The Union cabinet on Tuesday approved the setting up of an Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA) to draw up long-term transport plans, appraise major infrastructure projects and integrate data across roads, railways, ports, aviation, waterways and urban mobility, in a move aimed at creating a unified framework for transport planning.
“The requirement of logistics is increasing. Practically, if GDP grows by 7%, the logistics requirement grows by 10%,” Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while addressing reporters after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “Today, if we are planning, we have to see what will be the requirement 10 years from now — what will be the requirement of roads, what will be the requirement of airports, what will be the requirement of seaports.
Vaishnaw said the authority was being created to ensure infrastructure planning keeps pace with changing requirements. All these things have to be studied together,” he said. “All the major infrastructure ministries, all the infrastructure sectors, should come together as a comprehensive, synergistic group and plan transport,” Vaishnaw said.
A National Transport Data Repository will bring together datasets including Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan, GPS-based systems and urban traffic management systems. The move builds on the Centre’s wider shift towards multimodal infrastructure planning. The government expects the institution to strengthen multimodal connectivity, improve infrastructure efficiency, reduce logistics costs and enhance India’s global logistics competitiveness. The ITLA will prepare a long-term Transport Plan covering roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility and logistics, Mr.
The authority will technically appraise government projects costing ₹ 500 crore or more, while financial appraisal will continue through existing mechanisms. It will also monitor projects above ₹ 500 crore and undertake post-implementation impact assessments. The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, launched in 2021, brought together planning across 58 ministries and departments using more than 3,202 data layers as of June 2026, according to a government publication. The National Logistics Policy, launched in 2022, was also aimed at improving logistics efficiency and reducing supply-chain costs. Earlier reporting noted: Cabinet approves proposal to set up Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority The Cabinet on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) approved a proposal to set up an Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA), Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
The government said the repository would enable freight-flow and origin-destination analytics for planning, monitoring and impact assessment. The Cabinet said ITLA would also assist in reviewing and updating the National Logistics Policy, undertake capacity building and skilling, and promote research and innovation in transport and logistics. Vaishnaw said. The Cabinet “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,” an official statement said.
Earlier reporting noted: The authority will function as the apex body for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring, policy support and data analytics. Earlier reporting noted: The decision to set up the ITLA was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
