India to launch ₹100 trillion PM Gati Shakti Plan
Premium- The scheme is aimed at breaking silos within the transport network to reduce travel time and improve industrial productivity.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced India’s ambitious plan to launch ₹100 trillion PM Gati Shakti scheme for an integrated infrastructure growth to make the economy competitive.
While articulating the NDA government’s focus areas, PM Modi in his eighth Independence Day speech from the ramparts of iconic Red Fort also announced the National Hydrogen Mission, government building e-commerce platforms for women self-help groups and hailed the start-up unicorns for creating value. He also called for an amrit kaal—the 25-year period till India celebrates 100 years of its independence—to meet all growth imperatives.
The PM Gati Shakti scheme is aimed at breaking the silos within the transport network comprising road, rail, air and waterways to reduce travel time and improve industrial productivity. make manufacturing globally competitive, facilitate setting up future economic zones and create employment opportunities.
“Gati Shakti will be a National Infrastructure Master Plan for our country which will lay the foundation of holistic Infrastructure and will lead to an integrated and holistic pathway to our economy. Right now, there is no coordination between our means of transport," PM Modi said in his speech while also lauding efforts of Indian athletes at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics where India registered its best performance.
India has been working for a reset of its logistics sector involving railways, highways, inland waterways and airports to put in place an effective transportation grid. This comes in the backdrop of logistics comprising about 13% of total costs for Indian companies, making exports uncompetitive vis-à-vis China.
“There comes a time in the development journey of every country when the country redefines itself afresh and pushes forward with new resolutions. Today that time has arrived in the development journey of India." PM Modi said.
The government is trying to revive the Indian economy that had nosedived due to coronavirus pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China. The economic since then has rapidly recovered with India exporting a record $35.4 billion worth of goods in July.
“The goal of amrit kaal is to create an India where the level of facilities is not dividing the village and the city. The goal of amrit kaal is to build an India where the government does not interfere unnecessarily in the lives of citizens. The goal of amrit kaal is to build an India where there is world’s every modern infrastructure," Modi said.
The announcement of a National Hydrogen Mission comes in the backdrop of India spending ₹12 trillion annually to meet the energy needs. Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyzer powered by electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar and it can be a game changer for India, which imports 85% of its oil and 53% of gas demand.
Stressing upon the need for energy independence, PM Modi while announcing the mission said that the plan involves India becoming a global hub for green hydrogen production and exports. He said that for India to progress and become self dependent, it is important to become energy independent.
Modi also said that the government is building an e-commerce platform to help the eight crore women self-help groups (SHGs) in villages to sell their products within and outside the country. He also urged every government department at the central and state level to review the rules and regulations affecting daily lives of citizens and said that 15,000 compliance requirements have been dropped and dozens of labour laws have been subsumed into four codes. He said that the government’s priority for next generation reforms will be to provide seamless last mile service delivery to its citizens without any difficulty.
With India suffering the trauma brought by the first and second waves of the coronavirus pandemic, Modi also lauded the efforts of Indian scientists who contributed to the development of covid-19 vaccines as well as healthcare workers. The Cowin platform has seen interest from other countries, he added.
“It is true that fewer people have been infected in India as compared to other countries; it is also true that in comparison to the population of other countries of the world, we managed to save more citizens in India but it is not something to be proud of! We cannot rest on these laurels. To say that there was no challenge, will become a restrictive thought in the path of our own development," Modi said.
Modi also spoke about environment security with Indian Railways setting a target of becoming Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030.
He also announced that going forward the focus will be on scaling up welfare schemes to provide 100% saturation levels by making sure every eligible person is covered under them. Modi said that going forward the focus will be on ensuring complete saturation of schemes for providing roads to villages, bank account for households, Ayushman Bharat card, domestic cooking gas connection under Ujjwala and homes.
In the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, Modi also reached out to other backward classes (OBCs).
“Along with the concern of fulfilling the basic needs, reservation is being ensured for the Dalits, Backward classes, Adivasis and the poor people from general category. More recently, in the field of medical education, reservation has also been ensured for the OBC category in the All India quota. By formulating a law in Parliament, the right to make their own list of OBC has been given to the states," Modi said.
Currently, OBCs have reservation for 27% of government jobs and academic institutions’ seats, with the government planning to raise the eligibility criteria of annual income ceiling from the current ₹8 lakh for the so called ‘creamy layer’.
While announcing entry of girls into Sainik Schools, Modi also spoke about the development work being carried out in the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the government’ ‘Act East’ policy. The government is working on improving infrastructure and connectivity for northeastern states with India stepping-up efforts to develop border infrastructure such as roads and railways.
“Today a new history of connectivity is being written in the North-East. This is a connectivity of both the hearts and the infrastructure. Very soon the work of connecting all the state capitals of the North-East with rail service is going to be completed. Under the Act-East Policy, today North-East, Bangladesh, Myanmar and South-East Asia are also being connected," Modi said.
Modi also reached out to farmers in the backdrop of ongoing farmer protests against the new farm laws and spoke about tax reforms. The government recently brought in Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 202 to nullify tax demands and resolve long pending tax disputes to boost investors’s confidence.
Modi also made a veiled reference to China in the backdrop of unresolved border tensions.
“The nature of global relations has changed after the Second World War. There is a possibility of a new world order post corona. The world has seen and appreciated India's efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. Today the world is looking at India from a new perspective. There are two important aspects of this perception— one is terrorism and the other is expansionism. India is fighting both these challenges and is also responding strongly in a restrained manner," Modi said.
This also comes at a time when the Taliban juggernaut is rolling across Afghanistan and has reached Kabul underscoring the need for Indian security apparatus to ramp up forces and preparation at its western border.
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