Gati Shakti scheme being used to map 5G rollout: DPIIT

The Economic Survey 2023 noted that the infrastructure expansion has come at a time of crisis when the capital expenditure by the private sector has been subdued. (Representative Image)

The PM Gati Shakti programme is being used to map the rollout of 5G services in India, Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), said on March 2.

Infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges with respect to the rollout of 5G services in India. The telecom sector has thus sought the support of Gati Shakti, which will help map out infrastructure that can be used by telecom firms. This is set to cut down network rollout costs and timelines.

“The telecom department is using Gati Shakti for the rollout of 5G services in India. The portal will help them plan where to set up their telecom equipment, what available infrastructure — such as electric poles, traffic lights, et al — can be used, and their location,” said Dawra, addressing a media conference on March 2.

The government aims to make 5G services available in over 200 cities of the country in the next two years, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had on October 1, 2022, said to news agency ANI.

The Gati Shakti platform is also being used to roll out 4G services in about 30,000 villages. “These villages have some connectivity, but face issues. Gati Shakti is helping the telecom ministry cover them fully,” said Dawra.

What is Gati Shakti?

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2021, Gati Shakti is a digital platform which brings 16 ministries, including railways and roadways, together for the integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure and connectivity projects.

As per Dawra, the portal currently has about 1,300 layers of GIS data, including railway and road networks, telecom towers, fibre cables, water bodies, inland waterways, power line alignments, etc.

“This has been done to reduce the logistical costs of businesses,” explained Dawra.

DPIIT has been working on improving the quality of data available over this portal for the past few months, added Dawra. “There used to be over 1,600 layers a few months back, but we sanitised that, cleaned up the data.”

All logistics and connectivity infrastructure projects entailing an investment of over Rs 500 crore are routed through the Network Planning Group (NPG), under the PM Gati Shakti initiative.

Area-wise approach

According to the Special Secretary, DPIIT is also working with several social sector departments to improve the efficiency of social sector infrastructure with the help of the Gati Shakti initiative.

“Social sector infra such as schools, anganwadis (rural child care centres), etc., are also being mapped on the portal,” said Dawra.

Per the area-wise approach of Gati Shakti, the DPIIT logistics team is taking up a 150-200 sq km area with a growth driver like a port or a tourist structure at its centre, and then developing the surrounding areas while identifying connectivity gaps and focusing on socio-economic development of that area.

Citing an example, Dawra said a greenfield refinery is being set up in this manner in Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. While the refinery is at the centre of the project, the area will be developed keeping in mind housing for labourers, schools for children, primary hospitals, land for agricultural units, and more.

Over 1,300 projects using Gati Shakti

As of now, 1,369 projects are being mapped on the Gati Shakti portal, informed Dawra. “We have 66 projects worth over Rs 5 lakh crore about to be implemented. Additionally, we have over 191 projects under Gati Shakti’s Sagarmala programme (for port development and waterways). We also have about 156 projects plugging infrastructure gaps with respect to bulk movement of goods,” she said.

According to officials, Gati Shakti has helped projects achieve better turn-around times.

“This year, as many as 405 final location surveys have been conducted under the railway ministry, compared to only 57 last year,” she said.

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