If all goes as per plan, India will soon get a one-nation, one-card policy for public transport, a format that has been successfully adopted by leading nations around the world. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog emphasised on the policy’s potential to bring about seamless connectivity between various modes of public transport.
Aimed at building a robust transportation sector, which is the backbone for economical development especially for a densely populated developing country like India, the policy is focused on sustainable modes of public transport, transport-oriented planning and digitisation.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Future Mobility Summit-2018 - India's Move to NextGen Transport Systems’, Kant said, "The objective of the strategy is to plan for the citizens first, rather than focusing on vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility and accessibility by switching to cleaner mode of transportation."
He added that the road transportation segment alone contributes to around four percent of India's GDP with the segment still being heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Speaking about the worsening air quality across India’s major cities, rising climate change concerns and an ever-increasing oil import bill, mobility is a crucial piece of the development puzzle and the key to unlocking the potential of India's economy and people.
Anil Srivastava, advisor, NITI Aayog, said the government is working towards achieving a robust mobility ecosystem across India. "The citizens, on their part, should work towards sharing a ride, not owning the ride. The government has integrated many stakeholders across departments to drive India's mobility vision."