Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed India’s rivers as ‘highways of progress’, emphasising their transformation into major transport and tourism routes that drive the nation’s development.
Sharing his thoughts on social media, the Prime Minister said, “India’s rivers are not just symbols of heritage; they are highways of progress.”
He highlighted an article by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, which detailed the government’s successful efforts to revitalise the country’s inland waterways and integrate them into a modern logistics network.
In his article, Sonowal reflected on how India’s rivers once served as vital trade routes, carrying goods such as grain and salt between Patna, Dibrugarh, and Kolkata long before the dominance of rail and road transport.
He noted that rivers were ‘the first highway’ of the subcontinent, now being rejuvenated under the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) with robust institutional support.
Sonowal credited this revival to the PM Modi government’s outcome-driven vision for multimodal connectivity, ensuring that India’s natural waterways once again play a key role in the nation’s economic growth.
Expanding Waterways and Sustainable Connectivity
India currently boasts 14,500 km of navigable waterways, with 111 declared national waterways, a tenfold rise from just five before 2014. Of these, 32 waterways are operational, marking a significant leap in infrastructure development.
Sonowal reported that cargo movement has surged from 18 million tonnes in 2013–14 to 145 million tonnes in 2024–25, with an ambitious target of 200 million tonnes by 2030 and 250 million tonnes by 2047.
The minister further noted a surge in river tourism, which has expanded from five vessels a decade ago to 25 cruise ships operating across 13 waterways.
Authorities are upgrading terminals in Varanasi, Kolkata, Patna, Dibrugarh, and Guwahati with electric shore links and 24-hour navigation systems to make river journeys both luxurious and eco-friendly.
Sonowal concluded that the revival of river transport reflects the government’s broader commitment to sustainability, reduced emissions, and cost-effective logistics, a vision steering India towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’.
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