NEW DELHI: Today Prime Minister Narendra Modi released wild cheetahs, extinct from India, in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. He made a connection between the speed of the beast and the pace at which India should improve its logistics.
“There is a correlation between the launch of the National Logistics Policy and the release of cheetahs on the same day. We want our logistics to progress at the same speed as the cheetah. The country wants to move at the same speed,” he said at an event where he launched the National Logistics Policy.
Prime Minister Modi, who turned 72 today, released cheetahs flown in from Namibia at two release points in Kuno National Park. The cheetah is considered the fastest land animal.
Noting that India has become the fifth largest economy, overtaking the UK, the Prime Minister said the country was in transition.
“Today we are the fifth largest economy in the world. The country is changing,” he said.
“Pehle hum Kabootar chhodte the, aaj Cheetah chhod rahe hai” (First we release doves, now we release cheetahs,” he said.
PM Modi further said that the policy was well thought out and made after eight years of hard work.
“The National Logistics Policy is well thought out and was created after eight years of hard work. And when I talk about myself, my experience of 22 years is tied to that,” he said. ”
The Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) was launched today.
This will facilitate logistic services for exporters.
ULIP will integrate all services related to the transport sector on a single platform,” added PM Modi.
The logistics policy aims to reduce logistics costs and improve the competitiveness of domestic goods in the world market. India spends around 13 to 14 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on logistics costs.
While countries like Germany and Japan, known for their developed logistics infrastructure and systems, spend only about eight to nine percent of GDP on logistics costs.
The logistics sector has more than 20 government agencies, 40 partner government agencies (PGA), 37 export promotion councils, 500 certifications, over 10,000 commodities and a $160 billion market.
According to the 2018 World Bank Logistics Index, India ranks 44th in logistics costs, well behind countries like the United States and China, which rank 14th and 26th respectively.
