[ABS News Service/06.10.2026]
The Union Cabinet, chaired by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle
(SPV), namely, Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) to strengthen
research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad
domains of Transportation and Logistics on 6 October, 2026.
The approval seeks to address
the long-standing challenges arising from fragmented planning and implementation
across multiple transport-related Ministries and agencies. By fostering greater coordination and multi-modal
integration, ITLA is expected to enhance the efficiency, sustainability and effectiveness
of transport infrastructure development in India.
ITLA will have following
key roles and responsibilities:
·
National Apex Institution: ITLA will function as the apex body for integrated
transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring, policy
support and data analytics.
·
Long-Term National Transport Master Plan: ITLA will prepare a comprehensive
National Transport Master Plan with a planning horizon of ten years or more, covering
roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping,
urban mobility and logistics.
·
Integrated Planning Framework: ITLA will evaluate short-term
sectoral plans (5 years or so) and annual plans of transport Ministries to ensure
consistency and alignment with the National Transport Master Plan and promote multi-modal
infrastructure development.
·
Technical Appraisal of Major Projects: ITLA will undertake technical
appraisal of infrastructure projects of Government of India, costing Rs.500 crore
or more. Financial appraisal will continue
to be carried out through the existing financial appraisal mechanisms.
·
Monitoring and Impact Assessment: ITLA will monitor implementation of transport
& infrastructure projects above Rs.500 crore and provide a coordinated mechanism
for issue resolution and will undertake post-implementation impact assessment of
these projects.
·
National Transport Data Repository (NTDR): ITLA will build a unified
transport data repository by obtaining relevant transport and logistics datasets
from multiple sources, including GSTN e-way bill, FASTag,
Vahan, GPS-based systems, urban traffic management systems and other relevant databases
and carry out data analytics (e.g. Freight Flow/O-D analytics) for planning, monitoring
and impact assessment.
·
Advise and assist for review and updation
of National Logistics Policy (2022)
·
Capacity building, training, and skilling in the logistics sector.
·
Promote Research & Innovations in transport and logistics sectors.
Establishment of the ITLA will
play a pivotal role in realizing India’s Vision 2047 by strengthening multimodal
connectivity, improving infrastructure efficiency, reducing logistics costs, and
enhancing India’s global logistics competitiveness. The ITLA will build institutional capacity for
research, planning, big data integration, project monitoring, and evaluation, while
supporting capacity building and adoption of international best practices.