infrastructure development in the country. It will also bring in various stakeholders together and help integrate different modes of transportation.
– global bihari bureau
