All You Wanted to Know about PM's Gati Shakti Plan

All You Wanted to Know about PM’s Gati Shakti Plan

PM’s Gati Shakti Plan focuses on the development of integrated infrastructure wherein all infrastructure ministries will come together for the planning of multi-modal connectivity for augmenting coal production and evacuation capacity. Currently, Indian Railways remain the dominant evacuation mode for coal and is targeting to increase its modal share to 75% by 2030. The Gati Shakti plan will focus on reducing the logistical cost for coal evacuation and lead to better efficiency gains in the coal sector. It will also support sustainable development as well as help in developing a low carbon strategy. Coal is the largest commodity transported across India as it is the primary domestic fuel in the country. Coal India Ltd. is targeting to produce one billion tonnes of coal by 2025-26.

PM Narendra Modi launched Rs 100-lakh crore national master plan (NMP) for multi-modal connectivity in October last year. The plan focuses on developing infrastructure and reducing logistic costs to boost the economy. The current Indian Budget 2022 is also focusing on the Gati Shakti Plan along with a strong focus on climate change and energy transition.

Highlights of Gati Shakti Plan from Budget 2022

• Railways, roads, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways, and logistics infrastructure identified as the primary engines
• Over the next 3 years, around 100 PM Gati Shakti cargo terminals will be developed
• Innovative ways for Metro systems construction
• 400 new generation and more efficient trains over the next 3 years
• A plan to expand the national highway network by 25,000 km in 2022-23
• Rs. 20,000 crores as investments.

Around 14 railway infrastructure projects are under implementation in line with Gati Shakti principles in Chhattisgarh and Odisha to support increased transportation in those regions. Platforms such as Freight Operations Information System and Port Community System, etc. are developed to further monitor the movement of freight trains and provide a secure exchange of information between interested parties like government, traders, etc. The ministries will also have access to the status and types of roads for better integration and capacity enhancement in the coal movement.