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Special Secretary (Logistics) in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Sumita Dawra has said that the PM GatiShakti initiative is an effective mechanism for fast-tracking infrastructure projects and bringing socio-economic area-based development. She said PM GatiShakti NMP, a GIS data-based digital platform with more than 1,400 data layers and over 50 tools, provides a visual depiction of trunk and utility infrastructure, land use, existing structures (like bridge and railway crossing), soil quality, habitation sprawl, tourism sites, forest-sensitive areas, and functionalities for data-based decisionmaking such as site suitability, among others.

Special Secretary highlighted that India has already operationalised and is successfully implementing the PM GatiShakti, transformative approach to area-based infrastructure development. So it is not just building infrastructure connectivity, but also bringing with it both economic and social development leading to both Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living. Highlighting examples of the Indo-Nepal Haldia Access Controlled Corridor project for seamless connectivity and trade movement between Nepal and eastern Indian states, and the Regional Waterways Grid (RWG) project for multimodal connectivity to growth centres and border points, she showcased the PM GatiShakti adoption in enhancing connectivity with regional partners.

At the same time, she suggested that Asian Development Bank (ADB) and partner countries can draw lessons for broadening the scope of their regional cooperation programmes like South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) by integrating area-centric growth models on the lines of this initiative.