"Approval Recommended for Four Infrastructure Projects Valued at Rs.19,520 Crore"

In a recent development, the PM Gati Shakti initiative has recommended the approval of four significant infrastructure projects related to roads and railways, amounting to a total of Rs.19,520.77 crore, as announced in an official statement on Wednesday. These recommendations bring the total count of projects assessed by the Network Planning Group (NPG) to 115, with a collective value of approximately Rs. 11.70 lakh crore since the launch of the PM Gati Shakti initiative.

The evaluation of these four projects took place during the 57th NPG meeting held on October 17.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry stated, "NPG assessed four projects, including three from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and one from the Ministry of Railways, with a combined project cost of Rs. 19,520.77 crore."

The NPG, an inter-ministerial body, convenes bi-weekly meetings to scrutinize infrastructure projects, ensuring a multi-modal approach, synchronized efforts, and comprehensive development within and around the project areas.

The PM Gati Shakti initiative was introduced with the goal of creating an integrated infrastructure network to reduce logistics costs. All logistics and connectivity projects with investments exceeding Rs. 500 crore are subject to evaluation by the NPG.

Approval from the NPG is a prerequisite for project clearance by the Public Investment Board (PIB) or the Department of Expenditure within the Ministry of Finance.

It's worth noting that the majority of projects recommended by the NPG pertain to roads, railways, and urban development, underlining the government's commitment to enhancing transportation and infrastructure across the country.

ET