Piyush Goyal: PM Gati Shakti to help reduce cost, timeline
PremiumThe PM Gati Shakti –- National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity -- was launched in October 2021.
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on May 18 that the PM Gati Shakti initiative would help in planning Indian infrastructure projects in a smarter and efficient ways besides reducing costs and timeline for implementation of projects.
The PM Gati Shakti –- India's National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity -- was launched in October 2021.
It is a digital platform that will bring 16 ministries, including railways and roadways, together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
"This technology-based planning enables to reduce costs and timeline to implement projects... this will be helpful in smarter and efficient planning of infratstructure," Piyush Goyal said at a TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) event.
In the PM Gati Shakti, more than 400 data layers are there, which informs about things like existing and proposed infrastructure and forest land, he said.
"PM Gati Shakti can help create common utility corridors for different sectors like gas, electricity, water, optical fiber and telecommunications. We will be able to locate our economic activities smarter with PM Gati Shakti," the minister said, adding the data compiled in this is robust, contemporary and vibrant.
"This will help us having secure, sustainable, scalable and collaborative approach to plan smarter," Piyush Goyal added.
The minister said that because of lack of database planning and integrated technology in the planning, projects earlier were languishing for "20, 30 and even 40 years".
"PM Gati Shakti is a technology-based planning tool which can help you in the planning, in reducing cost (of projects), reducing timeline to implement projects." he said.
He added that the initiative would also help in deciding the location for setting up of economic activities such as pharma parks, textile units and defence corridors.
Talking about the launch of indigenous 5G testbed, he said it will help in digitising the economy, boosting startup ecosystem, improving governance, ease of living and ease of doing business in the country.