Steady growth

The government and the industry efforts have had no let-up towards the gradual growth of the industry. There is a balanced improvement in the Indian logistics industry.

The government is taking several initiatives to cut logistics cost and to increase import and export with neighbouring countries. In our cover CARGOTALK story, unravels the nuances of the crucial Sagarmala project to know how port-led development will reap modernisation of infrastructure and last mile connectivity to ports.

The India Cargo Awards were held in the month of October to recognise the efforts of the real runners of the industry. The evening saw the fine presence of industry leaders. Flip on to read our award supplement along with the issue!

The latest developments in the logistics industry has been the standardisation of the tax system by putting Goods and Services tax (GST) in place. The industry feels that the tax has enabled cash crunch in the sector. But, with the government and stakeholder’s discussion on the challenges, it is anticipated to get streamlined in the near future. However, on the warehousing industry front, with the GST in place, the industry is excited with the ease in work and the current trend of skilled work force to highly automated/smart techniques of warehousing or distribution.

The Indian government is currently investing in the country’s infrastructure on a massive scale – whether this involves roads, railway lines or waterways. The budget for upgrading roads alone is worth almost $14 billion until 2018. The fact that the government is serious about the logistics industry is reflected in the initiatives to better the sector on a daily basis.