The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, SEPT 22, 2023
Batting for gender inclusivity in the logistics sector, Odisha Commerce & Transport Department Principal Secretary Usha Padhee on Friday said that it is already visible in many e-commerce companies that projects become more successful whenever women are included.
“Therefore, we should not see logistics as a sector for men only. Time has come to focus on gender-led logistics, said Padhee while speaking at the Logistic Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Odisha Chapter here today.
She shed light on high logistics costs for big as well as small and medium companies which is affecting the competitiveness of the market and overall growth. “If logistics would be our one of the growth engines, it should be efficient. National Logistics Policy envisages placing India among the top 25 countries of the world. Similarly, PM Gati Shakti focuses on convergence of different modes of transportation. Multi Modal Logistics is also another area of focus. As far as regulation is concerned, the Air and Port sector come to a certain maturity level. But for the Railway and Road sector, we need to improve the regulation,” said Padhee.
On this occasion, Paradip Port Trust Deputy Chairman Nilabhra Dasgupta spoke about the beneficial effects of PM Gati Sakti and Sagarmala project on the port sector. Paradip Port is the largest, efficient and affordable port of India. “In the last fiscal the Port has clocked 136.36 MT cargo handling record. In the last 6 years we have consecutively achieved more than 100 MT cargos per year. Coastal cargo handling by Paradip Port is highest among all the coastal ports,” he informed.
CII Odisha State Council Chairman Sashi Sekhar Mohanty said, “We need to focus on how digitisation and smart logistics can redefine efficiency, accuracy and transparency in the logistics sector of Odisha. We have identified logistic bottlenecks which need a regulatory framework to create a conducive environment for stakeholders and need to upskill our workforce to fulfil demand of the logistic sector.”
CII Odisha State Council former chairman Santosh Mohapatra said, “Logistics contributes to higher cost of production. Odisha needs container port for small and medium scale industry sector. We are confident that in near future this facility will be available in our state.”
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman and Managing Director of Balmer Lawrie Adika Ratna Sekhar said, “Logistic sector is projected to grow on CAGR of 15.5 percent by 2024. This sector has given employment to 22 million people and going to employ another 1.2 million people by 2025.”
Convenor of CII Odisha Infrastructure and Logistics Panel Pramod Jain proposed vote of thanks.
As part of the two technical sessions of the event, three plenary sessions were organised. The technical sessions were conducted by CII Institute of Logistics Executive Director KV Mahidhar and Enterprise System Solutions Pvt Ltd CEO Sudhir Jaiswal.
