Goa’s logistics community has welcomed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s maritime-focused Union Budget with cautious optimism, even as industry leaders flagged gaps in policy design and execution.
The Budget places strong emphasis on transport by water, with proposals covering inland waterways, seaplane connectivity, ship-repair hubs and last-mile logistics. A key announcement is the Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme, aimed at incentivising a shift from road and rail to water transport and doubling the share of inland waterways and coastal shipping from 6 per cent to 12 per cent by 2047.
“It’s definitely a step in the right direction and shows the importance the government is giving to transport by water, whether inland waterways or coastal shipping,” said Anthony Gaskel, Director at Sentrans Shipping Pvt Ltd. He added that industry bodies would study the details of the proposals and seek feedback from their members before forming a final view.
However, concerns remain over the scope of the scheme. Tamal Roy, Group President at JM Baxi Group, pointed out that the proposed incentives apply only to select inland waterway routes and exclude coastal shipping routes. Describing the measures as “baby steps,” Roy said the scheme would be effective only if it includes direct coastal routes between Indian ports.
“Apart from subsidies, we need dedicated coastal berths at Goa or Mormugao port, similar to other west coast ports,” Roy said. “Dedicated coastal berths reduce customs paperwork and intervention, which is critical for efficiency.”
Industry players believe sustained investment in logistics infrastructure and inland waterways could significantly improve multimodal connectivity, ease cargo movement and promote sustainable transport—long-standing aspirations of Goa’s logistics sector.
States with coastal access, ports and inland waterways, including Goa, are expected to benefit from increased industrial activity, while barge operators could also see new opportunities. At the same time, Roy cautioned that earlier initiatives, such as the coastal cargo reimbursement scheme, failed to gain traction, highlighting the need to assess the broader policy ecosystem to ensure effective implementation.