Cabinet has approved GatiShakti Master Plan which will help synchronise all infrastructure ministriesPrime Minister's pet project GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) was on Thursday approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)The PM GatiShakti NMP will be monitored through a three-tier system and will be presided over by an empowered group of secretaries (EGoS), headed by the Cabinet Secretary.The empowered group will consist of secretaries of 18 ministries while the head of logistics division will be the member convenor.The approval from the cabinet will set the implementation of PM GatiShakti NMP in motion.A multimodal network planning group will be constituted with representation from the heads of network planning division from various ministries and departments.

It will be supported by a technical support unit, located in the logistics division of the Commerce Ministry.The technical support unit will have domain experts from various infrastructure sectors like aviation, maritime, public transport, railways, roads and highways and ports among others.Official sources said that GatiShakti will be a game changer in inter-ministerial and inter-departmental cooperation in infrastructure planning.They claim that the programme will signal a “paradigm shift” in the approach towards development planning.It is aimed at ensuring maximum usage of resources and capacities, enhancing efficiency and reducing wastage.PM GatiShakti NMP for multi-modal connectivity was launched by the government on October 13, 2021.EGoS will set out the procedure and definitive framework for synchronisation of various activities and ensure that various initiatives of infrastructure development are part of the common integrated digital platform.

It will also look at the interventions required to meet the demand side, in efficiently transporting bulk goods on the requirement of various infrastructure ministries like steel, coal, fertiliser, petroleum as well as mines.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 will help in bringing down the logistics cost and translate into enormous economic gains to consumers, farmers, youth as well as those engaged in businesses.