
The Capital witnessed a two-day expo and conference on the Logistics and Transport sectors on the theme - Rediscovering India’s Logistic Sector: Efficiency, Costs & Technology. The expo was organized by the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport – India (CILT India) in association with Exhibitions India Group at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi on November 21-22, and was supported by the Union Ministries of Commerce & Industry, Railways, Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.
Inaugurating the expo, General (Dr. VK Singh (Retd.), Hon'ble Minister of State, Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways, said, “The logistics sector has been growing in India; it is presently pegged at $160 billion, and expected to grow to $215 billion in the next year-and-half. This growth, compatible with the way infrastructure is moving, will make a remarkable difference. The Government is making efforts to ensure that both the logistics and the infra sector will continue to grow side-by-side. The need of the hour is to create more expressways and highways. Today, we have about 5.5 million kms of roads, of which, the national highways carry 40% or more of the heavier loads, and is only 2.29% of this 5.5 million. Hence, the government needs to create more expressways and better highways so that the various corridors get linked within a short timeframe.”
Also present was Shri Suresh Prabhu, Hon'ble Member of the Rajya Sabha. He observed, “I would like to appreciate the great contribution made by the professionals in the transport and logistics sector to address the challenges being faced in the country with logistics being a major hurdle in realising India’s true potential for growth. In this event, solutions available in the country and in the world will be showcased so that people can address the challenges.”
CILT India Expo 2019 is a premier transport and logistics event that addresses the entire supply chain of the logistics industry. The expo showcased all modes of transport, including road, rail, air, sea and inland waterways, in addition to warehousing, supply/cold chain, and freight forwarders, safety & security solutions; IT & communications; logistics parks and special economic zones.
The two-day expo witnessed participation from 100+ exhibitors, speakers and delegates, and 3,500+ business visitors.
The conference hosted over 65 speakers spread across 9 sessions. The conference sessions saw informative discussions on latest innovations and technologies impacting the logistics sector; new trends & methodologies. Some of the topics included Rediscovering India’s Logistics sector: Efficiency, costs & technology; Integrated National Logistics Policy; Changing logistics landscape: Delivering possibilities in the digital era; Creating a platform for integrated logistics solution; Innovations and development in warehousing, packaging, cold chain, supply chain management, and many more.
Shri Shanti Narayan, Chairman, CILT India, said, “CILT India organised this conference to provide an authentic platform to the captains and professionals of the logistics and transport industry to share their plans as well as concerns with the policymakers in the Government of India and sensitise them on the trends in the industry in India as well as globally, and understand how to deal with the challenges of reducing the carbon footprint in the mobility sector in India. Secondly, designing strategies to evolve an optimal inter-modal mix, which leverages the energy intensity of different modes of transport in order to minimise the overall consumption of energy at the least cost to society. Thirdly, we hope to find a way to align the overall costs of logistics of the Indian business and industry with international benchmarks to enhance their competitiveness in the international marketplace.”