Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the government will launch a Rs 100-lakh-crore plan for an integrated infrastructure growth that will help reduce logistics costs and make the economy competitive.

“We will launch a masterplan for Gati Shakti, a big programme ... This scheme of more than Rs 100 lakh crore will result in new employment opportunities for lakhs of youth,” Modi said from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort.

He said “Gati Shakti will be a national infrastructure master plan, which will lay the foundation of holistic infrastructure and will lead to an integrated and holistic pathway to our economy”.

“Right now, there is no coordination between our means of transport. Gati Shakti will break the silos and will remove all these obstacles. This will reduce the travel time for the common man and the productivity of our industry will also increase,” Modi said.

“Gati Shakti will also go a long way in making our local manufacturers globally competitive and also develop new possibilities for the creation of future economic zones. In this decade, the power of speed will form the basis of India’s transformation,” the Prime Minister said at the Independence Day celebrations.

Modi said the scheme will form the basis of the Amrut Kaal—the 25-year period till India celebrates 100 years of its independence.

T.V. Narendran, president of the Confederation of Indian Industry, said, “The Prime Minister’s words on manufacturing quality to build pride in Indian products were timely with a renewed thrust on the mission.”

“This increased spending on infrastructure will give a multiplier effect to rejuvenate the aggregate demand in the economy. Undoubtedly, robust growth of infrastructure is the key ingredient to realise the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” Sanjay Aggarwal, president of PHDCCI, said.

India has been working for a reset of its logistics sector involving railways, highways, inland waterways and airports to put in place an effective transportation grid.

This comes against the backdrop of logistics comprising about 13 per cent of the total costs for Indian companies, making exports uncompetitive vis-a-vis China. The Indian logistics sector is expected to grow to $360 billion by 2032.

Modi announced a Mission Circular Economy that will replace petroleum with other forms of energy to make India energy independent by 2047. A National Hydrogen Mission; new systems to ensure last-mile delivery of government services and more support to the socially backward were among the other new measures he announced.

Modi said the country spends more than Rs 12 trillion annually on energy imports and becoming energy independent was critical.

“India is moving fast towards achieving its climate goals,” he said.

Manoj K. Upadhyay, founder & chairman, ACME Group, said, “This is the biggest goal which is going to give India a quantum jump in the field of Green Hydrogen.”

According to estimates and net-zero targets being taken by various countries for 2030 and 2050, the green hydrogen ecosystem will be a $12-13 trillion industry by 2050. It can be an excellent opportunity for India to become a significant exporter of green hydrogen, helping the world reduce carbon emissions and creating local jobs and wealth.

“Mass deployment of renewable energy in India helped us to produce electricity cheaper than any other sources of energy, similar deployment of green hydrogen at the lowest cost will help us in cost leadership position not only to meet our green hydrogen and ammonia demand internally, we can also become a major exporter of Green Hydrogen and green ammonia to worldwide. This initiative on green hydrogen can help us to build an ecosystem of a 2-3 trillion dollar industry in the next 20-25 years,” Upadhyay said.

Modi in his speed emphasized on “Indian-made”: whether it was building fighter aircraft or mobile phones. He said India used to import mobile phones in large numbers but is now exporting them as well. He asked exporters to make goods that were not merely competitive but also high quality, saying “your goods are brand ambassadors for the country”.