New Delhi: Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has emphasised the importance of river ports, including the one on the Brahmaputra, in reducing logistics cost and increasing exports.
Speaking at an ET (Economic Times) Edge event that highlighted the importance of world-class port infrastructure and ‘Smart Ports’ implementation to improve business efficiency, Gadkari said, “We aim to reduce the logistics cost to 9% from the current 14-16% by the end of 2024. Good roads, alternative fuels, and increased usage of waterways are important factors that shall make this possible.”
“I urge the industry to use the waterways developed in Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and utilise the route to reach northeastern states, as all protocols and agreements with our neighbours have been signed. There are 40 river ports and 4 multimodal ports on the Ganges route alone. The world wants to buy from us, and we make our exports competitive by leveraging efficient logistics management,” he added.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted the substantial progress made by Indian ports, surpassing the average container dwell time of the US and Germany.
Sonowal also underscored India’s commitment to green shipping through the implementation of the National Action Plan for Green Shipping. Remarkably, India has been chosen as the first country to pilot the transformation of the shipping sector into a low-carbon industry.
Sanjeev Ranjan, chairman of the National Shipping Board, shared valuable insights into the Sagarmala Project, an ambitious endeavour to rejuvenate sea ports for economic development. His presentation showcased the project’s potential to enhance India’s trade capabilities and strengthen its position in the global supply chain ecosystem.
The summit also addressed the significance of institutional, regulatory and legislative reforms in streamlining trade processes and creating a favourable business environment.
“Supply Chain Management and Logistics is at the heart of the global economy and critical to the sustenance of humanity. We are happy to organise this highly engaging and educative annual conference designed to deliver practical information about supply chain agility, policies, supply risk management, automation of repetitive tasks, technology development, and more,” said Deepak Lamba, CEO of Worldwide Media (WWM), President of Times Strategic Solutions.
ET Edge, the event management arm of The Economic Times, is a global platform that facilitates meaningful dialogues, knowledge dissemination, and networking opportunities across various industry domains.
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