Waterways are more efficient than roads: Gadkari -Governance Now

Waterways are more efficient than roads: Gadkari

Government’s first priority is waterways, second railways and then comes road

Surbhi Shukla | June 8, 2016

#freight #roads #waterways #Nitin Gadkari #transportation

Waterways needs to be promoted more than roadways which will eventually result in nation’s development by reducing the cost of transportation, said Nitin Gadkari, minister for road transport and highways and shipping at the launch of a report on freight transportation.

“Government’s first priority is waterways, second railways and then comes road,” said the minister on June 7. The minister added that currently six percent goods are transported through waterways and his target is to ensure at least 15 percent of goods are transported through waterways over the next five years.

He also urged logistics firms to buy ships instead of trucks and told them about different schemes like tax exemption, infrastructure status given to shipbuilding. The ministry is also looking for approval from finance ministry to provide subsidy after 7 years.

India has 12 major ports, 200 private ports and 3 organisations, including Shipping Corporation of India and Cochin Shipyard. “We are working on developing two waterways to export iron ore from Goa for which tenders have already been received and also the ministry is planning 8 new ports in which work for 3 ports is scheduled to begin by this year,” he said.

He emphasized on the importance of innovative development approach to reduce logistics cost which will increase export and create employment which would eventually contribute to increase in GDP and per capita Income. He also stressed on creating more business opportunities through transport and making it an additional source of income.

Comments

Other News

A right she cannot reach

Last summer, the two of us spent several weeks in rural Madhya Pradesh with a non-profit that works on gender justice through women’s self-help groups. We went in with a notebook full of laws. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. The Dowry Prohibition Act. Free legal aid for every wo

Tier-2 cities lead India’s digital credit push

Digital payments have become a reflex for urban India, but the confidence earned in paying has not yet carried over to borrowing. That is the central finding of `How Urban India Pays Report 2026`, released by Pahlé India Foundation in collaboration with Amazon Pay. Based on a survey of 5,149 consu

India calls for doubling bilateral trade with UK by 2030

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has called upon businesses in India and the United Kingdom to translate the opportunities created by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into expanded trade, investment, partnerships and job creation. Addressing the Bu

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp