Stories
Cabinet Approves New Integrated Transport Authority to Streamline Planning Across India
- •The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority to unify India's fragmented transport planning across roads, railways, ports, aviation, and urban mobility.
- •ITLA will prepare a National Transport Master Plan with a 10-year horizon and conduct technical appraisals for government infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more.
- •The authority will establish a National Transport Data Repository by integrating data sources like GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, and Vahan to track freight movement and improve planning.
- •The initiative supports ongoing efforts to enhance logistics efficiency following a DPIIT and NCAER report estimating India's logistics costs at 7.97 percent of GDP in FY24.
Key Questions Answered
The Union Cabinet approved the creation of the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) as a special purpose vehicle to bring India's fragmented transport planning under a coordinated framework across roads, railways, ports, shipping, aviation, inland waterways, and urban mobility.
ITLA will serve as the apex institution for integrated transport planning, policy support, and data analytics. Its key tasks include preparing a National Transport Master Plan with a 10-year horizon, examining shorter-term ministerial plans, conducting technical appraisals of government infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more, and monitoring project implementation.
ITLA will build the National Transport Data Repository (NTDR) by consolidating data from multiple sources like GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan, GPS systems, and urban traffic management systems. This database will help track freight movement, understand passenger and goods routes, and improve infrastructure planning and monitoring.
