On August 24, 2022, a tripartite agreement was signed between the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) which envisages swift development of modern Multi Modal Logistics Parks (MMLP) under Bharatmala Pariyojna across India.
- Its objective is to centralize freight consolidation and reduce logistics cost from 14% to less than 10% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) at par with International Standards.
Signatories:
It was signed by Prakash Gaur, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NHLML; Ravi Kant, Chief Engineer & Project Manager for IWAI, and Vikas Awasthi, Executive Director (Planning), RVNL in the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH); Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; and Union Minister of State (MoS) General (Retd) Vijay Kumar Singh, MoRTH.
What will be done under the MoU?
This agreement is an attempt towards the realization of the National Master Plan- Gati Shakti. Through this pact, the 3 participating entities will cooperate and collaborate to achieve efficiency in logistics movement within India while MMLPs will ensure that cargo is swapped/shifted from and to Waterways, Dedicated Freight Corridors & Road Transport.
What is MMLP?
i.To be developed under the ‘Hub & Spoke’ model, MMLP will integrate multiple modes of freight transport through highways, railways & inland waterways.
- It will be a technology driven state-of-the-art freight management system.
ii.It will be a one stop freight handling facility with rail and road accessibility, comprising container terminals, cargo terminals (bulk, break-bulk), warehouses, cold storage, facilities for mechanised material handling and value-added services, custom clearance, parking, maintenance of trucks etc.
iii.It is poised to develop state-of-the-art large scale warehousing facilities for different types of commodities.
What is Bharatmala Pariyojna?
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I in 2017. It was approved for an estimated cost of Rs 6,92,324 crore including other ongoing schemes.
- It envisages development of about 26,000 km length of Economic Corridors. About 8,000 km of Inter Corridors and about 7,500 km of Feeder Routes have been identified for improving the effectiveness of Economic Corridors, GQ (Golden Quadrilateral) and NS-EW (North–South–East–West Corridor) Corridors.
- Under this, there will be development of Ring Roads / bypasses and elevated corridors to decongest the traffic passing through cities and enhance logistic efficiency, 35 locations have been identified for development of MMLPs, among others.
Point to be noted:
The NHLML is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) of MoRTH while IWAI is a statutory authority under Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, and RVNL is a wholly owned Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) under Ministry of Railways.
Recent Related News:
i.On 10th June 2022 Maharashtra’s Maha Metro, a joint entity of the state and Union government, and NHAI facilitated with the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records certifications for jointly constructing the longest Double Decker Viaduct in Asia and 3 metro stations with Highway Flyover & Metro Rail Supported on single column under Nagpur Metro Rail Project.
ii.Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced that the Dwarka Expressway India’s first Elevated Urban Expressway will become operational by 2023. The Dwarka Expressway, also known as the Northern Peripheral Road, is a part of Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai arm of GQ.
About Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH):
Union Minister– Nitin Jairam Gadkari (Constituency- Nagpur, Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– General (Retd) Vijay Kumar Singh (Constituency- Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh)
