Kerala Minister Lauds PM Gati Shakti Plan for Enhanced Regional Planning

Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve emphasized the benefits of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for decentralized planning, backed by comprehensive datasets. Addressing officers from southern states, he highlighted the portal's role in enhancing multimodal connectivity, disaster preparedness, and social sector growth, while encouraging active grassroots engagement.

Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve on Tuesday praised the PM Gati Shakti (PMGS) National Master Plan (NMP) for its ability to enable decentralized planning by leveraging geographical and topographical data. This initiative, supported by various datasets including land records, offers significant advantages for planning across multiple sectors.

Addressing officers from various state departments and districts in southern states, Rajeeve urged them to utilize the portal for planning multimodal connectivity at ports and airports, internet connectivity, and disaster preparedness. He highlighted the portal's potential to improve the infrastructure and social sectors.

The minister made these remarks during the third district-level capacity-building workshop on PMGS NMP held in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 175 participants from central, state, and district-level departments in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana attended, along with officials from Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep who joined virtually.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary DPIIT, in his special address, noted that the mapped data on PM GatiShakti NMP can be indispensable for disaster management. This includes data on landslide zones, demographics, elevation, flood-prone areas, and more, enabling data-driven decision-making during emergencies.

Singh also mentioned an upcoming launch of the District Master Portal by the end of September, expected to further aid district officials in planning. A P M Mohammed Hanish, Principal Secretary, Industries, Kerala, emphasized the portal's potential in significantly boosting social sector growth, disaster preparedness, and multimodal connectivity in the region.

Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 13, 2021, the PM Gati Shakti NMP aims to facilitate integrated multimodal connectivity using indigenous technology. Its framework includes an inter-ministerial mechanism and a GIS-based decision support system, enhancing infrastructure planning and development across the country.