Growth of Inland water transport around rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra

The Inland Waterways Authority of India is set to host the inaugural 'Inland Waterways Development Council' meeting on January 8, in Kolkata. The meeting is expected to give further impetus to inland water projects in the river Brahmaputra. The authority has invested several thousand crores during the last eight years to develop inland water transport in river Ganges benefitting Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Now it is the turn of Assam and North East.

The day-long meeting on board the vessel MV Ganga Queen, by Ports Minister SarbanandaSonowal, will bring together key figures from across the waterways states and central government including Shri ShripadNaik and Shri Shantanu Thakur, Ministers of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways. The event will also see the participation of Ministers from various State Governments, accompanied by their Principle Secretaries/Secretaries, alongside numerous senior officers of the Central Government and domain experts in the field. 

MrSonowal, will also unveil groundbreaking initiatives, including "HaritNauka – Guidelines for Green Transition of Inland Vessels" and the "River Cruise Tourism Roadmap 2047," during the meeting. Additionally, the event anticipates the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), marking collaborative efforts towards advancing the inland waterways and associated sectors.

The inaugural IWDC meeting boasts a packed agenda with consecutive sessions addressing vital issues in the development of inland waterways in India ..It is to be noted that Ministry has set a bold objective to elevate the modal share of Inland Water Transportation (IWT) from the current 2 to 5 per cent, aligning with the goals outlined in the Maritime India Vision 2030. The ministry aims to substantially increase the existing IWT cargo volume from approximately 120 Million tons per annum to over 500 Million tons per annum in northern and eastern parts of the country.. 

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The establishment of the Inland Waterways Development Council in October 2023 by the Government of India underscores its commitment to comprehensive development of inland waterways and the associated Inland Water Transport (IWT) ecosystem for improved cargo efficiency, passenger movement, and river cruise tourism, with active participation from States and Union Territories.