Editor's Letter: The National Logistics Policy
'I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.' —Marie Curie
The focus on infrastructure as a prerequisite of development is several decades old, but logistics has received attention only recently. It is an ‘ecosystem’ that involves and interlinks several sectors and industries. In her Budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had proposed a National Logistics Policy, that would not only create a single window e-logistics market, but also focus on generation of employment and skills and uplift MSMEs. Unveiling the policy in New Delhi on 17 September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the National Logistics Policy (NLP) as a significant step in fulfilling India’s ‘pran’ (resolve) of becoming a developed country. “To ensure quick last-mile delivery, end transport-related challenges, save time and money of the manufacturers, prevent wastage of the agro-products, concerted efforts were made and one of the manifestations of those efforts is today’s National Logistics Policy,” the Prime Minister said.
It goes without saying that in a world driven by trade and commerce, supply chain efficiencies are a key prerequisite for growth and prosperity. This issue’s cover feature package focuses on the NLP and its ability to strengthen supply chains and mend logistical issues in India. Union government data indicate that the country’s logistical ecosystem has spawned an industry worth $200 billion, supported by more than 20 government agencies, 40 partner government agencies, 37 export promotion councils, 50 IT ecosystems, banks and insurance companies, along with more than 200 shipping and 36 logistics services companies.
The National Logistics Policy 2022 will establish a single-window e-logistics market and assist in skills development. It will give MSMEs an edge in the market and improve the country’s market and export competitiveness. The NLP paves the way for a Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) and Ease of Logistics Services (e-Logs). The ULIP is an integrated platform that seeks to bring together 30 systems of seven ministries that are directly or indirectly involved with logistics, by developing around 102 application programme interfaces (APIs) covering nearly 1,600 fields.
In other segments of the magazine, we bring you voices from the realms of business, academia and even law. Columnists Shuva Mandal and Saurabh Bindal offer an interesting perspective on privacy, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Incidentally, a draft of a new Digital Data Protection Bill has been released recently to replace the Bill that was withdrawn from Parliament earlier this year. Of course, we also bring to you, all our regular columns and features that you look forward to.
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