India's Expanding Transport and Logistics Network

As India’s economy grows, so does the need to move goods efficiently across the country. Meeting this requirement calls for transport networks that are well connected and planned as an integrated system. To support these growing requirements, the Government on 6 October 2026 approved the setting up of the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA). ITLA will serve as a specialised institutional mechanism for research, planning, project appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment across transportation and logistics.

With the expansion of the transport and logistics networks, ITLA will support long-term integrated planning and post-implementation impact assessment of infrastructure projects. It will complement existing initiatives such as the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan and the National Logistics Policy.

Roles and Responsibilities

ITLA will undertake a range of responsibilities covering integrated planning, project appraisal, monitoring, data analytics, logistics policy, capacity building and research. Its key responsibilities include:

• National Apex Institution: ITLA will serve as the apex institution for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring. It will provide policy support and data analytics to strengthen coordinated decision-making across the transport sector.
• Long-Term National Transport Master Plan: The authority will prepare a comprehensive National Transport Master Plan with a planning horizon of 10 years or more. It will cover roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility and logistics.
• Integrated Planning Framework: It will evaluate short-term sectoral plans with a horizon of around five years and annual plans of transport Ministries. Also, it will ensure their alignment with the National Transport Master Plan and promote multimodal infrastructure development.
• Technical Appraisal of Major Projects:  ITLA will undertake technical appraisal of Government of India infrastructure projects costing ₹500 crore or more. Financial appraisal will continue to be carried out through the existing financial appraisal mechanisms.
• Monitoring and Impact Assessment: It will monitor transport and infrastructure projects costing above ₹500 crore and provide a coordinated mechanism for issue resolution. It will also undertake post-implementation impact assessments to evaluate project outcomes and performance.
• National Transport Data Repository (NTDR): The authoirty will develop a unified transport data repository by integrating relevant transport and logistics datasets from multiple sources. These include GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan, GPS-based systems and urban traffic management systems. The data will support freight-flow and origin-destination analysis for planning, monitoring and impact assessment.
• Logistics Policy Support: It will advise and assist in the review and updating of the National Logistics Policy (2022).
• Capacity Building: It will contribute to capacity building, training, and skilling in the logistics sector.
• Research and Innovation: It will promote research & innovations in transport and logistics sectors.

 

Key Benefits

ITLA will strengthen integrated planning, coordination, data use and institutional capacity across the transport and logistics ecosystem:

• Central institutional mechanism: ITLA will serve as a central institutional mechanism for research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment in transport and logistics. This approach follows global practice in line with other countries such as Korea, Japan, the US, China and Australia.
• Unified infrastructure planning: ITLA will act as the apex coordinating agency for unified infrastructure planning. It will also prepare a comprehensive National Transport Master Plan.
• Inter-ministerial coordination: ITLA will enable synergy and coordination among ministries dealing with transport and logistics. This will cover infrastructure planning, appraisal, monitoring and evaluation.
• Integrated data repository: ITLA will create a unified transport data repository. This will support evidence-based planning, research and innovation.
• Institutional capacity building: ITLA will strengthen capacity in research, planning, big data integration, project monitoring and evaluation. It will also promote the adoption of international best practices.

Supporting India’s Vision 2047

As India’s transport and logistics networks continue to expand, seamless multimodal connectivity and efficient infrastructure will become increasingly important. ITLA will strengthen integrated planning, project appraisal, monitoring and data-driven decision-making across the transport and logistics ecosystem. By improving infrastructure efficiency, supporting multimodal connectivity and building institutional capacity, ITLA will contribute to India’s Vision 2047 and a more competitive logistics ecosystem.

References

Cabinet

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasepage.aspx?PRID=2319529&reg=48&lang=1

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PIB Research

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