Inland Waterways Authority (IWAI) of India under the Ministry of Shipping announced that the National Waterways in the country has carried 73.64 million metric tonnes of cargo in the financial year of 2019-20.
In March 2020, the ministry has announced that it will be seeking technical assistance grant of Rs 50 crore from the World Bank for Eastern Waterways Connectivity Transport Grid (EWaCTG) to develop rivers and canals as an alternate mode of transportation between India and its five neighbouring countries in the east. IWAI has also recently brought 8 new Ro-PAX vessels to be deployed on NW-1 and NW-2 for transportation of passengers, vehicles and goods.
