Lok Sabha Question No. 5731 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-04
Subject: Cargo Transportation in Inland Waterways
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, Shri Damodar Agrawal, Shri P P Chaudhary, Shri Kota Srinivasa Poojary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5731

ANSWERED ON 04.04.2025

## CARGO TRANSPORTATION IN INLAND WATERWAYS

5731. SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:

SHRI TRIVENDRA SINGH RAWAT:

SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY:

SHRI P P CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYSbe pleased to state:

## पȅन , पोत पįरवहन और जलमागŊ मंũी

- (a)  the  total  Cargo  transportation  through  the  inland  waterways  during  the  last  three years including financial year 2024-25 till February, 2025;
- (b) the total Cargo transportation through inland waterways from financial year 2014-15 till February, 2015;
- (c) the total quantum of funds allocated and incurred till February, 2025 for the 'Cargo Promotion Scheme';
- (d)  the  details  of  the  incentives  provided  by  the  Government  for  'Cargo  Promotion Scheme' during the said period; and
- (e)  the  mandate  of  Inland  Waterways  Authority  of  India  (IWAI)  and  the  infrastructure developed  for  transportation  by  IWAI  indicating  the  total  length  of  inland  waterways operational in the year 2014-15, 2019-20 and 2023-24, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

(a)The total Cargo transportation through the NationalWaterways during the last three years is given below:

| Year                              |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |   2024-25 (Till February, 2025) |
|-----------------------------------|-----------|-----------|---------------------------------|
| Cargo Transported in Million Tons |    126.15 |    133.03 |                          133.12 |

(b)Total cargo transportation through National Waterways (NWs) in financial year 201415 was 29.16 Million Ton.

- (c) & (d)The Cargo Promotion Scheme (Jalvahak Scheme) launched by Government on 15.12.2024 has following two components:
- Component 1: Provide up to 35% financial incentives directly to the cargo owners for substantial modal-shift of cargo from rail/road to Inland Water Transport.
- Component 2: Launch of scheduled service for promotion of Inland Water Transport by Inland & Coastal Shipping Ltd. (ICSL) on NW-1, NW-2  via Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route.

The cargo promotion scheme has approved provision of Rs. 95.42 crore for a period of three  years (F.Y. 2024-25 to F.Y. 2026-27). Under the scheme,an expenditure of Rs. 1.16 crore has been incurred till February, 2025.

(e)The  mandate  of  Inland  Waterways  Authority  of  India  (IWAI)  is  to  regulate  and develop National Waterways  for purposes of shipping and navigation. Fairway maintenance works (river training, maintenance dredging, channel marking and regular hydrographic surveys), construction of community jetties, floating terminals, Multi-Modal Terminals (MMTs), Inter-Modal Terminals (IMT) and Navigational Lock etc. have been undertaken  by  IWAI  as  part  of  infrastructure  development  on  NWs.  The  length  of National Waterways operational in the year 2014-15, 2019-20 and 2023-24 is 2716 Km, 4203 Km and 4894 Km respectively. State/UT wise detail is given in Annexure.

## Annexure

| State wise Operational National Waterways in Years 2014-15, 2019-20 & 2023-24 with length (in Km)   | State wise Operational National Waterways in Years 2014-15, 2019-20 & 2023-24 with length (in Km)   | State wise Operational National Waterways in Years 2014-15, 2019-20 & 2023-24 with length (in Km)   | State wise Operational National Waterways in Years 2014-15, 2019-20 & 2023-24 with length (in Km)   | State wise Operational National Waterways in Years 2014-15, 2019-20 & 2023-24 with length (in Km)   | State wise Operational National Waterways in Years 2014-15, 2019-20 & 2023-24 with length (in Km)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl.No.                                                                                              | National Waterways                                                                                  | State/UT                                                                                            | 2014-15                                                                                             | 2019-20                                                                                             | 2023-24                                                                                             |
| 1                                                                                                   | NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi- Hooghly River System (Haldia-Allahabad))                                    | U.P., Bihar, Jharkhand, W. Bengal                                                                   | 1,620                                                                                               | 1,620                                                                                               | 1,620                                                                                               |
| 2                                                                                                   | NW-2 (Brahmaputra River (Dhubri-Sadiya))                                                            | Assam                                                                                               | 891                                                                                                 | 891                                                                                                 | 891                                                                                                 |
| 3                                                                                                   | NW-3 (West Coast Canal)                                                                             | Kerala                                                                                              | 205                                                                                                 | 205                                                                                                 | 205                                                                                                 |
| 4                                                                                                   | NW-4 (Krishna Godavari River Systems)                                                               | A.P.                                                                                                | -                                                                                                   | 82                                                                                                  | 82                                                                                                  |
| 5                                                                                                   | NW-5 (East Coast Canal And Matai River/Brahmani- Kharsua-Dhamra Rivers/Mahanadi Delta Rivers)       | Odisha                                                                                              | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 233                                                                                                 |
| 6                                                                                                   | NW-8 (Alappuzha- Changanassery Canal)                                                               | Kerala                                                                                              | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 29                                                                                                  |
| 7                                                                                                   | NW-9 (Alappuzha- KottayamAthirampuzha Canal)                                                        | Kerala                                                                                              | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 40                                                                                                  |
| 8                                                                                                   | NW-14 (Baitarni River)                                                                              | Odisha                                                                                              | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 48                                                                                                  |
| 9                                                                                                   | NW-16 (Barak River)                                                                                 | Assam                                                                                               | -                                                                                                   | 121                                                                                                 | 121                                                                                                 |
| 10                                                                                                  | NW-23 (BudhaBalanga)                                                                                | Odisha                                                                                              | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 56                                                                                                  |
| 11                                                                                                  | NW-31 (Dhansiri/Chathe)                                                                             | Assam                                                                                               | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 114                                                                                                 |
| 12                                                                                                  | NW-44 (Ichamati River)                                                                              | W. Bengal                                                                                           | -                                                                                                   | 63                                                                                                  | 63                                                                                                  |
| 13                                                                                                  | NW-64 (Mahanadi River)                                                                              | Odisha                                                                                              | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 98                                                                                                  |
| 14                                                                                                  | NW-86 (Rupnarayan River)                                                                            | W. Bengal                                                                                           | -                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                   | 72                                                                                                  |
| 15                                                                                                  | NW-94 (Sone River)                                                                                  | Bihar                                                                                               | -                                                                                                   | 141                                                                                                 | 141                                                                                                 |
| 16                                                                                                  | NW-97 (Sunderbans Waterway)                                                                         | W. Bengal                                                                                           | -                                                                                                   | 172                                                                                                 | 172                                                                                                 |
| 17                                                                                                  | NW-10 (Amba River)                                                                                  | Maharashtra                                                                                         | -                                                                                                   | 45                                                                                                  | 45                                                                                                  |
| 18                                                                                                  | NW-83 (Rajpuri Creek)                                                                               | Maharashtra                                                                                         | -                                                                                                   |                                                                                                     |                                                                                                     |

|    |                                                 |             |       | 31    | 31    |
|----|-------------------------------------------------|-------------|-------|-------|-------|
| 19 | NW-85 (Revadanda Creek- Kundalika River System) | Maharashtra | -     | 31    | 31    |
| 20 | NW-91 (Shastri River - Jaigad Creek System)     | Maharashtra | -     | 48    | 48    |
| 21 | NW-68 (Mandovi River)                           | Goa         | -     | 41    | 41    |
| 22 | NW-111 (Zuari River)                            | Goa         | -     | 50    | 50    |
| 23 | NW-73 (Narmada River)                           | Gujarat     | -     | 226   | 226   |
| 24 | NW-100 (Tapi River)                             | Gujarat     | -     | 436   | 436   |
|    | Total Length in KM.                             |             | 2,716 | 4,203 | 4,894 |

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