New Delhi, Feb 19 (UNI) The government has allocated Rs 132 crore to the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to revamp IT infrastructure for upgrading logistics in a bid to provide paperless, faceless and transparent solutions to the problems faced by industry and trade in the movement of goods and services across the country.

This was stated by Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu while addressing the 'National Conference on Logistics Policy', organised by FICCI jointly with the Department of Commerce.

Mr Prabhu said an efficient and cost-effective logistics framework would provide industries in the logistics business with huge business opportunities while giving a boost to service sector at a time when the government was working on a new agriculture export policy.

A well-coordinated and integrated logistics policy also

has the potential for making the industry the largest employment generator in the country, he added.

The primary objective of the draft National Logistics Policy 2018 is to facilitate integrated development of the logistics sector in the country. It aims to strengthen and prioritise the key objectives, focus areas and the governance framework for logistics and also clarifies the role of the various stakeholders including central ministries, state governments and other key regulatory bodies.

The draft policy seeks to create a single point of reference for all logistics and trade facilitation matters in the country which will also function as a knowledge and information sharing platform.

The policy also aims to drive logistics cost as a percentage of GDP down from an estimated level of 13-14 per cent to 10 per cent in line with best-in-class global standards.

Mr Prabhu also launched the 'Safar' app on logistics that would access the ground-level feedback from transporters and iron out the delays at the state

borders.

Steel Ministry Secretary Binoy Kumar urged the stakeholders to suggest solutions to lend efficiencies in the system for reducing transaction costs and

improve the ease of doing business.

The draft policy, he said, seeks to bring the multifarious agencies under one platform for seamless interaction, adding that the success of the policy will rest on the integration of the numerous platforms in the logistics and transport sector and at the state level.

UNI SW SHK1642