Page 667 - ES 2020-21_Volume-1-2 [28-01-21]

294 Economic Survey 2020-21 Volume 2

• Innovative use of Elevating Transfer Vehicles (ETV) for imports cargo storage at cargo
terminals, tie-ups with Customs and CISF to hold import cargo on selected locations.
• Facilitated growing demand of air freighter operations to compensate shrinkage in belly-hold
cargo capacity
• Dedicated team to ensure fast-connect for all temperature-controlled cargo.

Port and Shipping

8.46 The ports and shipping sector is the backbone of international shipment of goods and
services. It not only facilitates international trade but also reduces the cost of international
shipping and waiting period at the ports. In India, around 95 per cent (68 per cent) of total
volume (value) of international trade is transported by sea.

8.47 India is endowed with a rich coastline of ~7500 km and has a strategic location on key
international maritime trade routes. To harness and unleash the potential benefit of navigable
waterways, the GoI has embarked on the ambitious Sagarmala Programme to promote port-led
development in the country and reduce logistics costs for trade.

8.48 The Sagarmala program has identified 500+ projects under four pillars— 211 port
modernization projects, 200 port connectivity projects, 32 port-led industrialization projects,
and 62 coastal community development projects which can unlock the opportunities for port-
led development and are expected to mobilize more than ` 3.59 lakh crores of infrastructure
investment. Between July 2019 to October 2020, 37 Sagarmala projects worth ` 8,461 crores
have been completed which comprise 17 projects of port modernization worth ` 2,721 crores,
14 port connectivity projects worth ` 5,372 crores and 6 coastal community development
projects worth ` 368 crores.
8.49 The installed capacity of major ports in India has increased to 1534.91 MTPA in March-2020
as compared to 871.52 MTPA in March-2014. The major ports handled traffic of 704.82 MT
during FY20. GoI has also been striving to improve operational efficiencies of major ports
through mechanization, digitization, and process simplification. The average turnaround time in
FY20 improved to 61.75 hours as against 126.96 hours in FY11 and 96 hours in FY15 (Figure
32). The average output per ship berth day has increased from 12,458 tonnes in FY15 to 16,433
tonnes in FY20. Unlike the preconceived notion that the port which contributes more in total
traffic has a higher turnover time, the evidence suggests that the average turnover time is not
significantly associated with the volume of traffic handled by the port (Figure 33). Irrespective
of total traffic there are some major ports that are efficient on turnaround time and vice-versa.

Railways

8.50 Indian Railways (IR) with over 67,580 route kms, is the third-largest network in the
world under single management. During the FY20, IR carried 1.2 billion tonnes of freight
and 8.1 billion passengers – making it the world’s largest passenger carrier and fourth-largest
freight carrier. IR endeavours to provide safe, efficient, and competitive means of transport by
adopting technological changes including through development of specific indigenous systems
in signalling to avert train collision and to enable real time management of trains, in keeping
with the Atamnirbhar Bharat Mission and by maintaining cleanliness standards under Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan.