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

Urban Blind Spot: Animals, governance, and the cost of ignoring coexistence

India’s cities are expanding at an unprecedented pace, absorbing people, infrastructure, and economic activity at scale. What urban governance frameworks have been slower to absorb is a reality already playing out on the ground: animals are an inseparable part of urban life. From community dogs and p

How India uses AI in the field of culture and languages

* India is institutionalising AI for culture and languages through national platforms such as BHASHINI, Anuvadini, Gyan Bharatam and Adi Vaani etc. * AI is being used to make cultural and knowledge assets usable by digitisation of manuscripts, translation of academic content, and in

India improves position on Network Readiness Index

India has improved its position by four slots and is now placed at 45th rank in the Network Readiness Index 2025 (NRI 2025) report prepared by Portulans Institute, Washington DC. The report, released on February 4, maps the network-based readiness landscape of 127 economies based on th

Framework for India-US Interim Agreement announced

India and the United States on Saturday announced they had agreed on an interim framework for an interim trade agreement, indicating a broad roadmap of the opening of the markets and reduction in trade tariffs on both sides. In a message on X, prime minister Narendra Modi said, “Great

India’s quiet rise as the world’s `Third Pole`

A silent re-calibration is going on in the international system, which is becoming more polarized, volatile, and entered of spheres of influence. The world does not evolve in the new era of bipolar competition of the United States and China, nor does it evolve on the setback of Russia in the role of a spoi

‘Tariff king’ to trade partner: Why Trump’s sudden U-turn surprises India

On February 2 at around 10 PM, Sergio Gor, who had become US ambassador to India just three weeks ago, posted a cryptic message on his official handle on X, stating, “President Trump just spoke with Prime Minister Modi. STAY TUNED….” This created a buzz across media in India as the two l