PM Modi To Launch National Logistics Policy Today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the National Logistics Policy (NLP) on Saturday (17 September) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The NLP is aimed at promoting seamless movement of goods and enhancing the competitiveness of the industry.

The policy is expected to focus on areas such as process re-engineering, digitisation, and multi-modal transport.

The move assumes significance as high logistics cost impacts the competitiveness of domestic goods in the international market.

The need for a national logistics policy was felt since the logistics cost in India is high as compared to other developed economies, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Friday (16 September).

"It is imperative to reduce the logistics cost in India for improving the competitiveness of Indian goods both in domestic as well as export markets," the PMO said.

"Reduced logistics cost improves efficiency cutting across various sectors of the economy, encouraging value addition and enterprise," it added.

It said that the policy is an effort to address issues of high cost and inefficiency by laying down an overarching interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional framework for the development of the entire logistics ecosystem.

There is an aim to reduce the logistics cost from about 13 per cent of GDP to 7.5 per cent of the GDP in the coming years.

A comprehensive action plan is proposed under the policy.

Major features of the plan will include - integrated digital logistics systems; unified logistics interface platform; ease of logistics; and standardisation of physical assets and benchmarking service quality standards, state engagement, human resource development and capacity building, export-import logistics, sectoral plans for efficient logistics, and facilitation of the development of logistics parks.

According to the PMO, the launch of National Logistics Policy will give further boost and complementarity to the PM GatiShakti - National Master Plan for muti-modal connectivity.

(With inputs from PTI)