New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) The PM Gati Shakti initiative has heralded a paradigm shift in how India plans and implements big-ticket infrastructure projects, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday.

In his remarks on the occasion of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP) for multi-modal connectivity, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 13, 2021, completing three years, the minister said the scheme has reduced logistics costs and enabled better service delivery.

"By integrating data from multiple Ministries and States, we have created a more efficient, transparent, and outcome-driven system. The impact is visible in faster project execution, lower logistics costs, and better services reaching every corner of the country," he said the minister.

According to Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Amardeep Singh Bhatia, the NMP has accelerated the infrastructure planning and development process, leveraging geospatial technology and the government approach.

"During the last three years, more than 44 Central ministries and 36 states and UTs have been onboarded, their data layers have been integrated and are provided with their own geospatial planning portal," Bhatia added.

The PM Gati Shakti scheme has successfully laid the groundwork for seamless, multi-modal connectivity, and accelerated economic growth. It has redefined how India plans and executes large-scale infrastructure projects.

"Extending the PM Gati Shakti initiative to the social sector ministries, the focus is on increasing the usage of the PM Gati Shakti scheme for social development, identifying social gaps (schools, hospitals, anganwadis), using, and developing applications and planning tools for capturing data," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

Minister Goyal further stated that this has enabled better infrastructure planning in essential areas such as primary healthcare, education, postal services, and tribal development, ensuring that even remote and underserved areas are part of India’s infrastructure growth story.

All 36 states/UTs have developed the PM Gati Shakti State Master Plan (SMP) portals. Over 533 projects have been mapped by states/UTs on the PM Gati Shakti portal.