Kandla: India Seatrade has announced Mr. Sushil Kumar Singh, IRSME, Chairperson, Deendayal Port Authority, as the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the Multimodal Logistics Summit – Mundra/Kandla 2026, scheduled for 9 October 2026 at Radisson Hotel Kandla.
The summit will be held under the theme “Strengthening India’s Trade Gateways: Driving Manufacturing Growth, Multimodal Connectivity and Global Trade Competitiveness.”
Mr. Singh will deliver the Keynote Address at the summit, which will bring together senior government officials, port authorities, railway and logistics stakeholders, shipping lines, exporters, manufacturers and industry leaders to discuss the future of India’s trade gateways and multimodal logistics infrastructure.
The event will feature the participation of several senior officials, including Ms. Rajtanil Solanki, IRS, Joint Development Commissioner, Kandla Special Economic Zone; Mr. Shobhit Bhatnagar, IRTS, Director – Business Development, DFCCIL; Dr. Surender Ahirwar, IRTS, Executive Director – Traffic Commercials, Ministry of Railways; and Mr. Praveen Kumar Sahukari, Deputy Secretary – Logistics, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The first session, “The Strategic Role of Mundra and Kandla Ports in Driving India’s Manufacturing Growth, Export Competitiveness and Supply Chain Resilience,” will bring together senior representatives from ports, shipping, logistics and industry.
The second session, “Cargo Evacuation and Hinterland Connectivity: Building an Integrated Multimodal Logistics Ecosystem,” will focus on strengthening rail connectivity, cargo evacuation and seamless multimodal movement. The session will feature senior representatives from DFCCIL, the Ministry of Railways, DPIIT, port operations and industry.
The third session, “Leveraging India’s Free Trade Agreements to Boost Cargo Growth through Mundra and Kandla Ports,” will examine how India’s expanding FTA network can support export growth and enhance the role of the two major trade gateways. Ms. Rajtanil Solanki will participate in this session along with senior representatives from shipping, freight forwarding, logistics and industry.
The summit will open with a Welcome Address by Mr. K. Mohandas, IAS (Retd), Chairman, India Seatrade, followed by a Special Address from Mr. Rahul Modi, Member, National Shipping Board, Government of India.
The summit is expected to provide a platform for industry and government stakeholders to deliberate on port-led manufacturing growth, cargo evacuation, rail and hinterland connectivity, multimodal logistics, FTAs and India’s global trade competitiveness.