Piyush Goyal releases the “Logistics Ease Across Different State (LEADS) 2023”

Dec 18, 2023 India Shipping News

NEW DELHI : Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Sh. Piyush Goyal released the “Logistics Ease Across Different State (LEADS) 2023” report here on 16^th December 2023, in the presence of Smt. Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT, Mr. Sajiv Puri, President-Designate of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & MD ITC, and Mr. Mihir Shah, Partner, Ernst & Young.  

Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Piyush Goyal said that LEADS is giving insights to States and UTs for further revolutionary reform in logistics sector, taking us towards our vision of Viksit Bharat. The report serves as a guide for stakeholders in the Logistics Sector by providing strategic insights, he added. He hoped that it will play a pivotal role in instilling healthy competition among States/UTs to enhance logistics performance. It also underscores notable initiatives like planning infrastructure on PM GatiShakti, ‘industry’ status for logistics, multimodal connectivity, digital initiatives in logistics, City Logistics Plans, Multimodal Logistics Parks, etc, he said, adding that States/UTs need to emphasise skill development, capacity building, and the formalization of logistics policies, implementation of monitoring frameworks, and the promotion of green logistics. He said that Logistics sector will be a cornerstone in our endeavour to take India to a 10 fold growth from a USD 3.5 trillion to USD 35 trillion by 2047.

Sh. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary. DPIIT stated that leveraging digitization will lead to significant reduction in logistics cost. In the last nine years, significant interventions in critical areas like logistics received the much-needed focus, thereby leading to the growth in the logistics sector. Secretary highlighted reforms in Ease of Doing Business, reduction in compliance burden and ongoing work on reducing cost of regulation.

Senior officials from the Central and State/UT governments and representatives from the industry were present at the launch to share their insights and engage in constructive dialogues during various sessions in the day.

LEADS was conceived on the lines of Logistics Performance Index of World Bank in 2018 and has evolved over time. While the LPI relies entirely on perception-based surveys, LEADS incorporates both perception as well as objectivity thereby enhancing the robustness and comprehensiveness of this exercise.

The 5^th edition of the LEADS annual exercise – LEADS 2023 report, provides insights into improvement of logistics performance at State/UT level. It highlights an enhanced overall stakeholder perception and impact of various reforms, across States and UTs. This report, signalling a positive shift in States’ performance across the key pillars – Logistics Infrastructure, Logistics Services and Operating and Regulatory Environment, empowers the State/UT Governments by providing region specific insights for informed decision making and comprehensive growth.

This report is based on a pan-India primary survey, conducted between May and July 2023, covering over 7,300 responses across 36 States/UTs. Additionally, over 750 stakeholder consultations, facilitated by National, Regional, and State Associations, significantly contributed to this comprehensive evaluation.

Performance Highlights from LEADS 2023:

Coastal Group

• Achievers: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
• Fast Movers: Kerala, Maharashtra
• Aspirers: Goa, Odisha, West Bengal

Landlocked Group

• Achievers: Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh
• Fast Movers: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
• Aspirers: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand

North-East Group

• Achievers: Assam, Sikkim, Tripura
• Fast Movers: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland
• Aspirers: Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram

Union Territories

• Achievers: Chandigarh, Delhi
• Fast Movers: Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Puducherry
• Aspirers: Daman & Diu/ Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh

Ms. Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT highlighted that the 5^th edition of the LEADS report launched has been developed in a collaborative and consultative manner. It has brought objectivity in assessment of infrastructure development and process-related reforms. 23 States/UTs have also notified their State Logistics Polices to align with the National Logistics Policy. Further, 16 States/UTs have given industry status to logistics. Digital reform such as PM GatiShakti, Logistics Data Bank, Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), GST are propelling India’s improved ranking at global level.

During the event two sessions were held: (i) Leveraging Data and technologies to Ease Logistics; (ii) Green and sustainable Logistics.

Efficient domestic logistics are pivotal for both national and international trade competitiveness. The integration of objective and perception-based data in LEADS 2023 ensures a holistic framework for evaluating logistics performance. The latest edition builds strengthening objectivity and precision in assessment by considering a wider spectrum of state initiatives, including the adoption of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan for project planning, aligning State Logistics Policies with National Logistics Policy, besides developing City Logistics plans, etc.