Gatishakti Key To Integrated & Sustainable Infra Development: PM Modi

In a Post Budget Webinar on ‘Infrastructure and Investment: Improving logistic efficiency with PM Gatishakti National Master Plan’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the importance of infrastructure development in the sustainable development of India's economy. He informed that India's Capex has increased five times compared to 2013-14 and the government is moving with a target of investing 110 lakh crore rupees under the National Infrastructure Pipeline.

Importance of infrastructure for sustainable development of India's economy

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of infrastructure in India's history, pointing to the construction of Uttarapath by Chandragupta Maurya which was carried forward by Ashoka and later upgraded by Sher Shah Suri. He also noted that the importance of highways has been acknowledged for centuries in India, citing the still operational, 2 thousand-year-old Kallanai dam of Tamil Nadu.

The Prime Minister also emphasized the need to eliminate the mentality of ‘poverty as a virtue’. He said that the present government has not only been successful in eliminating this mentality but also in making record investments in modern infrastructure. The average construction of National Highways has nearly doubled compared to what it was before 2014. Similarly, only 600 route km of railway track was electrified per year before 2014 which is now reaching 4000 km per year. The number of airports and seaport capacity has doubled as well.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of the social infrastructure of the country being strong along with physical infrastructure. He invited the participation of the private sector in the sector, asking them to find ways to develop a mechanism for an advanced forecast of the needs of their sectors as various materials are needed for infrastructure development.

Private sector to forecast infrastructure needs

The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which integrates economic and infrastructural planning with development, was highlighted by the Prime Minister as a critical tool that is going to change the face of India's infrastructure and its multimodal logistics. The Prime Minister noted that the results of the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan are becoming visible, with 100 critical projects prioritized and 75,000 crore rupees allocated in this year’s Budget.

The Prime Minister invited the private sector to contribute to the development of the nation, emphasizing that they are not just contributing to the development of the nation but also providing momentum to the growth engine of India.

The Prime Minister also elaborated on the role of the states, informing about the one-year extension of interest-free loans up to 50 years loans and increased budgetary expenditure of 30 per cent.

The Prime Minister called for an integrated approach to infrastructure development so that the roadmap for the future remains clear. He emphasized the need to integrate the concept of circular economy with the sector.

The Prime Minister highlighted the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan as a critical tool that integrates economic and infrastructural planning with development. He said, “Gati Shakti National Master Plan is going to change the face of India's infrastructure and its multimodal logistics.”

The Prime Minister invited the private sector to contribute to the development of the nation, emphasizing that they are not just contributing to the development of the nation but also providing momentum to the growth engine of India.