Govt Unveils ‘Jalvahak’ To Boost Inland Waterways
The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled a major policy for Cargo Promotion – ‘Jalvahak’ – incentivising movement of long haul cargo via National Waterways 1 (river Ganga) as well as for National Waterways 2 (river Brahmaputra) and National Waterways 16 (river Barak) today.
The Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also flagged off cargo ships – MV AAI, MV Homi Bhaba along with MV Trishul with two Dumb Barges Ajay & Dikhu – from the GR Jetty today. This marks the beginning of fixed Scheduled Service of Cargo Vessels from Haldia for NW 1 and NW 2. The Fixed Day Scheduled Sailing Service will ply vessels between Kolkata – Patna – Varanasi – Patna – Kolkata stretch of NW 1 and between Kolkata and Pandu in Guwahati on NW 2 via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR). The Union Minister of State for MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur and Minister of State for Transportation (Independent Charge), Govt of UP, Daya Shankar Singh also joined the significant occasion.
The first vessel – MV Trishul with two Dumb Barges Ajay and Dikhu – is carrying 1500 tonnes of cement from GR Jetty in Kolkata to Pandu in Guwahati via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR). The second vessel – MV Aai – is carrying 1000 tonnes of Gypsum to Patna while the third vessel – MV Homi Bhaba – is carrying 200 tonnes of coal to Varanasi.
The cargo promotion scheme provides direct incentive to the cargo owners to transport their goods via inland waterways for a distance of more than 300 kms. This is a joint effort by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), the nodal agency of waterways development in the country, as well as by the Inland & Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL), a fully owned subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCIL). The ‘Jalvahak’ scheme encourages to reduce logistics costs, decongest road and railways, and adapting to a sustainable mode of transportation.
The ‘Jalvahak’ scheme offers reimbursement upto 35% of total operating expenditure incurred while transporting cargo via waterways on NW 1 (Ganga river), NW 2 (Brahmaputra river) & NW 16 (Barak river) via Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route. To encourage the business proposition of vessel operators, the scheme encourages cargo owners to hire vessels owned or operated by organisations other than IWAI or ICSL. The incentive scheme is ideal for major shipping companies, freight forwarders, trade bodies and associations that handle bulk and containerised cargo. By opting for the scheme, it provides them an opportunity to optimise their supply chain network. The scheme is initially valid for 3 years.
