Global delegation from 36 countries visits JNPT
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) organised a port study-tour for the largest global congregation ever to visit any port in India. The congregation included 38 government officials from 36 countries, who are part of the Global Strategic Growth Leadership & Sustainable Development programme initiated by ITEC with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Neeraj Bansal, Deputy Chairman, JNPT, said, “India is a significant contributor to the global container cargo business and JNPT has been the driving force behind this growth, accounting for around 53 per cent of the total containerised cargo volume across the major ports of India. We are delighted to have government officials from so many countries coming together here, to understand our role in the global perspective. Such collaborative efforts help in promotion of trade between India and the rest of the world, which will give a fillip to the Indian economy.” The delegates represented a host of nations, including Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Colombia, South Africa, Egypt, Guinea, Peru, Kenya, and Vietnam. As part of the programme, the delegates first took a tour of the port, followed by a visit to the international APEC training centre which has been built via a collaboration between JNPT and Port Antwerp, to provide regular port-related skill development courses. This was followed by a group discussion, where the delegation was apprised about JNPT’s overall operations, especially new initiatives implemented to promote ‘ease of doing business’. JNPT is popularising Direct Port Delivery (DPD) and Direct Port Entry (DPE) to reduce congestion and save time and cost for EXIM trade. In addition, JNPT is also setting up four new dry ports and a state-of-the-art SEZ to facilitate faster trade. While dry ports will result in movement of cargo from the hinterlands to the ports on a planned basis, setting up of SEZ will attract global investments to turn India into a manufacturing hub.