Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of an Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) as a special purpose vehicle to strengthen integrated planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring in the transport and logistics sectors.

"The way GDP is growing in the country, the requirement for logistics is continuously increasing. Practically, if GDP grows by 7%, the demand for logistics increases by around 10%," Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said at a briefing.

He said highways, railway lines, waterways, ports and airports were being developed across the country and these projects needed to be planned in coordination with each other.

"To study all these requirements and bring synergy into the overall planning of transportation, an Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority will be established," Vaishnaw added.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the decision seeks to address long-standing challenges arising from fragmented planning and implementation across multiple transport-related ministries and agencies.

The ITLA will function as the national apex institution for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal, monitoring, policy support and data analytics.

It will prepare a comprehensive National Transport Master Plan with a planning horizon of 10 years or more, covering roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility and logistics.

The authority will also evaluate short-term sectoral plans of around five years and annual plans of transport ministries to ensure their consistency with the National Transport Master Plan.

ITLA will undertake technical appraisal of government infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more.

It will monitor the implementation of transport and infrastructure projects above ₹500 crore, provide a coordinated mechanism for resolving issues and undertake post-implementation impact assessment of these projects.

The authority is also expected to build institutional capacity for research, planning, big data integration, project monitoring and evaluation.