{"id":33775,"date":"2024-12-16T18:20:20","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T12:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=33775"},"modified":"2024-12-16T18:20:22","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T12:50:22","slug":"jalvahak-scheme-to-boost-inland-waterways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-12-2024\/jalvahak-scheme-to-boost-inland-waterways","title":{"rendered":"Jalvahak Scheme to Boost Inland Waterways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union government launched the &#8216;Jalvahak&#8217; scheme to<strong> incentivise cargo movement via inland waterways,<\/strong> across National Waterways 1 (Ganga), 2 (Brahmaputra), and 16 (Barak river).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Jalvahak scheme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cargo Promotion and Incentives:<\/strong> The scheme offers direct incentives to cargo owners for transporting goods via inland waterways for distances exceeding<strong> 300 km.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reimbursement of up to 35%<\/strong> of total operating expenditure incurred during cargo transportation is provided.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implementing Agencies: <\/strong>The scheme is a joint effort of the <strong>Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)<\/strong> and the Inland &amp; Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Private participation: <\/strong>Cargo owners are encouraged to hire vessels owned or operated by organisations outside IWAI or ICSL to boost private participation in inland waterways transportation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Duration: <\/strong>The scheme is initially valid for a period of <strong>three years<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Current Status of Inland Waterways in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has an extensive inland waterways network of <strong>20,236 km<\/strong>, comprising <strong>17,980 km of rivers <\/strong>and 2,256 km of canals suitable for mechanised crafts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India currently has <strong>111 National Waterways (NWs)<\/strong>, as declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cargo transported on national waterways <\/strong>increased from 18.07 Million Metric Tonnes (MT) in 2013-14 to <strong>132.89 Million MT in 2023-24<\/strong> \u2014 a growth of over 700%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India aims to achieve <strong>200 Million MT<\/strong> of cargo movement via waterways by <strong>2030 <\/strong>and <strong>500 Million MT <\/strong>by <strong>2047.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of the Inland Waterways<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reducing Logistics Costs: <\/strong>Logistics costs in India account for 14% of GDP, significantly higher than the global average of 8-10%.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decongestion: <\/strong>Promoting inland waterways will help alleviate congestion and reduce the burden on these critical transport networks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eco-Friendly Transport:<\/strong> Reduced fuel consumption and emissions align with India\u2019s commitment to <strong>sustainable development goals (SDGs) <\/strong>and its climate action targets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Benefits: <\/strong>Increased cargo movement via inland waterways will bolster trade and commerce, especially in regions adjoining National Waterways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Boosting Inland Waterways<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Infrastructure Deficiencies: <\/strong>Limited availability of modern terminals, jetties, and navigational aids hampers seamless cargo transportation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Depth and Navigability Issues: <\/strong>Many river stretches suffer from seasonal fluctuations, affecting their navigability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Competition from Road and Rail: <\/strong>Despite incentives, the established dominance of road and rail transport limits the shift towards waterways.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regional Disparities:<\/strong> Inland waterways infrastructure is largely concentrated in certain regions, leaving others underdeveloped.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP):<\/strong> Developing NW-1 with modern infrastructure and terminals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sagarmala Project: <\/strong>Integration of inland waterways with coastal shipping and ports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Freight Village Development: <\/strong>Establishing logistic hubs near key waterways to boost multimodal transport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Encouraging greater <strong>participation of private players<\/strong> in vessel operations and cargo handling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integration of inland waterways with railways, roads,<\/strong> and coastal shipping to ensure seamless transportation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s inland waterways hold immense potential to transform the country\u2019s logistics landscape.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Jalvahak scheme is a crucial step in this direction, offering incentives to reduce costs and increase cargo movement.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>National Waterway-1 (NW-1)<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Rivers: <\/strong>Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System<br>&#8211; <strong>Route:<\/strong> Haldia (West Bengal) to Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh)<br>&#8211; <strong>Length: <\/strong>1,620 km<br>&#8211; <strong>States Covered:<\/strong> Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal<br>&#8211; <strong>National Waterway-2 (NW-2)<\/strong><br>1. <strong>River: <\/strong>Brahmaputra River<br>2. <strong>Route:<\/strong> Dhubri (Assam) to Sadiya (Assam)<br>3. <strong>Length: <\/strong>891 km<br>4. <strong>State Covered: <\/strong>Assam.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2084560&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Union government launched the &#8216;Jalvahak&#8217; scheme to incentivise cargo movement via inland waterways, across National Waterways 1 (Ganga), 2 (Brahmaputra), and 16 (Barak river).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33776,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33775\/revisions\/33776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}