National Logistics Portal to enhance trade efficiencies, trial run to end by March 2019

August 28, 2018: The National Logistics Portal, which is being developed to ensure ease of trading in the international and domestic markets, will be launched next year, Finance and Corporate Affairs minister Arun Jaitley has said.

The digital trade platform will secure all transport and logistics vendors onto one platform, enabling easier price comparison for clients and companies. This is likely to bring down overall costs as a result of enhanced efficiency in the transportation of goods around India, as well as the export process.

The move comes as India eyes lowering logistics cost from 14 percent of GDP to less than 10 percent by 2022.

 The platform will be more than just a way to connect with logistics service providers. It will enable traders and manufacturers to obtain certification from 81 government entities, including the Ministry of Railways, Sea and Airport Terminal Authority, Ministry of Roads and Highways, and Customs department.

A bid to create the online platform will be issued in October 2018, with the Union Cabinet approving the company that wins the project. A trial run of the NLP is expected to end by March 2019.

NLP’s development will include a single-window certification device to approve transactions, as well as the integration of an online payment service. In addition, there will be a mobile application so buyers can track their goods in real time.