NEWS DETAILS

Date: 06/12/2024

A 35 pc subsidy on the anvil to boost goods transport by inland waterways

The government is likely to offer subsidies to cargo owners for goods transportation via inland waterways for three years to boost the transportation of goods by rivers, which accounts for only 2 per cent of India’s total freight movement, as per a report. The proposed move, where there will be a 35 per cent subsidy for river transportation on national waterways 1, 2 and 16, will likely lead to the shifting of around 800 million tonne-kilometre (tkm) of cargo to inland waterways, according to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Tkm is calculated by multiplying the metric tonnes of cargo by the kilometres travelled. The scheme is likely to cost around Rs 100 crore, with around Rs 45 crore required for subsidies, and around Rs 40 crore for the establishment of inland vessel services, as per a report.
 
Source: Exim News Service: New Delhi, Dec. 5