PM Gati Shakti NMP helps growth of Rs 2 lakh cr in Export in FY23: Shipping Minister

MUMBAI: Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said that the PM Gati Shakti Programme has helped the country to register a year-on-year incremental growth of Rs2lakhcroreingoodsexportinthepreviousfiscal.

Delivering his speech at an event hosted by Indian Merchants Chamber here, Shri Sonowal, Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, also said the central government has been working hard towards improving and modernising India’s ports and connected infrastructure.

As a result of transformational initiatives, “in 2022-23 financial year India’s Goods exports touched $447 billion, upfrom$422-billionayearearlier,whichtranslatesintoa huge increase of more than Rs 2 lakh crore in a year,” Sonowalwasquotedassayinginastatement.

According to the minister, India has become a $3.5 trillion economy in less than nine years. “This blistering speed of the growth is historic and the resultofGatiShakti,”hestated.

The multi-modal connectivity provides integrated and seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another. It facilitates last-mile connectivity of infrastructure and alsoreducestraveltimeforpeople,headded.

Under PM Gati Shakti NMP, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways has identified 101 projects worth Rs 62,227 crores for implementation by 2025, aspertheMinister.

Out of these 101 projects, 26 projects worth Rs 8,897 crore have been completed, 42 projects amounting to Rs15,343croreareunderdevelopment,while33projects worth Rs 36,638 crore are under implementation, heinformed.

Out of the projects under implementation, 14 projects worth Rs 20,537 crore are expected to be completed by Decemberthisyear,theMinistersaid.

Of the 101 MoPSW Gati Shakti projects, 57 are from the major ports, and 44 projects are from states, he said, adding these projects have supported faster and more efficient movement of cargo, leading to an overall reductioninlogisticscost.

According to Sonowal, his ministry has also identified five high-impact projects (HIP), which demonstrate the conceptandspiritoftheGatiShaktiprogramme.

He also said that the tonnage of Indian ships has increasedto13.7-milliongrosstonnagecomparedtoonly 10.3MillionGrossTonnagein2014.