Question - The Gati Shakti Yojana needs meticulous coordination between government and private sector to achieve the goal of connectivity. Discuss
Answer
The Gati Shakti Yojana is a central government project, aimed to revolutionize infrastructure in India. It is a Rs 100 lakh-crore project for developing ‘holistic infrastructure’ in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, essentially a digital platform to bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.
The multi-modal connectivity will provide integrated and seamless connectivity for movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another. It will facilitate the last mile connectivity of infrastructure and also reduce travel time for people. It will also incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc. Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive.
The Gati Shakti Yojana needs meticulous coordination between government and private sector to achieve the goal of connectivity. Some of the challenges that need to be addressed are:
Lack of coordination between different Departments, which leads to wasteful expenditure and inconvenience.
Time-taking approval process and multiplicity of regulatory clearances.
Identification of critical gaps and optimization of resources across sectors.
Leveraging technology extensively for spatial planning and monitoring of projects.
Ensuring environmental sustainability and social inclusion in infrastructure development.
To overcome these challenges, the Gati Shakti Yojana is based on six pillars: Comprehensiveness, Prioritization, Optimization, Standardization, Quality Control and Effective Implementation. The project will also involve active participation of the private sector, especially in areas like logistics, warehousing, cold storage etc. The project will also create employment opportunities and boost economic growth.
Therefore, the Gati Shakti Yojana is a visionary and ambitious project that requires close collaboration and coordination between government and private sector to achieve the goal of multi-modal connectivity and holistic infrastructure development in India.