Transport Ministry looks to expand US-India collaboration in logistics supply chain and infrastructure

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) today participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), on the sidelines of the India Integrated Transport & Logistics Summit 2017 held in New Delhi.

The discussion was attended by senior officials from MoRTH, Ministry of Shipping, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and senior executives of more than 50 companies that included AECOM, Adani Group, Allcargo Logistics, Caterpillar, CHEP, Coca-Cola Company, FedEx Express, Honeywell, IL&FS, Indospace, Procter & Gamble, and Walmart. 

In his keynote address, Sanjay Mitra, secretary, MoRTH, stressed upon the need for bilateral and trilateral cooperation in improving the transportation sector. He highlighted the various bilateral transportation agreements being finalised with countries such as the US, Iran, UAE, Singapore and the SAARC nations.

Mitra also highlighted the various initiatives being taken by the government in partnership with various countries to improve the transport infrastructure in the region such as development of Chabahar Port, multimodal logistics hub at Varanasi, Sahibganj, and Haldia for easy transportation of goods into the North -Eastern states and Bangladesh. He said that there is a lot of scope for collaboration with the US in areas like logistics, alternate technology for road building, use of new machinery, trucking standards, fleet modernisation, safety features of vehicles, and road safety standards.

Task force to help India adopt global best practices
The USIBC Task Force, an initiative of the USIBC Transport and Logistics Committee, on Supply Chain Standards and Practices was launched on the occasion. Sanjay Mitra welcomed the initiative saying that with the expected growth in the logistics sector with GST, a task force on supply chain standards and practices will help the Indian industries adopt the global best practices to improve their competitiveness in the global marketplace.

Ms Leena Nandan, joint secretary, MoRTH, highlighted investment opportunities present in India, elaborating on the various initiatives undertaken by the Ministry to improve logistics efficiency.   

In his address, Dr. Ravindra Verma, founder and chairman of the Mobility Infrastructure Group, said that it is timely and critical that India continues to explore the full potential of US-India collaboration in the road sector.

Chairing the USIBC Task Force on Supply Chain Standards and Practices, Mike Mullin, senior director, Global Government and Public Affairs, Brambles Ltd, said that the task force will be used to both build understanding and identify opportunities to turn shared ideas into actions in order to deliver positive results for the people of India.