♦ Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal unveiled the cargo promotion scheme ‘Jalvahak’ for boosting cargo movement on three national waterways on 15 December 2024. Jalvahak is aimed at incentivising the movement of long-haul cargo via National Waterways 1 (river Ganga) as well as for National Waterways 2 (river Brahmaputra) and National Waterways 16 (river Barak).
♦ The cargo promotion scheme provides a direct incentive to the cargo owners to transport their goods via inland waterways for a distance of more than 300 km.
♦ India has an extensive network of inland waterways comprising rivers, canals, backwaters, and creeks. Of the total navigable length of 20,236 km, 17,980 km consists of rivers, and 2,256 km is made up of canals, both suitable for the mechanised craft.