Gati Shakti masterplan: Detailed norms soon on data access to pvt sector

Instead of giving access to the Gati Shakti national masterplan portal, the government may provide data and information based on queries raised by the private sector.

 

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will soon spell out the data-sharing norms of the Gati Shakti national masterplan with the private sector, Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia said.

 

A number of options are being explored, and need-based information sharing could be one of the most ‘secure’ ways to share data. A final call is, however, yet to be made.

 

Currently, only state and central government ministries and departments can access the digital portal towards detailed planning and implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects in a time-bound manner.

 

In her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced plans to provide certain data and maps from the PM Gati Shakti portal to the private sector, a decision that could help them optimise last-mile delivery services and develop infrastructure-based applications.

 

Over the past two years, DPIIT has been holding inter-ministerial meetings and has done extensive consultations with various government departments and ministries on the matter. The idea behind giving access to the national masterplan to private players has been to help them in execution of infrastructure projects, depending on the extent to which data is shared. However, preparing protocols for private users’ access will be crucial, considering security concerns.

 

Fund of funds scheme 

Singh said the Rs 10,000 crore Fund of Funds Scheme (FFS) for startups unveiled in the Budget would focus on manufacturing and high-technology sectors, which require longer-term funding.

 

The new scheme would be an entirely different fund that will address the needs of startups that lie between those dealing with high-end technology and the ones focused on improving public service delivery.

 

Nine years ago, the government had launched a similar scheme, with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore, which helped in building the alternate investment fund (AIF) ecosystem in India, which provided capital to startups.

 

“For Fund of Funds 2.0, we had consultations with AIFs, with Sidbi...We expect that this should help in covering the large spectrum of startups that require longer duration of funds, which need different types of funding beyond the equity infusion,” he said.

 

The Budget also announced a Fund of Funds for deeptech startups to enable patient capital, support disruptive innovations, and for funding of larger ticket size. “We will explore how we will bring FFS for deep tech startups as it requires long-term funds,” Bhatia said. Consultations with the stakeholders are underway.