NAGPUR: Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Pande on Saturday said the Defence Portal for PM GatiShakti has been created and 300 infrastructure projects have been identified for dual purpose, which include four strategic tunnels and strategic railway lines.
Gen Manoj Pande delivered a Keynote Address at IIM Nagpur today.
He said, “Infrastructure Development in any form, contributes to growth and influences economic, social and security domains. Roads, bridges and communication networks are essential for fostering trade, ensuring connectivity and enabling efficient move of goods and people. The surface transport and road infrastructure for meeting the operational and sustenance requirements of the Indian Army in forward areas along the borders, have in a way, ensured outreach and connectivity to citizens who inhabit far-flung areas of the country.”
“With the launch of PM GatiShakti and enunciation of the National Logistics Policy, the Indian Army has aligned and synergised its infrastructure requirements with the national logistic requirements. A Defence Portal for GatiShakti has been created and 300 infrastructure projects have been identified for dual purpose, which include four strategic tunnels and strategic railway lines,” the COAS said.
He added that this interconnection between security and concomitant infrastructure needs, underscores the Indian Army, as one of the contributors to holistic national development.
Gen Manoj Pande said, “Empowerment of local communities also remains an abiding effort for us. This is facilitated by our intrinsic character and catalysing through pursuing initiatives to foster national integration, conducting skill enhancement programs, extending health care and emergency medical support, and undertaking projects to address community-specific needs. All these endeavours are taken forward, in coordination with the schemes and projects of the State and Central Government. The development of 662 Vibrant Villages is inclusive to this. 48 border areas have been identified by us for promoting Border Area Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism.”
India marked one year of the National Logistics Policy on September 17, 2023, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the NLP last year to complement PM GatiShakti’s National Master Plan (NMP).
According to an official release by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, “To complement PM GatiShakti’s National Master Plan (NMP), the National Logistics Policy (NLP) was launched on 17 September 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
While the PM GatiShakti NMP addresses integrated development of the fixed infrastructure and network planning, the NLP addresses the soft infrastructure and logistics sector development aspect, inter alia, including process reforms, improvement in logistics services, digitization, human resource development and skilling, said the release.
As per the release, the vision of NLP is to drive economic growth and business competitiveness of the country through an integrated, seamless, efficient, reliable, green, sustainable and cost-effective logistics network by leveraging best-in-class technology, processes and skilled manpower. This will reduce logistics costs and improve performance. The targets of the NLP are to reduce the cost of logistics in India, improve the Logistics Performance Index ranking – the endeavour is to be among the top 25 countries by 2030 and create a data-driven decision support mechanism for an efficient logistics ecosystem, it said. (ANI)