Stories
Experts Praise New Logistics Authority to Boost Multimodal Connectivity
- •The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority to serve as the apex body for logistics planning and monitoring.
- •Experts note that the new authority will help reduce logistics costs, improve investment efficiency, and strengthen India's transport ecosystem.
- •Deloitte India Partner Kushal Kumar Singh emphasized the importance of translating integrated planning into coordinated execution across transport modes.
- •FarEye Chief Business Officer Suryansh Jalan stated that the authority will connect infrastructure, freight data, and decision-making across roads, rails, and ports.
- •Greater predictability from improved logistics planning will benefit both large enterprises and SMEs by reducing buffer inventory and unlocking working capital.
Key Questions Answered
The Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA) will function as the apex body for integrated transport and logistics planning, research, project appraisal and monitoring, policy support, and data analytics. It is designed to bring India's fragmented transport planning under a coordinated framework.
The authority will cover roads, railways, ports and shipping, civil aviation, inland waterways, coastal shipping, urban mobility, and logistics. It aims to prepare a long-term National Transport Master Plan spanning at least 10 years to connect these different modes.
Experts note that ITLA will improve transport orchestration, connect infrastructure and freight data across road, rail, and ports, and help resolve bottlenecks. This better planning and predictability will reduce working capital locked up in inventory, shorten waiting times, lower logistics costs as a share of GDP, and improve supply chain reliability for both large enterprises and SMEs.
