Want goods and cargo to move at the pace of a Cheetah, says PM Narendra Modi

The PM congratulated manufacturers, traders and farmers and said that the National logistics policy would give an impetus to all sectors. "Policy plus performance will lead to progress."

He said that the ground needs to be prepared to implement any policy successfully. "This policy is backed by efforts of past eight years. Sagarmala, Bharatmala schemes, and dedicated freight corridor led to capacity building at Indian ports. Development of waterways led to cost-effective, eco-friendly transportation."

Thirty-five multi-modal logistical hubs are being made across India, 60 airports in India have provisions for the transport of farm products, he added. "Multiple taxes across states earlier hamstrung logistics, GST sped up the process and reduced paperwork."

According to PM, the drone sector will pick up in a big way in the coming years. "Drones will allow transport of fresh dairy and fish products to landlocked areas. A year later, this will be remembered as a game changer."

The aim is to bring logistics costs from 13-14 percent to single digits, he said. "ULIP will free exporters from long processes followed for various clearances. Ease of logistics services' portal will allow industry bodies to take up issues directly with the government."

"Gaps in infrastructure will be removed too with help from PM Gati Shakti. If the policy is executed well, no truck driver will have to sleep outside at night. The policy will save human cost."

PM said that the National Logistics Policy would help strengthen the support system for trade and exports, which will benefit small businesses.

Talking about the support PM Gati Shakti will provide to the National Logistics Policy, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said, "National Logistics Policy and PM Gati Shakti will serve as a double engine for economic growth. United Logistics Interface is an integrated platform to enable real-time cargo tracking." The real-time tracking of cargo aims to reduce the cost of logistics and encourage exports.

"National Logistics Policy will make the sector world-class," Goyal said.

Welcoming the comprehensive National Logistics policy, R Dinesh, President-designate, CII and Executive Vice Chairman, TVS Supply Chain Solutions Ltd, said, "it will be a game changer for the Logistics and Supply Chain industry in the country. This will also drive the growth and efficiency of the sector through digitization and integration of multimodal logistics".

He further said, "the policy addresses the competitiveness of the sector through the adoption of technology and standards will pave the way for Indian manufacturing to be part of the Global Supply Chain. He also added that the Logistics Policy, in combination with PM GATI Sakti, would generate millions of jobs for the youth of this country".

The newly appointed SIAM President Vinod Aggarwal said that the automobile industry welcomes the launch of the National Logistics Policy "It is an extremely vital step taken by the Government that will boost the growth of the Automobile sector as the policy focuses on building superior infrastructure like 35 Multi-Modal Logistics Hubs, which will promote seamless transportation of goods."

He added that this policy is expected to reduce the transit time and logistics costs for manufacturers and improve the competitiveness of Indian goods in international markets, thereby helping exports.