MODERN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDED FOR ATMANIRBHAR

Distances are getting shorter – not be-cause its actually getting shorter but due to improvement in transportation and supply chains processes. Today, a single truck will include thousands of components from hundreds of suppliers across the nation and even overseas – but manufacturing still happens seamlessly. The main criteria is efficiency, speed and reliability of supply chains which is mainly dependent on transportation infrastructure.

- Premjit Singh

Furthermore, customer behavior has constantly evolved and diversified. People no longer consume only what is readily available. Apples from Kashmir and Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes are now purchased country-wide and even exported. Furthermore, the pandemic shifted individual consumption patterns towards the ease of online transactions. This means that the window between buying and stocking inventory gets shorter and shorter.

In view of this, the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign that the government is promoting makes it important to examine how industries can evolve to meet these changing patterns of demand. The supply chain needs to be freed of its baggage. This can be accomplished by a technologically savvy system of transportation that doesn’t rely on as many variables as the current road freight transport system.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor is the first such initiative in India’s independent history. It is ambitious and modern in its reach and innovation. Utilising state-of-the-art technologies, it aims to transform the railway sector by implementing modern strategies.

Premjit Singh, Executive VP & SBU Head – Transportation, Tata Projects.