“With the government outlining infrastructure as one of the focus areas of budget 2018-19, augurs good for the logistics industry, as a well-connected country will give a boost to this industry and help take us to the next level of development.
Infrastructure is the lifeline for logistics industry and the focus on rural infrastructure, roads, railways, development of highways, agriculture will help in the growth of logistics sector and attract more business.
Connectivity is still a big issue in rural areas and it feels good to see that this has been addressed in this year’s Budget. The allocation of Rs. 500 crore for the development of agri-infrastructure called Operation Green, will boost the logistics sector and facilitate development of cold chains and other hard infrastructure.
The completion of National Highways exceeding 9,000-km in 2018-19 will further help in expanding the logistics industry.
Smart cities project with an outlay of Rs 2.04 trn means development of infrastructure which will translate to more business for the logistics industry.
Opening of national logistics portal as a single online window to connect all the stakeholders to be developed by the Department of Commerce is another welcome news for the logistics industry.
However, the reduction of logistics cost as part of the GDP from the current 13%-15% has not been addressed, which is higher than other countries.”
