In the aftermath of the current turmoil in Ukraine, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday that Indian exporters are sitting on significant orders as logistical costs skyrocket. Exporters are concerned about container availability and port-related concerns, he said.
“Because of these obstacles,” the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways remarked during a virtual session hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry-Eastern Region, “the industry is not able to take advantage of such substantial exporter orders.”
Worldwide shipping costs have risen 30% year on year, according to Hellenic Shipping News. Gadkari stated that the government must minimise its reliance on crude oil, which is critical for the sector, and instead use alternative fuels such as green hydrogen.
The minister stated that the government is in the process of establishing 35 MMLPs to help India’s export sector become more competitive in the global market. The MMLPs would be created on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis with a capital outlay of Rs 46,000 crore. The government has set a target of 50 kilometres per day for the construction of national highways in the country, with the hope that the pace will be faster in the current fiscal year than in 2020-21. The government is prioritising the development of the road network near the Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir border areas.
