Gati Shakti push: 18 road projects headed for the fast lane in FY24

62 critical projects to be awarded by FY25

In line with the thrust on the Prime Minister Gati Shakti-National Master Plan, the government will prioritise and fast-track as many as 18 critical road infrastructure projects in the financial year 2023-24.
 

The Centre has set sights on 67 critical road projects that would result not only in integrated infrastructure development but also improvement of logistics efficiency across the country over the next two years, a senior government official said.
 

These critical projects were proposed by ministries, such as steel, chemicals and fertilisers, and ports, shipping and waterways. The projects have not only been actively discussed by an inter-ministerial panel under the Gati Shakti initiative but also at the meeting of the Group of Infrastructure Committee (that connects ministries for infrastructure projects) last week.
 

Of these 67 projects, one has already been completed, while four are under implementation; the remaining 62 projects are under development. The government aims to award these remaining projects by 2024-25, another government official told Business Standard.
 

As many as three projects are likely to be awarded in the current fiscal year, 18 in FY23 and 41 projects in 2024-25.

Separately, ahead of the Budget, the industry department has also asked infrastructure departments to get critical infrastructure-gap projects approved.
 

All eyes would be on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as it would address the ‘critical gap projects’ suggested by the Ministry of Defence. Field officers have also been asked to take up these projects on priority, said the official cited above. 
 

There is increased focus on infrastructure projects, in line with the Gati Shakti objectives, especially to identify ‘critical last mile and first-mile connectivity gaps’.

The Prime Minister Gati Shakti-National Master Plan was announced by PM Narendra Modi in October 2021. It is an integrated plan for providing multimodal connectivity infrastructure to various economic and social nodes.
 

The idea was to integrate infrastructure data from key infrastructure ministries -- railways, road transport, ports & waterways, and civil aviation, among others -- for integrated planning, monitoring, and reviewing of projects. This is being spearheaded by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

The official cited further said that ministries have already started reaping the benefits of the integrated approach. For instance, the adoption of the Gati Shakti-National Master Plan digital platform for the planning and development of national highway corridors, in a bid to minimise ecological impact, optimise alignment, and expedite clearances, has already shown some benefits.