Govt may consider unveiling national logistics policy in Budget

The government may consider announcement of national logistics policy to promote seamless movement of goods across the country in the forthcoming Budget, sources said.

The policy is being worked out by the logistics division under the commerce ministry, they added.

The policy, which also aimed at reducing high transaction cost of traders, may proposed setting up of a central portal, which will provide end-to-end logistics solutions to companies.

The portal will be a single window marketplace to link all stakeholders.

The proposed policy will also focus on increasing the warehousing capacity, and identify gaps that could be bridged to bring down the cost of logistics for traders.

Besides, there is proposal to create a national logistics e-marketplace as a one-stop marketplace for exporters and importers, set up a separate fund for start-ups in the logistics sector and to double employment in the sector.

High logistics cost impacts competitiveness of domestic goods in the international markets.

The sources said that effective implementation of the policy would help provide an impetus to trade, enhance export competitiveness, and improve India's ranking in the Logistics Performance Index.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will unveil the Budget for 2020-21 on February 1.