The Indian Government has launched a new scheme named the “Jalvahak” for enhancing long-distance cargo transportation via inland waterways. On December 15th, the Indian government inaugurated the scheme, which aims to promote transportation across multiple waterways, thereby alleviating congestion on roads and rail networks.
The program inaugurated fixed sailing services across key routes, such as Kolkata-Patna-Varanasi and Kolkata-Pandu (Guwahati). This service will allow for timely and reliable cargo delivery. The scheme is also heavily incentivizing early adopters by offering around 35% reimbursement of operating costs for all cargo that is transported farther than 300 kilometers. Initially, this scheme is set to be valid for 3 years.
The inauguration also involved the flagging off of three cargo vessels that will mark the beginning of cargo deliveries under the new scheme. These were the MV TRISHUL, carrying cement to Guwahati; the MV HOMI BHABA, carrying coal to Varanasi; and the MV AAI, carrying gypsum to Patna.
The new Jalvahak scheme is also intended to promote a more eco-friendly mode of transport than roadways or the Indian railways, which are the go-to methods for the majority of goods transport in India. The new Jalvahak scheme is intended to bring about significant change in the current cargo transport landscape, with more than 800 million tonne-kilometers of modal shift expected by 2027.
