UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Five Years of PM GatiShakti: Transforming India’s Infrastructure Planning

Q1. With reference to the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) and the National Logistics Policy (NLP), 2022, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The NMP is primarily concerned with planning fixed physical networks across transport modes, while the NLP addresses processes, regulation, skills and services in the logistics sector.
  2. The NLP seeks to lower logistics costs partly through digital systems and data-driven decision support, and not only through additional physical capacity.
  3. With the launch of the NLP, network planning of infrastructure projects was shifted from the NMP platform to the NLP framework.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and India's Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The LPI compares the logistics performance of countries, whereas LEADS compares the logistics ecosystems of States and Union Territories within India.
  2. The LPI is computed entirely from administrative data reported by national governments, without surveying logistics professionals.
  3. A State's LEADS ranking is one of the inputs the World Bank uses to compute India's LPI score.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q3. Suppose projects under Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways and UDAN, which were earlier planned separately by their respective Ministries, are now examined together on a common geospatial platform. Which of the outcomes given above is/are likely to follow?

  1. Fewer cases of an asset built by one agency having to be dug up or realigned for another agency's later project
  2. Better use of existing port and airport capacity through planned road, rail or waterway links to them
  3. Earlier identification of points where cargo must change mode, such as dry ports or logistics parks
  4. Transfer of the execution of these programmes from the sectoral Ministries to the Network Planning Group
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The National Transport Data Repository proposed under ITLA is expected to support origin–destination analysis of freight movement.
  2. The repository is to integrate records generated as goods and vehicles actually move, such as GSTN e-way bills and FASTag toll transactions, along with Vahan vehicle registration data.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. Consider the following assertion: Adding road and rail capacity by itself is unlikely to bring India's logistics costs down to global benchmarks. Which of the statements given below support(s) the above assertion?

  1. The seven engines of PM GatiShakti include mass transport alongside logistics infrastructure.
  2. When transport modes are planned in separate silos, existing assets remain underused and links between modes are missed.
  3. A part of logistics cost arises from processes, regulation, skills and services, which the National Logistics Policy treats as soft infrastructure.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 2 and 3 only