Recent initiatives in the rail system

• Gati shakti multi-modal Cargo Terminal (GCT): 91 GCTs commissioned and 234 locations approved by October 31, 2024.

• Net zero carbon emission: Indian Railways targets 30 GW of renewable energy by 2029-30, with 375 MW of solar and 103 MW of wind commissioned as of October 2024.

• Major economic corridors: 434 projects valued at ₹11.17 lakh crore have been identified under three railway corridors, mapped on the PM GatiShakti portal.

• Public Private Partnership (PPP): 17 projects have been completed (₹16,434 crore) and 8 ongoing (₹16,614 crore) under the PPP model

• Vande Bharat trains: Between April and October 2024, 17 new pairs of Vande Bharat trains were introduced to the network, and 228 coaches were produced.

Initiatives in Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways Sector

• The Central Government approved 98 PPP projects, including 23 captive projects, worth around ₹69,800 crore, excluding the Vadhavan Port Project with a PPP investment of ₹38,000 crore.
• Currently, 56 projects valued at ₹41,480 crore are operational, increasing port capacity by approximately 550 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).
• In October 2024, the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal was approved, featuring a museum with 14 galleries, the tallest lighthouse museum, India’s largest Navy gallery and themed amusement parks.
• The international container transshipment port at Galathea Bay, Great Nicobar Island, has been planned to enhance cargo transshipment from Indian East Coast ports and neighbouring countries.
• Urban Waterways Projects, valued at ₹1,303 crore, are underway, with 16 of the 30 projects already completed, benefitting over 35 lakh passengers while facilitating the transport of more than 5 lakh vehicles and 1 lakh cargo trucks.
• India is enhancing waterway connectivity to the North-East by developing waterways in Bangladesh and funding 80 per cent of the ₹305 crore project.
• India is also investing ₹1,010 crore to improve the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route.

Initiatives in Road Transport Sector

• The shift from project-based national highway development to corridor-based approach helped increase the highway length from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1.46 lakh km in 2024.
• Bharatmala Pariyojana, Char Dham Mahamarg Pariyojna, National High-Speed Corridors and 4-lane and above - National Highways.
• Key initiatives undertaken to improve road connectivity include advanced traffic management on highways, establishment of logistics parks, sustainable vehicle scrapping, and ongoing ropeway projects.

Initiatives in Civil Aviation

• Under UDAN scheme, 619 routes connecting 88 airports, including two water aerodromes and 13 heliports, have been operationalised so far.
• The airport's cargo handling capacity has been gradually increasing, reaching 8.0 million MT in FY24

Initiatives in Digital Connectivity

Telecommunications

• By October 31, 2024, 5G services were launched in all states and union territories.
• In August 2024, the Universal Service Obligation Fund was rechristened Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN). Bharat Net Project, Comprehensive telecom development plan for north-eastern region, Telecom development for Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands, Mobile services in uncovered areas and Aspirational districts scheme are some initiatives under DBN.

Information Technology

• As of November 30, 2024, the National Informatics Centre supports 1,917 applications on its cloud, under MeghRaj, the GI Cloud initiative.
• The government has empanelled 23 public and private cloud service providers to address the cloud needs of user departments.