New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the setting up of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA) as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment across the broad domains of transportation and logistics.
The approval for the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority seeks to address long-standing challenges arising from fragmented planning and implementation across multiple transport-related Ministries and agencies.
By promoting greater coordination and multi-modal integration, the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority is expected to enhance the efficiency, sustainability and effectiveness of transport infrastructure development in India.
Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority: Key Roles and Responsibilities
The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will function as the national apex institution for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring, policy support and data analytics.
The key roles and responsibilities of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority include:
- National Apex Institution: ITLA will function as the apex body for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring, policy support and data analytics.
- Long-Term National Transport Master Plan: The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will prepare a comprehensive National Transport Master Plan with a planning horizon of ten years or more. The plan will cover roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility and logistics.
- Integrated Planning Framework: ITLA will evaluate short-term sectoral plans of around five years and annual plans of transport Ministries. The objective will be to ensure consistency and alignment with the National Transport Master Plan and promote multi-modal infrastructure development.
- Technical Appraisal of Major Projects: The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will undertake technical appraisal of Government of India infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more. Financial appraisal will continue to be carried out through existing financial appraisal mechanisms.
- Monitoring and Impact Assessment: ITLA will monitor the implementation of transport and infrastructure projects above ₹500 crore and provide a coordinated mechanism for issue resolution. The authority will also undertake post-implementation impact assessment of these projects.
- National Transport Data Repository: The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will build a unified National Transport Data Repository (NTDR) by obtaining relevant transport and logistics datasets from multiple sources.
These sources will include GSTN e-way bill, FASTag, Vahan, GPS-based systems, urban traffic management systems and other relevant databases.
ITLA will carry out data analytics, including Freight Flow and Origin-Destination (O-D) analytics, for planning, monitoring and impact assessment.
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ITLA to Support National Logistics Policy and Skill Development
The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will also advise and assist in the review and updation of the National Logistics Policy, 2022.
In addition, ITLA will undertake capacity building, training and skilling initiatives in the logistics sector. The authority will also promote research and innovations across the transport and logistics sectors.
Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority and India’s Vision 2047
The establishment of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority is aimed at playing a pivotal role in realizing India’s Vision 2047 by strengthening multimodal connectivity, improving infrastructure efficiency, reducing logistics costs and enhancing India’s global logistics competitiveness.
The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will build institutional capacity for research, planning, big data integration, project monitoring and evaluation.
It will also support capacity building and the adoption of international best practices in the transport and logistics sectors.
