Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said during the last nine years, his Government focused on building world class infrastructure at a speed and scale unparalleled in history, spurring growth in every sector and preparing the stage for a developed India.

The prime minister tweeted: “In #9YearsOfGatiAndPragati, we nurtured the roots of growth and development in India, shaping an infrastructure landscape that is unparalleled. Every sector has witnessed swift advancement, setting the stage for a developed India.”

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In #9YearsOfGatiAndPragati, we nurtured the roots of growth and development in India, shaping an infrastructure landscape that is unparalleled. Every sector has witnessed swift advancement, setting the stage for a developed India. https://t.co/xhiIDxQ8OK

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— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 15, 2023

Modi shared articles and graphics about various growth and development initiatives that have shaped India’s unparalleled infrastructure landscape.

India saw lackadaisical development of infrastructure for a long time and this delayed the journey of growth. However, the government is now focussed on removing impediments in the infrastructure sector, recognizing its contribution in the overall growth of the economy, and generation of employment.

The government is now moving towards providing world-class railway infrastructure with world class travelling experience. The rail network has reached those parts of the country where its operation was difficult to even imagine till a few years ago.

Under the Adarsh Station Scheme, 1,218 railway stations have been upgraded. The pace of doubling of railway lines has increased 272 per cent in the last nine years. All unmanned level crossings on the broad-gauge network of the Indian Railways have been eliminated.

To improve logistics connectivity and infrastructural development, the government has launched schemes like Sagarmala and Bharatmala. Highway construction has picked up with construction of 29 km per day in 2021-22, compared to just 12 km per day in 2014-15.

The total length of national highways has increased from 91,287 km in 2014 to about 1,45,155 km in 2023, i.e., 54000 Km added in just nine years and an additional 38,000 km of national highways is currently under construction at a cost of about Rs 8.24 lakh crore.

The trump card of infrastructure development in India is the initiative of PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multimodal connectivity. It has proved to be a critical tool in integrating economic and infrastructural planning with development and for monitoring, coordinating and execution of connectivity projects.

PM Gati Shakti is the brainchild of PM Modi who believes working in silos is no longer possible for the huge task of infrastructure development. As it spans across ministries, it aims to reduce the slack time and optimise the returns by increased coordination with multiple ministries. It addresses critical infrastructure gaps for seamless movement of people and goods.

The number of operational airports has almost doubled in the last nine years. Under the UDAN scheme, 473 new routes and 74 airports have been operationalized. The number of airports has doubled from 74 airports in 2014 to 148 in 2022. India now ranks third in the world for domestic aviation.

With a vast coastline of 7,516 km, maritime trade plays a crucial role in the economy of India. For strengthening the port infrastructure of India and harnessing the vast coastline, various initiatives and projects have been undertaken under the Sagarmala flagship programme since 2015. Till April 2023, 70 projects worth Rs 2856 crore have been sanctioned under the programme, out of which 15 projects worth Rs 849 crore have been completed.

The impact of the multiple reforms on port sectors is clearly seen. India’s export of merchandise was USD 314.40 billion in 2013-14 and it increased by more than 40 per cent to USD 447.46 billion in FY 2021-22. Two Indian Ports, JNPT and Mundra now have the distinction of featuring in the list of top 40 global container ports.

India augmented its capacity by over 65 per cent across all major Ports in the last five years. Of the total cargo handled at Indian ports, over 54 per cent is handled at the country’s 12 major ports.