Thirty-four
MoUs amounting to about Rs 2 lakh crores were signed in the three day India
Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit that was concluded in New Delhi
today. These MoUs were in the areas of port connectivity, Integrated Check
Posts (ICP) in the states of Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal,
Manipur, access to land port in Tripura, Assam and Mizoram, development of
Logistics Parks in Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam,
Gujarat, Mizoram, development and furthering of multi modal logistics parks in
Mumbai and Bengaluru and Haryana, exploring Investment opportunities in
logistics Sector, dredging of inland waterways, implementation of 79 port
connectivity projects under Sagarmala, development of port roads to Chennai and
Vishakhapatnam ports, and connectivity to airport in Navi Mumbai, among others.
Some of these MoUs are between Government agencies while others are between
Government to business and Business to Business.
The
Summit was attended by around 3000 delegates from India and abroad, which
included central and State Government organizations , international
organizations like World Bank and ADB, delegates, global transport and supply
chain experts and representatives of private companies. The sessions focused on
six major themes that included Multi Modal Logistics Parks, New developments in
Urban transportation, Freight Corridors for Economic Development, Supply Chain
Transformation- Storage Innovations, GST and Role of Digitization for
Decongestion and Standards and Skills for Logistics. Fifty speakers from across
the globe Shared their views, expertise and experience about developing the
logistics and integrated multi modal transport Sector in India.
Speaking
at the concluding session of the summit, the Minister of Road Transport &
Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari said that there is an urgent need to
bring down logistics cost in the country to globally comparable rates if we
hope to achieve double digit growth figures and ensure the welfare of the
weakest sections of society. Shri Gadkari said that the summit is a very
welcome, first step towards realizing this objective. The participation of both
Government and Private Sector has been very encouraging, he said, and even
states from the North East have come forward to sign MoUs. He said the
suggestions of all stakeholders will be considered and a road map will be drawn
for progress along these lines.
The
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje spoke about the ongoing developments
in the transport and logistics sector in her state and welcomed the steps being
taken to develop multi modal integrated transport in the country. She said
Rajasthan has the highest length of National Highways in the country. Six
economic corridors pass through the state. The state has close proximity to the
prosperous northern and western regions of the country. Air Infrastructure in
the state is also good with Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur having full fledged
airports. She said multi modal integrated transport and logistics would benefit
Rajasthan to a great extent.
Haryana
Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar also welcomed the organization of the
summit and said Haryana is fully capable and prepared to participate in the
upcoming transport and logistics revolution in the country. He said the state
has a lot of potential to contribute to the growth of warehousing and supply
chain logistics. He also informed that the state is working in a big way to
enhance and modernize its transport and warehousing network.
The
Ministry also gave away awards to the winners of a contest for designing solar
toll plazas.
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UM/NP/MS
