Projects worth Rs 5.14 trillion approved by NPG under PM Gati Shakti

Since the launch of PM Gati Shakti by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2021, projects worth Rs 5.14 lakh crores have been approved by Network Planning Group (NPG), a senior official said on Monday.

Sumita Dawra, the Special Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India said that NPG has held 46 meetings in the last one year in which 76 infrastructure projects of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road and Transport, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Telecommunications, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas have been evaluated on the principles of PM Gati Shakti.

Special Secretary said that projects which have been evaluated so far, worth Rs 5.14 lakh crore and some of the big ticket infrastructure projects are running into even 20 to 30,000 crore rupees.

Dawra said that states are also planning their infrastructure on the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan and the state master plan.

Outlining the importance of the projects, Dawra said, "Indo Nepal Border Haldia Corridor which will cost Rs 30, 233 cr will minimize intersections with forest and mining area. The Corridor will help strengthen trade and international relations with Nepal by providing the shortest connectivity to ports while boosting tourism. The corridor will improve port connectivity to the hinterland and landlocked states of Bihar and Jharkhand. It will reduce the travel time from 18 hours to 7 hours".

"Projects like Uni-Directional Singhpora-Vailoo Tunnel in J & K, 4 lane Access controlled Greenfield Highway at Narva to Oorugonda at Nagpur-Vijayvada corridor will lead to a reduction in travel time by 54 to 59 per cent," she added.

DPIIT is also aiming to get a clear picture of the country's logistics costs in the next four months. At present, the government is going by certain estimates, which suggest that India's logistics cost stands at about 13-14 per cent of the country's GDP (gross domestic product).

The department has conducted a workshop last month on logistics cost framework, and a task force has been set up to formulate a framework to determine the cost in the country.

"The task force will give its report in two months' time...in about four months, we should have an estimate, that's what we are aiming for," Dawra told reporters here.

She said that in two months, they would get the framework and it would take another two months for the calculations.

"We have recognised the fact that we need more clarity on what are the components that will go into the logistics costs calculation. Not many countries have calculated their logistics costs. So, we are trying to bring objectivity to the calculation rather than a perception-based approach," she added.

She added that, at present, there are variations in estimates within the country as well. Citing examples, Dawra said that NCAER has given around 8 per cent, and another estimate states 13-14 per cent.

"So, we are hoping that in two months' time, the task force will give us the components which go into the logistics costs calculation, and then we will be able to take a view on how we go ahead with respect to improving those parameters and calculating the actual cost," she further said.