All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects, entailing investment of over Rs 500 crore, would now route through the network planning group (NPG) constituted under the PM GatiShakti initiative with the finance ministry issuing the necessary instructions, an official said.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has also created a national master plan digital platform.
The PM GatiShakti plan was announced last year with an aim to break departmental silos and bring in more holistic and integrated planning and execution of projects with a view to addressing the issues of multi-modal and last-mile connectivities.
This will help bring down the logistics cost and promote effective and efficient planning of infrastructure projects.
An integrated infrastructure network planning group (NPG) has been constituted which has representations from various connectivity infrastructure ministries/departments involving their heads of network planning division for unified planning and integration of the proposals.
"We have created the national master plan digital platform. We have provided training to people concerned and now we have this mandatory provision from the finance ministry. So, now all logistics and connectivity projects will be approved on the principles of PM GatiShakti. All those projects, costing over Rs 500 crore will be considered by NPG," the official said.
The DPIIT has conducted several training sessions with various government departments and held regional conferences across the states.
NPG consists of heads of the network planning wing of respective infrastructure ministries and it will assist the empowered group of secretaries (EGOS), which is headed by the cabinet secretary. EGOS consists of secretaries of 18 ministries as members and Head of Logistics Division, under the DPIIT, as member convenor.
NPG will clear the projects as all infrastructure projects would have to come here. The Technical Support Unit is also in place.
All the departments will approach the NPG first for approval before making a DPR (detailed project reports) at the planning stage, the official said, adding after the NPG's clearance, the project would follow the normal procedure of approval by the finance ministry and the Cabinet, depending upon the projects.
For example, if railway is planning a project on a specified route, so by putting the relevant information on the the PM GatiShakti national master plan portal before finalising the DPR, it can see whether the proposed track is crossing through public land or private property or forest or canal or highways.
Over 600 layers of data are there on the portal.