Gati Shakti Master Plan

PM Gati Shakti, National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, is a digital platform and planning framework launched in October 2021 that integrates infrastructure planning across 16 central ministries and over 35 state government departments on a single GIS-enabled platform. Rather than being a scheme that funds specific projects, Gati Shakti is a coordination and planning tool: it uses satellite imagery, GIS mapping, and data layers from all major infrastructure sectors to identify gaps in connectivity, reduce project duplication, synchronise timelines, and ensure that roads, railways, ports, airports, logistics parks, and economic zones are developed in a mutually reinforcing sequence. For procurement professionals, Gati Shakti matters because it determines which NIP projects get fast-tracked and how inter-agency coordination affects project timelines.

What is the Gati Shakti Master Plan in government procurement?

At its core, Gati Shakti solves an old problem in Indian infrastructure: projects designed by different agencies without reference to each other, creating inefficiency. A national highway is built without a rail link to the nearest port; a new industrial cluster has no road access because the PWD and NHAI are not coordinating; a port berth is deepened but the approach road handling trucks is not widened. Gati Shakti forces inter-ministerial project design using a common GIS base, each ministry can see every other ministry's planned and ongoing projects and must design its own proposals to integrate with them.

From a procurement perspective, Gati Shakti influences which projects emerge as tenders and in what sequence. Projects that have been approved through the Gati Shakti evaluation process, which includes an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) review, are considered to have strong inter-agency coordination and are less likely to face the "utility shifting" and "land acquisition" delays that plague Indian infrastructure projects. A project that has received Gati Shakti clearance, meaning all relevant ministries have checked for conflicts and coordination requirements, is generally a better-quality procurement opportunity than one that has not gone through this process.

State governments have developed their own State Master Plans on the Gati Shakti framework, allowing state-level infrastructure planning to integrate with national projects. This is particularly relevant for connectivity links to NIP projects, a state's decision to build a road connecting a National Highway to an industrial park can be planned in coordination with NHAI's highway alignment rather than in isolation.

Why it matters for bidders

For large contractors and concessionaires, understanding which projects have Gati Shakti backing helps assess execution risk. Projects that have passed Gati Shakti review are more likely to have:

• Land acquisition substantially complete before NIT publication (a major source of delays in Indian infrastructure).
• Forest and environmental clearances either obtained or on a clear path.
• Utility shifting (power lines, pipelines) coordinated with the relevant agencies.
• Inter-modal connections designed to be compatible.

For smaller contractors whose concern is near-term tender volume rather than strategic project analysis, Gati Shakti is less directly relevant. But monitoring the Gati Shakti portal can reveal which sectors and states are receiving investment attention, providing a forward indicator of where tender volume will increase.

Logistics and supply chain companies should note that Gati Shakti includes a major focus on multimodal logistics parks (MMLPs) and integrated logistics hubs, this is a growing area of government procurement that is separate from conventional civil works.

Example

A contractor specialising in port access infrastructure monitors the Gati Shakti portal and notices that a coastal state's master plan shows a new port being developed under Sagarmala in conjunction with a dedicated freight corridor rail link and a state highway connection. Three separate tenders will emerge: the port berth from the Port Authority, the rail link from RVNL, and the access road from the state PWD. The contractor evaluates which of the three is best matched to its capabilities, it has strong civil experience but no marine or rail expertise, and focuses on the access road tender. When the state PWD NIT is published, the contractor is already prepared with a go/no-go decision and preliminary cost estimates.

Key rules / thresholds

• Gati Shakti reviews are conducted by the EGoS (Empowered Group of Secretaries) for inter-ministerial issues and by a Network Planning Group (NPG) of officials for technical integration.
• State governments must develop State Master Plans aligned with the National Master Plan to receive central funding support for connectivity projects.
• Projects tracked on the Gati Shakti portal show status at each milestone, DPR approval, clearances, tender award, and physical progress.
• The platform integrates data from 16 ministries including Roads, Railways, Shipping, Civil Aviation, Telecom, Power, Petroleum, and state PWDs.