An official delegation from India, led by Mr Anish Kumar, Advisor to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (GOI), visited Colombo on July 8–9, 2024. The delegation held various meetings with high-ranking officials in different Ministries and Departments in Sri Lanka, discussing the GOI’s Prime Minister’s (PM) Gati Shakti (Power of Speed) platform. This platform, aimed at integrated infrastructure development in India, is a key factor behind India’s rapid infrastructural advancements in recent years. The visit followed an earlier delegation led by Mr Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Prime Minister, during which the Sri Lankan delegation was briefed on PM Gati Shakti.
During the two-day visit, the Indian delegation met with Hon. Nimal Siripala De Silva, Minister of Ports, Shipping & Aviation, the Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Highways, senior officials handling infrastructure projects at the President’s Secretariat, and representatives from various Departments within the Ministry of Finance. They also exchanged views with the Ceylon Chambers of Commerce. In these interactions, the incoming delegation expressed GOI’s readiness to share the benefits of the PM Gati Shakti platform with Sri Lanka, according to the Government’s priorities and requirements.
The PM Gati Shakti platform is a technology-backed infrastructure development tool designed to ensure multi-modal, first and last-mile connectivity for the seamless movement of people and goods. Utilizing GIS technology, it facilitates data-based decision-making for integrated planning, synchronized implementation, and project monitoring. PM Gati Shakti creates synergies by uniting infrastructure Departments and Ministries in the planning process and integrating all relevant infrastructure and other assets, including natural resources-related GIS data, into the National Master Plan (the centralized platform) and State Master Plans (individual portals of States and Union Territories).
