100 PM Gati Shakti Cargo terminals to be developed in 3 years: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that 100 cargo terminals will be developed during the next three years under the PM Gati Shakti master plan.

"100 PM Gati Shakti cargo terminals for multimodal logistic facilities will be developed during the next three years," the Finance Minister said while presenting the Union Budget in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Gati Shakti - National Master Plan for Multimodal Connectivity was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October, last year. Gati Shakti -- a digital platform -- aims to bring 16 Ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects. Sitharaman said apart from 100 cargo terminals, 400 new generation Vande Bharat trains with better efficiency will also be brought in the next three years. She said that PM Gati Shakti is driven by 7 engines viz roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways and logistics infrastructure.

"All 7 engines will pull forward the economy in unison," the Finance Minister averred.

Sitharaman said that projects, supported by energy transmission, IT communication, bulk water and sewerage, in national infrastructure pipeline which pertains to seven engines will be aligned with PM Gati Shakti Framework.

"Touchstone of the master plan will be world class modern Infra, logistics synergy among different modes of movement and location of projects," she said.

The Finance Minister also apprised that PM Gati Shakti Master Plan for expressways will be formulated in 2022-23, to facilitate faster movement of people and goods. She said that the national highway motorway network will be expanded by 25,000 km in 2022-23 and Rs 20,000 crore will be mobilized to complement public resources.

--IANS

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