In April 2025, Noida, Uttar Pradesh based The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) reported a record-breaking cargo movement of 145.5 million metric tonnes in the Financial Year (FY) 2024–25, up from 18.1 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) in FY 2013–14, registering a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20.86 per cent.
Exponential Growth in Cargo Traffic in last ten years:
i.Out of the total cargo moved on National Waterways (NWs) during the year, five commodities that is (i.e.) coal, iron ore, iron ore fines, sand and fly ash constituted over 68 percent of them.
- Passenger movement has also reached 1.61 crore in 2023–24.
Expansion of National Waterways:
i.The IWAI, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPS&W), has expanded the number of NWs from 5 to 111 under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
ii.Simultaneously, the operational length of NWs has also increased from 2,716 km (2014-15) to 4,894 km (2023-24).
iii.Also, various digital tools like Least Available Depth Information System (LADIS), River Information System (RIS), Car-D, Portal for Navigational Information (PANI), and Management Information and Reporting Solution (MIRS) were launched by the IWAI to boost the Ease of Doing Business.
iv.India aims to increase Inland Water Transport (IWT) modal share from 2 to 5 percent, and raise traffic to 200+ MMT by 2030 and 500+ MMT by 2047 under Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision.
Policy Measures to Boost Inland Waterways:
i.Jalvahak – Cargo Promotion Scheme:
The initiative, launched on 15 December 2024 with an allocated budget of Rs. 95.42 crores, consists of two main components:
- Financial Incentive: Cargo owners get a 35 percent reimbursement on actual operating costs.
- Scheduled Services: Regular cargo services have been introduced to boost reliability and predictability.
ii.Extension of Tonnage Tax to Inland Vessels:
In order to the tax burden and encourage broader adoption of inland shipping, a stable and predictable tax regime based on vessel tonnage rather than profits was announced in February 2025.
iii.Regulatory Framework for Private Investment:
Promotes private investment in inland waterways through a well-defined legal and operational structure.
iv.Port Integration:
The Multi-Modal Terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia, as well as the Intermodal Terminal at Kalughat, are being transferred to Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata for seamless multimodal logistics.
v.Digitisation and Centralised Database:
A centralised portal is being developed for the registration of inland vessels and crew.
vi.Cargo Aggregation Infrastructure:
To resolve issues related to limited industrial presence along waterways, the following cargo aggregation hubs are under development:
- Freight Village at Varanasi
- Integrated Cluster-cum-Logistics Park at Sahibganj
vii. Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route Operationalisation:
Routes No. 5 & 6 between Maia and Sultanganj have been successfully trialled under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol.
viii. Engagement with Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs):
More than 140 PSUs have been actively involved in evaluating the shift of a portion of their cargo operations to IWT.
About National Waterways (NW):
Government of India has declared 111 waterways as National Waterways through National Waterways Act, 2016 enacted on 12.04.2016
NW-1 – Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river, Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal
NW-2 – Brahmaputra River
NW-3 – West Coast Canal, Kerala
NW-4 – Krishna River, Andhra Pradesh
NW-5 – Mahanadi/Brahmani delta, Matai River, Odisha to West Bengal
NW-6 – Barak River, Assam
NW-37 – River, Gandak Bihar
NW-68 – Mandovi River Goa
NW-73 – River Narmada
NW-110 – River Yamuna, Uttar Pradesh
