Act East Policy and Development of Border States: Role of PM Gati Shakti, Northeast Connectivity and National Logistics Policy

• India’s Act East Policy aims to deepen economic, strategic and cultural ties with Southeast and East Asia while ensuring the holistic development of its eastern and northeastern border states. The policy recognizes that without strong internal connectivity and infrastructure in border regions, external engagement cannot be effective. In this context, PM Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy (NLP) play a crucial enabling role, especially for the Northeast.
• Under the Act East Policy, northeastern states such as Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura are viewed as India’s gateway to ASEAN. Development of border states is essential to:
  • Integrate them economically with mainland India
  • Reduce regional disparities
  • Enhance security and stability in sensitive border areas
  • Promote trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts with neighboring countries

Role of PM Gati Shakti in Northeast Connectivity

PM Gati Shakti provides an integrated, multi-modal infrastructure planning framework that brings together railways, roads, ports, airports, waterways and logistics hubs. In the Northeast, it helps by:

• Accelerating railway expansion to remote and border areas
• Improving last-mile connectivity to states like Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh
• Reducing project delays through coordinated planning
• Supporting strategic infrastructure for both economic growth and national security
• Rail projects, highways, and multimodal hubs under Gati Shakti strengthen physical integration of the Northeast with the rest of India.

National Logistics Policy (NLP) and the Northeast

The National Logistics Policy aims to reduce logistics costs, improve efficiency, and enhance India’s global competitiveness. For the Northeast, NLP is significant because:

1. It lowers transportation costs for industries like agriculture, bamboo, handicrafts and pharmaceuticals
2. It improves access to national and international markets
3. It supports the creation of logistics parks, warehouses and freight corridors
4. It encourages private investment in a previously high-cost, low-access region

What is PM Gati Shakti – National Master Plan (NMP)?

PM Gati Shakti is a transformational infrastructure and logistics development program launched by the Government of India in October 2021.
Its goal is to integrate all major infrastructure projects—roads, railways, ports, airports, power lines, pipelines—into one unified digital platform so projects can be planned and executed faster and more efficiently.


 Key Objectives of PM Gati Shakti

• Break departmental silos
• Ministries often work separately; Gati Shakti brings them together on one platform.
• Faster project approval & execution
• Reduces delays caused by land, environment, and coordination issues.
• Reduce logistics cost (currently 13–14% of GDP)
• Aim is to bring it closer to global standards (8%).
• Improve connectivity for industry & trade
• Smooth movement of goods → boosts exports & manufacturing.
• Support India’s $5 trillion economy goal
• By strengthening infrastructure and supply chains.

 What Makes Gati Shakti Unique?
 

Digital GIS-Based Platform

• A high-tech map combining data from:
• Railways
• Highways
• Ports
• Power grids
• Forest boundaries
• Land records
• This helps planners see real-time data before starting a project.

Integrated Approach
 

• 16 ministries work together:
• Railways
• Roads
• Shipping
• Civil Aviation
• Power
• Telecom
• Petroleum
• And more.

Reduces Waste & Duplication
Example: If a railway line and highway run parallel, they can share land or utility corridors, saving crores.