PM GatiShakti vs the National Logistics Policy: Which Framework Does What?

PM GatiShakti and the National Logistics Policy (NLP) are two halves of one strategy, not rival programmes you pick between. PM GatiShakti plans where infrastructure is built; the National Logistics Policy improves how efficiently goods move on it. Both sit under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and both are designed as complements. If you are trying to work out which one governs your project or query, this article compares them. It is a companion to the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan guide, the geospatial planning platform launched on 13 October 2021.

One-line reminder: PM GatiShakti is a GIS platform with about 1,700 data layers used by 57 central ministries and 36 states/UTs for integrated multimodal infrastructure planning; it pays no individual benefit.

The core difference: hard side vs soft side

Dimension	PM GatiShakti National Master Plan	National Logistics Policy
Launched	13 October 2021	17 September 2022
What it governs	The hard side: where a rail line, port, highway or airport goes and how it connects	The soft side: processes, digital systems, standards, skills, service quality
Instrument	A GIS master plan with ~1,700 data layers on the MeghRaj cloud	Policy framework plus initiatives like ULIP and the Logistics Data Bank
Who uses it	57 central ministries and departments, 36 states/UTs (institutional login)	Ministries, logistics service providers, industry
Funds projects?	No; planning only; funding stays with executing ministry	No, it improves efficiency, not budgets
Evaluation body	Network Planning Group (NPG)	Services Improvement Group and NLP monitoring bodies

Neither delivers a subsidy or a citizen benefit. Together they set the planning and process framework within which sectoral ministries spend their own budgets.

When PM GatiShakti applies

PM GatiShakti applies when the question is spatial. An alignment, a right-of-way conflict, last-mile connectivity to an economic node, or checking a road project against every other engine before it is approved. A ministry submits its Detailed Project Report and geospatial alignment to the Network Planning Group, which had evaluated 352 projects worth Rs 16.10 lakh crore as of February 2026. Use GatiShakti if your work touches the location and integration of physical assets.

When the National Logistics Policy applies

The NLP applies when the question is about movement efficiency — cutting logistics cost as a share of GDP, digitising documentation, standardising warehousing, or improving the ease of moving freight. It works through platforms such as the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), not through a geospatial master plan. Use the NLP frame if your concern is how goods flow, not where the infrastructure sits.

Can a project fall under both?

Yes, most large logistics-linked infrastructure does. A port-connectivity rail corridor, for example, is planned through PM GatiShakti's NPG evaluation for multimodal integration, and its downstream freight efficiency is a National Logistics Policy concern. The two are deliberately sequential and complementary: GatiShakti gets the asset built in the right place with the right connections, and the NLP makes the movement over it efficient. There is no "hold both" question in the benefit sense, because neither pays a benefit. A project simply engages whichever framework matches the stage it is at.

Which should you engage first?

• If you are a ministry or state department planning a physical asset, engage PM GatiShakti first, the alignment and NPG evaluation come before execution.
• If you are focused on logistics service, documentation or cost efficiency, work within the National Logistics Policy framework and its digital platforms.
• If you are a private contractor or developer, neither portal is your entry point. The tender issued by the executing ministry, after the project clears NPG evaluation, is.

FAQ

Is PM GatiShakti a scheme with money attached? No. It is a planning and coordination platform; funding continues from the executing ministry's budget. The NLP is likewise a policy framework, not a funding scheme.

Do both sit under the same ministry? Yes, both are anchored in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with the Logistics Division of DPIIT central to each.

Can a citizen or company log in to either? No. PM GatiShakti's portal issues credentials only to government ministries, departments and states. Citizens and firms benefit indirectly through better-planned, more efficient infrastructure.