Discuss the role of geospatial technology and district-level master planning in strengthening cooperative federalism in infrastructure development.

Infrastructure is planned by the Centre but built on land, utilities and local networks that the States control. The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP), launched in October 2021, puts the geospatial data of 58 Central Ministries and all 36 States/UTs on one GIS platform built by BISAG-N [1]. This moves Centre–State coordination from case-by-case negotiation to shared, data-driven planning.

Role of geospatial technology

• Single source of truth: Layers for forests, utilities and settlements are overlaid on one map. Alignment clashes show up before approval rather than during construction, which ends siloed planning [1].
• Institutional bridge: The CCEA-approved three-tier framework of EGoS, NPG and TSU brings ministries onto one appraisal table [2]. The NPG tests projects for multimodality and last-mile links to economic and social nodes [1].
• State ownership of data: DUMS lets States upload and update their own layers. UGI opens the platform to private planners and citizens [1].
• Sectoral use: MoRTH examined 115 road projects (~13,500 km) through the portal and the NPG [3].

Role of district-level master planning

• Planning below the State level: The District Master Plan (2024–25) brings an area-development approach to districts [1].
• Social infrastructure: Schools, health facilities, water pipelines and roads are mapped together, which links local needs to national corridors [1].
• Early flagging of local constraints such as land and settlements, while changes are still cheap.

Limitations

• No statutory basis: The bodies are executive and advisory and cannot compel a State to act [2].
• Voluntary data upkeep: If a State's layers go out of date, its projects are appraised against an old map [1].
• Execution gap: By February 2026, the NPG had evaluated 352 projects, but only 201 were sanctioned and 167 under implementation. For roads, only 55 of 164 were under way [4].

Geospatial tools and district plans have solved the information problem of federal infrastructure planning. The execution problem is still open. Mandatory data-update norms, monitoring through ITLA, and building district plans into State budgets would turn shared maps into shared delivery. That would realise the "Team India" spirit of cooperative federalism and advance SDG 9 on resilient infrastructure.