GTPRO will oversee India’s transport sector, master plan projects and coordinate ministries for 5–15-year strategies.
India is set to establish its first-ever apex federal agency for the transport sector, aiming to integrate planning, monitoring, and policy guidance across all modes of transport. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi, attended by five cabinet ministers and their secretaries overseeing transport.
The new agency, named Gati-Shakti Transport Planning and Research Organisation (GTPRO), will operate under the cabinet secretariat and be led by a secretary-level officer, ensuring seamless coordination between ministries and states. The move comes as the government seeks to break silos in infrastructure planning, following over Rs 50 lakh crore invested in transport projects over the past 11 years.
Key objectives of GTPRO:
- Gather detailed data and research inputs for master planning.
- Monitor progress of national transport projects.
- Offer policy recommendations and suggest amendments to Acts and rules to improve project execution.
- Enable mid-course corrections for projects facing challenges.
- Benchmark international best practices from countries like South Korea, China, the US, and Australia.
Currently, transport planning in India is largely consultant-driven with limited inter-ministry collaboration. There is no central body responsible for policy advocacy, long-term planning, or recommending innovative practices; gaps that GTPRO aims to fill.
Planning & Expertise:
To provide technical guidance, the government will set up a Group of Transport Experts (GTE), drawing talent from IIT Delhi, IIT Chennai, BHU, and BITS Pilani. The group will advise on five-, 10-, and 15-year strategic plans, support secretaries, and integrate modern methods in transport planning, supply chain management, data science, and network optimisation.
Sources noted that while the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan exists, it has largely been used as a project appraisal tool. GTPRO will now transform this into a centralised, strategic, and forward-looking planning hub for India’s transport infrastructure, aligning it with global best practices and maximising efficiency.
With GTPRO, India moves toward integrated transport planning, ensuring that roads, railways, ports, and logistics networks function as a cohesive ecosystem, paving the way for better mobility, trade, and economic growth.
Source: TOI
