Dedicated freight corridors, national waterways to drive regional growth: Logistics industry players

Manish Aggarwal, Partner, Deloitte India, said, New dedicated freight corridor announced in the budget, and renewed focus on setting up industrial corridors, and region-centric economic growth, increase outlay and focus on Railways would help act as catalysts for Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, which are going to be important wheels for our Viksit Bharat ambitions. Sathish S, Partner and National Sector Leader, Industrial Manufacturing, KPMG in India, said the focus to promote container manufacturing and seaplane manufacturing will immensely help address both the objectives of logistics efficiency enhancement and promoting manufacturing activity.

The budget proposal for setting up dedicated freight corridors and operationalising new national waterways would act as catalysts for the development of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities that are going to be ''important wheels'' for the Viksit Bharat journey, industry stakeholders said on Sunday. Presenting the Union Budget for FY27 in the Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam proposed the establishment of dedicated freight corridors connecting Dankuni in the east to Surat in the west, and operationalising 20 new national waterways connecting mineral-rich areas, industrial centres and ports, and setting up a ship repair ecosystem catering to inland waterways. She also announced the launch a coastal cargo promotion scheme to increase the share of inland waterways and coastal shipping from 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047. Ashish Rajgarhia, Executive Director, Essar Ports, said, the government's focus on expanding dedicated freight corridors and operationalising new national waterways, and promoting coastal cargo will strengthen the foundation of the maritime sector at a time when global supply chains are being redefined. Strengthening inland waterways connectivity from mineral-rich regions to key ports will reduce congestion, lower emissions, and unlock new economic opportunities, he said. Sudipta Mukherjee, Managing Director, Texmaco Rail & Engineering, said an outlay of around Rs 2.65 lakh crore for railways provides strong visibility for sustained demand across rolling stock, wagons and rail engineering solutions. He said the freight corridor will significantly enhance passenger mobility, freight efficiency and regional economic integration. Manish Aggarwal, Partner, Deloitte India, said, ''New dedicated freight corridor announced in the budget, and renewed focus on setting up industrial corridors, and region-centric economic growth, increase outlay and focus on Railways would help act as catalysts for Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, which are going to be important wheels for our Viksit Bharat ambitions.'' Sathish S, Partner and National Sector Leader, Industrial Manufacturing, KPMG in India, said the focus to promote container manufacturing and seaplane manufacturing will immensely help address both the objectives of logistics efficiency enhancement and promoting manufacturing activity. Manish Sharma, Sector Leader - Infrastructure, Transport and Logistics, PwC India, said the focus on creating a domestic capability in construction and infrastructure equipment and container manufacturing is a positive move to address the vulnerability which supply chain disruptions can cause to the country's infrastructure and trade agenda. In her budget speech, the FM had also announced a seaplane VGF scheme, which will provide incentives to indigenise manufacturing of seaplanes, and a scheme for container manufacturing to create a globally-competitive container manufacturing ecosystem, with a budgetary allocation of Rs 10,000 crore over 5 years.

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