VARANASI States may consider giving ‘industry’ status to logistics to facilitate easy financial access on concessional terms, said Sumita Dawra, special secretary, logistics, department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT), Government of India, on Wednesday.
Speaking on the second day of the two-day of Prime Minister Gati Shakti National Master Plan workshop in Varanasi, she added, “States should establish city logistics committees and develop logistics plans for efficient freight flow management.”
Dawra also requested the states to conduct inter-department meetings to create awareness on PM Gati Shakti and create infrastructure for an efficient logistics ecosystem. She said that states should interact with investors/regional business associations to understand the interventions needed for better infrastructure and logistics systems.
The senior official pointed out that Human Resources Development, Skilling and Capacity Building in Logistics are the focus courses on logistics and supply chain which will be integrated in course curriculum of universities. She advocated for a cluster-based area approach to develop economic centres. Further, she said that the economic corridors may be strengthened by leveraging inland waterways connectivity and attracting private investments in logistics-related infrastructure.
Significantly, Dawra also requested for involving start-ups to promote logistics efficiency. She also underlined the importance of the use of technology and green initiatives while planning the logistics eco-system, which will include — ‘planning for infrastructure development for new India’ and ‘developing an efficient logistics ecosystem’.
Separately, Anurag Jain, secretary, DPIIT, Government of India, urged the states to take PM Gati Shakti to district and gram panchayat levels. He appreciated efforts towards integrated planning for infrastructure development and social sector decision-making while motivating the states to bring out their State Logistics Policies. He also highlighted the importance of data quality and authenticity for accurate planning on NMP (National Master Plan) or SMP (State Master Plan).
The officials lauded the technical support by BISAG-N for the tremendous work of mapping GIS-data layers of economic and social infra on NMP across the country. Meanwhile, during the second day of the workshop, several states — including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, and West Bengal — made presentations on their respective State Logistics Policies.
The Uttar Pradesh Warehousing and Logistics Policy 2022 highlights the state’s infrastructure and logistics potential — including eight state-of-the-art expressways, India’s first inland waterway (NW1), and 1,100-km of DFC track passing through 20 districts. The policy also outlines investment opportunities and parameters, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, and fast track land allotment, which are expected to create employment for around 1,48,000 people in the logistics sector. The state has decided to earmark land for logistics sector in every Industrial Park/Zone in the state.