NATIONAL LOGISTICS POLICY, INLAND WATERWAYS DEVELOPMENT AND MULTIMODAL CONNECTIVITY

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways reported that cargo movement on National Waterways rose from 18 MMT in 2013‑14 to 218 MMT in 2025‑26, driven by infrastructure upgrades (e.g., construction of jetties, floating terminals and navigation locks) and policy measures such as the Jalvahak Scheme, tonnage‑tax extension and the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations 2025. Comparative freight rates show IWT costing Rs 1.06 Rs/TKm versus Rs 1.36 for rail and Rs 2.50 for road, while greenhouse‑gas emissions are lower (0.0006 vs 0.0031 vs 0.0006 kg CO₂/TKm). Digital platforms like Maritime Single Window (MSW) Sagar Setu and the CAR‑D portal aim to enhance multimodal logistics visibility and efficiency.