Industry Welcomes National Logistics Policy

As a major breakthrough for the industry and logistics sector in particular, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Welcoming the new Logistics policy, Sandeep Wadhwa, Chairman Logistics Committee of PHDCCI stated, "The National Logistics Policy which is released by our Honourable PM today, will reduce our dependence upon road transport & will integrate the air, road & water mode of transport to reduce the cost of logistics in India considerably & to make our domestic trade and international trade more economical eventually. Also this policy aims to make logistics industry more digitised for better integration & Co ordination with the trade, which will increase the ease of business & facilitate trade & make India reach greater heights. It is a path-breaking move by the PM. And the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has worked tirelessly to make this happen. Our hearty congratulations to Mr Piyush Goyal, Mr Meena and their team for this wonderful feat.

Ashish Mohan Wig, Chairman of Gati Shakti Development Forum, commented, “Desh ki pragati ko Gati “ will be given by the National Logistic Policy. National Logistic Policy and PM Gati Shakti will work as a double engines to India’s economic progress. The draft of this Policy was made and circulated in 2019 for comments, which is released today (pending due to Covid)Last mile connectivity will be addressed. Reduction in Agri wastage due to proper and planned logistics where costing will be worked out along with giving all alternate sources of transport available."

He also said, "Considering India to be 5th largest economy, this policy was inevitable. Releasing cheetah in the morning and releasing a national logistic policy in the evening can be indicative of how the nation wants logistics to move - at cheetah speed with the integration of different modes of transport. Policy on its own is not progress/result. A policy with performance = progress. Without any policy, we would not know how and where to go, but we need to work on it. This policy has 8 years of dedicated hard work. It is for systematic infra development. Bharat mala and Sagarmala are initiatives in this direction. Turnaround time of containers has been reduced from 44 hrs to 26 hrs."

Mr. Vineet Agarwal, MD at Transport Corporation of India said, "The much-awaited announcement by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India around National Logistics Policy, will herald a paradigm shift in the logistics sector. Push toward seamless multimodal transportation and modern connectivity will be a game changer as it will shift the transportation stress from just roads to other modes as well. It will help us drive the ESG goals and focus on a better cost structure. The paperless supply chain initiative, strengthened cooperative federalism, ease of Logistics services portal (e-log), and standardisation of the warehousing sector will help India become one of the top 25 Logistics performers in the world. The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) tenant of the NLP will enhance visibility for customers and enable logistics companies like us to adopt digitisation at a much larger scale.

Agendra Kumar, MD, Esri India said, “The National Logistics policy (NLP) will drive the much-needed tectonic shift in the sector towards digitization, thereby transforming the entire ecosystem towards fulfilling the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, GIS, drones and others will be instrumental in IDS- Integration of Digital System, ULIP — Unified Logistics interface Platform,  SIG — System Improvement Group, the key pillars of NLP. The PM Gati Shakti master plan integrated with GIS data layers will be important in providing technology-based, seamless, multi-modal connectivity. This integration will usher in a new chapter for the logistics sector, enabling faster decision-making and roll-out of critical projects, to give a competitive push to our exports.”

"Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya will act as human resource for the drivers and other such training programmes will be provided to the workforce." Mr Agarwal of TCI further added,  "NLP is an encouragement for all the stakeholders in the Supply Chain segment & will be one of the key pillars for India to become a USD 5 trillion economy. It will surely provide the 'Cheetah Speed' to the logistics industry and make India a global logistics hub."

Ms Zaiba Sarang, Co-founder, iThink Logistics stated,"NLP aims at reducing the logistics cost from 13% to a single digit. Drones will soon contribute to agricultural logistics from the remotest regions of the Himalayas or remote islands their product will be made accessible to the Metro region of India. ULIP, ELOG, Gati Shakti and many more initiatives will try to deliver a cheetah speed to the logistics of India. NLP gives the smallest of people in the ecosystem to get access to information that was available to key stakeholders only.85% of owner owning less than 10 trucks and their empty trucks can pick up the goods from a best place which will yield them higher return. NLP also helps the last mile to be more efficient and faster to fill up the gap of transporter where business can benefit in terms of time and cost. Currently, logistics is providing livelihood to more than 22 million people, with one of the initiatives aimed at upskilling and increasing employment opportunities. At the grassroots level NLP also helps truck drivers to get a peaceful night. Along with the normal people in the ecosystem it will also help the shramik class to get respect and dignity."

Mr. Pervinder Singh Chawla, Co-Founder at OnMove by Zast Logisolutions commented, "The much awaited New Logistics Policy is a transformative approach for economic growth and sustainable development. It creates a path for Logistics to contribute to the economy and GDP of the country in a positive manner. With strong focus towards creating a single-window e-logistics market, the generation of employment, skills and making medium and small enterprises competitive, the Policy will streamline the supply chain process. In India, where road transportation dominates the logistics sector, with a dominant share of 60 percent, the shift towards multimodal infrastructure with a mix of rail, shipping, road, and air transport, will help reduce the congestion on roads along with low crude import bills. The policy addresses the pre-existing concerns in India’s logistics sector from a global perspective. The comprehensive areas mentioned in the Policy, like process re-engineering, paperless supply chain, seamless multimodal transport and modern connectivity for ease of doing business & reducing logistics costs, will help the country reach its economic goals. The sector-specific Logistics plan, and strengthened cooperative federalism will make India a Global Digital Logistics Hub. Gati shakti Vishwa Vidyalaya will act as a Human Resource for drivers and others. New courses and skill development training programmes at UG and PG level will boost the Indian economy by enhancing the employment rate. The NLP also formalises the logistics sector by introducing a Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP)." Sharing his perspective on MSMEs Mr Chawla also said, "Ease of Logistics Services Portal (E-Log) will build a Digital Regulatory Interface. The reduction in transaction costs will catalyse the trade while enhancing competitiveness and driving MSMEs sector through cost-efficient logistics. Overall, the NLP is a holistics approach to help India set a global benchmark and become one of the Top 25 Logistics Performers in the world."