New Delhi (ABC Live) — For decades, India’s infrastructure ecosystem has struggled with fragmented planning, sequential approvals, and chronic execution delays. As a result, agencies built highways without last-mile rail links, industrial clusters emerged without port connectivity, and cities expanded faster than transport and utilities. Consequently, public capital often produced sub-optimal economic returns.

Against this backdrop, the Network Planning Group (NPG) under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan seeks to transform how the Indian state plans infrastructure. Instead of correcting mistakes after sanction, PM GatiShakti embeds multimodality, spatial coordination, and data-driven analysis at the planning stage itself.

Importantly, a Parliamentary reply released through PIB on 10 February 2026 confirms that:

• 352 infrastructure projects worth ₹16.10 lakh crore have been evaluated by NPG,

• 201 projects have been sanctioned, and

• 167 projects are under implementation.

👉 Official PIB Source:
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2225805&reg=3&lang=1

At first glance, these numbers signal scale and institutional maturity. However, a closer reading shows that PM GatiShakti has largely solved the planning visibility problem, yet it has only partially addressed the execution problem.

Therefore, this report integrates official data, independent modelling, and risk assessment to evaluate what PM GatiShakti has achieved—and what remains unresolved.

The Planning Shift: From Siloed Sanctions to Integrated Design

Earlier infrastructure regimes prioritised ministry-wise approvals and post-sanction monitoring. In contrast, PM GatiShakti places integration before sanction, while insisting on:

• Multimodal connectivity
• Inter-ministerial synchronisation
• Last-mile linkage
• Spatial overlays and GIS-based analysis
• Data-driven decision-making

Collectively, these changes mark a structural improvement. Nevertheless, integration at the planning table does not automatically generate faster sanctions or smoother execution.

Data Snapshot: NPG Project Pipeline

Critically, nearly 43% of evaluated projects remain unsanctioned, and only 47% have entered implementation. Thus, institutional throughput and decision velocity—not planning quality—now constrain progress.

Sectoral Concentration of Capital

Notably, roads and railways together absorb nearly 80% of total project value. Therefore, PM GatiShakti’s multimodal ambition remains transport-heavy, while ports, waterways, aviation, digital infrastructure, and clean energy continue to play secondary roles.

Similarly, this imbalance mirrors regional connectivity challenges discussed in ABC Live’s analysis of the North-East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme:
https://abclive.in/2026/02/06/north-east-special-infrastructure/

Sanction-to-Implementation Efficiency

In practice, railways and urban agencies convert sanctions into execution more effectively. By contrast, road and port agencies still struggle with land acquisition, environmental clearance, and contractor disputes.

Moreover, these risks intersect with financing and asset-monetisation models such as the National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT), analysed by ABC Live here:
https://abclive.in/2026/01/29/national-highways-infra-trust/

State Financing: 50-Year Interest-Free Loan Scheme

Consequently, the scheme rewards administrative readiness, not developmental urgency. As a result, states with weaker project-preparation capacity risk exclusion from accelerated infrastructure growth.

Risk Heat-Map: Sectoral Execution Vulnerability (0–100)

Accordingly, roads and ports carry the highest execution vulnerability.

Execution Probability Model

Therefore, a large share of road-sector projects fall into high-risk bands, while rail and aviation projects cluster in moderate-to-low risk zones.

Monitoring Architecture: Visibility Without Teeth

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation monitors projects above ₹150 crore through the PAIMANA portal, while PMG tracks large projects and escalates complex cases to PRAGATI.

Although transparency has improved substantially, authorities rarely impose automatic penalties, binding corrective timelines, or public accountability actions. Hence, monitoring remains information-rich but enforcement-light.

For deeper context, see ABC Live’s explainer on PAIMANA:
https://abclive.in/2026/02/03/paimana/

Strategic Linkages: Beyond Transport

Meanwhile, PM GatiShakti’s success also intersects with industrial strategy, including semiconductor manufacturing and high-tech clusters. ABC Live’s assessment of India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 explains how infrastructure readiness will shape this push:
https://abclive.in/2026/02/01/india-semiconductor-mission-2-0/

What the Evidence Ultimately Shows

• PM GatiShakti has largely fixed the planning deficit.
• However, it has not yet resolved the execution deficit.
• Moreover, capital allocation remains sectorally concentrated.
• Meanwhile, state incentives reward capacity more than need.
• Finally, monitoring systems lack hard consequences.

Conclusion: Architecture Built, Delivery Still Conditional

Ultimately, the NPG under PM GatiShakti represents India’s most sophisticated infrastructure planning architecture to date. It has created a unified project map, spatial intelligence, and escalation channels.

Yet, infrastructure outcomes will depend on:

• Faster sanctions
• Higher-quality DPRs
• Predictable land and clearance processes
• Enforceable accountability

Until then, the ₹16.10 lakh crore portfolio reflects potential more than performance.

How We Verified This Report (ABC Live)

This report is based on the PIB parliamentary reply dated 10 February 2026, Department of Expenditure annexures, PAIMANA disclosures of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, and ABC Live’s independent data modelling and risk analysis.