The number of national waterways has increased to 111 now from five in 2014, minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal informed parliament recently.
Over ₹6,000 crore ($707.5 million) has been invested to rejuvenate inland waterways in the last decade, he said.
The total volume of cargo transported by inland waterways has increased from 18.07 million metric tonnes (MT) in fiscal 2013-14 to 132.89 million MT in fiscal 2023-24, with a compounded annual growth rate of 22.1 per cent, he said.
The government has set a target of 200 million MT of cargo movement via waterways by 2030. For 2047, the target is 500 million MT, an official release cited the minister as saying.
India boasts an extensive network of inland waterways comprising rivers, canals, creeks, and backwaters. Of the total navigable length of 20,236 km, 17,980 km consists of rivers and 2,256 km is made up of canals.