The government has identified 19 additional national waterways for operations over the coming five years, following Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget announcement in February. According to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, five waterways have been identified in Karnataka and three in Jammu & Kashmir as the government seeks to expand environmentally sustainable cargo and passenger transport. As reported by the ministry, this expansion will increase the share of water-based transport of goods and passengers owing to its environmental benefits.
As of now, 32 national waterways are operational for the purpose of cargo and passenger movement. In the current financial year, the ministry will operationalise NW-49 (Jhelum River), NW-26 (Chenab River) and NW-84 (Ravi River) in Jammu & Kashmir, NW-51 (Kabini River) and NW-90 (Sharavati River) in Karnataka, and NW-88 (Sal River) in Goa. The government wants to increase the share of water-based transport of goods and passengers owing to its environmental benefits, as reported by the ministry.
The government's push for waterway expansion comes despite past challenges in the sector. According to the ministry, in the past, concerns over low draft (depth) and instances of vessels getting stuck en route have hindered growth of the sector. The ministry also runs a scheme giving a 35 per cent discount on charges on inland waterways to support the development of this environmentally sustainable transport mode.
