All my colleagues in the Union Cabinet, representatives of the country's logistics and industries, all other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen!
Today, the country has taken an important step towards the making of a developed India in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. There should be faster last mile delivery in India, the challenges related to transport should be eliminated and both the time and money of our manufacturers and industries should be saved. Similarly, how do we prevent losses caused due to delays in our agro products? There has been a continuous effort to find solutions to all these issues and the National Logistics Policy is a part of that. I am sure that there will be coordination between the different units of the government working in this area for the improvement of all these systems. There will be a holistic approach and it will give impetus to the speed that we want. I got delayed by 5-7 minutes due to an exhibition here. Though I could not see the exhibits properly due to lack of time and I had a cursory glance at them. I request all of you to take some time out and visit the exhibition for 15-20 minutes which is in this campus itself. What is the role of technology in this field? How are we using the space technology? You will get to learn many new things if you look at all the exhibits. Today we are the 5th largest economy in the world. Aren't you happy? Better late than never! It happens sometimes. Since there is so much negativity all around that sometimes it takes a long time to notice the good. The country is changing. There was a time when we used to release pigeons. Today we release cheetahs. It does not happen all of a sudden. There is some relevance between the release of cheetahs in the morning and the launch of the National Logistics Policy in the evening. We want movement of goods from one place to another with the speed of the cheetah. The country wants to move forward at the same speed
Friends,
The echo of Make in India and ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ is reverberating not only in India but abroad also. Today India is setting huge export targets. Initially, it is difficult to set such huge targets given the past performance. But once it is decided then the country does it as well. Today, the country is meeting those targets. Such is the potential of the country in the manufacturing sector that India is emerging as a manufacturing hub. Today, the world is even acknowledging this fact. Those who study the PLI scheme will realize that the world has accepted this fact. In such a situation, the National Logistics Policy has brought a lot of new energy for every sector. I would like to congratulate and convey my best wishes to all the stakeholders, traders, businessmen, exporters and farmers of the country for this important initiative which is going to be a game-changer for them.
Friends,
There are many policy makers and industry stalwarts present in this event. They have faced difficulties in their life and have found ways as well. Sometimes, they might have resorted to shortcuts. I am telling you today what people will write tomorrow. The policy itself is not the final result. In fact, it is the beginning. Policy plus performance becomes progress. That is if parameters of performance, a roadmap for performance and a timeline for performance are clubbed together with a policy, then policy plus performance becomes progress. Therefore, the responsibility of performance of the government and all the stalwarts engaged in this field increases manifold once the policy is finalized. There may be contrarian views regarding a policy. Some may find a policy good while some others may not. But policy is like a driving force, a guiding force. Therefore, this policy should not be seen just as a government document. We need to catch up with the speed with which we need to transport goods from east to west like the speed of a cheetah. Today's India prepares a ground before formulating and implementing its policies. Only then that policy is successfully implemented and there are possibilities of progress. The National Logistics Policy is also not being launched suddenly. It is the culmination of eight years of hard work. Several policies were changed and important decisions were incorporated. If I speak for myself, I can say that it includes my 22 years of governance experience from 2001 to 2022. We launched projects like Sagarmala and Bharatmala to improve logistics connectivity and to ensure systematic infrastructure development. We endeavoured to expedite the work of the dedicated freight corridors. Today the total capacity of Indian ports has increased significantly. The average turn-around time of container vessels has come down from 44 hours to 26 hours. Many new waterways are also being built in the country so that we can carry out eco-friendly and cost effective transportation. About 40 Air Cargo Terminals have also been built in the country to help in exports. Cold storage facilities have been provided at 30 airports. Thirty-five multi-modal logistics hubs are also being set up across the country. You all have seen that the country also started using Kisan Rail and Krishi Udan during the time of the Corona crisis. They helped a lot in transporting agricultural produce from far flung areas of the country to the main markets. Krishi Udan carried the produce of farmers to foreign countries. Today, the Krishi Udan facilities are available at about 60 airports in the country. I am sure some of our journalist friends will call me after listening to my speech that they were not even aware of all these things. There must be many of you too who would be surprised to know that so much has happened. It is so because we don't care. The government has also tried to strengthen the logistics sector with the help of technology apart from investing lakhs of crores of rupees on the infrastructure projects. Be it the paperless EXIM trade process through eSANCHIT, faceless assessment in customs, or the provision of e-way bills and FASTag, all these facilities have greatly increased the efficiency of the logistics sector.
Friends,
Another major challenge of the logistics sector has also been eliminated by our government in the last few years. Earlier, there used to be brakes on the pace of logistics due to multiple taxes in different states. But GST has resolved this problem. As a result, unnecessary paperwork has been reduced which has simplified the process of logistics. The way the government has changed the drone policy in the last few months by linking it to the PLI scheme, today drones are also being used to deliver various goods. You just see the younger generation will definitely come in this sector. Drone transportation is going to be a major sector and I would like to see how the agricultural production in the remote and small villages of the Himalayan ranges could be transported through drones. How can fresh fish be transported to landlocked areas in big cities? All this is going to materialize soon. I don't need royalty if this idea works for anyone.
Friends,
I reiterate all these things because drones have helped us a lot in the past in carrying medicines and vaccines to the tough terrain and mountainous areas. We have used it. As I said, the logistics sector is going to gain a lot due to the maximum use of drones in the transport sector. Therefore, we have put forward a very progressive policy before you
Friends,
It is only after a series of reforms for creating a strong logistics base in the country that we have come up with this National Logistics Policy. This policy is now at the take-off stage. Many initiatives have been taken and many systems have been developed. Now all of us have to come together for the take-off. I can imagine the boom in the logistics sector. This change is going to bring unprecedented results. And if you evaluate it after a year, then you yourself will acknowledge the success which you had not even imagined. We all should aim to bring the logistics cost of 13-14 percent to single digit as soon as possible. If we have to be globally competitive then it is kind of a low hanging fruit. We may find it difficult to reduce the cost in other things, but this is a low hanging fruit. We can bring the logistics cost to single digit from the prevalent 13-14 percent through our efforts, efficiency and following some rules.
Friends,
Two more major challenges have been addressed through the National Logistics Policy. A manufacturer has to apply for different licenses in different districts for his business. Our exporters also have to go through a long process. Exporters have to compile shipping bill numbers, railway consignment numbers, E-way bill numbers, etc to track and trace their goods. Only then can he serve the country. All of you are very nice that you don't complain much. But I understand your pain so I am trying to improve it. The Unified Logistics Interface Platform i.e., ULIP, that has been launched today, will save the exporters from this long process. There is a demo of it in the exhibition. You will realize how you can arrive at your decisions fast and improve your business. ULIP will bring all the digital services related to the transportation sector on a single platform. A digital platform named Ease of Logistics Services -- eLOGS --has also been launched today under the National Logistics Policy. Through this portal, industry associations can directly take up any such matter with the government agency, which is causing problems in their operations and performance. In short, a system has been created so that you can reach the government in a very transparent way and without any hurdles. A comprehensive system has been developed for the speedy resolution of such cases.
Friends,
The National Logistics Policy is going to offer maximum support to the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. I am happy that today all our states and union territories of the country have joined the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan and almost all the departments have started working together. A huge database of information related to different infrastructure projects of the central and state governments has been prepared. You will be surprised to know that today data from the central and state governments in about 1500 layers has been uploaded on the PM GatiShakti portal. All such information regarding the projects, the forest land and the defence land etc are now available at a single place. This has improved the planning of infra projects, accelerated the clearances and fixed the problems that were noticed later. The infrastructure gaps that existed earlier are being plugged rapidly due to the PM GatiShakti Plan. I remember how there was a tendency in the past to declare infrastructure projects without any careful planning and they were delayed for several decades. The country's logistics sector has suffered a huge loss due to this. The logistics policy that I am talking about also has a human interface. If we run these systems properly, then no truck driver will have to sleep outside at night. He can also come home at night to sleep after completing his duty. All these arrangements can be planned easily. And what a great service it would be! What I mean to say is that this policy in itself has the potential to change the entire way of thinking of the country.
Friends,
The GatiShakti and National Logistics Policy together are now heralding the country towards a new work culture. We have recently approved the Gati Shakti University i.e. we have also done the work of Human Resource Development along with it. The policy is being launched today. The talent that will come out of the Gati Shakti University is also going to help it a lot.
Friends,
In the midst of these efforts, it is also important for us to understand that today the world's attitude towards India is changing. Today the world is evaluating India in a very positive manner, though it takes a while in our country for the same. It is happening outside India. The world has a lot of expectations from India and many of you who have relatives abroad must be telling you during their visit. Major experts of the world are saying that India is emerging as a 'democratic superpower' today. The experts and democratic superpowers are deeply impressed by the 'extra-ordinary talent ecosystem' of India. Experts are praising India's determination and progress. And this is no mere coincidence. The kind of resilience shown by India and the Indian economy in the midst of a global crisis has given new confidence to the world. The reforms that India has undertaken in the last few years and the policies it has implemented are really unprecedented. Therefore, the world's trust in India has increased and is growing continuously. We have to fully live up to this trust of the world. It is our responsibility and missing such an opportunity will not be advantageous for us. I am sure the National Logistics Policy which has been launched today will help in bringing a new momentum in every sphere of life of the country.
Friends,
There will be no one among you who does not want our country to become a developed country. There will be no such person in India which is determined to become developed. The problem lies when we leave it to others. We have to change and we have to do it together. India with the resolve of a developed country now has to compete aggressively with developed countries. We should bear this in mind that as we become stronger, our competition will be fierce. And we should welcome this, we should not hesitate. Come, we are ready, that should be our attitude. Therefore, I feel that our every product, every initiative and our every process should be very competitive as well. Be it service sector, manufacturing, automobiles, or electronics, we have to make big goals in every sector and achieve them. Today, the world's attraction to products made in India should not be limited to just patting us on the back. Friends, we should think about capturing the world market. Everybody in the world is taking note of India's agricultural products, mobile phones or the BrahMos missiles. Vaccines and medicines made in India during the Corona period have helped in saving the lives of millions of people of the world. I returned from Uzbekistan in the morning today. I was talking to the President of Uzbekistan last night. It was late, but still he was telling me so enthusiastically about yoga. He said there was a kind of hatred towards yoga in Uzbekistan earlier. But he said the situation has changed so much and yoga has become so popular in every nook and corner of his country that they need trainers from India. What I mean to say is that the thinking of the world towards India is changing very fast, friends. For products made in India to dominate the world markets, it is equally important to have a strong support system in the country. The National Logistics Policy will go a long way in modernizing this support system
And friends,
As you are aware that when the country's exports increase, the logistics related problems in the country are reduced, then our small industries and the people working in them stand to benefit the most. Strengthening of the logistics sector will not only make the life of common man easier but will also help in increasing the respect of labor and workers.
Friends,
Now the problems associated with India's logistics sector will end, expectations will increase and this sector will now take the country's success to new heights. The National Logistics Policy has immense potential for development of infrastructure, expansion of business and increasing employment opportunities. We have to realize these possibilities together. With this resolve, once again many best wishes to all of you. I expect you to transport goods at the speed of a cheetah. Thank you.
