"PM Gati Shakti Initiative: Approval Pending for Four Infrastructure Projects Worth Rs. 23,500 Crore"

In a recent development, four significant infrastructure projects, encompassing both road and railway sectors with a total value of Rs. 23,500 crore, have been recommended for approval within the framework of the PM Gati Shakti initiative. These projects were thoroughly evaluated during the 58th Network Planning Group (NPG) meeting held on October 17.

The commerce and industry ministry issued a statement on Wednesday, confirming the discussion of "road and railway projects for multimodal connectivity with a project cost of more than Rs 23,500 crore" during the NPG meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Sumita Dawra, the Special Secretary (Logistics) of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Dawra urged the ministries to adopt an area development planning approach in their project planning and to engage in dialogue with states, ensuring the identification of infrastructural gaps and the promotion of integrated planning.

The inter-ministerial NPG convenes fortnightly to evaluate infrastructure projects, with a primary focus on achieving multi-modality, coordinating efforts, and fostering comprehensive development in and around the project locations.

The PM Gati Shakti initiative was launched with the aim of creating integrated infrastructure to reduce logistics costs. All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects requiring investments exceeding Rs. 500 crore are subject to review by the NPG. The group's approval is a prerequisite before the projects can be cleared by the Public Investment Board (PIB) or the Department of Expenditure under the finance ministry.

Most of the projects recommended by the NPG pertain to the domains of roads, railways, and urban development, aligning with the overarching objectives of the PM Gati Shakti initiative.

ET