28 Can governments aid better alliances?
Discussions have often been held to highlight the importance of collaborations between Indian logistics service providers and international players. However, not much is said about the government’s participation here. We get experts to list areas where the government can pitch in with regulatory changes. Vaibhav Vohra
Managing Director, Continental Carriers & Face of the Future (India Cargo Awards 2017, West & South) Innovative governments are making it easier for citizens to access public services and the most forward-thinking governments are starting to master the shift from simply administering services to regularly engaging and empowering citizens, involving them in the design (in some cases even the delivery) of these services. This shift is not just about increasing options and well-being, but also about boosting government productivity with the help of technology and the use of open data. Under the ease of doing business, the government has opened more avenues and streamlined the process and procedure to procure. The government provides efficient and reliable Logistics Service Providers (LSP) benefits in terms of time and cost, which can be passed down to the ultimate consumer. Regarding global trade, the Indian government is signing free trade agreements with various countries on long-term basis. The reduced rate of duties on either side have boosted international trade in a big way. More than 25 export markets have opened up and imports are being treated with a reduced rate of duty, though conditions do apply (such as authentication of Country of Origin certificate from partner country). The HSN codes have also been standardised across countries under the aegis of World Customs Organisation (WCO). The government has implemented a lot of policies for easing operations for LSPs and include initiatives such as e-Sanchit and the GST. The number of documents or the number of interactions with the authorities has been minimised. The policy initiatives are driven in such a way that the process has become paperless and more importantly, faceless. In the logistics sector, the ease of doing business initiative has bettered the World Bank ranking for the industry and today, India’s premier port, JNPT, is ranked in the top 50, a jump from the 87th position in the past. The dwell-time has reduced and so have costs. The government has partnered/collaborated with the trade and understood the pain areas, offering various incentive-based programmes while keeping a check that the revenue of the government is not hampered. In view of the above, the regulatory affairs are eased, however, there is more room to increase efficiencies while simultaneously keeping a check on compliance. The Indian government is signing free trade agreements with various countries on a long-term basis.