Bill for Gati Shakti University

A bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha seeking to convert the National Rail and Transportation University, a deemed-to-be-university, into Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, an autonomous central university.

About the PM-Gati Shakti framework –

• The Prime Minister Gati Shakti – National Master Plan was announced in 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• It is 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.

Targets under PM-Gati Shakti –

• The Rs 100 lakh crore national master plan includes 11 industrial corridors, achieving a Rs 1.7 lakh crore turnover in defence production and having 38 electronics manufacturing clusters and 109 pharmaceutical clusters by 2024-25.
• Besides cutting logistics costs, the scheme is also aimed at increasing cargo handling capacity and reducing the turnaround time at ports to boost trade.
• It also aims to have 11 industrial corridors and two new defence corridors – one in Tamil Nadu and other in Uttar Pradesh. Extending 4G connectivity to all villages is another aim. Adding 17,000 kms to the gas pipeline network is being planned.
• It will help in fulfilling the ambitious targets set by the government for 2024-25, including expanding the length of the national highway network to 2 lakh kms, creation of more than 200 new airports, heliports and water aerodromes.
• It has fixed targets up to 2024-25 for all infrastructure ministries.
• Implementing Agency — National Networking Group will consist of experts or officials from all the stakeholder departments.

Structure –

• Implementation framework includes Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGOS), Network Planning Group (NPG) and Technical Support Unit (TSU) with requires technical competencies.
• EGOS will be headed by Cabinet Secretary and will consist of Secretaries of 18 Ministries as members and Head of Logistics Division as Member Convenor. The EGOS has been mandated to review and monitor implementation of the PM Gati Shakti NMP to ensure logistics efficiency.
• A Multimodal Network Planning Group (NPG) to be constituted with representation from the heads of Network Planning Division from various Ministries and Departments.
• The NPG will be supported by a Technical Support Unit (TSU) located in Logistics Division of Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Six pillars of PM Gati-Shakti –

• Comprehensiveness —
  • • • It will include all the existing and planned initiatives of various Ministries and Departments with one centralised portal.
      • Each and every Department will now have visibility of each other’s activities providing critical data while planning & execution of projects in a comprehensive manner.
• Prioritisation — Through this, different Departments will be able to prioritise their projects through cross-sectoral interactions.
• Optimisation –
  • • The National Master Plan will assist different ministries in planning for projects after identification of critical gaps.
    • For the transportation of the goods from one place to another, the plan will help in selecting the most optimum route in terms of time and cost.
• Synchronisation –
  • • Individual Ministries and Departments often work in silos.
    • There is lack of coordination in planning and implementation of the project resulting in delays.
    • PM Gati Shakti will help in synchronising the activities of each department, as well as of different layers of governance, in a holistic manner by ensuring coordination of work between them.
• Analytical – The plan will provide the entire data at one place with GIS based spatial planning and analytical tools having 200+ layers, enabling better visibility to the executing agency.
• Dynamic –
  • • All Ministries and Departments will now be able to visualise, review and monitor the progress of cross-sectoral projects, through the GIS platform.
    • Satellite imagery will give on-ground progress periodically and progress of the projects will be updated on a regular basis on the portal.
    • It will help in identifying the vital interventions for enhancing and updating the master plan.

Purpose of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya –

• The establishment of the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya will address the need for talent in the strategically important and expanding transportation sector.
• This will help meet the demand for trained talent to fuel the growth and expansion of the sector.
• The university will carry out critically-needed research and development by creating innovative technologies to encourage local manufacturing and substitute the imports of expensive technology, equipment and products.