The Union Cabinet on October 6 approved the creation of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority, a new apex body for coordinated transport planning in India. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The authority will function as a special purpose vehicle providing policy support, research, technical project appraisal and implementation monitoring. Its scope spans roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility and logistics.

One of its main jobs will be preparing a National Transport Master Plan with a planning horizon of ten years or more. It will technically appraise central government transport projects costing Rs 500 crore or more and monitor their implementation. Post-implementation impact assessments will also be part of its work.

The authority will build a National Transport Data Repository by integrating datasets including GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan and GPS-based systems. Modi said the body would bring greater coordination, data-led planning and multimodal integration, with a wide-ranging impact on India’s growth trajectory.