GATI SHAKTI PORTAL

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Context: The government of India recently launched the Gati Shakti portal, a digital platform that aims to integrate various infrastructure projects and schemes across the country. The portal is expected to provide a holistic view of the connectivity and accessibility of different regions and sectors, as well as identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Details

• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has suggested that the government could share some information from the portal with the private sector, after blocking out any sensitive or confidential data, to enable greater capital investments in infrastructure projects.
• The CII believes that such data sharing can help improve planning and decision-making, especially in the logistics and allied sectors, which are crucial for enhancing the competitiveness and efficiency of the Indian economy.

The portal can help the private sector in several ways, such as:

• Identifying potential areas and corridors for developing new infrastructure projects or upgrading existing ones, based on the demand and supply of various services and commodities.
• Assessing the feasibility and viability of different modes of transport and logistics, such as road, rail, air, waterways, pipelines, etc., and choosing the optimal mix for different regions and sectors.
• Evaluating the environmental and social impacts of various infrastructure projects and ensuring compliance with the relevant norms and standards.
• Coordinating with the government agencies and other stakeholders involved in the implementation and operation of various infrastructure projects and schemes, and resolving any issues or bottlenecks that may arise.
• Leveraging the synergies and complementarities among different infrastructure sectors and projects, and creating a seamless and integrated network of connectivity and accessibility across the country.

PM Gati Shakti

About

• PM Gati Shakti is a national master plan for multi-modal connectivity that aims to provide a competitive advantage for manufacturing in India. It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August 2021 and launched on 13 October 2021.
• It brings together 16 ministries and departments of the Government of India for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.

What is multi-modal connectivity?

• Multi-modal connectivity refers to the seamless integration of different modes of transport, such as road, rail, air, and water, for the movement of people, goods, and services.
• It enables faster, cheaper, and more efficient transportation, which can reduce logistics costs, enhance productivity, and improve customer satisfaction.
• It reduces environmental impact by optimizing the use of resources and minimizing emissions.

Why is PM Gati Shakti important?

• It will provide a comprehensive and holistic view of the existing and planned infrastructure projects across various sectors and regions, and identify critical gaps and synergies.
• It will enable better coordination and collaboration among different ministries and departments, as well as between the central and state governments, for the timely and cost-effective execution of projects.
• It will leverage technology and data to monitor the progress and performance of projects and provide transparent and accurate information to the stakeholders and the public.
• It will link the infrastructure projects with the economic zones, such as industrial corridors, textile clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, etc., to enhance their connectivity and competitiveness.
• It will support the vision of achieving a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25 and a $20 trillion economy by 2040

The main objectives of PM Gati Shakti are:

• To provide integrated and seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another, such as roadways, railways, airways and waterways.
• To facilitate the last-mile connectivity of infrastructure and reduce travel time and cost for people and businesses.
• To incorporate the existing and planned initiatives of various ministries and state governments, such as Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.
• To cover economic zones such as textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agri zones etc. to improve their productivity and competitiveness.
• To leverage technology extensively, including spatial planning tools with ISRO imagery developed by BiSAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics).
• To achieve a sustained 5 trillion dollar economy and an increase to 20 trillion dollar economy by 2040

Significance for India's economic growth and Development

• It will enhance the ease of living and ease of doing business in India by reducing congestion, pollution, accidents and delays in transport systems.
• It will boost the Make in India initiative by providing better access to markets, raw materials, skilled labour and technology for domestic industries.
• It will foster regional integration and cooperation by connecting India with its neighbouring countries through land, sea and air routes.
• It will generate employment opportunities for millions of people directly and indirectly involved in the infrastructure sector.
• It will spur innovation and entrepreneurship by creating an ecosystem for startups and MSMEs to flourish in various sectors

Some challenges in its implementation

Coordination among multiple stakeholders

• PM Gati Shakti involves coordination among 16 ministries and departments at the central level, 29 state governments and union territories at the state level, various local bodies at the district level, private sector players at the market level and civil society organizations at the grassroots level. This requires effective communication, collaboration and consensus-building among all these actors to avoid conflicts and delays.

Resource mobilization

• PM Gati Shakti requires a huge amount of financial resources to execute the projects. This poses a challenge in the context of fiscal constraints and competing demands for public expenditure.
• The government will have to explore various sources of funding, such as public-private partnerships, multilateral agencies, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, etc. It will also have to ensure efficient and transparent utilization of the funds and prevent leakages and corruption.

Regulatory reforms

• PM Gati Shakti requires a conducive regulatory environment to facilitate the smooth implementation of the projects. This involves streamlining the approval processes, simplifying the land acquisition procedures, harmonizing the tax regimes, rationalizing the tariff structures, strengthening the dispute resolution mechanisms, etc.
• The government will have to undertake legislative and administrative reforms to create a single-window clearance system for the projects.

Capacity building

• PM Gati Shakti requires a skilled and competent workforce to design, execute and maintain the projects. This involves enhancing the technical, managerial and operational capabilities of government officials, contractors, consultants, engineers, workers, etc.
• The government will have to invest in education, training and skill development programs to create a pool of human capital for the infrastructure sector.

Environmental and social safeguards

• PM Gati Shakti requires a careful assessment of the environmental and social impacts of the projects. This involves ensuring compliance with environmental standards and mitigating the adverse effects on biodiversity, climate change, water resources, etc.
• It also involves ensuring the participation, consultation and consent of the affected communities, especially vulnerable groups such as women, children, tribal people, etc. The government will have to adopt a holistic and inclusive approach to address the environmental and social concerns of the projects.

Way forward

• The way forward for PM Gati Shakti is to overcome these challenges and realize its full potential for India's economic transformation. This requires a strong political will, visionary leadership, strategic planning, effective execution and constant monitoring and evaluation of the projects.
• To develop a clear vision, strategy and roadmap for implementing the initiative with defined roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders.
• To establish a robust institutional mechanism for monitoring and evaluation of the progress and performance of the initiative with regular feedback and review mechanisms.
• To create a conducive policy and regulatory environment for facilitating private sector participation and investment in infrastructure projects by providing incentives, guarantees, dispute resolution mechanisms, etc.
• To leverage the potential of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, blockchain, etc. for enhancing the efficiency and transparency of infrastructure planning and delivery.

PM Gati Shakti is not just a plan but a vision for India's future. It is a dream of creating a new India that is connected, competitive and prosperous.

Conclusion

• The CII has also urged the government to involve the private sector in the design and development of the Gati Shakti portal, as well as in its regular updation and maintenance. The CII hopes that the Gati Shakti portal will be a game-changer for boosting capital expenditure in connectivity and infrastructure in India, which is essential for achieving the vision of a $5 trillion economy by 2025.

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Gati Shakti: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/pm-gati-shakti-50

https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_delhi/issues/40658/OPS/GO5BCV7NC.1+GTKBCVN3O.1.html