The Department of Commerce’s Logistics division has drafted a National Logistics Policy, 2018 (pdf), and will also create an ‘IT backbone’ to develop the National Logistics Information Portal which will serve as an online marketplace for logistics service providers, buyers, government agencies (customs, railways, ports, waterways, coastal shipping etc) etc. Stakeholders and the general public can send comments and suggestions on this draft to draftlogpolicy@gmail.com or in the comment box under the ‘Discussion’ section of MyGov portal by 19 February 2019, preferably in word format. Below, we highlight how this policy relates to the Indian digital ecosystem: The draft policy starts out by saying that, “An efficient and reliable logistics network coupled with a transparent and consistent cross border trade facilitation process is a key driver of export competitiveness in the country…. An efficient logistics ecosystem will also encourage investments in the country, especially FDI and will in turn positively impact international trade.” (emphasis added) Digital highlights from the draft policy Startup acceleration fund by the Logistics Wing: This fund will incubate startups in the logistics sector, enable the adoption of newer technologies and promote innovative practices “that can help in reducing costs and turnaround times.” The policy also states that it will focus on perishable commodities because of the specialised nature of requirements for their packaging, transport and storage. It will also encourage startups working in the “farm to plate” space. “Identify, implement and monitor technology based interventions such as e-tolling, electronic document flow, rationalization of checkpoints, digital verification…
