India's Longest waterways for businnes .... know the reason !

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Varanasi on Monday for

inaugurating key infrastructure projects. These Projects

included two Roadways and an Inland waterway.
In Varanasi, PM Modi received a large container vessel that left

Kolkata inland port on October 30 carrying cargo belonging to

PEPSICO (India).
This is the first time that a container vessel travelled on

insland waterways on the Ganga. This waterways has been

named National Waterway-1. PM Modi also dedicated a

multimodal terminal to the Nation.
NATIONAL WATERWAY - 1 TO 10 POINTS :

1. National waterway-1 is an inland water transfort route

between Haldia in West Bengal to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

The National Waterway-1 is aided with differential global

positioning system (DGPS), river information system (RIS),

river training and conservancy works.

1. The Haldia-Varanasi stretch of the National Waterway-1 has

been developed with technical assistance and investment

support from the World Bank. The total estimated cost of the

project is Rs 5,369.18 Cr. The cost of the project was shared

between the Indian government and the world bank on 50:50

ratio.

1. the project involves construction of three multi-modal

terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj and Haldia, two inter -modal

terminals and five roll-on-roll-off or Ro-Ro termibal pairs. It

also has a new navigation lock at Farakka, assured depth

dredging, integrated vessel repair and maintenance facility.

1. Operation, management and further develpoment of the

terminal is proposed to be entrusted to an operator on

public-private partnership model (PPP). The selection of the

operator is at an advanced stage through an international

competitive bidding. The process is expected to be complete

by December end.

1. The Varanasi inland port on Ganga river where PM Modi

received the container vessel has been newly developed. It is

the first multi-modal terminal on the Ganga.

1. The terminal was developed as part of the Centre's Jal Marg

Vikas Project that aims to develop the stretch of the river

between Varanasi and Haldia for navigation of large vessels

weighing up to 1,500 to 2,000 tonnes.

1. The objective of the project is to promote inland waterways

as a cheap and enviroment-friendly means of transportation,

especially for cargo movement. The Inland Waterways

Authority of India(IWAI) is the project implementing agency.

1. The Multi-modal terminal project abd proposed freight

village in Varanasi are expected to generate 500 direct

employment and more than 2,000 indirect employment

opportunites.

1. The IWAI vessel, MV Rabindranath Tagore that PM Modi

received in Varanasi was the first container movement on an

inland waterway in India since Independence.

1. The vessel transported 16 container equivalent to 16

truckloads of food and snacks from Kolkata to Varanasi. It will

be on its return journey carrying fertilisers from IFFCO.