UP Government Gears Up To Prepare An ‘Integrated Logistics Plan’ To Build Robust Supply Chains For Industries

In view of the enormous investor interest and establishment of industrial units as a result of industry-friendly policies of UP government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued directions to further improve the industry ecosystem and build a robust logistics infrastructure in the state.

The state government will be developing an integrated state logistics plan that will be aiming at the overall development of the logistics sector and the cell will function in sync with national logistics division for development of supply chains and warehousing facilities for industries.

Alok Kumar, the additional chief secretary, infrastructural and industrial development, has been nominated as the state nodal officer of the cell for developing the integrated state logistics plan aimed at overall development of logistics sector.

“In addition to granting ‘industry status’ to logistics sector, drastically reducing cost of  land and operations, state government has already made numerous new provisions to give impetus to this sector. As a result, UP is attracting sizable investments in warehousing and logistics sector and so far, six proposals worth approx. Rs 438 crores of investment have been received in the sector,” informed Kumar. A state logistics coordination committee will also set up to monitor the progress and implementation of the logistics plan, he added.

The government will work on six improvement parameters, viz. ease of arranging logistics at competitive rates, quality of logistics infrastructure, quality of logistics service providers, safety security of cargo movement, efficiency of regulatory procedures and state coordination & facilitation to strengthen the logistics infrastructure in State.

State government departments like Planning, Transport, Civil Aviation, Revenue, PWD, Export Promotion Bureau, U.P. Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will be the key members on board, nodal officers from Central agencies like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), etc. will be special invitees to the cell like Planning, Transport, Civil Aviation, Revenue, PWD, Export Promotion Bureau, U.P. Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will be the key members on board, and nodal officers from Central agencies like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), etc. will be special invitees to the cell.

It is to be mentioned that state government launched its incentive policy for warehousing and logistics in 2018 and recently, the government also rationalised its land use policy to facilitate land for logistics sector at lower prices and lower conversion fees.

The development authorities are also amending their zoning regulations, master plans and by-laws to apply industrial land use and industrial land use conversion charges for logistics parks and units besides lowering the eligibility limits from 50 acres to 25 acres for setting up Logistics Parks across the state.