Cabinet Approves Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority to Strengthen India's Transport Planning

The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of an Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) aimed at improving coordination across India's transport sectors and supporting long-term infrastructure planning.

The new authority will function under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and act as an apex body for project planning and appraisal, research, monitoring and evaluation across the country's transport sector.

Announcing the decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said key transport sectors, including railways, highways and aviation, would have representation in the proposed authority.

Vaishnaw said the need for a more integrated approach has become increasingly important as India's logistics requirements rise alongside economic growth. According to him, a 7% increase in GDP could result in around 10% growth in logistics demand, making coordinated development of highways, railways, waterways, ports and airports increasingly necessary.

The ITLA is expected to tackle fragmented transport infrastructure planning across different ministries while building on the integrated planning framework created through the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan.

In addition to long-term infrastructure planning, the authority will carry out technical appraisals of transport projects costing more than Rs 500 crore. It will also monitor these projects during implementation and assess their impact after completion.

One of the major responsibilities of the ITLA will be to establish a national transport data repository. The proposed system will bring together information from platforms such as GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan, GPS and urban traffic management systems. Freight movement and origin-destination data will be analysed to support more evidence-based infrastructure decisions.

The authority will also review and assist in updating the National Logistics Policy 2022. It will assess short-term sectoral plans, generally covering a period of around five years, along with annual plans prepared by transport ministries to ensure they remain aligned with the National Transport Master Plan.

The government also expects the ITLA to encourage multimodal infrastructure development and strengthen coordination between roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways and coastal shipping.

The initiative is part of the government's broader Vision 2047 agenda, which seeks to lower logistics costs, improve infrastructure utilisation and efficiency, and strengthen integrated planning across India's transport network.