Center to support key infrastructure projects in upcoming budget

31 Jan 2023 CW Team

In the forthcoming budget, the Center will heavily support crucial infrastructure-gap projects that have been identified using the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Additionally, it might give governments more financial assistance for carrying these out.

According to government officials, key projects include last-mile infrastructure links for the agriculture, food, steel, and coal industries as well as rail, port, and road developments. The kinds of projects that will receive priority consideration are those that require the doubling of railway lines or the enlargement of highways over a short distance to clear obstructions, according to a senior government official. There are now 197 such crucial infrastructure gaps that the government has recognized. "These would get an additional allocation and focus under the Gati Shakti," a senior government official told ET. "Bottlenecks that slow down movement of goods will be targeted."

The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, which was introduced in October 2021, is a digital platform that unites 16 ministries, including those in charge of roads and railroads, to plan and carry out infrastructure connectivity projects in a coordinated manner.

"Most of these projects would fall under the economic corridors which have been identified. These will be East Coast Economic Corridor, Delhi-Mumbai, or Bangalore-Chennai," said Arindam Guha, partner, government and public services, Deloitte India.

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