Union Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday identified “PM GatiShakti”, the national master plan for multi-modal connectivity to provide competitive advantage for manufacturing, as India’s revolutionary offering to the world.
He traced its inception back to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘visionary’ thinking about 18 years ago when the latter was the chief minister of Gujarat.
Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on “PM GatiShakti: Informed Decision-Making for Holistic Development”, organised at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, Mr Goyal projected PM GatiShakti as the future planning tool for infrastructure not just in India or Asia, but globally.
Highlighting the historical context of infrastructure development in India, he underscored the traditional challenges of prolonged delays and cost overruns in projects. He emphasised the PM’s unwavering pursuit of excellence and performance, rejecting mediocrity in infrastructure delivery.
Reflecting on the genesis of PM GatiShakti, the minister recalled Mr Modi’s focused efforts to rebuild Gujarat after a devastating earthquake.
Mr Goyal emphasised the significant outcomes of PM GatiShakti while releasing the ‘PM GatiShakti Gujarat Compendium’. He lauded the dynamism, flexibility, and technological prowess embedded within PM GatiShakti.
Speaking about the impact of delayed projects on consumers, he observed that delayed infrastructure projects lead to cost overruns, affecting citizens’ finances. He noted the significant contribution of PM GatiShakti for faster, more efficient, and cost-effective infrastructure development to deliver maximum benefits to citizens.
Citing the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project, Mr Goyal highlighted the immense benefit that PM GatiShakti holds out for the efficient planning of large-scale infrastructure development projects. He noted that PM GatiShakti epitomises the strength of India and heralds a new era of world-class infrastructure development, providing growth opportunities while transcending political boundaries.