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India improves in the logistics ranking of the World Bank by jumping six places to rank 38 among 139 countries in the seventh edition of Logistics Performance Index (LPI 2023). India has been taking numerous initiatives since 2015 under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve its logistics efficiency.
The World Bank has acknowledged India’s efforts towards increasing logistics efficiency.
On four out of six LPI indicators, India has seen remarkable improvement on the back of various initiatives being implemented over the past few years, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry release on Wednesday.
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“This is a strong indicator of India’s global positioning, with this development being powered by our government’s laser focus on reforms for improving logistics infrastructure. In October 2021, the government of India launched the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (PMGS-NMP) towards a coordinated approach, leveraging technology, for infrastructure planning and development,” according to the ministry.
PMGS envisages breaking silos among different departments or ministries in states or Union Territories by combining all relevant data on a National Master Plan and State Master Plans (portals), respectively.
It is a geographic information system (GIS)-based tool which integrates existing and proposed infrastructure initiatives of different central Ministries, to ensure first and last-mile connectivity, for seamless movement of people and goods.
At the heart is intense communication and extensive data sharing among the central and state agencies promoting a collaborative approach, the ministry said.
Through the power of technology and collaborative efforts of concerned agencies put together, the ministry said PM GatiShakti addresses the emerging needs of transforming the logistics landscape due to factors like rapid urbanisation, changing energy choices, e-commerce, the need to develop resilient supply chains etc.
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In September 2022, the Prime Minister launched the National Logistics Policy (NLP) which acts as a guiding document for states/UTs seeking to formulate logistics policy as 19 states or UTs have notified their logistics policy. The policy is centred around upgradation and digitisation of logistics infrastructure and services, according to the ministry.
Further with a focus on bringing efficiency in services of processes, digital systems, regulatory framework, and human resources, the policy puts marked emphasis on streamlining processes for seamless coordination, and reduction in overall logistics cost, besides incentivising employment generation and skilling of the workforce.
According to the statement, NLP lays emphasis on the shift towards more energy-efficient modes of transportation and greener fuels to reduce the carbon footprint. The policy also focuses on adopting the usage of multimodal transportation and complementing it by building multimodal logistics parks.
