In a notable development, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has notified a scheme worth Rs 1 billion to incentivise inland water transport (IWT). The scheme also provides standard operating procedures for starting scheduled cargo movement on National Waterways (NW)-1, NW-2 and NW-16.
As reported, the IWT sector in India is in a nascent stage and requires support to promote the modal shift of cargo, in addition to creation of physical infrastructure.