ADB Regional Conference and PM Gati Shakti | 09 Sep 2023

Source: PIB

Why in News? 

Recently, the 2023 Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) Conference was organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Tbilisi, Georgia where India showcased its PM Gatishakti National Master Plan.

What is the Asian Development Bank?

• About: 
  • ADB is a regional development bank established in 1966 with the objective of promoting social and economic development in Asia and the Pacific.
    • It has 68 members; 49 are from within Asia and the Pacific and 19 outside. India is a founding member. 
  • ADB assists its members and partners by providing loans, technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and economic development.
  • As of 31st December 2022, ADB's five largest shareholders are Japan and the US (each with 15.6% of total shares), China (6.4%), India (6.3%), and Australia (5.8%).
  • It is headquartered in Manila, Philippines.
    
• About ADB Conference: 
  • Theme for 2023 Conference: 
    • Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Integration through Economic Corridor Development (ECD). 
  • Objective: 
    • Explore ways to integrate spatial transformation/area-centric approach with the ECD and strengthen regional cooperation through a broader approach.
    • Knowledge sharing on application of the ECD framework and operational guidelines for investable projects. 
  • Participation: 
    • The conference saw participation from more than 30 member countries. 
  • India’s Role: 
    • At the RCI Conference, India offered its indigenously developed GIS-based technology though knowledge sharing  to ADB and South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) countries for enhancing socio-economic planning and regional cooperation.

What is PM GatiShakti National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity?

• It is a Made in India initiative, a transformative ‘whole-of-government’ approach for integrated planning of multimodal infrastructure connectivity to economic nodes and social infrastructure, thereby improving logistics efficiency. 
  • PM Gati Shakti principles bring socio-economic area-based development as part of regional connectivity. 
  • PM GatiShakti was launched in October 2021. 
• The Gati Shakti scheme subsumed Rs. 110 lakh crore National Infrastructure Pipeline launched in 2019.
• PM Gatishakti National Master Plan is a Geographic Information System (GIS) data-based digital platform with over 1400 data layers and 50+ tools. 
  • It provides visual representation of trunk and utility infrastructure, land use, existing structures, soil quality, habitation, tourism sites, forest sensitive areas etc. 
• The initiative is also being implemented to enhance connectivity with regional partners as well. Some of the suitable examples are: 
  • The Indo-Nepal Haldia Access Controlled Corridor project (eastern Indian states and Nepal)
  • Regional Waterways Grid (RWG) project for multimodal connectivity to growth centres and border points.